#CAAHoops MBB Notebook – Jan. 14, 2026
Dylan Smith
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK – JAN. 14, 2026
Overall and conference stats can be found at the back of the attached #CAAHoops MBB Notebook.
CAA CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DJ Smith, Campbell
Graduate Student | Guard | North Little Rock, Ark.
Smith averaged 29.0 points per game in a 1-1 week for the Camels, including a season-high 32 at Elon. The North Little Rock, Ark., native started the week with 26 points in a home 86-72 win over Hampton. He shot an efficient 12-of-13 at the free-throw line against the Pirates, while coming up with two rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in the game. He was red hot at Elon, pouring in 19 of his 32 points in the opening frame before finishing with a career-high seven 3-pointers and a 9-of-10 showing at the charity stripe. The graduate guard logged four rebounds and four assists. Smith has 11 20-point games this season and has scored 20+ in four straight CAA games.
CAA CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cruz Davis, Hofstra
Junior | Guard | Plano, Texas
Davis led the Pride to a pair of CAA wins to extend the win streak to eight consecutive games. The junior averaged 25.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in victories over Towson and Monmouth. The Pride’s guard poured in 21 of his 32 points in the first half before finishing with six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in Thursday's 78-67 win over preseason CAA favorite Towson. Davis hit three 3-pointers in the game and was 13-14 from the free throw line en route to his second 30-point performance of the season. The Plano, Texas native had a stellar second half with 16 of his 19 points coming after intermission as Hofstra overcame a five-point halftime deficit to capture a 67-64 overtime victory over Monmouth. He once again hit three 3-pointers and was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line to go with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Davis has scored in double figures in all 17 games this season and has 20 or more points in five of the last six games.
CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Preston Edmead, Hofstra
Freshman | Guard | Deer Park, N.Y.
Edmead had another strong week in helping the Pride extend their win streak to eight games, posting 21.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. Hofstra’s newcomer also played in 84 of the possible 85 minutes last week. In Thursday’s road win at Towson, the freshman guard notched 18 points, a career-high seven rebounds and two assists. He also knocked down three 3-pointers in the win. Edmead followed up with a season-high 24 points along with six rebounds and two assists. He showed up in crunch time with a 13-for-15 showing from the charity stripe, including a pair of makes to seal the game in overtime. Davis has scored in double figures 14 times this season.
SATURDAY’S THRILLERS
Freshman Preston Edmead knocked down 13 of his season-high 24 points from the charity stripe, including a pair of late free throws in overtime, to help Hofstra secure a 67-64 win over Monmouth. The Pride’s leading scorer dominated inside the arc, going 4-for-7 from in close and pulled down six boards. Cruz Davis notched 19 points, six boards, three assists and a pair of steals in his 45 minutes of action. The Pride picked up their eighth straight win and recorded a 4-0 start to open league play since the 2018-19 season.
Colby Duggan and Jlynn Counter accounted for 41 combined points en route to Charleston’s seventh straight win, a 74-70 victory over Hampton. The Cougars shot 51.1% from the floor (23-45 FG). Duggan racked up 22 points and saw four of his seven makes come from distance. Counter posted 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 9-of-11 from the line to go with seven assists and three blocks.
UNCW went off for 54 points in the second half to erase a 24-point deficit and capture its sixth consecutive win with a 75-71 victory against Stony Brook. The Seahawks were down by 22 points after the opening frame and erased the largest halftime deficit in a victory in an NCAA Division I game this season, surpassing the 21-point halftime differential BYU overcame against Clemson in December. The comeback victory also marked the fourth time UNCW has erased a double-digit deficit in a win. Nolan Hodge notched 17 of his 22 points in the second half alone, hitting five triples in the final 20 minutes of action. Patrick Wessler notched his league-leading ninth double-double with a 14-point, 12-rebound performance.
A pair of 13-point efforts from Shane Blakeney and Kevon Vanderhorst propelled Drexel to a 64-58 victory over William & Mary. The Dragons’ top scorers combined to shoot 11-for-23 in the win, with Blakeney notching three 3-pointers, six rebounds and five assists. Josh Reed also reached double figures in scoring with an 11-point, four-rebound, two-assist outing on Saturday. The Dragons logged an assist on 18 of their 24 makes from the floor and shot 51.1% from the floor (24-47 FG).
Towson picked up its first conference win of the season behind a 60.7% shooting clip (34-56 FG) as a team to take down Northeastern, 87-78, on the road. Dylan Williamson went 10-for-15 from the floor en route to a 22-point, four-rebound, four-assist performance. Jaquan Womack notched 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and pulled down four boards. Tyler Coleman recorded 15 points and seven rebounds, while Tyler Tejada chipped in 14 points to round out those in double figures.
Elon escaped Saturday’s finale with an 83-82 home victory over Campbell, thanks to a pair of 20-point efforts from Chandler Cuthrell and Kacper Klaczek. The duo combined to shoot 17-for-31 from the floor with five triples to go with 13 boards and six assists. Ja’Juan Carr and Randall Pettus II also rattled off 17 points apiece, both watching two of their seven makes go down from distance.
PRIMETIME BATTLE
The CAA is back on CBS Sports Network on Thursday as Charleston will put its seven-game winning streak on the line against Towson in an 8 p.m. showdown. Pat McCarthy and Dalen Cuff will be on the call from SECU Arena. The Cougars have emerged victorious in six of their last seven meetings with the Tigers. Towson will look to secure its first home win over Charleston since Jan. 20, 2022, when it picked up a 74-67 victory.
Elon will head to Northeastern for a 7 p.m. battle on FloCollege. The Huskies hold an 11-6 advantage in the all-time series. Elon Head Coach Billy Taylor picked up his 250th career win in last season’s meeting, securing a 71-60 victory at home.
William & Mary will return to Williamsburg to welcome North Carolina A&T for a 7 p.m. showdown on FloCollege. The two programs have split their four all-time meetings evenly; however, the Tribe will look to make it three straight wins on Thursday. William & Mary’s Keller Boothby stunned the Aggies in the most recent matchup with a logo triple at the buzzer to secure an 81-78 win.
Hofstra will travel east on Long Island to face crosstown rival Stony Brook in a 7 p.m. tilt on FloCollege. The Pride have the upperhand with a 22-8 record against the Seawolves. Stony Brook picked up its third straight win in the series after posting an 8-0 run to end the game and secure a 59-56 win at home on Feb. 27, 2025.
Monmouth will play host to Drexel in a 7 p.m. contest on FloCollege. The Dragons have a slight 4-3 advantage against the Hawks since their opponent joined the CAA. The last time these two teams played inside OceanFirst Bank Center, Monmouth edged Drexel, 104-97, in a double-overtime thriller.
UNPHASED AND UNBEATEN
Three teams are undefeated in conference play and riding winning streaks entering the week. Hofstra is 4-0 in league action and has secured eight straight wins, the second-longest winning streak by a CAA team this season. Charleston matches the Pride’s record in CAA play and has jumped out to a seven-game winning streak. UNCW is the lone 5-0 team in conference action and has emerged victorious in six straight games. The CAA is one of two Division I conferences with three or more teams on winning streaks of six games or more (Big 12 - 3).
CAMPBELL CAMELS (9-9; 3-2 CAA)
- Dovydas Butka is the only player through five conference games to reach double figures in both scoring and rebounding with 12.8 ppg and 12.0 rpg.
- DJ Smith holds the top spot in scoring with 24.4 ppg in conference play. He is also third in the league with a 89.7% efficiency at the charity stripe and fifth with 2.0 spg..
CHARLESTON COUGARS (11-6; 4-0 CAA)
- Charleston rides a seven-game winning streak, seeing Counter average 20.7 ppg on 57.9% shooting from the floor (44-76 FG) to go with 6.1 rpg, 6.3 apg and 1.9 spg.
- Chol Machot produced six blocks in the team’s win over Hampton, marking the third time this season he eclipsed six swats in a game. With another six-block effort, Machot would be the second player in the last decade to log four in the same season (W&M’s Nathan Knight - 2018)..
DREXEL DRAGONS (8-10; 2-3 CAA)
- The Dragons are one of the league’s top defensive teams, holding the opposition under 60 points on five occasions this season, good for the CAA’s top spot. Drexel held Stony Brook (37) and William & Mary (58) to their lowest scoring totals of the season in wins last week.
- Drexel paces the CAA through five conference games by surrendering just 60.4 points per contest. The Dragons rank first in 3-point defense after allowing the opposition to shoot just 25.2% from deep.
ELON PHOENIX (11-6; 3-1 CAA)
- The Phoenix have won seven of their last nine games, including back-to-back conference wins. Elon is recording a league-best 84.0 points and 19.0 assists per league game.
- Chandler Cuthrell is second in the CAA and 16th in the nation, averaging 21.3 ppg. The Phoenix’s leading scorer has reached double figures in 15 of 16 contests this season, including 20-point efforts on 13 occasions. He is also one of six players nationally to average at least 21 points and six rebounds this season (6.6 rpg).
HAMPTON PIRATES (8-10; 2-3 CAA)
- The Pirates return home to Convocation Center for the next three games, starting with N.C. A&T on Jan. 19. Hampton rides a nine-game home winning streak into Monday’s game, including a 5-0 record this season. Hampton is averaging 83.0 ppg at home this year.
- Michael Eley’s 43-point performance against Campbell was the highest scoring output in a conference contest since Hofstra’s Desure Buie posted 44 points against Elon on Jan. 4, 2020. His showing also tied the program’s benchmark since elevating to Division I and is tied for the eighth-highest total in CAA history.
HOFSTRA PRIDE (13-4; 4-0 CAA)
- Cruz Davis is averaging 24.1 ppg on 49.6% shooting to go with 4.9 apg during the Pride’s eight-game winning streak. Preston Edmead is also averaging in double figures with 15.0 ppg, going 21-for-51 from distance (41.2%) over that span.
- Davis has been instrumental to the Pride’s ability to start games strong, producing double-digit scoring efforts in the first half of 12 of 16 games this season. Furthermore, Davis has scored 19 or more points in the opening 20 minutes on three occasions, more than the rest of the league combined (two times across the remaining 12 CAA teams).
MONMOUTH HAWKS (8-9; 2-2 CAA)
- Jason Rivera-Torres has been vital to the Hawks this season, being the only CAA player to secure top 10 marks in scoring (16.1 ppg, 8th), rebounding (7.8 rpg, 5th), steals (1.9 spg, 2nd) and blocks (1.7 bpg, 2nd).
- The Hawks remain the CAA’s top blocking team, averaging 5.5 swats per game (15th in NCAA). Rivera-Torres ranks second in the league with 28 total blocks. Dok Muordar picked up four swats in the Hawks’ win over the Tigers, moving him into third in the CAA with 26 stuffs.
N.C. A&T AGGIES (7-8; 0-4 CAA)
- N.C. A&T has turned to Zamoku Weluche-Ume since the start of conference play, rattling off 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds across 34.6 minutes of action.
- The Aggies’ Lewis Walker leads all CAA rookies with 17.4 ppg (5th in CAA overall) on 47.9% shooting from the floor and 87.7% from the line in 14 appearances this season.
UNCW SEAHAWKS (16-2; 5-0 CAA)
- UNCW has won 15 of its last 16 games, including six straight contests entering the week. The Seahawks are one of 13 NCAA Division I teams with 16 or more victories, as of Wednesday.
- Nolan Hodge has averaged 17.2 ppg through the team’s active six-game winning streak, with 18 of his 29 makes over that stretch coming from distance. Patrick Wessler added 14.0 ppg on 64.2% shooting to go with 9.4 rpg and 2.3 bpg. Greedy Williams has been the team’s main distributor with 5.2 apg.
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (5-11; 1-4 CAA)
- William Kermoury has emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters with a 45.3% shooting clip from distance, good for 15th in the nation. Since the start of conference play, Kermoury has knocked down 55.8% from distance (24-43 3FG), averaging 4.8 triples per game.
- The Huskies have three players effectively limiting miscues during league play, all three sitting in the top 10 for assist/turnover ratio. Kermoury and Luca Soroa Schaller are tied for third at +3.0, while Mike Loughnane sits 10th with a +1.8 mark.
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (9-9; 1-4 CAA)
- Erik Pratt is averaging 18.6 ppg overall, good for fourth in the CAA. Pratt has logged double-digit scoring efforts in 12 straight games following 24 points versus UNCW.
- Rob Brown III has emerged as a threat from distance for the Seawolves in conference play, averaging 3.6 treys per contest, good for second in the CAA. The sharpshooter has knocked down 46.2% of his shots from distance (18-39 3FG).
TOWSON TIGERS (9-9; 1-4 CAA)
- Towson has been one of the nation’s best rebounding teams on the offensive glass, pulling down 14.4 per contest (11th in NCAA). Caleb Embeya paces the team with 3.3 offensive boards per contest.
- After facing Charleston on Thursday, the Tigers will take on Drexel on Monday. The two programs went to war in all three meetings last season, all going down to the wire. Towson picked up the victory all three games, including a 93-82 overtime thriller in Philadelphia and a 55-54 win at home..
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE (11-6; 2-3 CAA)
- William & Mary paces the CAA with 17.9 fastbreak points (11th in NCAA), 18.4 assists (21st) and 9.2 steals per contest. Their 3-point defense has also been stellar this season, holding the opposition to a 28.8% clip from distance, good for 20th in the nation.
- In conference play alone, The Tribe has accounted for five of the league’s top swipers, all of which rank inside the top 15: Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi (1.6 spg), Chase Lowe (1.4 spg), Jo’el Emanuel (1.2 spg), Kilian Brockhoff (1.2 spg) and Kyle Pulliam (1.2 spg)..
Schedule and Results
Saturday, January 10
Hofstra 67, Monmouth 64 (OT)
Drexel 64, William & Mary 58
Towson 87, Northeastern 78
Charleston 74, Hampton 70
UNCW 75, Stony Brook 71
Elon 83, Campbell 82
Thursday, January 15
Elon at Northeastern (FloCollege) 7:00 P.M.
N.C. A&T at William & Mary (FloCollege/MASN) 7:00 P.M.
Hofstra at Stony Brook (FloCollege/SNY) 7:00 P.M.
Drexel at Monmouth (FloCollege) 7:00 P.M.
Charleston at Towson (CBS Sports Network) 8:00 P.M.
Saturday, January 17
Elon at Hofstra (CBS Sports Network) 12:00 P.M.
Charleston at Stony Brook (FloCollege/SNY) 4:00 P.M.
Campbell at UNCW (FloCollege/WITN) 7:00 P.M.
Monday, January 19
Northeastern at Monmouth (CBS Sports Network) 11:00 A.M.
Drexel at Towson (CBS Sports Network) 1:00 P.M.
N.C. A&T at Hampton (CBS Sports Network) 9:00 P.M.