CAA Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 07: Flags of the schools line the wall during the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship college basketball game tournament between the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks and the Hofstra Pride at Royal Farms Arena on March 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 21: Shareef O’Neal #22 of the UCLA Bruins guards Tareq Coburn #0 of the Hofstra Pride (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

The CAA Basketball tournament is wide open, as almost half of the conference’s teams can conceivably win.

It’s been a banner year for the Colonial Athletic Association as the CAA closes in on crowning a conference champion, 40 years after Old Dominion topped Navy in the first CAA Basketball Tournament Final. Neither of those schools are still in the conference, but the talent is still elite.

After never having won a regular-season CAA title before, the Hofstra Pride has now won the crown in two consecutive years, sporting a 14-4 record in conference play. They were closely followed by the William & Mary Tribe, who went 13-5 in the CAA.

The play of the Pride has been noteworthy. While expectations remained high entering this season, Hofstra was dealing with the loss of senior star guard Justin Wright-Foreman, who has spent this season with the Utah Jazz’s G League affiliate. Other scorers have stepped up to ensure the Pride wouldn’t lose a step this season.

Still, the road from top seed to NCAA Tournament berth won’t be a smooth one for Hofstra. The Pride have never won the CAA Tournament and hasn’t been to March Madness since 2001 when they were a member of the America East.

There are also a number of sleeper teams who could step up and take the autobid this year. While Hofstra has the best record, the conference’s three best players also suit up for different teams, making it a wildly competitive field.

Here’s a preview of the 2020 CAA Tournament.