The George Mason Patriots come into the 2011 CAA tournament on a 15-game winning streak, having lost only twice in conference play. Ken Pomeroy has them ranked No. 29 in the nation, and they’re expected to lead the conference’s representatives in the NCAA Tournament.
Old Dominion isn’t far off from the Pats, though there’s a noticeable dropoff between them and VCU and Hofstra, the two other teams with first-round byes. Towson comes in as the tourney’s longest longshot, going winless in CAA play on the year. Yay, Towson! The Georgia St. Panthers have a winnable game ahead of them against UNC-Wilmington, with both of the games between these two teams coming down to the wire.
It’s a tournament with a clear favorite, a clear laggard, and then a bunch of question marks in the middle. Here’s the complete final bracket and schedule. All games are on CSS unless otherwise noted:
Friday, March 4
UNCW vs. Georgia State, noon
Drexel vs. Towson, 2:30
Delaware vs. Northeastern, 6
James Madison vs. William & Mary, 8:30
Saturday, March 5
Game 5: George Mason vs. UNCW/Georgia State, noon
Game 6: VCU vs. Drexel/Towson, 2:30
Game 7: Old Dominion vs. Delaware/Northeastern, 6
Game 8: Hofstra vs. James Madison/William & Mary, 8:30
Sunday, March 6
Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, noon
Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 2:30
Monday, March 7
Championship, 7, ESPN