Usually, you can take preseason polls with a grain of salt. This season in the Coastal Athletic Association, though, the fourteen head coaches who voted on the standings were pretty close in their expectations of how the top of the table would unfold.
On October 19th, here was the CAA Preseason Poll:
Charleston (10 first-place votes, 165 points)
UNC Wilmington (3 first-place votes, 157 points)
Drexel (1 first-place vote, 140 points)
Hofstra (137 points)
T5. Delaware (115 points)
T5. Towson (115 points)
On February 21st, with 4 games remaining in the conference regular season, here are the current standings with tiebreakers factoring in seeding:
Charleston (11-3)
UNC Wilmington (10-4)
Drexel (10-4)
Hofstra (9-5)
Towson (9-5)
Delaware (9-5)
Let's take a look at where each of these six teams stands heading into the final two regular-season weekends before the CAA Tournament takes off at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC, on March 9th.
Charleston
(Charleston Athletics)
Record: 20-7 (11-3 CAA)
Coach: Pat Kelsey (3rd season)
PPG/PAG: 81.7/73.4 (+8.3)
KenPom/NET: 130, 117
Starting 5 (Conference Stats)
#11 Kobe Rodgers: 21.1 mpg, 11.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 53.1 FG%, 50.0 3PT%, 85.7 FT%
#2 Reyne Smith: 25.6 mpg, 11.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 37.2 FG%, 35.0 3PT%, 93.5 FT%
#1 Frankie Policelli: 21.2 mpg, 9.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.6 apg, 37.2 FG%, 36.1 3PT%, 81.5 FT%
#13 Ben Burnham: 22.4 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 43.5 FG%, 36.4 3PT%, 65.5 FT%
#10 Ante Brzovic: 23.8 mpg, 14.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 51.8 FG%, 24.2 3PT%, 61.9 FT%
Notable Bench Players
#12 CJ Fulton: 23.9 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 51.9 FG%, 43.2 3PT%, 66.7 FT%
#4 Bryce Butler: 20.9 mpg, 8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 58.6 FG%, 53.8 3PT%, 42.9 FT%
#0 Jordan Crawford: 13.4 mpg, 4.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.6 apg, 32.3 FG%, 28.8 3PT%, 83.3 FT%
#23 James Scott: 15.9 mpg, 3.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 82.6 FG%, 0.0 3PT%, 27.3 FT%
#3 Khalil London: 10.5 mpg, 3.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.6 apg, 29.5 FG%, 36.7 3PT%, 85.7 FT%
Big 6 Record: 2-3
Wins: @ Hofstra, vs. Drexel
Losses: vs. Towson, @ UNCW, vs. UNCW
To-Go: 2/22 @ Delaware, 2/24 @ Towson, 2/29 vs. Campbell, 3/2 vs. Hofstra
Current State:
The Charleston Cougars lost six of their nine main rotation pieces after a 31-4 season. That didn't stop head coach Pat Kelsey from retooling the roster into another conference contender. Adding a pair of Division 1 transfers (CJ Fulton/Lafayette, Frankie Policelli/Stony Brook), a pair of Division 2 transfers (Kobe Rodgers, Bryce Butler), and three freshmen (Jordan Crawford, James Scott, and Khalil London) to the rotation, the Cougars remain the best offensive team in the conference, scoring 5.8 more points per game than the next closest team.
Even without having a top-10 scorer in the conference, Charleston is such a hard team to defend against. Why? They have multiple guys who can stretch the floor for them. They attempt nearly 10 more 3-pointers per game than their opponents, and they have seven different players averaging 35% or better from distance. They also lead the league in rebounding, which gives their offense multiple opportunities per possession. Via KenPom, they are top-25 nationally in turnover percentage and top-50 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. They control the ball well, and they find ways to maintain it. The trio of returners, Ante Brzovic, Reyne Smith, and Ben Burnham, look to guide the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
UNC Wilmington
(UNCW Athletics)
Record: 19-7 (10-4 CAA)
Coach: Takayo Siddle (4th season)
PPG/PAG: 75.9/67.9 (+8.0)
KenPom/NET: 106, 106
Starting 5 (Conference Stats)
#2 Shykeim Phillips: 26.6 mpg, 12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 48.2 FG%, 29.4 3PT%, 79.5 FT%
#0 KJ Jenkins: 27.6 mpg, 14.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 43.2 FG%, 40.2 3PT%, 100 FT%
#5 Noah Ross: 19.9 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.5 apg, 45.7 FG%, 23.8 3PT%, 84.6 FT%
#21 Khamari McGriff: 20.1 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.1 apg, 82.9 FG%, 0 3PT%, 76.0 FT%
#13 Trazarien White: 31.5 mpg, 19.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 46.3 FG%, 30.8 3PT%, 71.9 FT%
Notable Bench Players
#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes: 21.6 mpg, 9.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 37.3 FG%, 18.2 3PT%, 81.3 FT%
#1 Donovan Newby: 23.0 mpg, 8.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 38.1 FG%, 31.9 3PT%, 85.0 FT%
#4 Nolan Hodge: 16.5 mpg, 4.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, 40.9 FG%, 37.5 3PT%, 70.6 FT%
#22 Shemar Rathan-Hayes: 9.6 mpg, 2.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 42.3 FG%, 41.7 3PT%, 33.3 FT%
#23 Eric Van Der Heijden: 10.0 mpg, 1.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.3 apg, 31.8 FG%, 20.0 3PT%, 50.0 FT%
Big 6 Record: 4-2
Wins: vs. Delaware, vs. Charleston, @ Charleston, vs. Drexel
Losses: @ Drexel, @ Towson
To-Go: 2/22 @ William & Mary, 2/26 @ Campbell, 2/29 vs. Hofstra, 3/2 vs. Towson
Current State:
In each of the past two seasons, head coach Takayo Siddle and the UNCW Seahawks made it to the final night of the CAA Tournament. Unfortunately, they couldn't finish the job in each of them, losing in Delaware in 2022 and Charleston in 2023. After a 0-2 start to conference play this season, they settled in and are going 10-2 in their last 12. While only 1 game out of 1st place, they have the tiebreaker against Charleston after beating them in both of their matchups, so they'll be rooting for the Cougars to drop as many games as they can in the final two weeks.
The duo of 6'7" forward Trazarien White and 6'2" guard Shykeim Phillips are back this season and shooting at more efficient rates than the year prior. The big addition to their core has been New Mexico guard transfer KJ Jenkins, who is shooting 40% from 3 and is averaging 14.3 points a night in conference play. 6'7" guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes, who was the Seahawks' second-leading scorer last season, also just returned from an injury that had him out for a month and will most likely return to the starting lineup once he's back into a rhythm. The team is very efficient in the turnover battle, being ranked as the 3rd best in the country in turnover percentage (12.9%) and the best in the country in steal percentage (6.2%). UNCW is a dangerous team to face, and they look to change their recent trend in the CAA Championship game.
Drexel
(Drexel Athletics)
Record: 17-10 (10-4 CAA)
Coach: Zach Spiker (8th season)
PPG/PAG: 75.1/67.0 (+8.1)
KenPom/NET: 123, 126
Starting 5 (Conference Stats)
#11 Justin Moore: 29.0 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.1 apg, 35.3 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 77.6 FT%
#14 Luke House: 25.4 mpg, 9.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.0 apg, 52.1 FG%, 42.1 3PT%, 83.3 FT%
#21 Mate Okros: 22.0 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.7 FG%, 41.4 3PT%, 91.2 FT%
#2 Lucas Monroe: 20.9 mpg, 6.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 58.9 FG%, 50.0 3PT%, 50.0 FT%
#22 Amari Williams: 22.4 mpg, 12.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 57.3 FG%, 0 3PT%, 64.7 FT%
Notable Bench Players
#5 Kobe MaGee: 20.4 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 51.2 FG%, 42.4 3PT%, 91.7 FT%
#3 Jamie Bergens: 19.7 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 36.6 FG%, 35.5 3PT%, 78.6 FT%
#23 Yarne Butler: 12.2 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 50.0 FG%, 42.1 3PT%, 55.6 FT%
#13 Garfield Turner: 16.6 mpg, 5.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 53.3 FG%, 0 3PT%, 73.3 FT%
#4 Shane Blakeney: 6.5 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.2 apg, 39.3 FG%, 38.9 3PT%, 66.7 FT%
Big 6 Record: 3-3
Wins: vs. UNCW, vs. Delaware, vs. Hofstra
Losses: @ Towson, @ UNCW, @ Charleston
To-Go: 2/22 @ Hofstra, 2/26 @ Delaware, 2/29 vs. Stony Brook, 3/2 vs. Northeastern
Current State:
As I've noted in weekly previews before, Drexel returned most of their rotation from a season ago. In the elevated movement in today's world of college basketball, being able to have over 85% of your minutes and 86% of your points returned is a true blessing. And this is why the Dragons started conference play 7-0 this season. Their schedule was backloaded with difficult road games, losing at Towson, at Monmouth, at UNCW, and at Charleston all in a 5-game span. They did get back on track with a 2-0 weekend last weekend, but they now find themselves back on the road against Hofstra and Delaware this week.
Drexel is led by CAA Preseason Player of the Year Amari Williams. Williams has won two straight Defensive Player of the Year awards in the conference, and he's averaging close to a combined 2.5 blocks and steals a game this year. Seeing his minutes per game drop from 27.3 to 22.2 this year makes you wonder if they are saving him to be unleashed in the postseason. Quarterbacking the offense is sophomore Justin Moore, who started the year hot but is seeing a dip in form recently, shooting 27% from the field in his last five games. Similar to Charleston, Drexel has a bunch of role players who hit their shots when asked to shoot them, making it hard to defend. They have six players who are shooting 35% or better from 3, four of them above 41%. If the Dragons can get at least one on their upcoming road trip against Hofstra and Delaware, head coach Zach Spiker will secure some comfort in finishing as a top-4 seed heading into the last weekend of the regular season.
Hofstra
(Hofstra Athletics)
Record: 16-11 (9-5 CAA)
Coach: Speedy Claxton (3rd season)
PPG/PAG: 72.5/67.6 (+4.9)
KenPom/NET: 137, 133
Starting 5 (Conference Stats)
#5 Jaquan Carlos: 35.7 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, 35.3 FG%, 34.4 3PT%, 89.3 FT%
#23 Tyler Thomas: 38.4 mpg, 22.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 43.0 FG%, 32.1 3PT%, 78.9 FT%
#25 German Plotnikov: 26.0 mpg, 8.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 62.3 FG%, 55.6 3PT%, 66.7 FT%
#1 Darlinstone Dubar: 34.6 mpg, 17.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 50.3 FG%, 42.5 3PT%, 68.9 FT%
#11 Jacco Fritz: 25.3 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 67.7 FG%, 0 3PT%, 60.0 FT%
Notable Bench Players
Big 6 Record: 2-2
Wins: vs. Delaware, vs. Towson
Losses: vs. Charleston, @ Drexel
To-Go: 2/22 vs. Drexel, 2/24 vs. Elon, 2/29 @ UNCW, 3/2 @ Charleston
Current State:
I always feel for the fans of the Hofstra Pride. The program in 2020 secured its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2001, only for it to be canceled due to the global pandemic. The starting five of Desure Buie, Jalen Ray, Eli Pemberton, Tareq Coburn, and Isaac Kante were probably the best starting five I've seen in my five years of actively following the conference. That group was good enough to win a game in March Madness that year. I've had the honor of meeting former Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich before, and I have a lot of respect for what he built in his time there. It only made sense for a Pride legend to take the program over when Mihalich had to step away due to medical reasons. Hofstra Hall of Famer Speedy Claxton has won 62 games in just his third year as head coach, including an NIT win against Rutgers last season.
Claxton is led by Tyler Thomas, who transferred in from Sacred Heart before last season. The offense is drawn up around Tyler, who is scoring 22 points a game and is currently 11th in the country for team percentage of shots taken (34.4%) and 53rd in percentage of possessions used (30.1%). Thomas also never comes out of the game, being ranked analytically with the third-highest percentage of minutes played nationally at nearly 96%. If Thomas is the Yin to the Pride, then Darlinstone Dubar is the Yang. The Charlotte, NC, native transferred to Hofstra from Iowa State before the 2021–22 season and has always been a double-digit scorer, but he took his game to the next level this year. He is shooting over 42% from 3 and averaging close to 18 points per game. He is in the top 100 nationally in effective field goal percentage (61.2%) and true shooting percentage (62.6%). Both Thomas and Dubar can score the way they do because of Jaquan Carlos, who recently set a CAA record with 19 assists last Saturday against Northeastern. If Hofstra wants to win the conference tournament in a few weeks, they will have to zero in on cleaning up the glass, which seems to be their most glaring weakness at the moment.
Towson
(Towson Athletics)
Record: 16-11 (9-5 CAA)
Coach: Pat Skerry (13th season)
PPG/PAG: 67.2/62.4 (+4.8)
KenPom/NET: 158, 152
Starting 5 (Conference Stats)
#24 Nendah Tarke: 30.0 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 37.9 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 78.7 FT%
#5 Christian May: 30.9 mpg, 11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 38.0 FG%, 36.7 3PT%, 71.4 FT%
#15 Tyler Tejada: 20.4 mpg, 8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 39.4 FG%, 38.3 3PT%, 88.2 FT%
#25 Messiah Jones: 15.5 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 57.4 FG%, 50.0 3PT%, 87.5 FT%
#32 Charles Thompson: 28.9 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 53.9FG%, 0 3PT%, 56.1 FT%
Notable Bench Players
#4 Dylan Williamson: 25.6 mpg, 9.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 39.8 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 50.0 FT%
#1 Tomiwa Sulaiman: 20.7 mpg, ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.4 apg, 38.6 FG%, 21.1 3PT%, 83.3 FT%
#11 Mekhi Lowery: 15.7 mpg, 1.6 ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.5 apg, 23.7 FG%, 0 3PT%, 35.7 FT%
#13 Chase Paar: 10.7 mpg, 3.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.1 apg, 53.6 FG%, 0 3PT%, 63.6 FT%
Big 6 Record: 4-2
Wins: vs. UNCW, @ Charleston, vs. Drexel, @ Delaware
Losses: @ Hofstra, vs. Delaware
To-Go: 2/22 vs. Monmouth, 2/24 vs. Charleston, 2/29 @ NC A&T, 3/2 @ UNCW
Current State:
The style of basketball Towson plays is one that you don't feel comfortable preparing for. They have the 4th-slowest tempo in college basketball, taking over 20 seconds per possession to get a shot off. They're also ranked third nationally in offensive rebound percentage at 40%. So not only do they take a long time to develop their shot, but the Tigers are elite at maximizing their time of possession with multiple opportunities. They play scrappy defense and force the other team to move at their own pace. This is why they haven't had problems winning at Charleston and at Delaware and also beating UNCW and Drexel at home this season. With that being said, the Tigers are also vulnerable if the offense is down, most recently allowing Hampton to win its first conference game of the season this past Saturday.
Towson gets their scoring from just about everyone. They have five players who currently average between 8 and 12 points per game in CAA play. 6'7" forward Charles Thompson anchors the Tigers down low as one of the best defenders and rebounders in the league. When Christian May, the 6'5" sophomore wing, is flowing on the offensive end, the Tigers come up victorious more times than not. In the wins against Delaware and Charleston, he combined for 43 points, shooting 8-13 from deep. In the losses to Hofstra and the Blue Hens, he finished with 7 points off 3-16 shooting. Other contributors include Coppin State transfer Nendah Tarke, who received a waiver from the NCAA in December, and freshmen Dylan Williamson and Tyler Tejada. Both Williamson and Tejada will almost certainly make the All-Rookie team, while Williamson feels like a shoo-in for 6th Man of the Year. Towson hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 1991, and head coach Pat Skerry is looking to change that in his 13th season with the Tigers. The offensive side of the ball is the X-factor for them in DC.
Delaware
(Gavin Bethell)
Record: 17-10 (9-5 CAA)
Coach: Martin Ingelsby (8th season)
PPG/PAG: 72.4/67.3 (+5.1)
KenPom/NET: 146, 143
Starting 5 (Conference Stats)
#1 Gerald Drumgoole: 30.8 mpg, 15.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 48.5 FG%, 41.5 3PT%, 55.6 FT%
#3 Cavan Reilly: 29.4 mpg, 8.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 36.9 FG%, 39.0 3PT%, 90.0 FT%
#4 Niels Lane: 27.3 mpg, 11.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 56.4 FG%, 43.5 3PT%, 75.0 FT%
#13 Christian Ray: 30.4 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 61.1 FG%, 28.6 3PT%, 66.7 FT%
#5 Jyare Davis: 33.3 mpg, 16.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 47.0 FG%, 13.6 3PT%, 81.4 FT%
Notable Bench Players
Big 6 Record: 1-4
Wins: @ Towson
Losses: @ Hofstra, @ UNCW, @ Drexel, vs. Towson
To-Go: 2/22 vs. Charleston, 2/26 vs. Drexel, 2/29 vs. Northeastern, 3/2 @ Stony Brook
Current State:
Delaware had a disappointing 2022–23 season; there was no question about that. And then All-CAA 1st Team point guard Jameer Nelson Jr. announced that he was entering the transfer portal, eventually committing to the Big 12's TCU Horned Frogs. The big question was: how would head coach Martin Ingelsby respond? Since 2018, Delaware has lost several significant contributors to higher-level opportunities: Nelson to TCU, forward Andrew Carr to Wake Forest, forward Justyn Mutts to Virginia Tech, guard Ithiel Horton to Pittsburgh, guard Ryan Daly to St. Joe's, and guard Nate Darling to the NBA Draft. The Blue Hens, in return, added six transfers to the program this offseason. These players include Albany guard Gerald Drumgoole, Florida wing Niels Lane, North Dakota guard Jalun Trent, VMI forward Tyler Houser, St. Francis Brooklyn guard Zion Bethea, and UC Riverside guard Kobe Jerome. With this turnover, expected games and experiences were needed to gel the group.
After splitting their first four weekends of the conference season, the Blue Hens have settled into a groove, winning five of their last six. They've been waiting for this three-game home stretch to finish their season, and now they get a crack at current first seed Charleston and a revenge game against Drexel on Monday. While a lot of people know the name Jyare Davis, look out for Gerald Drumgoole, who has scored 47 points in his last two games and is shooting close to 42% from beyond the arc. Drumgoole can create his own shot, and when he's on, he opens up the floor for the rest of the offense to flow around both him and Davis. Christian Ray, who transferred in from La Salle last season, is a true leader for the Hens and does all of the little things for them. Ray is on a dense list of active players who currently have 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, and he is one of the shortest on there at 6'6". In the 2021–22 season, Davis averaged 9.7 points per game, which is a misleading statistic as he finished the year averaging over 16 in his last 14 games, including 18 in the CAA Championship against UNCW. With him being the only one in the current 7-man rotation on that roster from two seasons ago, let's see how this new group comes together for this final stretch.
The Rest of the Field
(Connor Graf)
It would be a crime not to bring up a couple of these other programs quickly. One of them is head coach King Rice of the Monmouth Hawks. Monmouth was picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll, but the addition of King's son, Xander, has made the Hawks a tough team to play against. Xander is averaging a conference-best 23.5 points per game this year. Monmouth defends home court extremely well, holding an 8-0 CAA record there with wins against Towson, Hofstra, and Drexel. Their problem is winning on the road, as they're 0-6 away in the conference so far. They will have a chance to get their first road win tomorrow at Towson, which would tie the two of them at 9-6 and give Monmouth the tiebreaker over the Tigers.
Other teams who could make some noise in DC are Stony Brook, Campbell, and Elon. Stony Brook is 7-7 in conference play so far. They have wins over UNCW and Monmouth and close losses to Charleston, Towson, Delaware, and Hofstra twice. Campbell is 6-8 in conference play but has lost four of its last five. Anthony Dell'Orso is one of the best players in the CAA with 21.6 PPG and could elevate the Fighting Camels to a win in the second round and potentially an upset in the quarterfinals. Elon started the conference season 1-6 but is now up to 5-9 after massive wins against Delaware and UNCW last weekend. The pair of Max Mackinnon and TK Simpkins scored a combined 86 points in both and are playing their best basketball at the right time of the year. The Phoenix have nothing to lose and have shown they can pull off an upset themselves. Lastly, don't count out Bill Coen and the Northeastern Huskies. Coen became the all-time winningest coach in CAA history this season and is now at 186 career conference wins, so I wouldn't want to have an off night against one of his teams.
The seedings will very likely come down to tiebreakers, both due to how the standings look now and how each of these six teams plays each other in at least half of the remaining games scheduled. According to an article posted in February 2022 by the Conference, a two-team tiebreak will first be decided through head-to-head matchups. If the teams split their regular-season games, their positions will be determined by their records against a common opponent, starting with the team highest in the standings. For example, UNCW and Drexel are both currently 10-4 in conference play, but UNCW beat 1st-place Charleston both times facing them, while Drexel lost in their only appearance against the Cougars this season, so the Seahawks are awarded the 2-seed. If both teams hold the same record against the common opponent, the comparison will continue down the standings until the results against a team or group of teams with the same record break the tie.
For multiple teams with the same record, they will be treated as their own "mini-conference," as the CAA describes it. For example, Hofstra, Drexel, and Delaware are all currently 9–5 in the standings. Hofstra is 2-0 against the group, beating both Towson and Delaware once apiece. Delaware and Towson are 1-2 in the group, splitting their head-to-head matchups this season; therefore, Hofstra receives the 4th seed. In this instance, the Tigers and Blue Hens will follow a similar format to the UNCW and Drexel examples provided above. Towson beat Charleston earlier in the season, but since Delaware has not played them yet, the comparison will proceed to the 10-4 teams: UNCW and Drexel. Towson beat both the Seahawks and Dragons, while Delaware is 0-2 against them. This means that Towson is the current 5th seed, and the Blue Hens are the 6th seed. While neither of these teams would receive a first-round bye at the moment, the seeding matters for future opponents. Finishing as a top-4 seed adds an extra day of rest and preparation, lessening the number of consecutive wins necessary to win the tournament from 4 to 3.
If the CAA season were to end today, here's how the CAA Tournament schedule would look:
Friday, March 8th (First Round)
Saturday, March 9th (Second Round)
Game 4: #5 Towson vs. Game 1 Winner (2:30 pm)
Game 6: #6 Delaware vs. Game 2 Winner (8:30 pm)
Sunday, March 10th (Quarterfinals)
Game 7: #1 Charleston vs. Game 3 Winner (12 pm)
Game 8: #4 Hofstra vs. Game 4 Winner (2:30 pm)
Game 9: #2 UNCW vs. Game 5 Winner (6 pm)
Game 10: #3 Drexel vs. Game 6 Winner (8:30 pm)
Monday, March 11th (Semifinals)
Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner (6 pm)
Game 12: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner (8:30 pm)
Tuesday, March 12th (Championship)
Game 13: Game 11 Winner vs Game 12 Winner (7 pm)
I look forward to being there for all five days of the event in DC and will appreciate the location being just 30 miles from home these next two seasons before Delaware moves to Conference USA at the beginning of the 2025–26 season. If you see me in the arena, feel free to stop and say hi. Look out for more CAA Tournament content throughout the next couple of weeks, both here on the site and in a future episode of the Feathers and Field Goals Podcast.
Twitter: @SSN_BlueHens
