JMU relegated to play-in game; ODU takes top seed

Jonathan Taylor / contributing photographer JMU's David Cooper looks for a lane against ODU.

The two teams that departed the Convocation Center after Saturday night’s men’s basketball game are going in two very different directions.

JMU, which got ruled by the Monarchs of Old Dominion University 82-60 in Colonial Athletic Association action Saturday, is heading toward Richmond for the CAA tournament and a second consecutive year in a play-in game. This time around, the Dukes will be taking on the College of William & Mary (3-15 CAA, 7-20 overall).

Thus far, the Dukes have split their season series with the Tribe with each squad winning on its home court.

"The one good thing about postseason play is we’re not leaving the season with this taste in our mouth," JMU coach Dean Keener said. "We’ve got a chance to redeem ourselves.

"We’ve got a team we played 10 days ago, and nothing but good things can happen if you go play well in your conference tournament. That’s a nice thing besides that automatic bid that hangs out there for those 10 teams."

The Dukes finish their first regular season under Keener at 6-21 overall and 3-15 in the CAA. Keener’s maiden voyage on the Dukes’ bench has been injury-plagued, with four players missing considerable time due to assorted ailments.

The most noticeable has been the absence of senior guard Daniel Freeman, who has missed all but four games with a foot injury. Sophomore forward David Cooper and sophomore guard Ulrich Kossekpa have suffered knee problems, while freshman Joe Posey has yet to see the Convo floor due to a broken wrist.

Sophomore forward Eddie Greene-Long has also been absent due to a team-enforced suspension and sophomore forward Chris Cathlin missed two games while mulling his basketball future.

"Even with all the losses, it has gone quickly," Keener said. "Overall, these guys have generally tried to do the right thing as far as learning how to compete, play hard and execute.

"But one thing that has really hurt us is our ability to score. That is one area we really have to improve on in the future."

Conversely, Old Dominion, a team that has no trouble scoring, has a No. 1 seed waiting for them in the capital city and to go with that top tourney seed, the Monarchs also have clinched the regular season CAA title.

"We got the championship run finished in outright fashion," ODU coach Blaine Taylor said. "It’s ours alone and we are the Colonial Athletic Association champions and it’s an achievement.

"But now there’s a bid up for grabs that everyone has an equal shot at, so we start over, but really, no one can take any of this away from us. There is just some future stuff to be earned by somebody."

The rest of CAA seeding shakes out with the University of Delaware taking on Towson University in the other play-in game Friday night at 8 p.m. Saturday has Drexel University challenging Hofstra University at 2 p.m. and No. 2 seed Virginia Commonwealth University against the winner of Towson/Delaware at 6 p.m.

The last game of the bill is No. 3 University of North Carolina-Wilmington playing No. 6 George Mason University at 8:30 p.m.

If the Dukes win, they will have to face Old Dominion for the second time in a week. That game is scheduled for a noon start.

"I try not to let it take too much precedence over how I think about an opponent coming up," JMU sophomore forward Cavell Johnson said. "But it’s definitely, as we have experienced throughout the season, a comeback game. If we get to that, when we get to that, we need to have a stronger sense of urgency."

The CAA tournament kicks off 5:30 p.m. Friday night at the Coliseum in Richmond with the Dukes taking on William & Mary.

"There are 10 teams showing up in Richmond," Taylor said. "And only one of them is going to leave happy."