Courtesy of Dylan Smith, Associate Commissioner CAA
CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tyler Tejada, Towson
Junior | Guard/Forward | Teaneck, N.J.
Tejada led the Tigers to second place in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational with top-100 KenPom wins over Rhode Island and Liberty. The reigning CAA Player of the Year averaged 21.0 points on 51.1% shooting from the floor, including an impressive 63.6% from inside the arc. The Teaneck, N.J., native drained all 15 attempts from the free-throw line and pulled down 5.3 rebounds per game. The junior wing opened the tournament with a 16-point effort to knock off Rhode Island. The following day, Tejada was vital in the Tigers’ 72-69 win over Liberty, unloading 20 points, nine boards and a career-high three blocks, including one on the final possession to seal the victory. He closed out the weekend with a season-high 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting against UC San Diego.
CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Preston Edmead, Hofstra
Freshman | Guard | Deer Park, N.Y.
Edmead helped guide the Pride to a perfect 3-0 mark last week at the Cathedral Classic. The Deer Park, N.Y., native averaged 14.7 points, 6.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in wins over La Salle, Merrimack and Penn. The freshman guard posted 11 points and five assists in a narrow five-point win, 63-58, over the Explorers on Friday. Edmead poured in 22 points, eclipsing the 20-point threshold for the second time this season, while adding five assists and two steals in the Pride’s routing of Merrimack, 78-58. In the tournament finale, Edmead notched nine of his 11 points from the charity stripe, while logging a season-best eight assists and six rebounds against the Quakers to secure all-tournament team honors for his efforts.
GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN THREES
William & Mary picked up its fifth straight win shooting 50% from the field in its 88-75 victory over former conference foe Old Dominion on Sunday. Tunde Fasasi Vahlberg unleashed a 25-point effort, going 10-for-19 from the floor and 9-for-12 inside the arc. Kilian Brockhoff posted 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor and a 9-of-10 clip from the charity stripe, to go with eight boards, five assists and three blocks. Jo’el Emanuel and Chase Lowe also finished in double figures with 16 and 15 points apiece, respectively.
Hofstra picked up its third straight win and finished its Pennsylvania road trip with a 4-1 record following a 77-60 routing of Ivy League foe Penn. Cruz Davis led all scorers with 18 points to go with five assists and a pair of steals. German Plotnikov chipped in 12 points and three blocks, while Preston Edmead rattled off 11 points, eight assists and six boards. Victory Onuetu and Biggie Patterson scored 10 points apiece.
Monmouth utilized a pair of 20-point, three-trey efforts from Justin Ray and Jason Rivera-Torres to down Lafayette, 88-74. Ray went a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor for 21 points, while Rivera-Torres notched 20 points, six boards, four assists and three blocks in the win. Andrew Ball posted 12 points and 10 boards. Stefanos Spartalis matched Ball in points to round out those in double figures.
A LOOK AHEAD
Hampton will welcome The Apprentice School on Monday in a 7 p.m. showdown on FloCollege.
Campbell will look to take down Penn State inside Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday. The first-time meeting between the two schools will take place at 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network. William & Mary will look to extend its winning streak when it heads to Duquesne for a 7 p.m. tilt on ESPN+.
With conference play right around the corner, Wednesday will feature a nine-game slate, starting with a 6 p.m.showdown between Northeastern and Holy Cross on ESPN+. Hofstra, Towson and Monmouth will have their hands full with the Ivy League, facing Columbia, Cornell and Princeton, respectively. UNCW will look to stay unbeaten at home (6-0) when it welcomes Marshall for a 7 p.m. contest on FloCollege. N.C. A&T, Hampton, Drexel and Elon will also compete on Wednesday night.
Saturday will also be filled with heavy competition as Monmouth heads to Georgia Tech for a noon tip on ACCNX. William & Mary will have a chance to secure a Quad 1 win when it heads to George Washington for a 6 p.m. showdown on ESPN+.
Sunday’s four-game slate will also feature a pair of high-end road matchups at 4 p.m. Hofstra will head back to the Keystone State for a battle at Pittsburgh on ACCNX. Towson will look to take down UCF in Orlando.
HOME SWEET HOME
CAA teams have been steady on their respective home courts, going 30-6 to start the season. Nine programs are undefeated at home, led by a 6-0 mark from UNCW.
SCORING PROWESS
The CAA is one of four conferences nationwide with six or more scorers averaging 18.6 points per game or better, joining the ACC (9), Big 12 (8) and Big Ten (8). Elon’s Chandler Cuthrell is seventh in the country with 22.9 ppg, while N.C. A&T’s Lewis Walker rounds out the top 25 with 20.6 ppg. Campbell’s DJ Smith (19.6 ppg), Hofstra’s Cruz Davis (18.9 ppg), Stony Brook’s Erik Pratt (18.9 ppg) and Towson’s Tyler Tejada (18.6 ppg) are all sitting inside the top 80 in scoring.
RISING IN NET/KENPOM
The CAA currently has five teams ranked inside the top 155 in the first release of the NCAA’s Net Rankings. William & Mary sits at 71, while UNCW (101), Hofstra (106), Towson (113), Stony Brook (145) and Elon (155) round out the group. Additionally, four of those teams rank inside the top 140 in KenPom, helping the league to No. 13 among all conferences. After sitting outside of the top 15 all season, this rise comes after 25 NCAA Division I wins since Nov. 21.
Towson has helped that cause in the last two days, taking down a pair of top 100 teams in Rhode Island (99th in KenPom) and Liberty (86th) before Thanksgiving.
Elon also jumped 82 spots in the KenPom net rating from 258 to 176 following its 25-point victory over Appalachian State on Nov. 24. The win also marked the largest margin of victory in a road game for the Phoenix since making the jump to NCAA Division I.
Stony Brook also moved the needle with its road win over LMU, 81-78, on Nov. 28. Loyola Marymount entered the game at 7-1 and ranked No. 120 in KenPom.
OFFENSIVE GLASS RUCKUS
The CAA is one of two conferences with eight or more players averaging 3.0 or more offensive boards per game, joining the ACC (14). Hampton’s Xzavier Long is averaging a league-best 3.9 per game, followed by Campbell’s Chris Fields Jr., Hofstra’s Victory Onuetu and UNCW’s Patrick Wessler, all with 3.4 offensive boards per game. The Camels’ Dovydas Butka and Towson’s Caleb Embeya are posting 3.3 per contest. Monmouth’s Jason Rivera-Torres has managed 3.1 boards per game on the offensive glass, while Drexel’s Villiam Garcia Adsten rounds out the group with 3.0 per contest.
CAMPBELL CAMELS (3-4; 0-0 CAA)
- Trailing by as many as nine with eight minutes left in regulation, Campbell stunned UT Arlington, 71-67, after Jeremiah Johnson rattled off eight straight points with under 2:30 to play to lift the Camels to victory. DJ Smith racked up a team-best 20 points, while Dovydas Butka added 17 points and nine boards. Campbell most recently fell to Wake Forest, 99-51.
- Campbell’s Smith is third in the conference averaging 19.6 points per game. Butka is also third in the league with 8.7 rebounds per contest.
CHARLESTON COUGARS (4-5; 0-0 CAA)
- Charleston picked up a third-place finish at Paradise Jam following its 78-59 victory over Evansville last week. Freshman Martin Kalu unleashed 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from distance to go with seven boards. Connor Hickman produced a 16-point, eight-rebound showing. Chol Machot produced 15 points, seven boards, two steals and a pair of blocks.
- The Cougars will look to get back on track next week when they head down to USF for a 7 p.m.showdown on Dec. 10. Charleston earned an 86-71 win over the Bulls in 2024.
DREXEL DRAGONS (4-4; 0-0 CAA)
- Drexel edged Morgan State, 71-66, on the road after Eli Beard produced a team-best 15 points with four of his five makes coming from distance. Villiam Adsten Garcia produced a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
- The Dragons will take on American on Wednesday before facing La Salle in the Toyota Men’s Big 5 Classic on Saturday.
ELON PHOENIX (4-3; 0-0 CAA)
- Elon dominated former SoCon rival Appalachian State, 88-53, in a 1-1 week, logging its largest road win since moving up to NCAA Division I with an 88-53 win. Chandler Cuthrell posted a 23-point, 11-board showing. Randall Pettus II added 19 points, seven boards and four steals.
- Cuthrell is the CAA scoring leader entering December with 22.9 ppg. He is also one of two players in Division I averaging at least 22.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.3 SPG this season, joining Duke’s Cameron Boozer.
HAMPTON PIRATES (3-5; 0-0 CAA)
- The Pirates downed UMES, 74-68, behind a 17-point performance from Josh Ogundele, adding four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Michael Eley (13 pts.) and Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt (12 pts.) also posted double-digit scoring in the win.
- Long has been lethal on the glass through seven contests, averaging 11.0 rebounds (7th in NCAA) to go along with 10.8 points per game. He is the only player in the CAA averaging double figures in points and rebounds.
HOFSTRA PRIDE (5-3; 0-0 CAA)
- The Pride picked up its third straight win and finished its Pennsylvania road trip with a 4-1 record following a 77-60 routing of Ivy League foe Penn. Cruz Davis led all scorers with 18 points, five assists and a pair of steals.
- Davis looks to be in midseason form after averaging 19.6 ppg on 46.8% shooting from the floor to go with 5.4 apg over the last five games. He has also knocked down 13 treys over that stretch. Preston Edmead has been equally as strong with 14.6 ppg and 5.8 apg.
MONMOUTH HAWKS (4-4; 0-0 CAA)
- Monmouth went 2-1 in the Lafayette Classic, capturing an 80-73 victory over MAC foe Ball State on Friday, thanks to a 16-point showing from Andrew Ball in reserve. After its setback to Le Moyne, 83-79, the Hawks responded with an 88-74 win over the Leopards after a pair of 20-point, three-trey efforts from Justin Ray and Jason Rivera-Torres.
- Rivera-Torres led five players in double figures last week, unleashing 16.3 ppg on 56.2% shooting to go with 8.7 rpg in three contests.
N.C. A&T AGGIES (3-2; 0-0 CAA)
- Lewis Walker unloaded 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor and a 9-of-11 showing from the charity stripe to go with nine rebounds to help lift North Carolina A&T to a 79-73 victory over Morgan State. The Aggies battled to a 90-74 setback to Davidson on Friday.
- Lewis Walker has hit 56.5% of his shots this season, good for second in the conference. His 20.6 points per game are also second in the league, joining Elon’s Chandler Cuthrell as the only two players averaging 20-plus points per game.
UNCW SEAHAWKS (7-1; 0-0 CAA)
- UNCW went 3-0 in its Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic following a dominant 88-62 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday. Nolan Hodge knocked down three of his six makes from distance for a 16-point showing.
- The Seahawks are riding a six-game winning streak, shooting at an incredible 49.5% clip over that stretch. Five players are averaging in double figures and the team is also hitting 41.5% from distance over that span. UNCW is outscoring the opposition by 19.2 ppg.
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (3-4; 0-0 CAA)
- Xavier Abreu notched a 32-point effort off the bench on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor in Northeastern’s 93-86 victory over Duquesne on Saturday afternoon. Haris Elezovic also put forth a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double after going 8-for-12 from the floor.
- The Huskies battled Princeton on the road with 17 points and three steals from Abreu off the bench to go with a 16-point, eight-rebound and four-block performance from Youri Fritz in the 70-57 setback on Thursday.
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (6-2; 0-0 CAA)
- Stony Brook’s Erik Pratt unloaded a 28-point effort to help the Seawolves to a 71-68 victory at LMU, who entered the contest at 7-1. He hit 11-of-20 shots from the floor to go with seven boards and three steals. LMU was ranked No. 15 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
- Stony Brook opened last week with a win, erasing an 11-point halftime deficit with 42 points in the second half to capture a 61-54 victory over Bethune-Cookman. Erik Pratt notched a 14-point, eight-board effort, while Collin O’Connor and Ethan Simmon registered 13 points apiece.
TOWSON TIGERS (5-3; 0-0 CAA)
- After taking down Rhode Island on Monday, Towson picked up a 72-69 win over C-USA favorite and previously undefeated Liberty. Tejada unloaded 20 points and nine boards in the win. Jack Doumbia Jr. posted a 15-point effort, while Dylan Williamson scored 14 points of his own. It marked the Tigers’ second top-100 KenPom win in as many days en route to a runner-up finish at the ESPN Events Invitational.
- Towson handed Rhode Island its second loss of the season with a 62-55 win. Williamson unloaded 25 points in the victory, draining five of his 10 makes from distance.
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE (7-2; 0-0 CAA)
- William & Mary is on a five-game winning streak after dominating Old Dominion, 88-75, on Sunday. Since Nov. 19, seven players are averaging 8.0 points or more per game, led by Kilian Brockhoff with 13.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg and 2.0 bpg. The team is shooting at a 52.4% clip from the floor, outscoring the opposition by 22.6 points per game.
- The Tribe is pacing the CAA with 19.6 assists per contest (20th in NCAA). W&M is also one of the top defensive teams, holding the opposition to a 26.4% clip from distance (19th in NCAA) and forcing 16.4 turnovers per contest (25th).
Schedule and Results
Monday, December 1
The Apprentice School at Hampton (FloCollege) 7:00 P.M.
Tuesday, December 2
Campbell at Penn State (Big Ten Network) 6:00 P.M.
William & Mary at Duquesne (ESPN+) 7:00 P.M.
Wednesday, December 3
Northeastern at Holy Cross (ESPN+) 6:00 P.M.
Hofstra at Columbia (ESPN+) 7:00 P.M.
Cornell at Towson (FloCollege) 7:00 P.M.
N.C. A&T at Charlotte (ESPN+) 7:00 P.M.
Loyola (MD) at Hampton (FloCollege) 7:00 P.M.
Marshall at UNCW (FloCollege/WITN) 7:00 P.M.
Drexel at American 7:00 P.M.
Furman at Elon (FloCollege) 7:00 P.M.
Princeton at Monmouth (FloCollege/NBC Sports Phi.) 8:00 P.M.
Saturday, December 6
Monmouth at Georgia Tech (ACCNX) 12:00 P.M.
Drexel vs. La Salle 2:00 P.M.
Stony Brook at Duquesne (ESPN+) 2:00 P.M.
UNCW at Louisiana (ESPN+) 4:00 P.M.
Elon at Wofford (ESPN+) 4:00 P.M.
N.C. A&T at North Carolina Central 4:00 P.M.
William & Mary at George Washington (ESPN+) 6:00 P.M.
Sunday, December 7
Central Connecticut State at Northeastern (FloCollege) 1:00 P.M.
Hofstra at Pittsburgh (ACCNX) 4:00 P.M.
Virginia Lynchburg at Campbell (FloCollege) 4:00 P.M.
Towson at UCF (ESPN+) 4:00 P.M.
