Let the Madness Begin: CAA Tournament Preview
After a strong final week to finish the regular season, CofC enters as the No. 3 seed in the CAA Tournament and will tip off Sunday at 8:30 against the winner of the Monmouth vs. NC A&T/Hofstra game.
Cougars fans, welcome to March Madness, the greatest month of basketball every year. Our Charleston Cougars are looking to defend their back-to-back CAA titles in D.C. starting this weekend, and for the first time in the last three years, we are not coming in as the favorite.
After a strong final week to finish the regular season, CofC enters as the No. 3 seed in the CAA Tournament and will tip off Sunday at 8:30 against the winner of the Monmouth vs. NC A&T/Hofstra game. This team has the talent and coaching to defend the title, but it will be very important that they build upon their final two performances of the season. March is all about survival—it doesn’t have to be pretty, you just have to find ways to win.
The expectation is that the Cougars’ first game will be against Monmouth, who already beat CofC handily this year in New Jersey and is playing some of the best basketball in the conference coming into this CAA Tournament. While it may be easy to look ahead to potential rematches and matchups, it is imperative that this team focuses on each opponent at hand and takes it one possession, one game at a time.
My gut tells me that the Cougars find a way to win their third straight title and do it in Revenge Tour fashion, going through Monmouth, UNCW, and William & Mary in the championship. The great thing about March Madness is that it can be anyone’s game, and there are plenty of capable teams in the CAA who could cut down the nets in D.C. Let’s take a quick look at what to watch for in the tournament.
Teams to Watch:
1. Towson – Can the Tigers finally get back to the Championship?
Pat Skerry has done a tremendous job building Towson in the CAA, and no team plays its ‘style’ better or more consistently year to year, but the regular-season success has yet to translate into big wins in March. The Tigers boast this year’s CAA POTY (No comment) in Tyler Tejada, whose size and skill set make him a matchup nightmare and a player more than capable of leading a team to the championship.
2. UNCW – The Most Complete Team?
The Seahawks are the betting favorite among most college basketball sites and boast what I think is the most complete team on both sides of the ball. UNCW plays a fast-paced style of offense that does a great job of getting high-percentage looks and not forcing threes or contested shots.
They seem to flow best when the ball is moving inside-out, creating closeout mismatches during defensive rotations. Defensively, they pressure the ball and will show moments of full-court pressure to speed up their opponents. It will take a top-level performance to knock off the Seahawks in the tournament, but there have been a few game plans that they struggled with during the regular season.
3. College of Charleston – See Above for Our Prediction
All the pieces are there for a deep run.
4. William & Mary – Dangerous
That’s how I would categorize the Tribe. They are still trying to make their first NCAA Tournament, and with their depth and fast-paced style of play, they are capable of beating anyone. It will all come down to shot-making for the Tribe, but they are an extremely fun team to watch.
For what it’s worth, I think they make a run to the title game this year.
5. Campbell – The Loss of Jasin Sinani Looms Large
It feels like losing Jasin Sinani has finally caught up with the Camels after rattling off seven straight wins in January following his injury. Duggan is one of the best players in the CAA, and their gritty defensive style of play always makes a team like them a factor in conference tournaments.
Ultimately, I think losing a player of Sinani’s quality is what keeps them from making a deep run.
6. Monmouth – Don’t Let the Hawks Get Hot
Monmouth is playing some of the best basketball in the CAA coming into the tournament, and the duo of Bashir and Durr can fill it up offensively. They have an experienced coach in King Rice, who has helped the Hawks improve significantly as the season has progressed after a tough non-conference schedule.
Bashir has the ability to take over any game and lead Monmouth to a title.
7. Northeastern – Can Rashad King Take Over?
Another team with a guy who can take over a game in Rashad King, paired with one of the best coaches in the CAA, Bill Coen. Northeastern is playing some of its best basketball at the right time and will be a tough matchup for anyone.
8. Drexel – Has It Finally Clicked for the Dragons?
They have been in every game this season and lost a ton of heartbreakers in single-possession games. All of those learning moments seem to be paying off, as the Dragons have won four straight coming into the CAA Tournament and have shown all year that they can hang with anyone.
The Dragons get great guard play from Butler, Hargrove, and MaGee and grind out low-scoring wins when needed.
9. Elon – My Sleeper Pick
Winning the championship is no easy feat, especially when you must play an extra game without the double-bye, but this Elon team’s ability to shoot and score makes them a dangerous squad in the CAA Tournament.
The injury bug has plagued the Phoenix lately, but if healthy, TK Simpkins, Sam Sherry, and 7’4” Van Komen can present matchup problems for many of the top teams in the CAA.
10. Hampton – A Team You Can’t Overlook
It could have been easy to write off the Pirates early in conference play, but this team, led by Noah Farrakhan, has knocked off some of the best teams in the CAA this season.
They only lost one game in February (53-52 at Drexel) and ended the season battling the regular-season champions Towson to a 75-72 loss. They will be a tough team to eliminate if they keep playing at their current level.
11. Hofstra – A Down Year, but Still Dangerous
While this hasn’t been the best season for the Pride, Speedy Claxton is a good coach, and they always have guards that can make any game a battle. Cruz Davis and Jean Aranguren are talented players who, when paired with Hofstra’s stifling defense, could lead the Pride to some upsets in D.C.
12. Delaware – A Head-Scratching Team
The Blue Hens are a bit of a mystery. On paper, the roster is talented with John Camden, Niels Lane, and Izaiah Pasha, and offensively, they can be a powerhouse. But their lack of defensive consistency has crushed them at times.
It seems like the wheels have somewhat fallen off late in the season (losers of 11 of their last 12 games).
13. Stony Brook – Do They Have Another Run in Them?
The Seawolves have momentum from a 2-0 finish to the regular season, but I’m not sure I see another postseason run in them. They are talented offensively, and Luster is a knockdown shooter, but this team doesn’t have the feel of a deep-run Cinderella to me.
14. NC A&T – The 6-Man Rotation is a Killer
The well-documented suspensions on this team have forced young talent to emerge, but ultimately, having only a six-man rotation hinders the Aggies’ chances of making noise in March.
Games to Keep an Eye On:
Saturday:
Drexel vs. Elon – 12:00 PM
Northeastern vs. Hampton – 6:00 PM
The winners of these games are certainly capable of getting hot and ruining some dreams in March!
Break out those FloSports subscriptions for one final ride of the season this weekend, and enjoy watching some CAA hoops! Hopefully, by next week, we will be celebrating a THIRD STRAIGHT COUGARS TITLE!
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GO COUGS! Great article