2011 CAA BracketBusters Analysis:

VCU Rams (18-6, 10-2) at Wichita State Shockers (19-4, 10-2)
Friday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. ESPN2

This will be VCU’s sixth straight season participating in BracketBusters in which the Rams have gone 3-3 against their opponents.

Last year VCU was matched up against Akron in which the Rams cruised to an easy 70-53 victory at home. This season however, VCU has drawn Wichita State, a team currently at the top of the Missouri Valley conference. In 2006, George Mason defeated the Shockers in a BracketBusters game and went on to receive one of the Colonial Athletic Association’s two ever at-large bids, later advancing to the Final Four.

After dropping a few tough out-of-conference games to teams such as Richmond, South Florida, and UAB, along with a disappointing road loss to conference foe Georgia State, this could be a quality road win for VCU over a top-50 team with a lot of potential. With two consecutive home matchups against Old Dominion and George Mason (both top-50 teams) ahead in the next week, plenty of opportunities to strengthen the resume lie ahead for the Rams heading into March.

George Mason Patriots (18-5, 10-2) at Northern Iowa Panthers (18-6, 9-3)
Friday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. ESPN2

Currently in second place in the CAA, George Mason has been matched with a tough Northern Iowa team that made a against-the-odds run to the Sweet 16 last year.

The Panthers are currently on a eight-game winning streak that has them third in the Missouri Valley Conference. After consecutive exhausting losses to Hofstra and Old Dominion, the Patriots have now won eight-straight and are looking to make a run towards the top of the CAA.

George Mason finds its quality wins in victories over Harvard and Duquesne who both stand atop their respective conference that have helped shape the Patriots into a top-40 team.

Old Dominion Monarchs (18-5, 9-3) vs. Cleveland State Vikings (20-3, 9-2)
Sunday, Feb. 20, 1 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2

Coming off a CAA Tournament Championship and an upending of Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Old Dominion is making noise once again this season.

The Monarchs went 3-0 against the Atlantic 10 Conference (Xavier, Dayton, Richmond) along with a quality win over ACC power Clemson earlier in the season at the Paradise Jam and a close-loss to No. 13 Georgetown. However, the Monarchs have had their struggles, after suffering a bad conference loss at Delaware along with being blown-out by No. 14 Missouri and enduring setbacks to Drexel and VCU.

Despite the ups and the downs Old Dominion still remains a top-35 team and will go head-to-head against a Cleveland State team that began the season by winning its first 12 games before being defeated by West Virginia. The Vikings have won eight of their last 11 games and currently hold sole possession of first place in the Horizon League.

The Monarchs will be looking to strengthen their tournament resume for a chance at their second ever NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

Drexel Dragons (15-7, 7-5) vs. Kent State Flashes (14-7, 5-2)
Friday, Feb. 18, 9 p.m. ESPNU

Drexel began the season strong, taking eight of its first nine games including an upset of No. 15 Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center in front of a national audience.

The tides have since turned since then for the Dragons who have dropped five of their last 10 games and now find themselves smack dab in the middle of the conference.

They will face off against a Kent State team that – like Drexel – has had its ups and downs this season but is still a top contender in the Mid-American Conference.

Although the Dragons’ chances at an at-large bid have all but vanished, they are still a team with a lot of talent that will likely make a run in the CAA Tournament.

Hofstra Pride (14-9, 8-4) at Wright State Raiders (14-9, 7-4)
Saturday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m. ESPNU

If there is ever a team in the CAA that gets excited for the revealing of ESPN’s BracketBusters matchups it is the Hofstra Pride. Appearing in BracketBusters for the
sixth straight season, the Pride is 5-0 in the occasion with the most recent win coming against Rider in 2010.

While not offering the most impressive of resumes, Wright State offers quality wins over Oakland and 2010 NCAA Tournament runners-up Butler. The Pride and Raiders have never met but will make for a promising matchup as both will look for a push heading into each other’s respective conference tournament.