I think we've seen enough ball so far to make some meaningful predictions in the CAA campaign. How do you guys see it playing out? Here's mine:
1.
Until proven otherwise, Bill Coen is the best coach in this league and its not really close. Meanwhile, the Huskies haven't really provided any reason to doubt them this year. So even though NU was picked 3rd by the coaches, I like them the best. They could use a little more balance in their scoring outside of Jordan Roland, but we've seen "top heavy" rosters play well in the past under Coen.
2.
The Cougars have a pair of nice non-conference wins over Providence and Georgia State, along with a close loss to UCF. They also have the best player in the league in Grant Riller. They have major question marks beyond Riller, but they have every bit of a chance to win this league in March as Northeastern does, as well as the next team on the list.
3.
With a quality win @ UCLA under their belt, I'm willing to excuse the Pride for some lackluster performances of late, including a 28-point loss to Saint Bonaventure. While they lost Wright-Foreman, the Pride boast four scorers in double figures that will carry the team to a high seed in regular season play.
4.
I don't think anyone below the top 3 has much of a chance to win the league. But its hard to ignore Delaware's 8-1 start. Granted, they haven't played a challenging OOC, but they certainly have performed better than expectations to date. The Hens have a well-rounded starting 5 led by UAB transfer Nate Darling.
5.
The Tribe were left a loaded roster after Tony Shaver was let go, and so its no surprise to see them performing so well in OOC play. Nathan Knight is averaging a double-double and the offense is humming to the tune of a .475 FG % (# 50 in the nation).
6.
It's been mixed results so far this season for the Dukes, which is a better look than they've had the last pair of seasons. Wins over Charlotte, ODU and ECU were nice, but that loss to Coppin State showed this team still has a low floor. Matt Lewis is one of the top scorers in the league.
7.
Steady improvement is the name of the game for Zach Spiker's squad. I think that starts to pay off for Zach Spiker's squad, which won 3 CAA games his first season, then 6 in year 2 and 7 in year 3. Camren Wynter is having a great sophomore campaign, averaging 11.0 ppg and 5.7 apg.
8.
Towson is probably the biggest disappointment of the 2019-20 campaign thus far, as they were picked to finish 6th but don't pass the "eye test" thru 9 games. Nigel Haughton's injury (he's missed 8/9 contests) to date has been tough for Pat Skerry's squad, who lacks scorers outside of Brian Fobbs and Allen Betrand. They do, however, have a decent win over St. Joe's and close losses to Florida and Buffalo on their resume.
9.
The return of Ty Gadsden will be crucial to the Seahawks' success in CAA play, joining Sims in the starting lineup and hopefully taking the place of either Toews or Phillips. Thus there are a few reasons for optimism despite a nearly disastrous OOC.
10.
Elon was picked to finish last and there's been no reason to doubt that prediction by the league coaches. Any game they win in the league this year will be an "upset", even when playing at home. The Phoenix have only won one D-I game so far this season, against 0-8 Kennesaw State.