Rafael Suanes-US PRESSWIRE
Besides the annual bracket-busting NCAA Tournament in March, early season tournaments may be the most exciting aspect of the College Basketball season. Fortunately for CAA Basketball fans, there will be plenty of excitement to go around as 10 of 11 teams in the conference are set to compete in early season competition. CAA Correspondent, Jake Fischer, will be previewing all 10 teams’ chances to compete in their respective Preseason competitions.
The James Madison Dukes will represent the CAA in this season’s Legends Classic in November. The Legends is another “classic” that will feature four hosts that are already locked in as the tournament’s semifinalists, a Campus Site round and a Subregionals round.
The Dukes will join Campus Site hosts, Georgetown (Big East), Georgia (SEC), Indiana (Big Ten) and UCLA (Pac-12), along with fellow visitors, UC Irvine (Big West), Duquesne (A-10), Liberty (Big South), North Dakota State (Summit), Sam Houston State (Southland), Southern Mississippi (C-USA) and Youngstown State (Horizon).
For their Campus Site contest, the Dukes will travel to UCLA. The Bruins are coming into the 2012-2013 season with very high expectations after bringing in an astoundingly talented recruiting class. The Dukes will definitely have their hands full in their season opener, but they do have the Bruins’ lack of total team chemistry in their favor.
In the Subregionals, JMU will play at Duquesne and then host Youngstown State and North Dakota State. Last season, both Duquesne and Youngstown State earned 16-15 overall records before falling in their respective conference tournaments. Meanwhile North Dakota state earned a 17-14 regular season record, earned an invite to the CBI Tournament, but failed to advance past the first round. All three Subregional opponents should prove very competitive but winnable matchups for the Dukes after a tough opening round matchup in California.
Overall, the Dukes have one of the best early season tournament schedules in the country. They will face a national powerhouse and three competitive teams who are right in their league. Head coach Matt Brady should be very pleased with the opportunity his team has in front of them.
Jake Fischer is the CAA Correspondent for Rant Sports-NCAA Basketball. Make sure to follow Jake on Twitter @fischsportsline.
