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Virginia Commonwealth and Northeastern go into tough road games today tied for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association.
With four conference games remaining, does the schedule favor either team in the quest to claim the regular-season title and top seed for the CAA tournament?
A little comparison shopping as VCU (11-3, 18-7) today travels to archrival Old Dominion (8-6, 15-9) for a 2 p.m. game, and Northeastern (11-3, 16-goes to George Mason (9-5, 16-
Note: Northeastern enters the weekend with a trump card up its sleeve. If the two teams tie for first, the Huskies would get the top seed. They own the tiebreaker by virtue of their 68-63 victory over the Rams in their only meeting. Thus, the Rams must win one more game than the Huskies.
A look at the teams and what they face:
VCU
Who’s left: The Rams play road games at Old Dominion (8-6) and James Madison (8-6). They have home games against Delaware (5-9) and Georgia State (5-9).
Toughest to win: Both of VCU’s road games represent major hurdles. Today’s game with Old Dominion, in a sold-out, hostile arena, looms as the biggest. The Rams broke a three-game losing streak at the Constant Center last year. Visiting JMU took VCU to overtime on Wednesday, despite missing some regulars, and is no doubt awaiting the rematch in Harrisonburg. Delaware is no gimme, either. The Blue Hens beat VCU 81-79 in Delaware on Jan. 3.
Coach-speak: “I told these guys after [the win over JMU], every game from here on out is going to be a hard-fought, grind-it-out game. We’ve talked about it all year, the parity, the competitive spirit of this league. We have to expect everybody’s best shot every single game. ... We’re going to have to make the toughness plays, make the hustle plays, do the things you have to do to win.“ — VCU coach Anthony Grant
Bottom line: VCU is 23-2 at home in conference games under Grant, so you have to put the Delaware and Georgia State games in the favored-to-win category. ODU and JMU are more in the tossup category. The Rams need to run the table. A 3-1 finish may not be enough to claim the top seed.
NORTHEASTERN
Who’s left: The Huskies play road games at George Mason (9-5) and Drexel (9-5). They have home games against Georgia State (5-9) and Old Dominion (8-6).
Toughest to win: Both of Northeastern’s road games represent daunting tasks. George Mason is 11-0 at home this season, and the Patriots haven’t lost to the Huskies in the Patriot Center since 1993. Mason lost to Northeastern 58-57 in Boston on Jan. 21. Drexel just planted a 62-58 loss on Northeastern in Boston, and this time the Dragons get to play at home in the ridiculously tight Daskalakis Athletic Center. Drexel has won eight of its past 10 games.
Coach-speak: “We need to play our best basketball over the last two weeks of the season.“ — Northeastern coach Bill Coen
Bottom line: Northeastern has lost two of its past three games and seems to have a slightly tougher schedule than VCU. With games remaining against three of the top seven teams, today’s trip to George Mason may be pivotal in terms of psyche and the conference race. A loss likely would leave the Huskies needing to win out.
GEORGE MASON/DREXEL
George Mason (9-5, 16-
way fight for two bye spots. ODU, James Madison and Hofstra all are 8-6. Mason, which has lost five straight games on the road, all but ruined its shot at the top seed by losing at Delaware Thursday. The Patriots must win out — they play Drexel next week — and hope VCU loses three times because the Rams own the tiebreaker edge.