History: Formerly known as the Colonial Athletic Association, the Coastal Athletic Association has some history of NCAA Tournament success, though their last conquest was in 2012 when former member VCU upset Wichita State in a 12-vs-5 matchup. One year earlier, as an at-large team, VCU made it to the Final Four, where they lost to Butler by eight. On their way to the Final Four, Butler defeated Old Dominion by only two in the first round (an 8-9 matchup).
Of the teams still in the league, UNC-Wilmington has the most titles (6), though they haven’t won it since 2017.
Returning Champion: Charleston. At 31-4, they weren’t even the top seed (Hofstra had the same conference record at 16-2). Hofstra was upset in the semi-finals by UNC Wilmington.
In the NCAA Tournament, Charleston gave eventual national runner-up San Diego State a fight in the first round, before losing 63-57.
Format: All 14 schools make the field. In the first round (already completed), the #11 seed faces the #14 seed while the #12 seed takes on the #13 seed. Teams seeded 1-4 automatically advance to the quarterfinals.
Favorite: Charleston (24-7, 15-3)
While last year’s squad would have firmly been on the bubble if they didn’t win the conference tournament, this year’s squad doesn’t have that luxury. The Cougars enter the tournament on an impressive 9-game winning streak that includes wins over many of the other top schools. This team wants to play at a fast pace and score. They average 81 points (30th in the nation) on the strength of pure volume. They hoist up 65.1 field goal attempts (7th) and 31.1 three-point attempts (3rd). They rely a lot on upperclassman balance, as no one player averages more than 12.7 points.
Contenders: Drexel (20-11, 13-5), Hofstra (19-12, 12-6), UNC Wilmington (21-9, 12-6), Towson (18-13, 11-7), Delaware (18-13, 10-8)
Live Long Shot: Northeastern (12-19, 7-11)
Preview:
Not only is this league balanced, it is dangerous. Three teams pulled off a Quadrant 1 win this year and four teams have a NET in the 103-122 range. That isn’t bad for a one-bid mid-major league.
Drexel defeated Villanova on a neutral court in the non-conference and lost by 11 at Princeton. Unlike Charleston, the Dragons want to play at a methodical pace and limit possessions. While they score only 72.8 points, they allow only 65.8 (28th best). Senior forward Amari Williams is a handful. The 6’10”, 227-pounder averages 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. They are 5-1 in their last six games but lost their only game against Charleston.
Hofstra has a pair of Quad 2 wins, including a home conquest of AAC beast South Florida. The Pride played St. John’s within five on the road as well. They enter the tournament 8-2 in their last ten games, though they lost their season finale to Charleston by 11 (road). They connect on an impressive 37.4% of their three-point attempts and have a bonafide senior guard star duo (Tyler Thomas averages 22.3 points, while Darlinstone Dubar averages 18.1).
UNC Wilmington pulled off one of the most impressive mid-major wins this season, as they went on the road to knock off Kentucky. After an impressive 10-1 stretch in conference play, they finished 2-3 to cost themselves a shot at the conference title. Like Charleston, they like to score (80.2; 52nd in adjusted offensive efficiency). They grabbed the #4 seed, giving them the coveted auto-bye to the quarterfinals.
Towson didn’t shy away from competition and played respectably against Houston, losing by 16. The #5 seed defeated Charleston and Delaware on the road this year (though they lost their home games to both). There exists a variety of styles in this league, and Towson is the anti-tempo squad. They score a minuscule 68 points, though they allow only 64.2 (15th). They haven’t made it to the NCAA Tournament since 1991.
Delaware‘s Quadrant 1 win came at Xavier. The Blue Hens are struggling heading into the tournament, going 2-4 in their last six games. This squad is middle-of-the-pack in the NCAA in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and tempo. Junior forward Jyare Davis is a handful for every team. He scored 19 points against Xavier and had a stretch of four straight double-double performances. They will take on Hampton in the second round, with a game against Hofstra awaiting in the quarterfinals. They only met up once, a 5-point home win for Hofstra.
Northeastern lost to Seton Hall by 13 and Virginia by two in road contests. In this field, it is hard to endorse anyone above the top teams – but at least Northeastern has shown the ability to play good teams and not embarrass themselves. They will take on Stony Brook (a 7th seed with a 17-14 record).
Bottom Line:
This one is hard. Charleston is hot, but one can make an argument for 7-8 teams in this tournament. I haven’t even mentioned Monmouth, a team that went 17-14 and 10-8 in the league. They are the 8th seed.
Winner: Hofstra