The Hoyas have a difficult road test tomorrow against Old Dominion. The Ted Constant Convocation Center is a very nice arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The Georgetown game has been sold out for a while, and the crowd will be hungry for a major upset. ODU comes from the CAA which is a much underrated conference. This game is a rare opportunity for a smaller conference to host a school from a power conference, and the Monarchs will be ready to make the most of it. Old Dominion will be playing for their fans and for their conference.

Locally in DC, we’ve known about the CAA for a long time, and hoops fans from the nation’s capital know that there are good players there - many from local high schools. The CAA burst onto the national scene a couple of years ago when the CAA darling George Mason made it all the way to the Final Four. Then last season VCU, another CAA team, made more waves in the NCAA tournament by knocking off Duke in the opening round.

The players in the CAA are not blue chip players, and top to bottom the conference is not that strong. But, the top two or three teams in the CAA can play with anyone - period. I don’t mean “on any given Sunday,” I mean everyday the top teams in the CAA belong on the court with any team in the nation. The players are well coached, trust each other, play for each other, and stay together for four years. There is a lot to be said for teamwork and chemistry, and the CAA teams are loaded with that. These teams don’t get overwhelmed and they don’t get intimidated.

The Hoyas are in for a battle tomorrow. This will not be a typical early season game where the #5 team in the country can sleepwalk for 35 minutes and pull away in the final moments. If the Hoyas sleepwalk for 35 seconds they’ll be in trouble. A focused and well prepared Georgetown team could make it look easy, even though it won’t be. Fortunately, after the Hoyas lost an embarrassing game to Old Dominion last year, in McDonough Gymnasium, Coach Thompson shouldn’t have any trouble making sure that the Hoyas enter the game with the right attitude. You can bet that Old Dominion will.