The Coastal Athletic Association, or the CAA for short, has been tough to crack outside of the two top teams for the last decade. The CAA, like every other one-bid league, is not immune to its best teams being eliminated in a single-elimination tournament. The Hofstra Pride benefited from the top seeds going down and claimed the NCAA Tournament automatic bid.
Hofstra is making their first NCAA Tournament since the 2001 season. Legendary head coach Jay Wright coached the Pride, and current Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton was on that team. That is why this event is so special and why sometimes it is a blessing to see the top seed lose. Without them, the NCAA Tournament may never have had this story. This will be Hofstra's fifth appearance ever, and the Pride is still looking for its first win.
Star Players
Is this one a no-brainer? Every team in the tournament will have its star players, which is correct, but there are likely no two players quite like the two Pride superstars. Each of them can take over a game quickly on both ends of the floor.
Cruz Davis is a senior and was named the player of the year in the CAA this year. Anytime a player averages 20 points per game, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a 40% shooting percentage from deep, it's going to be hard to take the award away from him. Davis is one of the best scorers in the game, and that is probably why he started his career playing for Rick Pitino at both Iona and St. John’s before transferring to Hofstra for his final season.
Preston Edmead is only a freshman, but he has already hit some huge shots on his way to playing in his first NCAA Tournament. Edmead hit a falling-away bank three to beat Towson in the semifinals and then hit clutch shot after clutch shot in the finals against Monmouth to send Hofstra to the tournament.Â
 Edmead is also shooting 38% from deep and averaging 5 assists per night; the two-point guard system is tough on defenses, especially knowing that both players can score at a high clip. It turns into a pick-your-poison, which is exactly what the Pride wants defenses to do.
Physicality
Whoever draws Hofstra in the NCAA Tournament better be ready to bring their hard hats and prepare for a physical defensive battle. The Pride has two offensive superstars, but they do not give an inch on defense. Every basket is a chore, and the Pride does it uniquely.
Speedy Claxton coaches Hofstra, a 9-year NBA veteran who was a giant ball of energy and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league during his time with the Spurs. The Pride has that same energy on the defensive end. They play with energy, heart, and hustle, and just flat out get into you on that end of the floor. They won’t force turnovers, and they don’t foul much, but Hofstra is very good at making sure the offense gets the shots they want and then getting the rebound so they can get out in transition for easy baskets.
This defensive style is obviously working. Teams shoot under 40% from the floor, 32% from deep, and struggle to move the ball. Every shot is contested, and if you do get an open look, make it because there will not be many more.
Speedy
This was touched on briefly above, but Speedy Claxton, an NBA player for 9 years, decided to come back and coach his alma mater after long-time coach Joe Mihalich retired at the end of the 2021 season. Speedy had a goal of getting the Pride back to the NCAA Tournament, where they can hopefully get their first win and do something he couldn’t do while at Hofstra.
The Claxton banner hangs in the rafters at the home arena. Next to it are the NCAA Tournament banners. Speedy can now say that he is responsible for one of those banners as a coach, and he still needs one more, which is a banner for a second weekend. Hofstra has a sneaky team because of the way they play defense and the ability of their two stars to take over a game. 2026 could be the year he can accomplish that feat.
Few coaches love their university and alma mater as much as Claxton loves his. The wins in the NCAA Tournament, if the Pride were to get them, would complete his career arc and further cement his legacy as a Hofstra legend. Everyone will be rooting for Hofstra in the NCAA Tournament.