And down the stretch we come

Well, it all comes down to schedules and matchups now.
After Thursday night's game with RMU, Central finishes the year with 3 of 4 on the road, where it has not fared exceptionally well this year. It does so, however, against beatable opponents.

If the Blue Devils want to get that fourth and final home playoff spot, winning games like at LIU and FDU is necessary. History says the Blue Devils beat the Bobcats, and we'll give CCSU a split against RMU and the Heart for purposes of this discussion.

That would make CCSU 12-6 in the league. No matter where that puts the Devils, that's a heck of a year for such a young team. It also means that the Bobcats, who have a BRUTAL schedule down the stretch, will have to win three of their five remaining "losable" games, especially if they fall to CCSU, who would then win the tiebreaker.

I like Robert Morris to win the regular season, as the Heart has a rough road swing to end the year. That would make SHU the 2-seed, with Wagner the three. If you're the Devils (or a fan of the team and want to go to the games) you're then hoping CCSU wins its game then either Sacred Heart or Wagner falls in the first round (as I've said all year, watch out for the Mount in March), so that CCSU doesn't have to go to RMU until the final. Not that a trip to Wagner or Fairfield would be fun, but it's a more winnable game in my humble opinion.

That would give coach a few days to prep the team for RMU, making the Blue Devils very dangerous.

Of course, none of this matters if Central can't take care of business on the road. It also changes drastically if Central plays on Thursday night the way it did against Wagner and finds a way to pull another upset against a top team that can rough you up.

This is why March is my favorite time of year. I could just as easily make a case for Central to finish sixth as I can for them to win the tournament. And there are HUGE games to follow around the league over the next few days. For a basketball junkie like me, this is as good as it gets. Let's make the turn for home and watch the stretch drive. It's going to be a heck of a horserace.