The Colonial Athletic Association has probably been one of the top NCAA leagues this season, and will likely get at least two bids in the NCAA Tournament even if relative locks like George Mason or Old Dominion win the conference tournament, which begins on Friday. And yet, because it is still technically a "mid-major" conference, it won't get very much television attention.
If you were hoping to watch the early rounds of the CAA conference tournament, you'll have to look hard to figure out a way. The GMU Hoops blog ran through the listed options, and very few of them are appealing. Here are the ways to watch the early-round action:
The Comcast Network: According to the CAA web site, this channel is broadcasting the quarterfinals on Saturday and the semifinals on Sunday. This sounds like the same Comcast SportsNet channel that broadcasts the Wizards and Capitals, but really, it's not. That Comcast SportsNet, as you can see here, is choosing instead to broadcast the ACC women's basketball tournament and a Pac-10 men's showdown between Washington and UCLA in the afternoon on Saturday, then the ACC women's final on Sunday. The Comcast Network, in reality, is a TCN affiliate in Philadelphia that only some satellite subscribers get. Unless you get it, you're out in the cold.
GMU TV: If you're in Virginia, you may be able to get this channel with the following cable services. But only a select few have it running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Others have it only from Monday-Friday or during certain hour blocks, none of which match up to the CAA tournament times.
CAASports.com Live Stream: If you're willing to pay a $14.95 fee, you get access to the live stream on CAASports.com. However, GMU Hoops blog writes that the quality of said stream is pretty bad.
ESPN3.com: This is probably your best bet, as they will have a stream from all the games from the quarterfinals on. If you are a Comcast subscriber, you get this service for free. They won't have any of the opening-round matchups on Friday though.
Of course, the championship game will be broadcasted live on ESPN at 7 p.m. on Monday, so no worries there. But otherwise, it's going to be a chore to figure out how to watch the games. You'd think there'd be a better solution for a conference this successful.