More Sked Updates…

Georgia State and James Madison updated…

Northeastern

OOC: Providence, Wright State, Boston University, Rhode Island, Cable Car Classic (2 games: Santa Clara and Wofford/Kent State), Diamond Head Classic (3 games: USC, UNLV, St. Mary’s, SMU, Western Michigan, College of Charleston and Hawai’i), Siena.

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel, Mason, Ga State, VCU, UNCW. Single games–JMU, ODU, Towson, William & Mary.

VCU

OOC: Bethune Cookman, Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, Western Michigan, Tulane, East Carolina.

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, JMU, William & Mary, UNCW, Ga State, Northeastern, Drexel. Single games–Towson, Delaware, Mason, Hofstra.

Old Dominion

OOC: Charlotte, Duquesne, Marshall, Liberty, Richmond.

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, JMU, William & Mary, Mason, Ga State, Delaware, Towson. Single games–Hofstra, Drexel, UNCW, Northeastern.

Delaware

OOC: Philly Classic (Temple, Siena, and Va Tech), Ohio, Bucknell, Hampton, Lafayette, Villanova, Delaware State, Penn, Vermont.

CAA Sked: Two games–Drexel, Towson, Hofstra, Northeastern, Mason, W&M, ODU. Single games–UNCW, Ga State, VCU, JMU.

William & Mary

OOC: UConn, Harvard, Norfolk State, Navy, Radford, Manhattan, Ohio

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, VCU, JMU, Drexel, UNCW, Hofstra, Delaware. Single games–Northeastern, Towson, Mason, Ga State.

Hofstra

OOC: Kansas, NIT Season Tipoff (Four games, in Connecticut, TBD), Fairfield, Manhattan, New Hampshire, Florida Atlantic, Holiday Festival (2 games: St. John’s, then either Davidson or Cornell)

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, UNCW, W&M, Mason. Single games–JMU, ODU, VCU, Ga State.

Drexel

OOC: St. Joseph’s, Penn, Cal State Northridge.

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Delaware, Hofstra, W&M, Towson, VCU, JMU. Single games-Mason, Ga State, UNCW, ODU.

Towson

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, JMU, Ga State, ODU, UNCW. Single games-Mason, Northeastern, VCU, W&M.

George Mason

OOC: Puerto Rico (Three games: Boston University, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Villanova), Creighton, George Washington, VMI, Liberty, Dartmouth, Tulane, Radford, Dayton.

CAA Sked: Two games–JMU, ODU, Northeastern, Delaware, UNCW, Hofstra, Ga State. Single games-VCU, Drexel, Towson, W&M.

James Madison

OOC: Ohio State, UMBC, Longwood, Fordham, Gardner Webb, Norfolk State

CAA Sked: Two games–Mason, W&M, Towson, VCU, ODU, Drexel, Ga State. Single games-Delaware, Hofstra, Northeastern, UNCW.

UNCW

OOC: Wake Forest, Richmond, Appalachian State, Elon, George Washington, Campbell, VMI, Charleston Classic (Three games against: LaSalle, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tulane, Davidson.)

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, Mason, W&M, Ga State, Hofstra, Northeastern, Towson. Single games-JMU, ODU, Delaware, Drexel.

Georgia State

OOC: Kansas, NC State, Howard, Drake, IUPUI

CAA Sked: Two games–UNCW, ODU, VCU, Towson, Northeastern, Mason, JMU. Single games-William & Mary, Drexel, Delaware, Hofstra

Updated Schedules…

Mason and Hofstra noncons go final…

Northeastern

OOC: Providence, Wright State, Boston University, Rhode Island, Cable Car Classic (2 games: Santa Clara and Wofford/Kent State), Diamond Head Classic (3 games: USC, UNLV, St. Mary’s, SMU, Western Michigan, College of Charleston and Hawai’i), Siena.

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel, Mason, Ga State, VCU, UNCW. Single games–JMU, ODU, Towson, William & Mary.

VCU

OOC: Bethune Cookman, Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, Western Michigan, Tulane, East Carolina.

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, JMU, William & Mary, UNCW, Ga State, Northeastern, Drexel. Single games–Towson, Delaware, Mason, Hofstra.

Old Dominion

OOC: Charlotte, Duquesne, Marshall, Liberty, Richmond.

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, JMU, William & Mary, Mason, Ga State, Delaware, Towson. Single games–Hofstra, Drexel, UNCW, Northeastern.

Delaware

OOC: Philly Classic (Temple, Siena, and Va Tech), Ohio, Bucknell, Hampton, Lafayette, Villanova, Delaware State, Penn, Vermont.

CAA Sked: Two games–Drexel, Towson, Hofstra, Northeastern, Mason, W&M, ODU. Single games–UNCW, Ga State, VCU, JMU.

William & Mary

OOC: UConn, Harvard, Norfolk State, Navy, Radford, Manhattan, Ohio

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, VCU, JMU, Drexel, UNCW, Hofstra, Delaware. Single games–Northeastern, Towson, Mason, Ga State.

Hofstra

OOC: Kansas, NIT Season Tipoff (Four games, in Connecticut, TBD), Fairfield, Manhattan, New Hampshire, Florida Atlantic, Holiday Festival (2 games: St. John’s, then either Davidson or Cornell)

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, UNCW, W&M, Mason. Single games–JMU, ODU, VCU, Ga State.

Drexel

OOC: St. Joseph’s, Penn, Cal State Northridge.

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Delaware, Hofstra, W&M, Towson, VCU, JMU. Single games-Mason, Ga State, UNCW, ODU.

Towson

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, JMU, Ga State, ODU, UNCW. Single games-Mason, Northeastern, VCU, W&M.

George Mason

OOC: Puerto Rico (Three games: Boston University, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Villanova), Creighton, George Washington, VMI, Liberty, Dartmouth, Tulane, Radford, Dayton.

CAA Sked: Two games–JMU, ODU, Northeastern, Delaware, UNCW, Hofstra, Ga State. Single games-VCU, Drexel, Towson, W&M.

James Madison

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Mason, W&M, Towson, VCU, ODU, Drexel, Ga State. Single games-Delaware, Hofstra, Northeastern, UNCW.

UNCW

OOC: Wake Forest, Richmond, Appalachian State, Elon, George Washington, Campbell, VMI, Charleston Classic (Three games against: LaSalle, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tulane, Davidson.)

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, Mason, W&M, Ga State, Hofstra, Northeastern, Towson. Single games-JMU, ODU, Delaware, Drexel.

Georgia State

OOC: Kansas

CAA Sked: Two games–UNCW, ODU, VCU, Towson, Northeastern, Mason, JMU. Single games-William & Mary, Drexel, Delaware, Hofstra.

Too Much To Retweet…

So we’ll link it out:

Jazz GM on Maynor

Mull with UNCW nonconference info

Towson’s Year

Jeff Goodman with CAA rundown

Kish with Mason noncon

ODU AD Jim Jarrett retiring

This is also why we’re in the lab, working on a project that hopefully comes to fruition later this summer.

An Homage to “Link to the Rest…”

Great work by Dopirak. The JMU beat writer asked several CAA coaches  and Da Commish about the impact of Eric Maynor’s looming first round selection. Perspective abounds.

He managed to catch Pecora between nines, it appears. And as always, Bruiser is money.

***

Thanks to GMU Hoops, we’re on the lookout for Mason’s finalized nonconference skedder in the next few days. Stay tuned.

2009-10 Schedules, Again…

UPDATE: Hofstra’s Holiday Festival opponents (thanks WRHU) and VMI added to Mason (thanks Jeff Goodman).

This is a great big copy/paste deal from the other day, with one add: Northeastern will be playing Siena. Thanks, NUHF.

This is the 2009-10 Official Schedule Page. Your job is to help me when you know something is finalized. Email, comment, correct me, etc. on what you know. We will do this together, and it will give us all a running tally of the upcoming schedule.

You see, I had lunch with a CAA pooh-bah on Friday, and I ran into a good friend over the weekend at the Broad Appetit Festival–some of you wouldn’t recognize downtown Richmond–and the combination got me ridiculously fired up for the season. In early June.

Anyway, without further boring detail, here we go. One note: Everybody also has a BracketBusters matchup in February.

Northeastern

OOC: Providence, Wright State, Boston University, Rhode Island, Cable Car Classic (2 games: Santa Clara and Wofford/Kent State), Diamond Head Classic (3 games: USC, UNLV, St. Mary’s, SMU, Western Michigan, College of Charleston and Hawai’i), Siena.

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel, Mason, Ga State, VCU, UNCW. Single games–JMU, ODU, Towson, William & Mary.

VCU

OOC: Bethune Cookman, Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, Western Michigan, Tulane, East Carolina.

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, JMU, William & Mary, UNCW, Ga State, Northeastern, Drexel. Single games–Towson, Delaware, Mason, Hofstra.

Old Dominion

OOC: Charlotte, Duquesne, Marshall, Liberty, Richmond.

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, JMU, William & Mary, Mason, Ga State, Delaware, Towson. Single games–Hofstra, Drexel, UNCW, Northeastern.

Delaware

OOC: Philly Classic (Temple, Siena, and Va Tech), Ohio, Bucknell, Hampton, Lafayette, Villanova, Delaware State, Penn, Vermont.

CAA Sked: Two games–Drexel, Towson, Hofstra, Northeastern, Mason, W&M, ODU. Single games–UNCW, Ga State, VCU, JMU.

William & Mary

OOC: UConn, Harvard, Norfolk State, Navy, Radford, Manhattan, Ohio

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, VCU, JMU, Drexel, UNCW, Hofstra, Delaware. Single games–Northeastern, Towson, Mason, Ga State.

Hofstra

OOC: Kansas, NIT Season Tipoff (TBD), Fairfield, Manhattan, New Hampshire, Florida Atlantic, Holiday Festival (2 games: St. John’s, Davidson, Cornell)

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, UNCW, W&M, Mason. Single games–JMU, ODU, VCU, Ga State.

Drexel

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Delaware, Hofstra, W&M, Towson, VCU, JMU. Single games-Mason, Ga State, UNCW, ODU.

Towson

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, JMU, Ga State, ODU, UNCW. Single games-Mason, Northeastern, VCU, W&M.

George Mason

OOC: Puerto Rico (Three games: Boston University, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Villanova), Dayton, Creighton, George Washington, VMI.

CAA Sked: Two games–JMU, ODU, Northeastern, Delaware, UNCW, Hofstra, Ga State. Single games-VCU, Drexel, Towson, W&M.

James Madison

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Mason, W&M, Towson, VCU, ODU, Drexel, Ga State. Single games-Delaware, Hofstra, Northeastern, UNCW.

UNCW

OOC: Wake Forest, Richmond, Appalachian State, Elon, George Washington, Charleston Classic (Three games against: LaSalle, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tulane, Davidson.)

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, Mason, W&M, Ga State, Hofstra, Northeastern, Towson. Single games-JMU, ODU, Delaware, Drexel.

Georgia State

OOC: Kansas

CAA Sked: Two games–UNCW, ODU, VCU, Towson, Northeastern, Mason, JMU. Single games-William & Mary, Drexel, Delaware, Hofstra.

A Friday Funny…

And they wonder why people have moved past disdain and into hysteria when the NCAA hands down a ruling…

So let me get this straight:

1. The SEC just gave each member school $11.1 million from its NCAA money, and Alabama complains of the severity of a $43,900 fine. That’s less than half of the right hand side of the decimal, folks.
2. Despite the infractions ocurring while the school was still on probation for a 2002 finding, Alabama does not lose any scholarships nor postseason eligibility.
3. They are, however, subjected to the incredibly harsh penalty of vacating wins from past seasons. Oh the humanity!
4. And to throw salt into that wound, the schools on the losing side don’t get to claim those losses as wins. That’s got to drive Ken Pomeroy crazy. Alabama lost, but nobody won. How exactly do we reflect that in the record book?

And I want to be clear here that–other than the laugh at a bank-breaking $44K fine–I’m in no way taking a shot at Alabama. Its athletes were charged with “impermissable benefits” when it was regular students who got the benefit.

In the end, this isn’t that big of a deal, especially when you consider everything else on which the NCAA should be spending its time.

This just struck me as funny. Very funny, in the pathetic sense.

We will now resume CAA discussion.

You’ve Inspired My Stupidly Brilliant Side…

I never know which ideas you will grab onto and run with. This whole CAA Season Opening Extravaganza was a smidgen of fun that became exactly what the summer should be about: let’s hash out some fun stuff.

So I went the next step, and I again invite you to work with this.

Here’s where we are, and I’ll lay it out as simply as possible:

• Wednesday 12/29 of 2010 through Monday, 1/3 of 2011.
• Six days, four games. Two designated home games, two designated road games for every team.
• You play Wednesday, Thursday. Take 12/31 and 1/1 off to rest and enjoy a CAA New year’s Eve Party. Perhaps there’s some kind of awards thing, or roast, or whatever. Make it fun and relaxing.
• You play Sunday and Monday to round out the four games.
• We play in Philly, mostly because I love Philly. I do.
• Here’s where it gets good for coaches and administrators, the real power brokers in the league. With those four games out of the way, coaches get that early December date back for nonconference flexibility. Here’s why…
• Beginning Sat, 1/8 you get seven Saturday dates (Jan 8, 15, 22, 29, Feb 5, 12, 26). We give Feb 19 to Bracketbusters.
• Beginning Wed, 1/12 you get seven Wednesday dates (Jan 12, 19, 26, Feb 2, 9, 16, 23).
• Seven Saturdays plus seven Wednesdays plus four games in the Kickoff Event gets us to our 18 games without the pesky Monday games that get into the swirl of SAT-MON-WED-SAT.
• Lots of flexibility in there for games to be moved for teevee. And we’re still finished on time to allow rest for the CAA tournament on 3/4.

Throw in all the bonuses we spoke of the other day–media attention, new games on teevee, etc. and we may be onto somthing.

Issue #1: you need to buy tickets, and help sell some sponsorships.

What say you?

The Latest Stupidly Brilliant Idea…

You always hear the coaches complain about it. Oh, they have a legit complaint, but it happens around January 15 of every season. Team A has just had its SAT-MON-WED-SAT week–one game perhaps moved for teevee–and the coach says the scheduling is ridiculously difficult.

Playing 18 games over what is essentially eight weeks is tough.

First, they are correct. The conference is already playing one game in December, and they lose a Saturday in February for Bracketbusters. Throw in that the CAA tourney has to be the first week in March for teevee’s sake, and it is tight. The conference is doing well to spread things out as is.

But I’ve got the killer solution.

Oh, it is clearly one of those solutions you’d see play out in a bad, early-teen sitcom. Think Zach talking to Screech on Saved by the Bell. They’ve botched getting a band for the big seventh grade dance and are in a pickle. (This is, of course, Screech’s fault.)

Zach hits on the idea to dress up a bunch of dummies, rent a fog machine, and play a stereo through the PA. Screech’s response: “that’s so crazy it just might work!”

Yeah, that’s the kind of idea I’m tossing out: The CAA Season Opening Celebration.

Think the Daytona 500 meets a college basketball exempt tournament. Four days, three games, and you get out of town. Put it in Philly or Baltimore–you know, test cases for those complaining about northern schools having to travel to Richmond in March.

Make it the first of January–kids are out of school (players and fans’ children). Heck, back it up to Dec. 30 through Jan. 2 and throw a New Year’s Eve bash. Buy a ticket book to the games, you’re in the party. Works for college football bowls.

Coaches get three games out of the way quickly, teevee is bound to pick up the content, the press would be all over the concept, no more complaining about home games when students aren’t in session, players will love it.

Each team plays either one designated home game and two roadies, or vice versa. Compensate the teams giving up a home game with a piece of gate and sponsorship money.

The conference is making a national statement. The CAApalooza Season Kickoff starts the Road to Richmond. we have enough trouble getting some presser time come late season BCSness. So let’s beat them at their game.

One day I may thread all these random thoughts together, but I like what it could become.

I guess it comes down to this. When people had the problem of getting places quicker, they didn’t invent faster horses. They invented the car.

The quirky solution isn’t always wrong.

Warning: Long Post, But…

…we’re going to move this over to its own page so we can keep track of it  and update as needed throughout the summer. Also, this is an early version and I know there are holes to fill. I just have to go get the info. So do you.

EDIT: Thanks to the CAA Zone guys, who gave me the first three adds.

MORE EDIT: Thanks to Mike at WRHU for Hofstra info…

This is the 2009-10 Official Schedule Page. Your job is to help me when you know something is finalized. Email, comment, correct me, etc. on what you know. We will do this together, and it will give us all a running tally of the upcoming schedule.

You see, I had lunch with a CAA pooh-bah on Friday, and I ran into a good friend over the weekend at the Broad Appetit Festival–some of you wouldn’t recognize downtown Richmond–and the combination got me ridiculously fired up for the season. In early June.

Anyway, without further boring detail, here we go. One note: Everybody also has a BracketBusters matchup in February.

Northeastern

OOC: Providence, Wright State, Boston University, Rhode Island, Cable Car Classic (2 games: Santa Clara and Wofford/Kent State), Diamond Head Classic (3 games: USC, UNLV, St. Mary’s, SMU, Western Michigan, College of Charleston and Hawai’i)

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel, Mason, Ga State, VCU, UNCW. Single games–JMU, ODU, Towson, William & Mary.

VCU

OOC: Bethune Cookman, Oklahoma, Nevada, Rhode Island, Richmond, Western Michigan, Tulane, East Carolina.

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, JMU, William & Mary, UNCW, Ga State, Northeastern, Drexel. Single games–Towson, Delaware, Mason, Hofstra.

Old Dominion

OOC: Charlotte, Duquesne, Marshall, Liberty, Richmond.

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, JMU, William & Mary, Mason, Ga State, Delaware, Towson. Single games–Hofstra, Drexel, UNCW, Northeastern.

Delaware

OOC: Philly Classic (Temple, Siena, and Va Tech), Ohio, Bucknell, Hampton, Lafayette, Villanova, Delaware State, Penn, Vermont.

CAA Sked: Two games–Drexel, Towson, Hofstra, Northeastern, Mason, W&M, ODU. Single games–UNCW, Ga State, VCU, JMU.

William & Mary

OOC: UConn, Harvard, Norfolk State, Navy, Radford, Manhattan, Ohio

CAA Sked: Two games–ODU, VCU, JMU, Drexel, UNCW, Hofstra, Delaware. Single games–Northeastern, Towson, Mason, Ga State.

Hofstra

OOC: Kansas, NIT Season Tipoff (TBD), Fairfield, Manhattan, New Hampshire, Florida Atlantic, Holiday Festival (2 games TBD)

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, UNCW, W&M, Mason. Single games–JMU, ODU, VCU, Ga State.

Drexel

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Northeastern, Delaware, Hofstra, W&M, Towson, VCU, JMU. Single games-Mason, Ga State, UNCW, ODU.

Towson

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, JMU, Ga State, ODU, UNCW. Single games-Mason, Northeastern, VCU, W&M.

George Mason

OOC: Puerto Rico (Three games: Boston University, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Villanova), Dayton, Creighton, George Washington.

CAA Sked: Two games–JMU, ODU, Northeastern, Delaware, UNCW, Hofstra, Ga State. Single games-VCU, Drexel, Towson, W&M.

James Madison

OOC: xxxxxxxxx

CAA Sked: Two games–Mason, W&M, Towson, VCU, ODU, Drexel, Ga State. Single games-Delaware, Hofstra, Northeastern, UNCW.

UNCW

OOC: Wake Forest, Richmond, Appalachian State, Elon, George Washington, Charleston Classic (Three games against: LaSalle, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tulane, Davidson.)

CAA Sked: Two games–VCU, Mason, W&M, Ga State, Hofstra, Northeastern, Towson. Single games-JMU, ODU, Delaware, Drexel.

Georgia State

OOC: Kansas

CAA Sked: Two games–UNCW, ODU, VCU, Towson, Northeastern, Mason, JMU. Single games-William & Mary, Drexel, Delaware, Hofstra.

Hey, It’s A Holiday…

Big news for CAA tournament-goers: they’re building a brand-spanking new “upscale” sports bar at the Richmond Marriott, a good three-iron from the Coliseum.

The bar will be called T-Miller’s and will include an outdoor seating area facing Broad Street. It will be ready this fall, they say. So the inevitable three-month delay won’t affect next season’s CAA tournament.