Gheorghe: Selection Sunday Filler

Igor emailed this highlight montage the other day, asking if I have ever seen it. Amazingly, the answer was "No." But I am glad he sent it along, because this is some Gheorghe Ghoodness. Watch it on loop as you prepare for the Selection Committee to stick it to Drexel at 6:00 p.m. ET and leave the Dragons out of the NCAA Tournament in favor of some middling bums from the Big East, Big Ten, or god forbid, the horrid Pac 12.

[H/T to BigPatrys15 for the video]

CAA Conference Tourney Morning Filler

I was trying to dig up video of Nick Nolte's ridiculous Red carpet interview on ABC last night, but I am failing miserably, so in the meantime I pasted below the bracket and schedule for the upcoming CAA tournament, which begins Friday in Richmond. The key game for us of course is the Tribe's matchup with Northeaster, at 6pm pm on Friday. The boys of Shaver win that one, and I for one (as a futile superfan) absolutely think they'll put a scare into VCU. Hell, they almost beat them once this year, why not do it in style in the tourney.

First Round, Friday, March 2: 
Noon: (8) James Madison Dukes vs. (9) UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
2:30 p.m.: (5) Delaware Blue Hens vs. (12) Towson Tigers
6 p.m.: (7) Northeastern Huskies vs. (10) William & Mary Tribe 
8:30 p.m.: (6) Georgia St. Panthers vs. (11) Hofstra Pride

Second Round, Saturday, March 3: 
Noon: (Winner James Madison/UNC-Wilmington) vs. (1) Drexel Dragons
2:30 p.m.: (Winner Delaware/Towson) vs. (4) Old Dominion Monarchs
6 p.m.: (Winner Northeastern/William & Mary) vs. (2) Va. Commonwealth Rams
8:30 p.m.: (Winner Georgia St./Hofstra) vs. (3) George Mason Patriots

Semifinals, Sunday, March 4: 
2 p.m.: Winner of Sat.'s early games
4:30 p.m.: Winner of Sat.'s late games

Finals, Monday, March 5: 
7 p.m.: Semifinals winners

I might have some upcoming news on the Finals game later in the week. In the meantime, start prepping for GherogheFest folks, it's just six days away.

Colonial-oscopy

It's an utterly predictable turn of events, just like when my alma mater's football program went south just about the time I moved close by and re-dedicated myself to going to games and supporting them. Now that Gheorghe: The Blog has aggressively posited itself as a champion of Colonial Athletic Association basketball, the CAA has, for the moment, ceased to be anything worth following.

Here is the latest iteration of ESPN.com's "Mid-Major Top 10":
1. Xavier
2. Dayton
3. Butler
4. Saint Mary's
5. Rhode Island
6. BYU
7. Sam Houston State
8. Creighton
9. UNLV
10. Kent State

The absence of any CAA programs is eye-catching, especially when you consider what George Mason was doing over Thanksgiving. Eye-catching but not unwarranted.

Rob proclaimed last week that the CAA would only be getting one team into the NCAA tournament. (It's far too early for such a definitive statement, but that's what our little buddy does. Early and definitive. Much more preferable to after the fact and vague.) I, however, maintain that there's still plenty of time for the conference to re-establish itself as a mid-major power. Okay, maybe not "plenty" of time, but there's time.

That said, it has to start now if we're going to be acutely interested in the last few contests of early March and inexplicably hanging on Clark Kellogg's every word around Selection Sunday. The next ten days or so feature a docket of regional match-ups between Colonial clubs and schools either above or below CAA level (Northeastern vs. BC; VCU vs. Longwood). The conference has fared decently thus far against programs of superior stature; its shortcomings, however, have been in the category of "bad losses." For every win over K-State, there have been two or three defeats to the likes of VMI, St. Francis, or Toledo. This week's going to feature many more games that the CAAers should win than should lose; how they squash these lesser squads will tell us whether the January 2 kick-off of full-on intra-conference play is just the commencement of an exhibition or really the making of a case for inclusion.

Stay tuned.