A first-round bye well within reach
After watching his team go down to James Madison at home on Wednesday, Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said he was "bewildered" by the Dragons losing a game in which they led by as many as 16 points during the first half.
After watching his team go down to James Madison at home on Wednesday, Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said he was "bewildered" by the Dragons losing a game in which they led by as many as 16 points during the first half.
The final was 68-54. Drexel is now 16-8 overall and 8-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association, which has it tied with James Madison for fifth place.
The top four finishers in the regular season receive first-round byes in the CAA tournament, which will take place in Richmond March 4-7. The last time the Dragons had that luxury was in 2006-07, when they went down in the semifinals.
"This is the stretch run," said Flint, whose team will host a William and Mary squad on Saturday that earned its first league victory of the season at home over Drexel on Jan. 15. "We've been talking about it. You have to come focused and ready to play. People didn't think we'd be 16-8 with five freshmen and sophomores in our top seven. But we put ourselves in position to do some things, and we have to do them. It's disappointing as a coach when you see it right there, and I don't know if they grasp it or not. This team has been fighting. That's why it's so disappointing."
Time's running out
Left on the schedule for Drexel before Saturday are two CAA outings at home and two on the road, plus a Feb. 18th date with visiting Kent State of the Mid-American Conference in an ESPN BracketBusters contest.
In addition to William and Mary (7-18, 3-11), the Dragons will host Virginia Commonwealth on Feb. 23. At 20-6 overall and 12-2 in the CAA, the Rams are currently tied for first place with George Mason (20-5, 12-2).
Also remaining for Drexel are outings at North Carolina-Wilmington on Tuesday, and at Towson on Feb. 26 to end the regular season.
The league standings show that Old Dominion (19-6, 10-4) and Hofstra (16-9, 10-4), and James Madison (18-8, 8-6) and Drexel are also in the picture for a top four spot. If James Madison and Drexel are tied at the end, the Dukes' two wins over the Dragons would give them the tie-breaker.
The key CAA games on Saturday are Old Dominion at Virginia Commonwealth, and James Madison at George Mason.
Givens continues to excel
Drexel forward Samme Givens, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound southpaw who is very physical and just as crafty, had 22 points and 11 rebounds against James Madison.
He said he thinks the team feels an urgency.
"That's what we're playing for," Givens said about getting a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament. "That's our motivation right now."