TOWSON, Md. - The Tiger men's basketball team has just two non-conference games remaining in 2011. Starting with their game on January 2 against Northeastern, the Tigers will play nothing but Colonial Athletic Association games the rest of the way with the exception of an ESPN BracketBusters game in mid-February.

So, how is the CAA doing so far this season? Not as well as the last couple of seasons. 

We all remember the Final Four run that VCU made last season. Two other CAA schools made it to the NCAA Tournament - George Mason and Old Dominion. This year, it doesn't look like the conference has a chance of getting three teams in the "Big Dance."

If you look at last season, George Mason, which finished first at 16-2 in conference, was 11-5 out of conference. Old Dominion and Hofstra were tied for second with a 14-4 CAA record; Out of conference, the Monarchs were 13-3 and Hofstra was 7-8. VCU, which made that Final Four run, finished fourth in the conference at 12-6, but the Rams had the same record out of conference.

This season, teams are not having the same success. Georgia State has won eight straight games en route to an 8-3 record. But, the Panthers have played the 337th toughest schedule out of 345 Division I teams. VCU has continued its run from last year as the Rams are also 8-3 against the 193rd toughest schedule. 

George Mason is 7-3, but again like Georgia State, the Patriots have not had a taxing schedule, which is ranked 335th. Three other CAA schools have winning records as James Madison is 5-3 while Delaware and Drexel are 5-4.

The problem from a conference standpoint is that the three schools with the toughest schedules in the conference this season have not fared well. UNC Wilmington has played the 32nd toughest schedule in the nation, but the Seahawks are only 3-6. Old Dominion has had the second toughest schedule at 99th, but the Monarchs also have a losing record at 5-6. 

Towson has the third toughest schedule at 140, but as we know, the Tigers have not won a game yet. Maybe more troubling from an RPI standpoint is William and Mary. The Tribe is 1-9 after having played the 247th toughest schedule.

When Selection Sunday rolls around, the selection committee looks very closely at strength of schedule. The fact that the most successful CAA schools are playing the weakest schedules will not bode well for the conference. It's also looking like that first Monday in March down in Richmond could have ANY school from the conference cutting down the nets. Most likely, that team will be the only CAA team getting into the NCAA Tournament this season.

So, even though the Tigers have yet to win a game, when Towson gets into conference play in two weeks, the schedule may actually be a little easier than what they have faced out of conference and that has not been the case the last few seasons.

I'd like to take this time to wish all the Towson fans a very happy holiday season. We hope to see you all at the Towson Center over the next couple of months.

Programming Note: I will be with you this Thursday at Bill Bateman's in Towson for another edition of Tiger Talk from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Come on out and join me along with Tiger men's basketball coach Pat Skerry as we will preview Friday night's game at the Towson Center against Vermont. If you can't make it out to Bateman's, you can listen to Tiger Talk on WNST-AM 1570 or right here at TowsonTigers.com.