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The CAA Should Get Three Bids If Virginia Commonwealth Beats Old Dominion

By Mike Prada

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The CAA Tournament final will pit No. 2 seed Old Dominion against rival No. 4 seed Virginia Commonwealth after the Rams upset No. 1 seed George Mason in the semifinals on Sunday. It's a classic final, because the Monarchs and the Rams have played some thrillers over the years.

But it's also significant for one very specific reason. If the Rams are able to upset the Monarchs, the CAA will receive three bids to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in league history. Well, at least they should, assuming the selection committee does not prejudice the CAA unnecessarily for being a "mid-major" league.

Just consider the resumes of the following two teams. I'm just posting the numbers here.

TEAM A:

 

  • RPI: 27
  • RECORD: 26-6
  • CONFERENCE RECORD: 16-2
  • STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: 89
  • RECORD AGAINST RPI TOP 100: 8-4
  • RECORD AGAINST RPI TOP 50: 3-2
  • LAST 10 GAMES: 9-1
  • RPI: 24
  • RECORD: 26-6
  • CONFERENCE RECORD: 14-4
  • STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: 72
  • RECORD AGAINST RPI TOP 100: 11-5
  • RECORD AGAINST RPI TOP 50: 4-4
  • LAST 10 GAMES: 9-1
As you probably guessed, Team A is George Mason and Team B is Old Dominion. If you had no idea those two teams were from the CAA, would you even think about them not being NCAA-worthy? Of course not, especially when the bubble is as soft as this year. There's simply no reason either team should be shut out of the NCAA Tournament. 

Bottom line: a VCU win tonight means history for the CAA.