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CAA at the halfway point - Seahawk Nation 08 - 01-26-2015 11:33 AM
Wednesday's game against Elon marks the halfway point of the CAA schedule. The 2nd trip around the CAA should prove to be highly entertaining, especially with home games against William & Mary and Northeastern approaching.
Here's a "big picture" look around the league at the midway point:
Best Team: William & Mary
Though three teams sit atop the standings, the Tribe (6-2) have in my eyes been the most impressive. Though they looked awful against Delaware, they bounced back with a victory over Northeastern in front of a raucous crowd at Kaplan Arena. And with wins over both the Huskies AND the Seahawks, they hold the edge for now.
The numbers seem to indicate this as well. W&M is 2nd in scoring and 4th in team defense. They're 104th in Ken Pomeroy's rankings, and have a chance to knock off 103rd-ranked Hofstra on Wednesday. The Pride, sporting a 1st-ranked scoring margin, would hold this spot if not for a pair of home losses to UNCW and JMU.
Best Coach: Kevin Keatts, UNCW
Though lacking the CAA experience of Bill Coen and Tony Shaver, Keatts has taken a squad picked to finish 9th and led them to the top of the standings. With road wins over Northeastern and Hofstra under his belt, the Seahawks look like a completely different team than years past. His recruiting prowess was well known; already freshman PG Jordon Talley is making an impact. Now we can see his X's and O's are on point as well.
UNCW's trapping style on defense and high-flying offense are the exciting brand of basketball Keatts promised would win games in the conference. Not to mention, in CAA-only games, the Seahawks rank 2nd in the conference in FG Pct. Defense (.416), 3rd in Offensive Rebounding (35.2), and 1st in Turnover Margin (+ 3.25).
Best Player: Marcus Thornton, W&M
The CAA's 2nd-leading scorer (19.1 ppg) is also the MVP of the best team in the conference. The Tribe have never had a player quite like him, and of anyone in the conference, his game best translates to the NBA. He has limitless range and is a superb distributor (51 assists).
Thornton helped engineer one of the largest comebacks in NCAA history against UNCW in January, leading the Tribe back from a 22-point deficit. And if the game is on the line, more than anyone in the league, he's the guy you want with the rock. While his last buzzer beater came last year against Drexel, it's only a matter of time before he nails another back-breaking game-winner in 2015.
All-CAA First Team
Marcus Thornton, Sr., W&M
Damion Lee, Jr., Drexel: 20.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, .867 FT %
Juan'ya Green, Jr., Hofstra: 17.3 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.7 A:TO ratio
Addison Spruill, Sr., UNCW: 14.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, .471 FG %
Terry Tarpey, Jr., W&M: 10.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.8 apg
2nd Team: Sean Eatherton, Northeastern; Ameen Tanksley, Hofstra; John Davis, Towson; Ron Curry, James Madison; Omar Prewitt, W&M
Best Freshman: Kory Holden, Delaware
The Delaware rookie point guard beats out Jordon Talley for best freshman at the midway point. Ranking 9th in scoring (13.4 ppg) and 2nd in assists (4.5 apg) among all players, Holden is a huge reason why the Blue Hens, 1-10 in non-conference play, have won 3 CAA contests in January.
Holden's 24 points, 9 assists performance, with 20 of his points coming in the 2nd half, in an 84-80 comeback upset over William & Mary was the most impressive individual effort by a freshman this season.
All-CAA Freshman Team
Kory Holden, Delaware
Jordon Talley, UNCW: 7.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg
Elijah Bryant, Elon: 13.7 ppg, .371 FG %, 2.5 apg
Rokas Gustys, Hofstra: 4.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 21 blocks
Sammy Mojica, Drexel: 4.6 ppg, 1.6 apg, 3.0 rpg
Best Defensive Player: Terry Tarpey, W&M
Standing at just 6-5, Tarpey has proven to be an absolute menace on the defensive end in 2014-15. The Junior, capable of being an inside and outside presence on both ends of the floor, is the CAA's leader in defensive rebounding, both overall and in CAA-only games. He also has 27 blocked shots (10 in CAA games) and 25 steals (14 in CAA games).
Tarpey is particularly adept at causing a turnover or changing a shot on one end, then leading the break on the other. If there were an individual Points Created off Turnovers statistic, he'd be the clear leader.
RE: CAA at the halfway point - B_Hawk06 - 01-26-2015 04:12 PM
Very nice. I like the breakdown on the CAA freshmen especially.
RE: CAA at the halfway point - TribePride91 - 01-26-2015 06:24 PM
UNCW has some great wins already in conference. The schedule is favorable in the 2nd half for the Seahawks. The Tribe has the most difficult schedule remaining. If they truly are the best team, they will have to earn it.
JMU has the best remaining schedule with 6 home games and only the UNCW road tilt with the top teams.
NE will likely be leading in 2 weeks, but then they begin a brutal finishing stretch at Hofstra.
I just wish that the CAA's nonconference was better this season. NE, Hofstra, UNCW and the Tribe all look to be solid teams and JMU is improving as the season goes on. Unfortunately, it looks like it will all come down to those 4 days in March in Baltimore.
RE: CAA at the halfway point - B_Hawk06 - 01-26-2015 08:42 PM
(01-26-2015 06:24 PM)TribePride91 Wrote: UNCW has some great wins already in conference. The schedule is favorable in the 2nd half for the Seahawks. The Tribe has the most difficult schedule remaining. If they truly are the best team, they will have to earn it.
JMU has the best remaining schedule with 6 home games and only the UNCW road tilt with the top teams.
NE will likely be leading in 2 weeks, but then they begin a brutal finishing stretch at Hofstra.
I just wish that the CAA's nonconference was better this season. NE, Hofstra, UNCW and the Tribe all look to be solid teams and JMU is improving as the season goes on. Unfortunately, it looks like it will all come down to those 4 days in March in Baltimore.
I think nearly everyone in the CAA agrees with you. The seeding is going to be huge and it's already clear that nobody is getting those top 2 seeds without a fight. This is one of the most balanced years in terms of parity top to nearly bottom in the CAA in my memory.
The CAA is still definitely a one bid league for now, but that may change again in the next couple years, if not next year.
Due to everything coming down to Baltimore, it's a good thing that the regular season winner is guaranteed an NIT bid. I know that's like giving someone the last sip of your drink with all the backwash, but it's better than nothing and this is one tough CAA this year. Teams like UNCW, JMU, Drexel, Delaware and the rest would be ecstatic with an NIT bid, while WM, NU, and Hofstra would probably see that as a major disappointment in terms of their potential now.