The Colonial has taken a hit in prestige over the past decade. Sure the conference has had appearances in 2 Final Fours in the last 12 years, but both of those teams (George Mason in 2006, Virginia Commonwealth in 2011) have left for the Atlantic 10 since then and the Colonial has been churning out bottom seeds ever since. The last time a Colonial team got a tournament win in the Round of 64 was VCU in 2012 and as mentioned they are not in the conference anymore.
This conference was won by UNC Wilmington this year. Wilmington has been mentioned as a team that might pull off an upset in the NCAA Tournament and they are projected in fertile upset territory as a 12 seed. They are not, however, expected to be up for an at large bid, so they would need to win the CAA Tournament and get that automatic bid.
The tournament will run from March 3rd to March 6th at North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. There are 10 teams in the Colonial with all ten eligible for postseason play. The top six teams received a bye to the quarterfinals.
First Round-Friday, March 3rd
#9 Delaware vs. #8 Hofstra
#10 Drexel vs. #7 James Madison
Quarterfinals-Saturday, March 4th
#8 Hofstra vs. #1 UNC Wilmington
#5 Elon vs. #4 William and Mary
#7 James Madison vs. #2 Charleston
#6 Northeastern vs. #3 Towson
Semifinals-Sunday, March 5th
#5 Elon vs. #1 UNC Wilmington
#6 Northeastern vs. #2 Charleston
Championship-Monday, March 6th
UNC Wilmington did not win the conference by a commanding margin like some of the other potential tournament teams that I've talked about. They finished with a one game lead over Charleston. These two teams split the series during the season, with both teams winning on the road at the opponent's venue. Given that this tournament is taking place is taking place in Charleston, this will basically be a home game for the Cougars, which in my mind gives them a slight edge and the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Charleston 64, UNC Wilmington 61
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