Amidst winning streak, Patriots fall just outside of Top 25

After receiving national publicity and winning their 11th straight game against JMU Saturday in which they took first place in the CAA outright, Ryan Pearson and the Patriots still find themselves outside the Top 25 this week. (John Powell)

Another week. Two more wins. The Patriots are still “receiving votes.”

Coming off a week in which they took down conference foes UNC Wilmington on the road and rival JMU at home to take sole possession of first in the CAA, Jim Larranaga and the Patriots (21-5) find themselves just outside of the Top 25 for the second consecutive week.

The 14-point victory over JMU Saturday marked the Patriots’ 11th straight victory, which ties the school record. The media attention directed towards the team has been well documented lately. From Larranaga appearing on ESPN’s First Take, to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projecting the team to be a nine-seed in the NCAA Tournament and even attending the game against JMU, to being ranked 23rd in the RPI Poll, the Patriots are on their way to being ranked nationally.

Just not yet.

Little changes were made to the Top 25 due to the small number of upsets last week. So, just like seven days ago, the Patriots are in the receiving votes category for both the AP Poll and the ESPN/ USA Today Coaches Poll. They received 28 votes in the AP, essentially putting them at 30th in the nation. However, they received 30 votes in the Coaches Poll, which ranks them 26th in the nation and just one spot outside being officially ranked.

Larranaga’s crew still has a chance to be ranked officially before the regular season concludes. Next week they play at VCU (20-7) on Tuesday and at Northern Iowa (18-9) on Saturday in an ESPN BracketBuster game.

Although JMU may be considered Mason’s archrival, the GMU-VCU game is typically the premiere matchup in the CAA. And this year they only play once during the regular season. At VCU.

The Rams sit just one game back in the conference standings at 12-3 after falling last week at home against ODU. The Patriots and the Rams were tied atop the CAA prior to the loss. VCU currently sits 56th in the RPI Poll, which is the only poll Mason sits in the top 25.

Despite rankings or wins and losses, Tuesday’s game is more than just a game. VCU and GMU have been the pride of the CAA for years. From Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006 to VCU’s Eric Maynor knocking down the game-winning shot to beat Duke in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, both programs have storied franchises.

Last season, the Patriots escaped with an 82-77 victory over the Rams in the Patriot Center, before falling to them 75-60 in Richmond in the CAA Tournament. That was the last time the two teams met. Because they often meet just once during the regular season, the intensity of the matchup is heightened. And this year should be no different.

The Patriots may not be able to play the Rams in the Patriot Center this year, but taking down VCU at their place will go a long way in solidifying the Patriots’ chances to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in March. Although the experts such as Lunardi say they would be in the Big Dance if the season ended today, racking up impressive wins down the stretch certainly wouldn’t hurt.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be aired live on ESPNU. The BracketBuster matchup against Northern Iowa, a team that made it to the Sweet Sixteen last year after shocking Kansas, will be aired on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. on Saturday. With two primetime ESPN games this week, the eyes of the nation will be on the Patriots.