CAA Women's Tournament

Where: James Madison University Convocation Center, Harrisonburg, Va.

Today's First Round: No. 8 Towson vs. No. 9 Delaware, noon;

No. 5 UNC Wilmington vs. No. 12 George Mason, 2:30; No. 7 Hofstra vs. No. 10 William & Mary, 5; No. 6 Northeastern vs. No. 11 Georgia State, 7:30.

Tomorrow's Quarterfinals: No. 1 Drexel vs. Towson-Delaware, noon;

No. 4 Old Dominion vs. UNCW-George Mason, 2:30; No. 2 Virginia

Commonwealth vs. Hofstra-William & Mary, 5; No. 3 James Madison vs.

Northeastern-Georgia State, 7:30.

Saturday's Semifinals: Noon and 2:30 (Comcast Network).

Sunday's Final: 3:30 (Comcast SportsNet).

THE FAVORITE: Drexel, which earned the first CAA regular season title in program history, hasn't lost since a four-point setback at James Madison on Jan. 18. Junior forward Gabriela Marginean is tied for third in scoring in Division I at 23.8 points per game. Many of her points come at the free throw line, where she has made 218 of 245 attempts (89 percent).

THE CONTENDERS: VCU, which is coached by former Washington Mystic Beth Cunningham, lost in last year's championship game to Old Dominion. The Rams have the league's best defense, limiting opponents to 53.6 points per game and outrebounding them by nearly seven per game. Quanitra Hollingsworth, a 6-foot-5 senior center, averages nearly a double-double at 14.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. . . . Powered by sophomore guard Dawn Evans, a Nancy Lieberman Award finalist, James Madison has the CAA's most prolific offense (70.8 points per game). Evans, who reached 1,000 career points faster than any player in CAA history, is the second-leading scorer in Division I (23.9 points per game). The Dukes have the advantage of playing on their home court, where they had a 12-game winning streak until VCU snapped it on Jan. 11.

THE DARK HORSE: It is almost ludicrous to call Old Dominion a dark horse in this tournament. The Lady Monarchs have never lost a CAA tournament game since joining the league in 1991, winning 17 consecutive titles. Though they are not as strong a team as they have been in the past, it would be foolhardy to count them out. This tournament seems to bring out the best in ODU.

THE LOCAL: Though George Mason struggled this season under new coach Jeri Porter, the Patriots finally beat longtime nemesis Old Dominion, 63-57, on Feb. 22 to end their 44-game losing streak against the Lady Monarchs. It was one of the few highlights for a team that sometimes starts two freshmen and three sophomores. Sophomore guard Brittany Poindexter leads GMU in scoring (10.1 points per game). The Patriots, whose last win in the CAA tournament came three years ago, have lost nine in a row to their first-round opponent, UNC Wilmington.

-- Kathy Orton