{"id":2220,"date":"2011-03-14T00:03:15","date_gmt":"2011-03-14T04:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2220"},"modified":"2011-03-14T07:43:11","modified_gmt":"2011-03-14T11:43:11","slug":"womens-hoops-takes-home-caa-title-and-3bids4caa-comes-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2220","title":{"rendered":"Women’s Hoops Takes Home CAA Title and #3Bids4CAA comes true!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update:\u00a0 JMU Men’s Hoops will play in the CBI Tournament.\u00a0 First game Tuesday, 7 p.m. @ Davidson, coverage rumored to be\u00a0on HDNet.<\/em><\/p>\n

We stayed away from the keyboard for a few days for three reasons: First, I’ve turned into a full-on Cooler when it comes to teams I support recently and we agreed it was best to let the women’s team defend it’s CAA title w\/out me hexing the whole thing.\u00a0 Second, we wanted to let Rob’s great trip down memory lane to the ‘Burg circa 1994 breathe a little.\u00a0 And third, I got a little carried away with my bitchin’ and moanin’ about the CAA last week and needed a little self-imposed probation.\u00a0 (And I was doing well until I got inappropriately bent out of shape with the PurpleWave on Twitter today – sorry ’bout that.\u00a0 Oh yeah, you can follow us @jmusportsblog though no guarantee it’ll be solely Dukes related).<\/p>\n

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Front of Official jmusports.com today! Congrats ladies!<\/p><\/div>\n

But thankfully, we had nothing to worry about with the Lady Dukes!\u00a0 The women, led by the Coach Kenny Brooks and superstar Dawn Evans(tourney MOP), managed to hold off a spirited tourney run from Elena Della-Donne and Delaware to defend their CAA title in style.\u00a0 The bid is now clinched and now hopes for a relatively high seed are up in anticipation of Monday’s bracket announcements.\u00a0 Huge congrats to the women.\u00a0 This only adds to the legend of this group.\u00a0 We’ve been saying for a few weeks this group of players is going to leave JMU as one of the most influential groups in any sport and now they’ve got back-to-back CAA titles and NCAA trips to show for it.\u00a0 Hopefully they can add a victory or six to the resume in the Big Dance!\u00a0 If the Dukes can avoid last year’s fate of the 8\/9 game, they should have a real shot to make the Sweet Sixteen or beyond.<\/p>\n

And in stunning news today from the men’s game, our buddy over at GheorghetheBlog<\/a>‘s yearlong promotion of the hashtag #3Bids4CAA’s dream came true as VCU joined ODU and GMU in the tournament for the CAA’s first ever three-bid year (w\/ lots of support from DefiantlyDutch<\/a>who\u00a0accurately captures my feelings on all the\u00a0gnashing of teeth from the heads at the four-letter over the fact\u00a0a few\u00a0teams from conferences their network covers were left out in favor of the Rams).\u00a0 Obviously this wouldn’t even have happened w\/out the expanded field, but we will take it!\u00a0 Hard to believe that five teams from the Commonwealth (VCU, ODU, GMU, Hampton, Richmond) will be in the tourney but UVa and VT are not among them.\u00a0 Sad to believe JMU is not.<\/p>\n

Lastly, a final comment for those of you joining said heads in sadness over VT.\u00a0 I also agree it sucks for a very solid senior class in Blacksburg to have been relatively “screwed” for\u00a0their whole tenure, but a) I don’t think VCU is the appropriate place to direct your anger (see UAB, USC, PSU, Georgia) and b) I ABSOLUTELY cannot understand the utter refusal among some alleged JMU supporters and alums to not give up their fascinations with the so-called big boys in our backyard (VT chief among them, but UVa, Md, UNC, and PSU all have their wagoneers still hanging on as well).\u00a0 Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with the fact you grew up a fan of a certain team or that you continue to support them today.\u00a0 More power to you.\u00a0 I’ve stated my own hypocrisy on this subject in that the Mrs. is a Villanova grad and I follow them in hoops when the Dukes are not involved (like I said, I am literally turning into William H. Macy).\u00a0 But the respect that VCU’s bid demostrates for the ball being played in the CAA is great news for the Dukes and if you don’t believe that, you’re not really paying attention.\u00a0 In the old days, it was harder to “root” for JMU.\u00a0 Games weren’t televised and Bridgeforth was the place we played b-league intramural softball.\u00a0 But the times they are a changin’ and to\u00a0steal a phrase I usually hate but am willing to appropriate in this case as someone has to take the UNCOMPROMISING positions in the JMU diaspora, “if you’re not with us, you’re against us.”\u00a0 Get on board or just keep truckin’ to Blacksburg with your high school friends and don’t bother to stop halfway.<\/p>\n