The Colonial Athletic Association tournament is usually a highlight of Championship Week, it's full of ultra-competitive teams playing great games. However in 2013 things were a bit different as the CAA is undergoing a lot of changes in the future, which left just seven teams eligible for the conference tournament and it's automatic bid.
On Monday night No. 1 seed and regular season champion Northeastern took on No. 3 seed, but 4th in the regular season, James Madison in Richmond. So, the Huskies should've walked away with this one, right?
Instead what we got was another upset in the finals and a game that really didn't play out the way you would think from a final score that read James Madison 70, Northeastern 57. That's because it was a game that was OVER at halftime with the Dukes up 40-18.
The Dukes of JMU had one chance to send a class of six seniors out on top and boy did they ever do that. Especially one A.J. Davis who poured in 26 points and 7 rebounds to lead his team. Also chipping in was Rayshawn Goins who had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
In fact it was really Goins that killed off this game early on as he scored 13 of his 14 points before the half alone and was a key figure in the Dukes' 26-6 run in the first 7 minutes of the game.
However, one could argue this was a game of two halves really as Northeastern actually got the Dukes' lead down to 10 points during the 2nd half of action, mostly thanks to the actions of Jonathan Lee, who scored all 14 of his points after the half.
Too bad it was too little, too late for the regular season champions who are staring a likely bid to the NIT right in the face.
Get used to some wild things happening as the CAA undergoes some major changes in the coming year, as they add the College of Charleston and lose Old Dominion and Georgia State as members following this season. Here's hoping change doesn't ruin one of the best championships in all of college basketball.
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