Heading into the final month of the regular season, UNC-Wilmington set itself apart as the team to catch in the Colonial Athletic Association.  

A 4-0 road swing extended the Seahawks’ winning streak—on pace to match those of 2021 Final Four participants Gonzaga and Houston. A Davidson loss later in the week left UNCW with the state of North Carolina’s most consecutive wins. 

The Seahawks set the pace into February, but there’s a long way to go on the road to Washington, D.C. and the CAA Tournament. 

Drexel Vs. UNC-Wilmington 

Drexel rebounded nicely from a home loss to William & Mary on Jan. 22 with a road defeat of James Madison last week. The high-scoring affair in Harrisonburg wasn’t just one of the most exciting games of the season—check out the replay here—but also continued the rapid development of Amari Williams. 

Williams posted a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds, his best individual performance yet since seeing an increased role with James Butler limited. 

In UNCW, Drexel sees not only one of the nation’s hottest teams, but another individual player like Williams who has stepped his game up in recent weeks, Shykiem Phillips. Phillips scored at least 11 points in every outing from Jan. 12 through the Jan. 27 win over Northeastern. 

His steady scoring nicely complements veteran leader Jaylen Sims. Sims has had one of the best months of any player in college basketball with an average of 18.5 points per game since Dec. 22.  

Towson Vs. Hofstra

Towson endured a tough week between its narrow loss to UNC-Wilmington, followed by a game delayed midway through against Delaware due to court conditions. The Tigers have to regroup quickly to stay in the CAA championship hunt, facing one of the most offensively well-rounded teams in the nation. 

Hofstra ran off four straight wins ahead of its main-event matchup with UNCW, riding the hot hand of Aaron Estrada. While Estrada’s excellent shooting has been the foundation, Darlinstone Dubar, Jalen Ray and Zach Cooks have all come through with key scoring performances in conference play. 

The Pride’s balanced style mirrors that of Towson, which has thrived through its ball movement and ability of multiple players to score in critical situations. Cam Holden, Nicolas Timberlake, Jason Gibson and Terry Nolan Jr. are all scoring in double-figures, while Antonio Rizzuto’s sharp-shooting from 3-point range offers an additional layer to the dangerous Tigers offense. 

Charleston Vs. Elon

In each of Mike Schrage’s first two seasons at the helm, Elon has made vast strides in the home stretch of the regular season. Fueled by a hard-fought win over William & Mary, the Phoenix open February with a pair of big home games against UNCW and Charleston. 

Elon dropped the first meeting with Charleston on Jan. 9, 65-61, despite 22 points and 5-of-12 3-point shooting from Hunter McIntosh. Advantages of 14-2 in bench points and 38-24 points in the paint powered Charleston to the win. 

The Cougars’ John Meeks is averaging better than 15 points per game to pace the CAA’s most uptempo offense.