We know, it’s hard to believe. \u00a0But we received outstanding news as we’ll finally be able to make it to JMU’s standard one game appearance in the Richmond Coliseum at next year’s men’s basketball tourney now that it will presumably take place on Saturday! \u00a0With yesterday’s news that the CAA’s remaining few school president’s unanimously voted to stick to their own rules and keep departing members ODU and Georgia St. ineligible for the conference title, that means only seven schools are currently slated to attend the annual festivities (Towson and UNCW are also ineligible for academic issues with their APR). \u00a0JMU may actually make the second day! \u00a0I say “may” because the rumors are flying fast and furious now about possible new CAA members and of course if there are enough members to need a play-in game, you can bank on the Dukes “making” that game under lame-duck HC Matt Brady. \u00a0Sweet.<\/p>\n
In all seriousness, we’re thrilled someone actually “gives a shit about the rules.” \u00a0It’s just the right call to enforce your own rule. \u00a0If you want to change it later, that’s a fair debate, but changing it when these schools were fully aware of it when they decided to leave (and voted for it themselves back when it was installed in the case of ODU) would have been just ridiculous. \u00a0That said, we certainly don’t blame ODU or GSU for trying. \u00a0We’d “want” the same thing from JMU’s administration, but of course we’d “expect” much less from JMU since the Dukes have decided they really like elementary school and they’ll stick around for a decade or so. \u00a0Sorry, just couldn’t resist one last piece of summer bitterness over the fact JMU is permanently “monitoring the situation.”<\/p>\n
Following yesterday’s announcement, both GSU Coach Ron Hunter and ODU Coach Blaine Taylor took to Twitter to express their feelings about the vote. \u00a0One coach took the high road, the other was just downright unseemly. \u00a0Not tough to guess who did what, huh? \u00a0Hunter basically said “we’ll man up and nothing will keep us from playing great,” while Taylor unleashed a stream of whining that would make embarrass Rob’s two-year old. \u00a0While we’ve got nothing personally against The ‘Stache, his \u00a0anger at the CAA was really misdirected. \u00a0In this case, it’s his own administration that decided to let football drive all decisions regarding ODU athletics even with the knowledge that this was a very real possibility. \u00a0Plus with his first CUSA hoops tourney taking place in Tulsa, Oklahoma next year, he just isn’t having a good offseason. \u00a0Really these schools should just leave right now ala VCU. \u00a0Make it a clean break instead of staying through this kind of crap. \u00a0Better for everyone involved. \u00a0But again, that’s not good for football so that won’t happen.<\/p>\n