PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tyler Thomas, Hofstra

Graduate Student | Guard | New Haven, Conn. / Amity Regional

Thomas had a remarkable week for Hofstra in leading the Pride to the Gulf Coast Showcase title. The guard from Connecticut averaged 30.3 points per game in a 3-0 trip to Florida with 21 against Buffalo, 30 vs. Wright State, and 40 in an overtime triumph over High Point for the tournament championship. Thomas shot 50% (30-for-60) from the floor and 45% (13-for-29) from three while playing 115 of a possible 125 minutes. His 40 points against High Point are the most in the nation this season.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth

Freshman | Guard | Omaha, Neb, / PHHoenix Prep (Ariz.)

Bashir was lights-out from three in Monmouth’s 3-1 week with wins over Lehigh, Belmont, and Lafayette. The guard from Nebraska went 9-for-11 from distance, including a 5-for-6 showing in a 21-point night to beat Lehigh on Tuesday. Bashir averaged 10.0 points per game for the weekend as the Hawks won two of their three games at the Cathedral Classic following the midweek home victory.

NEWS AND NOTES

TROPHIES

Drexel and Hofstra were both 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; Thomas’ 40 points in the OT win over the Panthers are the most in the nation this year.

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

COASTAL ELITE

The CAA is 17-3 this year against fellow East Coast competition from the Patriot League (7-0), MAAC (3-0), Atlantic Sun (3-1), Big South (3-1), and America East (1-1) after wins over Lafayette, UMBC, and FGCU on Saturday.

The CAA also has wins this year over the Big 12 (Monmouth over West Virginia) and American (Northeastern over East Carolina) and winning records vs. the Horizon League (3-0), Missouri Valley (2-0), and MAC (2-1).

HOME IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR WIN

CAA teams are 21-5 at home to begin the year; Campbell, Delaware, Drexel, UNCW, Stony Brook, Towson, and William & Mary have won at least two home games each, while all 13 teams to play at least one game on its home floor have won at least one.

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.

ROAD RAGE

The opening week of the season featured decisive road victories for the league. UNCW led by as many as 27 in a 17-point victory at UNC Asheville, while Drexel erased a double-digit deficit at Winthrop. Earlier in the opening week, Delaware rolled to a 21-point victory over Bucknell in its Monday opener; the Blue Hens’ margin was the largest by a road team nationally on Opening Night and one of three by double digits. Towson was also a 21-point winner at Coppin State and Monmouth led West Virginia for 26 minutes for the league’s marquee win in non-league play.

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

CAA teams are slated to play six of this week’s AP Top 25 in addition to seven opponents who are receiving votes.

AND-ONES

•         Campbell has limited opponents to a league-low 26.8% mark from three.

•         Charleston was given a 9.4% win probability by KenPom late in the first half of Sunday’s win at Kent State.

•         Cavan Reilly scored a career-high 24 points for Delaware on Saturday against UNCG.

•         Drexel has limited opponents to a league-low 62.0 points per game and leads the conference in KenPom’s defensive efficiency, ranking 63rd nationally.

•         Elon knocked down 11 three-pointers in the win over Holy Cross and has made eight or more in each of its first six games.

•         Hampton leads the CAA and ranks 17th among the nation’s fastest tempos, per KenPom.

•         Tyler Thomas averaged 30.3 points per game for Hofstra to win MVP honors at the Gulf Coast Showcase; Thomas is third nationally with 25.0 points per game.

•         Monmouth’s 15 steals in the win over Lafayette are the second-most by a CAA team against a D1 opponent since the start of the 2020-21 season

•         North Carolina A&T is the only CAA team that has not yet played a home game and will not until Saturday against The Citadel.

•         Shykeim Phillips moved up to a tie for seventh in UNCW program history in games started with his 90th.

•         Northeastern went 2-1 at East Carolina’s event with victories over the hosts and Georgia Southern.

•         The win over Rider was the first time Stony Brook made just one three-pointer since Jan. 24, 2021 - a game against NJIT the Seawolves also won with a 1-for-19 result from distance.

•         Towson leads the CAA with a +8.6 rebounding margin.

•         Gabe Dorsey’s 32 made three-pointers and 4.57 per game for William & Mary both lead the nation.