Just The Facts 2011: Entering tournament w/CAA winning streak of at least six games UPDATED

I thought I'd dreamed this, until I went to the YouTubes. How did rap--never mind Tom Hanks' career--survive this?

Welcome to the third installment of Just The Facts 2011. I’m not sure how this will stack up to the previous two entries, but I’m fairly confident that, years down the road when I’m on a drug and booze and heaven only knows what else bender, I won’t forget it ever happened and declare that I’m getting in shape for the third entry in this series. Yes Charlie Sheen I’m talking TO YOU!

Anyway, today we will look at how often CAA schools have entered the tournament on a six-game conference winning streak and how those squads fared in the tourney and thereafter. The inspiration for this idea: The Flying Dutchmen have won their last six conference games while those cuddly gents from George Mason (coach of the year my ample posterior) have won a remarkable 14 straight league games.

So I wondered: How often has this happened? (EDITOR’S NOTE: Research actually completed last year and I found my notes. Whoohoo!) The answer: Not often. This is the first time that two CAA members have ever entered the tournament on a conference winning streak of six games or better. Among the current membership it has happened only eight times—twice apiece for Hofstra, UNC Wilmington and George Mason and once for Old Dominion and William & Mary.

Of the previous nine teams to achieve the feat, eight won at least one tournament game. Four won the championship (UNC Wilmington in 2002-03, George Mason in 1998-99, Navy in both 1985-86 and 1986-87), two lost in the title game and two lost in the semifinals. Eight of the nine squads earned a postseason bid of some sort.

Without further ado, here is the raw data.

2007

Old Dominion: won final 10 CAA games, lost to George Mason in the semifinals, earned NCAA at-large bid

2005

Hofstra: won final six CAA games, lost to Old Dominion in the semifinals, earned NIT bid

2003

UNC Wilmington: won final six CAA games, won championship game

2001

UNC Wilmington: won final seven CAA games, lost to George Mason in the championship game, earned NIT bid

1999

George Mason: won final eight CAA games, won championship game

1998

William & Mary: won final seven CAA games, lost to American in the quarterfinals,

1987

Navy: won final seven CAA games, won championship game

1986

Navy: won final eight CAA games, won championship game

1983

William & Mary: won all nine CAA games, lost to James Madison in the title game, earned NIT bid

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.