CAA Champion Hofstra Draws Alabama in 2026 NCAA Tournament
Dylan Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fresh off its second CAA Championship, 13
th-seeded Hofstra will head to Tampa, Fla., to take on No. 4 seed Alabama inside Benchmark International Arena on Friday in the Midwest Region of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Tip-off time and broadcast location for the opening round matchup are still to be determined.
The Pride will make their first appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship since 2001. Hofstra captured its first CAA championship in 2020 but had its trip to the NCAA Tournament canceled by COVID-19.
Hofstra draws the No. 13 seed, marking the sixth time in the last 12 seasons a CAA program has opened the NCAA Tournament with a showdown against the fourth seed. The Pride will try to secure the conference’s first win in the Big Dance since 2013. Hofstra will look to become the CAA’s first 13 seed to capture a win since the 2002 campaign when UNCW knocked off USC, 93-89, in overtime.
CAA Rookie of the Year Preston Edmead showed out in the conference championship, becoming the first true freshman to garner Most Outstanding Player honors after sinking an overtime buzzer-beater in the Semifinals and pouring in 26 points in the Championship game. The Pride is also led by reigning CAA Player of the Year Cruz Davis, who enters the postseason slate as the league’s top scorer with 20.2 points per game.
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