CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Christian May, Towson

Sophomore | Guard | Edinburg, Va. / Bishop O’Connell

May’s career week powered Towson to victories over UMass and UMBC. The sophomore from Virginia poured in a personal-best 27 points in Wednesday’s 81-71 victory over UMass and followed with 24 in Saturday’s 89-73 win at UMBC. May shot 17-of-25 (68%) from the floor and 9-of-15 from three while adding 5.5 rebounds per game.

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jalun Trent, Delaware

Fifth Year | Guard | Baltimore, Md. / Upper Darby

Trent had his best day as a Blue Hen in Delaware’s 87-80 win at Xavier on Tuesday. The guard from Baltimore notched a career-high 27 points along with seven rebounds and six assists as the Blue Hens took down a Big East opponent for the first time in program history. Trent was 10-of-16 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line to lead three Blue Hens with 17+ points.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Jared Frey, Stony Brook

Sophomore | Guard | Columbus, Ohio / International Sports Academy at Andrews Osborne

Frey stepped up for Stony Brook in a 2-0 week with a win over Stonehill and comeback victory over Bryant. The guard from Ohio – playing his first collegiate season after being limited to the opener a year ago – Went 9-for-19 from three to score 12 points in Wednesday’s 81-63 victory over Stonehill and 18 in Saturday’s 86-75 win over Bryant. Frey scored 12 of his 18 in the second half Saturday as the Seawolves scored 55 points on 67% shooting in the final 20 minutes.

NEWS AND NOTES

HEN-CINNATI

Delaware bounced back from a 10-point deficit in the first half to down Xavier, 87-80, on Tuesday night. The Blue Hens shot 50% and turned the Muskeeters over 17 times while receiving a career night from Jalun Trent (27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists.)

STATEMENT SATURDAY

Drexel and UNCW took down AP Top 25 opponents on Dec. 2 with Drexel holding off No. 18 Villanova, 57-55, and UNCW powering past No. 12 Kentucky, 80-73.

It marked the first time in league history that two CAA teams defeated Top 25 opponents in the same day in league history. The CAA holds wins over the Big 12, Big East, and SEC in 2023-24.

S’MORE, PLEASE

CAA teams will get three more opportunities against AP Top 25 teams this week. Hofstra visits No. 21 Duke on Tuesday night, Hampton hosts No. 20 James Madison Saturday afternoon, and Northeastern visits No. 22 Virginia Saturday night.

CHECKING THE NET

The latest update of the NCAA NET places two teams in the top 90, as Hofstra ranks 78th in the metric, while Delaware comes in at 90.

UNCW’s win over Kentucky gives the Seahawks a valuable Q1 win, as does Delaware’s at Xavier. Both Hofstra and Delaware have avoided a blemish in Q4 games, as have Charleston, Monmouth, and Towson.

TROPHIES

Drexel and Hofstra were winners of their multi-team events with the Dragons taking both games in the Market Street Challenge and the Pride sweeping the three-game bracketed Gulf Coast Showcase. Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas took MVP honors in Florida after averaging 30.3 points per game in wins over Buffalo, Wright State, and High Point.

Elon, Monmouth, and Northeastern produced 2-1 showings at their MTEs.

HEALTHY COMPETITION

The CAA is .500 or better against the Patriot League (8-0), MAAC (4-0), Horizon (3-0), Missouri Valley (2-0), CUSA (1-0), SEC (1-0), Big South (4-2), Sun Belt (4-2), Atlantic Sun (3-2), MAC (3-2), Big East (2-2), and America East (3-3) in 2023-24.

The CAA has two wins this year against the Big East (Drexel over Villanova, Delaware over Xavier) and The American (Northeastern over East Carolina, Hofstra over South Florida) and one each over the Big 12 (Monmouth over West Virginia) and SEC (UNCW over Kentucky).

ROUND OF APPLAUSE x2

Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas and UNCW’s Trazarien White have earned one of the five spots on the USBWA’s Player of the Week list over the last two weeks, thanks to Thomas’ 30.3 scoring average at the Gulf Coast Showcase and White’s 27-point effort to knock off Kentucky. The CAA is the only mid-major league to win two awards from the USBWA so far this season.

ONE, TWO... THREE!

Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas (4.33) and William & Mary’s Gabe Dorsey (4.00) are first and third in the nation in made three-pointers per game. Dorsey’s 44 made threes rank first, while Thomas’ 39 are fifth. Thomas also ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game.

ALMOST HEAVEN, CENTRAL JERSEY

Monmouth made a statement in the season’s opening week with a 73-65 victory over West Virginia in Morgantown. Graduate transfer Xander Rice scored 30 points in his second game playing at Monmouth for his father, King Rice, who defeated a high-major opponent for the ninth time at the helm of the Hawks program. The victory was the CAA’s first over a school in the Big 12 at the time of the matchup since VCU’s Elite Eight win over Kansas in 2011.

HOME IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR WIN

CAA teams are 34-8 (.810) at home in non-conference play; 13 of 14 teams have won at least one home game

AND-ONES

One thing to know about each CAA team

•         Campbell has limited opponents to a league-low 26.4% mark from three that ranks 11th nationally.

•         Charleston has scored 80+ points in three of four wins during its current 4-1 stretch.

•         Jalun Trent posted a career night with 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in Tuesday’s win over Xavier, which was Delaware’s first over a Big East opponent.

•         Drexel has limited opponents to a league-low 62.2 points per game, good for 22nd in the country, and leads the conference in KenPom’s defensive efficiency, ranking 44th nationally.

•         Elon has climbed 40 spots in KenPom since its second game of the year.

•         Hampton will follow Monday’s game with a visit from No. 20 James Madison next Saturday.

•         Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas is fourth in the nation with 23.6 points and first with 4.33 made three-pointers per game.

•         Jakari Spence’s banked-in three at the buzzer completed a Monmouth win Saturday in a game the Hawks trailed by 19.

•         NCA&T's Landon Glasper’s 32 points against UNCG are the third-most by a CAA player so far this season.

•         UNCW is 7-2 or better to begin the year for the first time since 2016-17; that team opened the season 11-1 and won a CAA title.

•         Northeastern broke program records in free throws made (40) and attempted (51) in last Saturday’s win. The 40 makes rank seventh in a game in league history.

•         Stony Brook shot 67% in Saturday’s 55-point second half.

•         Towson’s 44-spot jump in KenPom last week was the second largest of any team nationally.

•         All five starters played 33+ minutes for a shorthanded William & Mary team in Wednesday’s win over Old Dominion.