True, the league is top heavy, but there is no reason to think a young team like Northeastern can’t sneak in a few more wins, including during the league tourney. It’s no cake walk through any stop on the CAA tour.

Last season was the CAA’s first multiple NCAA bid year in 20 years. We fully expect another multiple bid season with two (and with the right upsets) three league teams coming to my gala.

• They’re no where within sniffing distance of my Dance Card, but I have to put a red heart next to Ole Miss for next season. They could be a handsome pick when they shed the baby fat and get some more experience with coach Andy Kennedy.

• We got hooked on the MAAC a few years ago during a time when Cindy was living the “Sex in the City” life of Carrie Bradshaw. We bumped into Iona on a whim in the 90s and then fell in love with all of its similar-minded league institutions and characters (this was back in the Dave Magarity time, and that man simply lit up a post game press conference).

All that said, we have no idea what to make of the venerable New York City-centric league. Our beloved Gaels (and former main squeeze, Jeff Ruland) are the only winless D-I team (0-18) and Loyola (11-1, 7-1) – forever a doormat – is in first place. Marist has the most overall wins (14-5, 6-2), but has two, surprising, in-league losses already.

The middle of the pack offers two more six-win clubs (Manhattan, Siena), a five-win team (Niagara) and two four-win teams (Canisius and Rider) and even 5-15 Fairfield has strung together two straight wins (three overall in-league).

We’ll go out on the limb right now and tell you that the league’s No. 1 seed will NOT win the tournament, which is held this year in Bridgeport, Conn.

• The Missouri Valley conference is a jumbled mess from 1 through 6, with Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State, Bradley and Indiana State all at .500 or better in league play, and all with 11 or more wins overall. Wichita State – an early season darling of mine – is 3-6 in the Valley and now just 12-8 overall. It can’t be a four-bid league again this year, and now we’re starting to wonder if they’ll get more than two.

• Air Force, even with a loss at Utah last week, is still the class of the West’s non-BCS schools. All five of the Falcons predominant starters are averaging 9.5 points or more per game, led by Dan Nwaelele (15.4 ppg) and Jacob Burtschi (14.3).

• Yes, (coach) Jim and (son/guard) Jimmy Baron at Rhode Island have caught my eye as the A-10's first place team. Great match-up coming on Wednesday for the Rams, at home against also intriguing UMass.

• Music to My Ears – A regular look at quotes that catch Cindy’s ear:

“Rick Majerus is a ‘puncher’ – when things get exciting, he'll punch my arm with a left jab. I was totally black and blue by the start of the 2nd OT. It was the best college basketball game I've ever called on ESPN. One huge shot after another, two stars (Kevin Durant and Mario Boggan) doing some of the most amazing stuff, in the clutch, over and over. You never know when you will see the ‘Game of the Year’ in any sport. It can jump out at you on a cold January night in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Maybe that was it. We'll see.”

– ESPN2 Play-by-play man, Dave O’Brien on last week’s 3OT barnburner won 105-103 by Oklahoma State over Texas

• Dance Card: Every Monday, I offer up the first four dances that appear to be most enticing as March 15th and 16th beckon.

1. Butler
2. Drexel
3. Air Force
4. Vermont