{"id":2136,"date":"2011-02-24T22:57:25","date_gmt":"2011-02-25T03:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2136"},"modified":"2011-02-25T08:00:07","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T13:00:07","slug":"dukes-lay-an-egg-on-tv-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2136","title":{"rendered":"Dukes Lay An Egg on TV Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The JMU Dukes have played 10 televised games this season. They have lost 8 of them. Much like NBC’s The Cape, this team just wasn’t made to be televised. Tonight’s loss was to conference rival ODU by the score of 74-59. Although at this point it’s not really fair to call it a rival, since JMU has dropped 6 straight in the series. And while we’re being honest, we should also admit that this one wasn’t even as close as the score implied.<\/p>\n

Like they have for most games this season, the Dukes couldn’t put together a full 40 minute effort. Typically the Dukes have struggled in the first half only to get it together in the second half. Much like they did in the\u00a0second game against GMU however, tonight JMU played tough and hung in there\u00a0against a good team in the first half, only to fall apart after the break. JMU just looked overmatched in the second half. Denzel Bowles had little trouble scoring when he got looks at the basket. He was 7 for 8 from the field. Unfortunately, JMU just couldn’t get him the ball. Credit is due to ODU’s zone defense, but JMU simply had to find a way to overcome it and get Denzel the ball. They couldn’t, the offense stalled, they turned the ball over, and ODU ran away with the ball game.<\/p>\n

After the Dukes’ first loss to ODU, things didn’t look so bad. JMU had an off night, but still kept it close and had a chance to win. It looked like JMU was a team on the rise and read to compete with the top CAA teams. After this game things look much different. JMU and ODU\u00a0seemed like two teams moving in opposite directions. JMU just got outplayed in every aspect of the game in the second half. It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating to watch. The fact is that teams like ODU and GMU are just deeper and more experienced than the Dukes. Earlier in the season, the differences weren’t as obvious. Now that the season hits the home stretch and teams are worn out, the differences have become more apparent. JMU will get there. It just might take another season or two.<\/p>\n

JMU is now 0-6 against the top 4 teams in the CAA and has slipped to 6th place in the CAA. They’re only one game behind Drexel for the 5th spot and they own the tiebreaker over the Dragons because they swept them. Unfortunately, JMU has to beat VCU in Richmond on Saturday and count on Towson to knock off Drexel to even get to the tiebreaker situation. And counting on Towson is unadvisable at best. So in all likelihood the Dukes will finish in 6th place and draw William & Mary in the first round of the CAA tournament. Drexel will likely finish 5th and draw Towson in the opening round. The Tigers and Tribe might only be seperated by one spot in the standings, but Towson is a much, much better draw. The CAA tourney isn’t televised until the finals though, so the Dukes’ odds go up dramatically.<\/p>\n