PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Max Mackinnon, Elon

Sophomore | Guard | Brisbane, Australia / Lake Ginninderra College

Mackinnon was key to a massive week for Elon that included victories over two of the top six teams in the CAA standings. The guard from Australia averaged 17.7 points on 61% shooting and added 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in a 2-1 week with victories over Delaware and at UNCW. Mackinnon was pivotal to Elon’s two weekend victories with 26 points and five rebounds Thursday vs. the Blue Hens and a 21-point, five-rebound effort in Elon’s comeback win in Wilmington.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Jaret Valencia, Monmouth

Redshirt Freshman | Forward | Quibdó, Colombia / Legacy SSS (Texas)

Valencia repeats as CAA Rookie of the Week after averaging 15.0 points on 57% shooting in wins over Campbell and Stony Brook. The forward from Colombia scored 13 points and added five rebounds and four blocks in Thursday’s thrilling 88-87 victory over Campbell before tallying 17 points in the Hawks’ 84-61 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday.

NEWS AND NOTES

THE GOAL: SUNDAY RESERVATIONS

The top four teams at the end of the regular season will be guaranteed a spot in the Sunday Quarterfinals at the CAA Championship in D.C., and the race has tightened further with two weekends remaining.

Charleston, which is in action Monday night on CBS Sports Network, leads the way at 10-3, with UNCW and Drexel a half-game back. The trio of Delaware, Hofstra, and Towson is tied for the fourth and final double-bye at 9-5, while Monmouth is a game back of that group at 8-6.

ARE WE PLAYING 2K OUT THERE?

A pair of CAA players posted video game-like numbers in Saturday victories.

Hofstra’s Jaquan Carlos dished out 19 assists in the Pride’s win over Northeastern, breaking the CAA record of 17 by VCU’s Joey Rodriguez in 2010 and the conference game mark of 16 set by Richmond’s Greg Beckwith in 1986. A couple hours south in New Jersey, Monmouth’s Nikita Konstantynovskyi posted the CAA’s first game of 20 points and 20 rebounds since Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys on Feb. 15, 2018.

FORTY-MINUTE BATTLES

So far in the month of February, 15 of 40 (38%) games have been decided by four points or less, including four more this past week.

All six CAA games Feb. 3, plus Hampton’s non-league win, were decided by five points or less. It marked the first time 5+ conference games were decided by single digits since Feb. 8, 2020 and the first of five or more by five points or less since Feb. 16, 2008, when Hofstra and Old Dominion won one-point games and Drexel, Georgia State, and UNCW all won by two.

BOARD MEETING

Drexel and Towson have been two of the nation’s best at outworking their competition on the glass this season. Drexel’s +8.6 rebounding margin is 14th nationally, while Towson is 15th at +8.1. It was the Tigers who had the upper hand in the teams’ regular-season meeting with a +5 margin.

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.

HEN-CINNATI

Delaware bounced back from a 10-point deficit in the first half to down Xavier, 87-80, on Dec. 5. 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.)

THEY GET BUCKETS

The CAA boasts two of the nation’s top 15 scorers as of Sunday morning. Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas is fifth nationally at 22.3 ppg, while Monmouth’s Xander Rice (21.1) is 14th.

COMPUTER GAMES

UNCW leads the CAA with a NET of 107 in the latest update with Charleston (116), Drexel (126), Hofstra (132), and Delaware (144) also in the top 150. UNCW (Kentucky), Drexel (Villanova), and Delaware (Xavier) each hold a Q1 win; Charleston and Monmouth and have steered clear of a Q4 loss.

KenPom ranks two league offenses in the top 100: UNCW (64) and Charleston (77). Pomeroy’s metric has UNCW at No. 105 overall. The computers in Bristol value both UNCW and Charleston in the top 100 in various metrics with the Seahawks 95th in BPI and 90th in Strength of Record and the Cougars 96th in SOR. KPI has UNCW at 100.

HEALTHY COMPETITION

The CAA was at least .500 vs. the Horizon (4-0), MVC (3-0), CUSA (1-0), Southland (1-0), Patriot (9-1), MAAC (6-1), Big South (4-2), Sun Belt (8-3), Atlantic Sun (3-2), and MEAC (7-5) in non-conference play. The league has two wins vs. the Big East (Drexel at Villanova, Delaware at Xavier) and The American (Northeastern vs. East Carolina, Hofstra vs. South Florida) and one vs. the Big 12 (Monmouth at West Virginia) and SEC (UNCW at Kentucky).

HIGH FIVE!

CAA players have earned one of the five spots on the USBWA’s Player of the Week list three times this season. Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas has done it twice - Nov. 28 for his Gulf Coast Showcase performance and Feb. 6 for a stellar week - while UNCW’s Trazarien White collected the honor Dec. 12 for his effort in the Seahawks’ win at Kentucky.

ALMOST HEAVEN, CENTRAL JERSEY

Monmouth made a statement in the season’s opening week with a 73-65 victory at West Virginia. Xander Rice scored 30 points in his second game playing for his father, King Rice, who defeated a high-major opponent for the ninth time at Monmouth. 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.

WHOLE LOTTA WINS

Northeastern’s Bill Coen passed Jim Larranaga for first in CAA history with his 184th league win (CAA games + CAA Championship) in January.

Towson’s Pat Skerry ranks sixth on the list with 123, while North Carolina A&T’s Monté Ross is the active coach closest to entering the top 10 with 88 league wins, 83 of which came in his time at Delaware.

AND-ONES

One thing to know on each #CAAHoops team

Campbell

  Anthony Dell’Orso is third in the CAA with 21.6 ppg in league games; Dell’Orso averaged 27.0 points and 7.0 rebounds last weekend.

Charleston

Charleston is 29-5 against CAA competition since the start of last season.

Delaware

Gerald Drumgoole Jr. averaged 23.5 points on 50% shooting in Delaware’s 1-1 week.

Drexel

Drexel is 10-4 or better through 14 CAA games for the first time since the 2011-12 Dragons were 12-2 after 14 league contests.

Elon

Isaac Harrell’s buzzer-beater lifted Elon to a key 2-0 weekend over two teams in the top six of the CAA standings.

Hampton

Jordan Nesbitt averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in Hampton’s 1-1 week.

Hofstra

Jaquan Carlos’ 19 assists are the most against a Division I opponent since Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell had 19 in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

Monmouth

Xander Rice hit two three-pointers in the final 3.2 seconds of Thursday’s thrilling victory, including a half-court buzzer-beater to cap off a 37-point night.

North Carolina A&T

The Aggies were missing three starters - Landon Glasper, Nikolaos Chitikouidis and Jeremy Robinson - due to injury for both of last week’s games.

UNCW

UNCW has been selected to host the CBS Sports Network game on March 2 vs. Towson; tip-off has been moved to 2 p.m.

Northeastern

Harold Woods leads the CAA with a 61.7 effective field goal rate.

Stony Brook

Stony Brook’s 64.2% shooting percentage Thursday was its best since shooting 67.6% against Navy on Jan. 6, 2001.

Towson

Towson has grabbed 40% of available offensive rebounds, which ranks third nationally.

William & Mary

Chase Lowe is averaging 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds over his last four games with a pair of double-doubles in the stretch.