Krunch Time at the CAA Tournament - Day Three

9:44PM -
Well, I went over to the Embassy Suites, the Richmond Headquarters of Teal Nation. It was fun. I hung out and had a few drinks with one our regular callers, Rob.

The Seahawk Club was putting on "Casino Night" in their tent in the ES parking lot. The way it works is that you pay $20, and they give you $3000 of chips. You play various casino games and the person with the most chips at the end of the night wins a prize. Of course, no real money is wagered on. It's all for fun and all for the Seahawk Club.

I saw Cape Fear basketball coach Jamie Stowe out in the tent tonight. He decided to make the trek up here to watch UNCW after his Sea Devils were eliminated from their conference tournament. He seemed to be enjoying himself while trying to get his mind off of a tough loss.

So now I'm nessled back into my comfy hotel room, watching Duke-UNC on ESPN. Nice close game. Gotta be happy with the way it's going so far. These games never disappoint.

This is going to be my last entry for the day. Tomorrow, the UNCW Seahawks play in the CAA Semifinals. It's either going to be a long trip back to Wilmington or a long day here Monday, waiting for the championship game. Tomorrow, we'll find out which one it'll be. Good night.
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5:06PM -
So, Northeastern moves on to play UNCW tomorrow and apparently, the Huskies' coach is quite superstitious. He actually had his two players, Jose Juan Barea and Shawn James, switch places at the podium to where they were yesterday. I love that! Probably because I'm that superstitious too.

I had one of those hilarious moments that is probably only funny to me and one other person. I was walking towards one of the multiple doorways to get to the media room. I saw someone about to walk through the doorway I was heading for, so I switched and moved one doorway to the right. So did the other guy. We both laughed. We're probably still the only ones who did.

I'm in the process of putting the Northeastern postgame press conference audio up on the web. Then, it's dinner time. I'm thinking about heading out after I eat, too. I haven't gotten to get over to the Embassy Suites yet, and I'm sure the Seahawk fans will be in rare form over there. I think I may head there after dinner.
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4:28PM -
Wow...Alex Loughton missed the first of two free throws. He hit the second, but his Monarchs trail 66-63 now with :30 left. How unfortunate would it be for a senior like Loughton to have potentially missed a free throw that could've extended his season?

Northeastern is on the line. Jose-Juan Barea, nailed the first. Up by 4. Missed the second, but NU got the board! A foul. This one is pretty much over, folks. NU will move on to face UNCW in the CAA Semifinals tomorrow.

Another interesting note. Remember how I mentioned the four NU fans here yesterday? That number has multiplied significantly, if you count the fans of all the other schools rooting AGAINST ODU. In the NU student section on the floor, there are VCU fans, UNCW fans, and GMU fans. It's really a site to see.

And now the VCU fans break out in a "64-EAST! 64-EAST!" chant. Creative. I like it.
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4:26PM -
I wish they were ALL like this. Fast break, attempted layup for NU, a miss, and a BIG follow up dunk. Huskies up by 4 with :50 left. I'm on the edge of MY seat...
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4:23PM -
BIG three-pointer for Northeastern, and they have a 2 point lead with just under 2 to go. What an upset this would be!
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4:14PM -
Looks like ODU has taken control, somewhat. They lead by 6 with 4:32 left. Barea has really taken on the role of the bad guy here in the Richmond Coliseum. Everytime he touches the ball now, he's showered with a chorus of boo's. Somehow, I think he enjoys it.

There's a group of fans sitting directly behind me on press row that have been here for every game of the tournament so far. Their purpose? Heckling the refs. Yep. That's all they've been doing...well...when VCU isn't playing. They are wearing VCU gear, but for every other game that's gone on, they've simply been giving the refs a terribly hard time.

I'm keeping up with some scores around the country on the laptop. Looks like my Charlotte 49'ers have taken George Washington to OT. It'd be nice to see Bobby Lutz pick up a good win for what's been an uncharacteristically tough season for the 'Niners.

Take control of the game? Did I really say that. Just while I was typing that, the Huskies went on a little mini-run to close to within one. I'm going to stop declaring games over until they actually are. I'm clearly no good at it.
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3:57PM -
I am so impressed with Northeastern's team. ODU went on a little run. The crowd was pumped. But the Huskies held ODU to bad shots in two consecutive possessions, and now, it's back to a 2 point game. ODU keeps on looking like they're going to run away with it, but NU simply comes right back. This is a great college basketball game!
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3:42PM -
Second half is about to start, ODU and NU tied at 29. This has been one of the better games in the entire tournament. I'll tell you...I anxiously await the next fast break being led by Jose Juan Barea. That kid is one of the rare ones who'll leave you wanting to see what he's going to do next. A true treat to watch.

I got yelled at by a security guy for walking right through when ODU was about to retake the court. He put his hands up to stop all from walking, but I ignored him and kept on walking. I made it through without getting run over, so in my mind, me stopping was unnecessary. Darn Event Staff. You give'em a yellow jacket and they think they run the world!
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3:08PM -
Whoever said Old Dominion was a shoe-in to advance to the CAA Semifinals? Right now, they have a tight game on their hands with Northeastern. With 8 minutes left in the first half, Northeastern leads 16-14. CAA player of the year Jose Juan Barea is having a nice game so far, shooting wise.

And while I'm typing this, might I add that this has been the best looking game, uniform wise, thus far? I really am enjoying the red Northeastern uni's as well as ODU's white with light blue and navy blue trim. Really sharp looking jerseys on both teams.

Time out on the floor. 7:32 left in the first half. NU 18, ODU 14. UNCW may not have to play their arch nemesis afterall. We shall see.
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2:45PM -
Just got out of the postgame press conference. Brad Brownell, T.J. Carter, and John Goldsberry were the representatives from UNCW. Brad said he was extremely happy with how hard his team played. I'd have to agree. A truly gritty performance for the Seahawks. Scott Hamilton of the Star-News asked a good question. Was the game too hard for the first of what could be three games in as many days? Brownell said no.

Speaking of Brownell, he and assistant coach Bill Donlon are sitting next to me on press row now, scouting this game (Old Dominion - Northeastern). The Hawks play the winner tomorrow.

Watch the website. I've got photos up there now and the postgame audio coming.
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2:09PM -
The "Nah-nah-nah-nah, hey-hey-hey, goodbye" chants have started. This one is over. UNCW wins 69-56 and moves on to face the winner of ODU - Northeastern.

I wonder why the starters played as long as they did. I kind of thought they should've come out to rest them, but that's me. Anyway, onto the media room. More in a bit.
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1:56PM -
UNCW again went on a run, increasing their lead to 63-46, with 4:00 left. I don't see another run left in Delaware, I really don't. I'll hold off on calling this one for sure, but it's looking like the Seahawks will advance to tomorrow's semifinals. It just has that feeling like it's over.
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1:35PM -
I'll tell you. This wireless internet connection here in the Richmond Coliseum is fickle at best. It just shut down for about a half an hour and I had no access to the net.

Either way, I'm back on now. We've got a decent ballgame going on. With 11:39 left, UNCW leads 46-36.

They're doing this neat little thing where they're giving away prizes for people who text message in a vote for various things. During this game, we have a vote for your favorite celebrity alumni for the two schools playing now. The UNCW alum is Brett Blizzard. The Delaware alum is George Thorogood. I didn't know he went to UD. Anyway, Blizzard is killing him in the voting right now.

I'm sitting next to the Old Dominion assistant coaches. They're scouting this game because if they beat Northeastern in the next round, they'll face the winner of this game tomorrow.

it's always neat to hear what others have to say about the team you follow. These guys don't seem too impressed with the Hawks. Then again, why should they be? UNCW hasn't beaten ODU in their last 7 meetings.
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12:58PM -
And at the half, it's UNCW 33, Delaware 23. I'm really liking the way the Seahawks have come out here in the first half. On one hand, you'd expect them to be a little rusty. They don't really look it. I'm impressed.

Nice performance here by the UNCW dance team. If you've been reading my blog thus far, you know how I enjoy a good dance team.
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12:50PM -
UNCW is letting them get back into it with a few bad possessions in a row and a few turnovers. Delaware has closed it to within 7 with 2:51 left.

Another thing I've noticed is that all non-UNCW fans in the building are rooting for Delaware. So...match UNCW up with the other half of the building filled with George Mason, VCU, and Old Dominion fans, and you've got a pretty equal rooting interest.

I wonder if John Goldsberry enjoys being sort of the J.J. Redick of this league, popularity wise. He really IS hated!
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12:36PM -
Upon the advice of a few folks, Bill included, I'm going to be posting the newest entries here on the top from here on out.

We've got 7:33 left in the first half and UNCW is out to a 21-11 lead. Bodies are starting to hit the floor. Guys are starting to get chippy. This is UNCW basketball at it's best. So far, it's been a team effort for the Hawks. Mitch Laue has 5 points and had an excellent fall away jumper earlier.

I can't get over how many UNCW fans are in the building here. As I look across the floor near UNCW's bench, the seats above them are filled with people wearing teal. Very nice job, UNCW fans. Way to make this feel like a home game for the Hawks.
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12:15PM -
So far so good. UNCW leads 12-6 with 14:14 left in the first half. The Hawks are running the floor rather well, and Delaware looks like a team who played a tough game yesterday.

My pick for UNCW's X-Factor, Todd Hendley, already has 4 points. Ohh....just as I typed that, he got a shot blocked. Maybe I'll stop mentioning him here.
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12:05PM -
Teal Nation is alive and well! The Richmond Coliseum looks a lot like Trask Coliseum right now, with all the UNCW fans in the building. We're just a few minutes from getting UNCW-Delaware underway.

I've posted some pictures of the UNCW faithful up on the photos section. Be sure to check those out.

For those concerned, the media lunch was great. Italian Sausage....mmmm. Well, UNCW's first game of this year's CAA Tournament is finally upon us. Let's see how they do.
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7:50AM -
First of all, I've decided I'm done with the fancy font on this thing. I'm sticking with the default, as it's a huge pain in the rear to constantly change it everytime I write a new one of these.

Sorry about not writing again last night. When I got back to the hotel, I basically collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. Four basketball games may sound like a lot of fun, but when you're actually working and covering them, it can be pretty tiresome as well.

I think I'll head down to the lobby and check out the continental breakfast. UNCW doesn't play until noon, so again, I have some time to kill. Be listening to the Weekend Sports Fix for my call-ins, as well. I'll be doing around two an hour.