Flint tries new tactics to get Drexel set for CAA Tournament

Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Bruiser Flint has proved over time that he is a very good college basketball coach. And he is definitely not insane.

So, the Drexel coach tried something different this year before his team headed for Richmond, Va., to play in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. He had his team practice early this week at the Liacouras Center to simulate the Richmond Coliseum, where his team will begin play at 2:30 p.m. today against Towson.

Clearly, something has been amiss in Drexel's annual early-March trip to Richmond. Over the previous 7 years, Flint has taken some pretty good Drexel teams down there. And the Dragons won exactly one CAA Tournament game.

The common denominator? They could not put the ball in the basket.

"I went back and looked at all our stats and said, 'Why can't we win a game in this tournament?' " Flint said. "I got all the box scores."

After he added them all up, Flint came up with approximately 35 percent from the field and 60 percent from the foul line.

"That sums it up right there," Flint said.

Last year, the Dragons shot 34.4 percent in a loss to James Madison. The year before, they were 4-for-23 in the first half and trailed 10-21 Towson, 39-14, at the half before losing ingloriously. They scored 51 points in a 2008 loss to Delaware, 49 points in a 2006 loss to Delaware.

Drexel (20-9, 11-7 CAA) plays a team today that has not won a game in the calendar year. There really is no way it should lose to Towson (4-25, 0-18). It could even win if the ball does not go in the basket much. But it would be quite nice to see it go through.

To that end, the Dragons went to Temple on Monday and Tuesday to practice before leaving for Richmond Wednesday night.

"I said, 'You know what, let's try something different,' " Flint said.

Drexel practiced in the Richmond Coliseum yesterday.

The CAA is as strong as it has ever been. Flint thinks it is even better than 2006, when George Mason parlayed one of the final at-large berths into the Final Four.

"This is the deepest it's been," Flint said. "Even the year when we went 23-9 [2006-07], I just thought the top four teams were good."

Six CAA teams are ranked in the top 80 of the RPI. GMU has won 15 straight, the nation's longest winning streak. The league has six 20-win teams for the first time. Hofstra's Charles Jenkins (2,463 points) is the nation's leading active scorer and one of the country's best players, a first-team All-America candidate. GMU and Old Dominion are near certain at-large NCAA teams, so neither has to win the tournament. Flint thinks the Selection Committee should be looking beyond those two.

"It's unfortunate that nobody talks about us having more than two teams, but they should be talking about more than two teams going to the tournament," he said. "The numbers are great."

The league's nonconference mark was 84-58. The CAA's 27 road noncon wins are the most of any conference. GMU and ODU are ranked 1-2 in the midmajor Top 25 poll. VCU is 17th and Drexel 22nd. ODU leads the country in rebound margin. Drexel is third.

If Drexel wins today, the Dragons will play Virginia Commonwealth tomorrow afternoon. The winner of that game might very well get into the NCAA conversation, depending upon various events from around the country over the next 9 days.

"I think we've got a chance [in the CAA Tournament]," Flint said. "If we can make some shots, the way we defend and rebound, we've always got a chance to win the games. Nobody's ever won it four in a row, but we've had teams the last couple of years get to the championship game. We've just got to take our time and play decent offense, not great. Like I said all year, if we shoot it at 40 [percent], we usually win."

Drexel junior forward Samme Givens was named to the All-CAA second team, while sophomore guard Chris Fouch was named to the third team. Forward Dartaye Ruffin and guard Frantz Massenat were named to the CAA's All-Rookie Team. *