#CAAHoops MBB Notebook - Feb. 6
Miles McQuiggan
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
WEEKLY AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tyler Thomas | Hofstra
Thomas rose to the occasion in the absence of the CAA’s leading scorer, contributing a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double as part of a stellar overall week. The guard from New Haven averaged 24.5 points on 66% shooting and 54% from three, while corralling 6.5 rebounds and adding 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Thomas shot 13-for-17 while playing all 40 minutes in Saturday’s win over Long Island rival Stony Brook, as he helped Hofstra improve to 10-2 and stayed atop the CAA standings with the nation’s ninth-leading scorer, Aaron Estrada, sidelined due to illness. Thomas earns Hofstra its fourth Player of the Week honor this winter, matching Towson for the most in the CAA.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Max Mackinnon | Elon
Mackinnon averaged 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists to help Elon to a 2-0 week and a three-game winning streak. The freshman from Australia shot 68% (15-for-22) on the week in a pair of wins on the Phoenix’s trip to the Northeast and notched his third 20-point game of the year while also dishing out eight assists in Saturday’s visit to Northeastern. Mackinnon opened the week with a 15-point, eight-rebound, four-assist performance in the Phoenix’s wire-to-wire victory at Stony Brook on Thursday. Mackinnon is Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
2022-23 CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Week
Nov. 14: Nicolas Timberlake, Towson
Nov. 21: Aaron Estrada, Hofstra; Ryan Larson, Charleston
Nov. 28: Cam Holden, Towson
Dec. 5: Jyáre Davis, Delaware; Jordan Nesbitt, Hampton
Dec. 12: Jameer Nelson Jr., Delaware
Dec. 19: Jyáre Davis, Delaware
Dec. 26: Maleeck Harden-Hayes, UNCW
Jan. 2: Amari Williams, Drexel
Jan. 9: Aaron Estrada, Hofstra; Nicolas Timberlake, Towson
Jan. 16: Dalton Bolon, Charleston
Jan. 23: Nicolas Timberlake, Towson
Jan. 30: Aaron Estrada, Hofstra
Feb. 6: Tyler Thomas, Hofstra
Rookie of the Week
Nov. 14: Amar’e Marshall, Hofstra
Nov. 21: Amar’e Marshall, Hofstra
Nov. 28: Amar’e Marshall, Hofstra
Dec. 5: Jack Collins, Monmouth
Dec. 12: Amar’e Marshall, Hofstra
Dec. 19: Noah Ross, UNCW
Dec. 26: Max Mackinnon, Elon; Jared Turner, Northeastern
Jan. 2: Duncan Powell, North Carolina A&T
Jan. 9: Duncan Powell, North Carolina A&T
Jan. 16: Charlie Williams, William & Mary
Jan. 23: Justin Moore, Drexel
Jan. 30: Jack Collins, Monmouth
Feb. 6: Max Mackinnon, Elon
NEWS AND NOTES
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Hofstra is 9-1 in its last 10 games and in a first-place tie at 10-2 in the CAA with a head-to-head tiebreaker over Charleston.
Aaron Estrada is ninth in the nation at 21.6 points per game and Hofstra has defeated a ranked opponent in each of the last two seasons. The Pride has held eight of its last 10 opponents under 70 points and has scored 75 or more points in seven of its last nine contests.
CHARLESTON: 22-3
Charleston is 22-3 with a win total (22) that is tied for first in the nation and win percentage (.880) that ranks fourth among all 363 Division I teams. The Cougars are receiving votes in the AP poll for the 12th consecutive week and were ranked for four, while CofC is 7-1 against last year’s NCAA Tournament field, and 5-0 vs. defending conference champions.
The Cougars are the first mid-major to win the Charleston Classic, as they captured the title with a victory over Virginia Tech in November. Charleston’s resume also includes wins over Kent State and UNCW with the lone setbacks at preseason No. 1 North Carolina, four-point loss to Hofstra, and one-point defeat at Drexel. The Cougars are clear of a Q4 loss.
IMPACT FRESHMEN
With two-thirds of a season under their belts, some CAA rookies are raising their game.
Drexel’s
Justin Moore has scored 10+ points in seven of his last eight games, including 21 points against Delaware two weekends ago, and hit the game-winning shot to beat first-place Charleston on Thursday.
Elon’s
Max Mackinnon has been in double figures 12 times this season and in six of his last eight games. Mackinnon has grabbed 5+ rebounds in five of those eight games and helped Elon to its current three-game winning streak.
Monmouth’s
Jack Collins has tallied 10 or more points in each of his last three games and 12 times on the year while helping the Hawks to a three-game winning streak that included two double-digit comebacks last week. Collins has made a three-pointer in 23 consecutive games.
Stony Brook’s
Toby Onyekonwu has racked up six consecutive games of 10+ points, while Delaware’s
Cavan Reilly, North Carolina A&T’s
Duncan Powell and Hampton’s
Kyrese Mullen each have four double-figure efforts in league play with Mullen adding double-doubles in each of Hampton’s last three games.
THERE GOES MY HERO
According to Andrew Weatherman’s “Hero Runs” stat, two of the top three individual scoring runs in the nation this season have come from CAA players.
Jordan Nesbitt scored 21 straight Hampton points on January 26, while
Frankie Policelli tallied 22 consecutive Stony Brook points two days later. Those totals rank second and third nationally.
QUAD WORKOUT
CAA teams hold 13 wins that qualify as Quad 1 or 2 in the NET. Hofstra has a Q1 win at Charleston and Q2 victories over Iona, Princeton, and San Jose State, while Charleston has earned thiee Q2 victories (Virginia Tech, Kent State, UNCW). Towson (UNCG), UNCW (North Texas), Drexel (Charleston), North Carolina A&T (Hofstra), William & Mary (UNCW), and Delaware (Princeton) each have one in Q2.
The CAA went 6-2 vs. both the Sun Belt and MAAC, 8-3 vs. the A10, and 7-3 vs. the SoCon in addition to wins over the ACC and American.
THE DUBS KEEP ROLLING IN
UNCW is 5-1 in its last six games to sit one game back of the first-place tie between Hofstra and Charleston. The Seahawks’ 19-6 record and .760 winning percentage are good for 29th in the nation and the UNCW defense has been key to that effort, holding all 12 conference opponents to 71 points or less.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
CBS Sports Network is the home of 18 CAA Men’s Basketball games this winter including the semifinals and title game of the CAA Championship. The 15-game regular season package includes at least one game for every CAA team and will feature
John Fanta and
Dave Ryan as play-by-play broadcasters and
Tarik Turner,
Terrence Oglesby, and
Dr. John Giannini as analysts. Fanta will also join
Karlie Smith for a weekly #CAAHoops breakdown on CAASports.com and @CAABasketball on Twitter. The next game in the package will be Wednesday at 6 p.m. when Northeastern hosts Hofstra.
AND-ONES
One thing to know on each #CAAHoops team
- Charleston has received votes in the AP Top 25 in 12 straight weeks, including four in the top 25 and as high as No. 18.
- Delaware has set a season-high in attendance in each of its last two home games.
- Justin Moore has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games, including a performance Thursday in which he hit Drexel’s game-winning shot against Charleston with three seconds remaining.
- Jerald Gillens-Butler dropped in the game-winning layup with nine seconds remaining and Sam Sherry made a block at the other end as time expired to seal Elon’s Saturday victory at Northeastern.
- Hampton is 3-1 in its last four CAA games with victories over Monmouth, Delaware, and William & Mary.
- Tyler Thomas’ CAA Player of the Week is Hofstra’s 44th over the last 10 seasons; Charleston and Northeastern are tied for second with 23 each. Thomas is the 13th Hofstra player to earn an honor in that stretch.
- Monmouth erased double-digit deficits to win twice last week, overcoming minimum win probabilities of 6.2% vs. Delaware and 4.5% vs. Drexel.
- North Carolina A&T is 4-2 on the road in CAA play.
- UNCW is 5-1 in its last six games and has held every conference opponent to 71 points or less.
- Northeastern’s Coleman Stucke is averaging 23.0 points per game over his last three contests, including a career-high 34 at Delaware.
- Stony Brook’s Frankie Policelli leads the CAA with nine double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 14 games.
- Towson is 6-1 in its last seven games and 8-2 in its last 10; the Tigers are 5-1 at home in league play.
- Gabe Dorsey’s 64.2 effective field goal percentage for William & Mary ranks 27th nationally.
SEE YOU IN DC
We're less than a month out from the 2023 Jersey Mike's Men's Basketball Championship in Washington, D.C. Karlie Smith with more:
The #CAAHoops Notebook is a weekly look around CAA Men's Basketball for conference fans, media, and more. Like it? Have suggestions for how to make it better? Email the writer at mmcquiggan@caasports.com or find him on Twitter @MilesMcQuiggan.
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