CAA Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview, predictions

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: The Hofstra Pride celebrate winning the CAA Men's Basketball Tournament - Championship college basketball game against the Northeastern Huskies at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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CAA Basketball Bracketology

There’s no chance any team in the CAA is good enough to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament – there’s no Belmont or Winthrop hanging around to make a compelling case for inclusion. Only one team will make the Big Dance out of the CAA and it will be the tournament’s champion.

Historically speaking, the CAA usually gets a decent seed for a mid-major champion. Northeastern was a 13-seed in 2019 when they were crushed by Kansas in the First Round. Charles was a 13-seed the year before when they nearly upset Auburn. UNC Wilmington was a 12-seed in 2017.

The CAA isn’t as strong as usual, though. Through Wednesday’s games, James Madison is the top-ranked CAA team in the NET, checking in all the way at No. 131, behind teams with losing records like Pepperdine and South Carolina. They also trail UMBC and Siena. Northeastern and Drexel are the only other teams in the conference ranking in the Top 150, with Hofstra just outside of that.

It’s hard to see one of the favorites getting anything lower than a 14-seed if they win the tournament. But if one of the lower-seeded teams shock everyone and take the CAA, a 15- or even 16-seed could b in the cards.