2023 CAA MBB Playoff Schedule

[Jojogunne]

The Hens are much better since Jameer Nelson, Jr. returned to the lineup. He was last week's CAA POTW.

[Wags]

The Hens are much better since Jameer Nelson, Jr. returned to the lineup. He was last week's CAA POTW.

Yes. Might be a team that we hope doesn't end up with the 8 or 9 seed should HU wrap up the top seed this Saturday (I don't even want to mention a possible 2/7 HU-UDel matchup, though that could happen too, because I don't want to entertain the notion of not TCB and winning a regular season title on Saturday). Always dangerous to play a team with one player who can go off for 30+ pts and carry a team in a tournament game (for instance, the reverse of this potential matchup four years ago, when JWF had 42, no one else had more than 13 for HU, and that got HU to OT before HU beat Delaware on FTs from others in the semifinals).

That said, HU also won at Delaware by 14 this year with Nelson playing 39 minutes, so not really dreading playing Delaware. Just that with Nelson back and playing well again, it might be better to hope for a different quarterfinal opponent.

[Wags]

Daylight Savings Time won't be a factor this year like it is in a lot of years with the CAA tourney. Should Hofstra get the 1 seed, that first game will really feel like noon on Sunday rather than "feels like 11 am, springing ahead to noon" with DST not starting until the weekend after the CAA tourney this year, on March 12.

[The Shadow]

The latest (2-21-23) ESPN Joe Lunardi Bracketology has HU decreased to a #14 seed versus Tennessee in Greensboro. Let's all just concentrate on defeating NU on Saturday afternoon, and then three more victories in DC.

[triplec2195]

The latest (2-21-23) ESPN Joe Lunardi Bracketology has HU decreased to a #14 seed versus Tennessee in Greensboro. Let's all just concentrate on defeating NU on Saturday afternoon, and then three more victories in DC.

Exactly since all this conjecture might be moot but we need to focus on the task at hand. Winning three in consecutive days is enough for now and if we're fortunate enough to go to the dance I'd be happy playing anyone anywhere noting how difficult it is for us to just get there.

[Jojogunne]

Here are the updated standings. I listed us first because we have the tiebreaker over Charleston:

1 Hofstra 15-2
2 Charleston 15-2
3 UNCW 12-5
4 Towson 11-6
5 Drexel 10-8
7 Delaware 7-10
6 NC A&T 7-10
8 Northeastern 6-11
9 Stony Brook 6-11
10 Elon 6-11
11 William & Mary 6-11
12 Monmouth 5-12
13 Hampton 5-12

When you look at the home-and-away conference records, both we and Charleston are 8-1 on the road. UNCW is 6-3 and Towson is 3-5. It will be interesting to see how everyone fares on a neutral court.

https://caasports.com/standings.aspx?standings=191

[Wags]

Here are the updated standings. I listed us first because we have the tiebreaker over Charleston:

1 Hofstra 15-2
2 Charleston 15-2
3 UNCW 12-5
4 Towson 11-6
5 Drexel 10-8
7 Delaware 7-10
6 NC A&T 7-10
8 Northeastern 6-11
9 Stony Brook 6-11
10 Elon 6-11
11 William & Mary 6-11
12 Monmouth 5-12
13 Hampton 5-12

When you look at the home-and-away conference records, both we and Charleston are 8-1 on the road. UNCW is 6-3 and Towson is 3-5. It will be interesting to see how everyone fares on a neutral court.

Was thinking about the same, Jojo, which is why I think it'll be very difficult for anyone else to get through and make it anything other than a Hofstra-Charleston championship game. Not only the two best teams overall, but the two best road teams is a strong recipe for the top two seeds playing on Tuesday night. Based on proximity, Towson should have a good crowd to give them more of a home court feel, but since they couldn't even draw that well in Baltimore as one of the legit contenders then, they may not draw well again in D.C. for this tourney either.

[Jojogunne]

We are actually closer to WDC than either UNCW or CofC.

[EvanJ]

We are actually closer to WDC than either UNCW or CofC.

Yes, but I expect both of them, non-contender William & Mary, and maybe other teams to have more fans than us.

Joe Lunardi moved us back up to a 13, and going to Orlando to play Miami. I root against Miami because they are rivals with Florida State. Charleston fell from second team out to fourth team out. Florida Atlantic may have broken the record for biggest margin of victory that made a team get a worse seed in Joe's bracket. Florida Atlantic won 106-66 last night.

[Jojogunne]

Delaware just beat Elon, and UNCW-Towson are tied with 2:00 to go.

[Jojogunne]

Towson just won.

[Jojogunne]

So these appear to be the final standings:

1 Hofstra 16-2
2 Charleston 16-2
3 Towson 12-6
4 UNCW 12-6
5 Drexel 10-8
6 Delaware 8-10
7 NC A&T 8-10
8 William & Mary 7-11
9 Elon 6-12
10 Stony Brook 6-12
11 Northeastern 6-12
12 Monmouth 5-13
13 Hampton 5-13

Note: Corrected per Evan's comment above.

[EvanJ]

Delaware is 1-0 against North Carolina A&T, so 6 and 7 are switched.

In chronological order, Saturday will have William & Mary vs. Elon, Drexel vs. Monmouth or Hampton, North Carolina A&T vs. Stony Brook, and Delaware vs. Northeastern.

[Wags]

Towson just won.

25-7, Towson over the final 12:37 to rally from a 46-32 second-half deficit. Sounds like they completely locked down, down the stretch.

So, HU gets what it wants for the semis. Of course a lot to be sorted out in two prior rounds, and HU had to get to the semis first. But I think this is helpful. Let Charleston or Towson knock out the other and let HU play UNCW or Drexel in the semis (if things go as they seem they would).

[Jojogunne]

Delaware is 1-0 against North Carolina A&T, so 6 and 7 are switched.

In chronological order, Saturday will have William & Mary vs. Elon, Drexel vs. Monmouth or Hampton, North Carolina A&T vs. Stony Brook, and Delaware vs. Northeastern.

Sunday's Schedule:

12:00 Hofstra vs. William & Mary/Elon winner

2:00 Charleston vs. Drexel/Monmouth-Hampton winner

6:00 Towson vs. NC A&T/Stony Brook winner

8:00 UNCW vs. Delaware/Northeastern winner

[Wags]

Delaware is 1-0 against North Carolina A&T, so 6 and 7 are switched.

In chronological order, Saturday will have William & Mary vs. Elon, Drexel vs. Monmouth or Hampton, North Carolina A&T vs. Stony Brook, and Delaware vs. Northeastern.

Sunday's Schedule:

12:00 Hofstra vs. William & Mary/Elon winner

2:00 Charleston vs. Drexel/Monmouth-Hampton winner

6:00 Towson vs. NC A&T/Stony Brook winner

8:00 UNCW vs. Delaware/Northeastern winner

With Hofstra playing at night last year, I drove down in the morning, parked at about 11:45 am, and walked in for the first game of the day. Can't cut it that close this year!

[Polito]

The battle lines are drawn, let the games begin!!!


P.S. These conf tourney's are ridiculous. The fact that HU as a 1 still has to play bottom feeders in it's first game is so pointless and stupid. These setups do nothing to help the league. Having some low level team strike lightening and knock out a top team in one meaningless game completely hurts the conf on a national level, esp in the dance. And no, league parity is not more important because this isn't the ACC. It's a low level one bid league. You want your best.

Your top teams shouldn't have to win 3 in a row after busting their hump all season - they should get bye's to the semis. Or eliminate the bottom 4 - it's silly, esp with a zillion teams now. That's how you raise the national profile of your league - you give your best the best chance to shine and rep nationally.

And I will mean this even if it means a Drexel knocks off a CofC for example - which would be great for HU - but it's not good overall. I don't like these setups.
We don't need an average UD type repping the league in the NCAAT. We need one of the best from that year. But I digress...

[EvanJ]

With 13 teams, it would be hard to give byes to the Semifinals, and I like when all teams are invited. That is what makes Men's and Women's Basketball special. Not only are they the most popular sports with conference tournaments, they are the sports where almost every team is invited. Of other conferences that rarely or never get at-large bids, the Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Conference USA, Metro Atlantic Athletic (for teams that play on the second of two Quarterfinal days), Mid-American, Mid-Easern Athletic (for teams that play on the second of two Quarterfinal days), Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Southern, Southland, Southwestern Athletic (for teams that play on the second of two Quarterfinal days), Summit League (for teams that play on the second of two Quarterfinal days), Sun Belt, and Western Athletic end their tournaments by playing on at least three consecutive days. Those are half of the conferences, and that is without the top conferences. Without checking every conference's bracket, I am confident that hardly any teams start in the Semifinals, and of tournaments that are at one site, teams will never get more than one day off. When we played on three consecutive days in Quebec, we won the last two. Ideally the eighth and ninth best teams out of thirteen would be average, not way below average, but the conference tournament schedule is made before the conference knows how good the teams are.

[Jojogunne]

When we were in the America East, the championship game was played at the home of the higher-seeded finalist. I would love to see that format in the CAAT.

[triplec2195]

When we were in the America East, the championship game was played at the home of the higher-seeded finalist. I would love to see that format in the CAAT.

Amen Jojo you and me both. Make that higher seed really worth something.