Notes from the CAA Championship…

Caught the Colonial Athletic Association Championship between VCU and George Mason last week in Richmond.  Virginia Commonwealth won big earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  I couldn’t help but notice how huge this game was to the community.  The Richmond Coliseum sold out and people of Richmond were extremely excited to see their Rams back in the Big Dance.  For these schools, basketball is such a big deal.  Especially for George Mason and VCU, who have no football programs but have a very large student population.

I was impressed by VCU, here’s why you should consider them for a run in the tournament:

• I was looking around the arena at the conference champions of the past.  I noticed that the CAA has a rich history in the NCAA Tournament.  Navy made a run in the late 80’s to the elite eight with David Robinson leading the way.  Of course Navy is no longer in the CAA.  Richmond, too, has been a cinderella in the conference going to the Sweet 16 as a 13-seed and then upsetting 2-seeded South Carolina as a 15-seed in 1991, one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.  Old Dominion, UNC-Wilmington, and VCU have also scored upsets, and we can’t forget the Final Four run George Mason made in 2006.
• Like I said above, VCU has already beaten an historic program in the first round, as an 11-seed, back in 2007.  Eric Maynor has the experience in the tournament to win another game.
• This version of the Rams I think is even better than the 2007 team.  Eric Maynor is more experience, now a Senior and their solid guards (Burgess, Nixon, and Rodriguez) can run with anyone and can play defense.
• If you don’t know who Larry Sanders is you better “Google” him right now.  He is an absolute beast.  He had 3 or 4 dunks that shook the rim for minutes afterward.  He can rebound and play interior defense with anyone.  Having him in the front court will make VCU able to battle in every aspect of the game.
• Coach Anthony Grant is ready to step up to big leagues.  Adding another tournament win to his resume, or even a Sweet 16 appearance, would make any bigtime SEC or ACC program want to hire him.  The motivation is definitely there.
• The motivation is also there for Maynor, trying to improve his NBA draft status.  He could be a first rounder right now, but a strong performance in Philadelphia on national TV would be huge for him.

I’m picking VCU in at least one game…. And you should too…