Colonial Athletic Association teams are hitting the home stretch of the non-conference schedule before diving into conference play. 

Finals are underway on a majority of campuses, making for a lighter slate of games—but the implications for a few are heavy. 

UNC-Greensboro Vs. Towson 

Towson might be the surprise of the first month of CAA basketball—from an outside perspective, at least. Tigers coach Pat Skerry said before the season tipped off he was excited about the new-look roster, and optimism has proven prescient so far. 

Towson boasts the best overall KenPom.com rating after a month of play, and gave both Ohio State and San Francisco all they could handle in losses. 

Four Tigers scorers are averaging in double-figures, led by Cam Holden’s 15.2 points per game. Holden’s outstanding all-around play, which includes 9.5 rebounds and almost two steals per game, carries Towson into a marquee matchup with UNC-Greensboro. 

The Spartans have routinely been at the forefront of the SoCon championship hunt in recent years. They opened the 2021-22 campaign 7-3 with wins over CAA competitor Elon and a defeat of perennial Tournament participant Vermont—which is also in action in one of the top Colonial games of the coming non-conference week. 

Coppin State Vs. Drexel 

Ahead of a pair of matchups with Philadelphia rivals Temple and La Salle, Drexel welcomes MEAC opponent Coppin State to Daskalakis Center. 

Coppin State was a contender in last season’s MEAC, but are undergoing a major rebuild with the departure of standout Anthony Tarke. The Eagles have played a tough schedule thus far, including three top 48 KenPom.com opponents, six in the top 100, and most recently, the CAA’s Towson Tigers.

Drexel returns home for the first time in almost two weeks, coming off a pair of tough road losses to Princeton in overtime and at 2021 NCAA Tournament Cinderella Abilene Christian. 

Winthrop Vs. Elon 

Elon has faced an absolute gauntlet early in this season, most recently dropping an 80-63 decision at North Carolina. The Phoenix return home from Chapel Hill, a week out from a trip to face Arkansas, hosting yet another 2021 NCAA Tournament participant in Winthrop. 

These aren’t the same Eagles that won last year’s Big South Conference – in part because coach Pat Kelsey left for the CAA and College of Charleston—but first-year Winthrop coach Mark Prosser worked alongside Kelsey before taking the Western Carolina job. The Eagles continue to play one of the most uptempo styles of any team in the country, and at 39.1 percent, boast one of the nation’s best team 3-point shooting averages. 

Darius Burford has elevated his game after a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2020-21. He’s averaging 12 points per game, which includes a 16-point performance against Ole Miss and 12 points at North Carolina. 

Vermont Vs. Northeastern  

 Northeastern’s early-season docket has been challenging, including last Sunday’s narrow home loss to Davidson. The Huskies get a mulligan on securing a signature win at Matthews Arena when Vermont comes calling. 

The Catamounts rank just outside the KenPom 100, and have been the routine standard-bearer for the America East Conference. Veteran big man Ryan Davis, the AEC reigning Player of the Year, is averaging a shade below 17 points per game coming into Northeastern. 

A matchup with Huskies forward Chris Doherty, who is averaging nearly a double-double per game, sets the scene for this big-time non-conference matchup.