CAA outdoes MVC ... AGAIN

Last season, wailiings from Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Doug Elgin were heard for days on end about how his conference should receive heavy consideration for six bids in the NCAA Tournament. As it turned, the MVC sent four teams, with Creighton and more notably, Missouri State, getting the heave-ho. The Valley did an admirable 4-4, sending two teams to the Sweet 16 in the process. Nevertheless, the CAA did better with George Mason doing the inevitable and making to the Final Four. In the process of doing that, George Mason handled the Valley's regular season champion, Wichita State -- the second win against the Shockers in as many months.

Fast forward to the fall of 2006. While backers of the CAA know that there will be unfair criticism of the conference following the success of George Mason in the NCAA Tournament as well as that of Hofstra (quarterfinals) and Old Dominion (semifinals), who had lengthy runs in the NIT, conference supporters know that many teams have lost key players to graduation -- yes, some players still do that nowadays.

Two days ago, George Mason hosted a Wichita State team that returned four starters to Mason's two. As it went, the Shockers (AKA the moving screens) won the game - albeit, with one-sided refereeing favoring the away team. Clearly, calls (traveling, carrying, player control fouls) that went one way did not go the other, and this had a profound effect on the six-point result. Later that night, the MVC switched its focus to Nebraska as Creighton sought to stake its claim as the best team in the state. In short, they failed.

Last night, the second-biggest upset of the season went under the radar as Old Dominion defeated Georgetown ... in DC. While the Hoyas have pronounced difficulties in the backcourt, the Monarchs humbled the then-8th ranked Hoyas with 58% field-goal shooting in the second half and won 31 to 27 in the boards department. This victory far supercedes any non-conference victory won the MVC, repeating the act of one year ago and silencing Doug Elgin for just one more minute.