CAA News & Notes 2/7
A quick look at some info from around the CAA, with a couple notes on the Drexel Dragons.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Daniel Dixon • William & Mary
Sr., G, 6-6, 210 - Great Falls, Va./Langley
Dixon averaged 27.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the Tribe’s three games last week. The senior guard scored 32 points with six rebounds in a victory over Drexel, had 28 points, seven boards and four assists in a win over Northeastern and had 23 points and four assists in a two-point setback at Towson. For the week, Dixon shot 56.6% from the floor, including 13-of-18 (72.2%) from 3-point range.
ROOKIES OF THE WEEK:
Bolden Brace • Northeastern
Fr., G, 6-6, 221 - Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara
Brace averaged 20.5 points while draining 11-of-20 (55%) from three-point range in Northeastern’s two road games last week. The freshman guard, who entered the week averaging 4.5 ppg, shot 58.3% from the floor for the week.
Kurk Lee • Drexel
Fr., G, 5-10, 150 - Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy
Lee averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals in Drexel’s three road games last week. The freshman guard scored a career-high 25 points with eight assists and four steals at William & Mary shot 50% from the floor, including 10-of-19 from three for the week.
CAA STANDINGS: College of Charleston and UNCW are tied atop the CAA standings at 10-2 with three weeks to go in the regular-season race after CofC edged the Seahawks, 67-66, last Thursday. Freshman Grant Riller led the Cougars with 22 points and C.J. Bryce tallied 21 points for UNCW, which lost at home for the first time this season. There is still a logjam at positions 3-5, with Elon, Towson and the Tribe all at 7-5 in league play. Northeastern sits another game back, at 6-6, in sixth place.
RPI REPORT: Three CAA teams are ranked in the Top 100 in the latest RPI rankings released by Collegiate Basketball News (rpiratings.com). UNCW (21-4), which has won 18 of its last 21 games, leads the way at #45. College of Charleston (19-6), which has captured 16 of its last 19 contests, jumped up to #51 after victories over UNCW and Elon last week. Towson (15-10), which has won seven of its last eight games, is ranked #95. W&M is just outside the Top 100, at #104.
Only 9 other conferences (American, ACC, Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac 12 and SEC) have three teams in the top 95 of the RPI. The CAA is ranked #11 among the nation’s 32 Division I leagues, again this week.
HOME SWEET HOME: Home teams have won 70% (42-18) of their games in CAA play this season, reversing a trend from the past two years. William & Mary is 6-0 at home, while UNCW, CofC, Towson, Elon and Northeastern are all 5-1. Only UNCW and CofC have winning records (5-1) on the road in league action. Home teams were 45-45 in CAA play last season and 47-43 in 2014-15. Quite a change.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Northeastern’s T.J. Williams continues to lead the CAA in scoring, at 21.3 ppg, while the Tribe’s Daniel Dixon has moved up to second place, averaging 18.4 ppg. Drexel’s Rodney Williams will come into Thursday’s game with W&M, third in scoring, at 17.1 ppg.
Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys continues as the leading CAA rebounder at 12.0 boards per game, with UNCW’s Devontae Cacok the only other rebounder in double figures, at 10.4 rebounds per game. Dixon remains atop the Free Throw Shooting charts, making, basically, 9 of every 10 free throws.
TRIBE Disa & Data:
• Daniel Dixon averaged 27.7 ppg last week with a team-high 32 points vs. DU, 28 points vs. NU and 23 points at TU. He was 13-of-18 from 3 in the three games. Dixon has reached double digits in 16 straight games and has 10 20+-point efforts. He’s averaging a league-best 22.5 ppg in CAA play.
• Omar Prewitt, who missed the TU game due to his ankle injury, hit a 6 treys and scored 24 points vs. DU. It was his 8th 20-point outing of the season.
• Nathan Knight averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg last week and had 8 blocked shots. He had a career-high 15 points at Towson.
• Jack Whitman has made 19-of-20 shots from the floor over the past five games and is shooting 74.6% in CAA play.
• W&M shot 63.2% from the floor vs. DU and 64.3% vs. NU and made 27-of-49 from 3 in the 2 games. The Tribe is averaging 92.0 ppg over the past five games.
• W&M blocked 23 shots last week. They are averaging 5.3 bpg in CAA play.
DREXEL Notes:
• The Dragons suffered road losses at William & Mary (108-85), Towson (104-103/2ot) and Hofstra (79-77) last week.
• Rodney Williams averaged 24.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg last week, including his 5th double-double at TU (27 pts/16 reb) and 26 points at HU. He has 10 20-point outings this season and has scored double figures in 13 of the past 14 games.
• Kurk Lee averaged 23.0 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.0 spg last week, including a career-high 25 points, 8 assists and 4 steals at Kaplan Arena and 25 points at TU. He ranks 10th in the CAA in scoring, 4th in assists and 3rd in steals.
• Kari Jonsson added 14 points at W&M and TU. He’s averaging 13.3 ppg while hitting 12-of-24 treys over the past four games. He leads the CAA in 3-point FG% (44.8%).
• Sammy Mojica had 12 points at W&M and 10 at Towson.
• Drexel has shot at least 45% from the floor in the past 6 games. The 103 points at TU were the most for DU since joining the CAA.
Finally: The Tribe needs a road win on Thursday, for (1) confidence AND (2) seeding purposes. With the terrible loss to Hampton already on the books, they have to avoid another bad loss to a sub Top 200 team (Drexel is currently 252, Hofstra 211, Delaware, 259 and JMU is at 268), if at all possible. It becomes very important if we are finally able to break the curse, when it comes time for the committee to decide if we are a 14, 15 or 16 seed.
Hopefully, we are closer to full strength tonight, although I also hope the staff will be over-cautious with Omar. He is more important for the rest of the season that he is for Thursday night. As always, with this team, a quick start would be a plus.
Go Tribe!
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