It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Drexel Dragons (17-14, 17-12-1 ATS, 10-8 CAA) completely clipped Monmouth's wings to advance in the CAA Tournament. Awaiting them are the UNC Wilmington Seahawks (22-9, 14-13-2 ATS, 12-6 CAA), who earned the last of the four double-byes in the bracket. The only meeting between these schools was intense, with the Seahawks coming out on top 73-72 in 2OT. It was UNC Wilmington's fourth consecutive win over Drexel. The Dragons were home for that one, but this time they'll stay in D.C.'s Entertainment & Sports Arena, with tipoff slated for 2:30 p.m. EST.
The Dragons took a while to fully wake up offensively, but it doesn't matter when you shut out the opposing team for the first 10 minutes as they did on Saturday. Amari Williams had a double-double in the contest, pacing the team in scoring and rebounding. However, the game should be remembered as a defensive masterclass.
L.O. from deep! pic.twitter.com/Dz2E3TLsvk
— Drexel Men's Basketball (@DrexelMBB) March 4, 2023
That's nothing new for Drexel, who allowed the fewest points per game in the CAA, 62.6. Forcing misses obviously helped, and they did plenty of that, holding opponents to 42.6% from the floor. They're a bit susceptible to the three, as they allowed foes to knock down 33.6%. Although, they held Monmouth without a three for nearly 33 minutes on Saturday.
Offensively, Drexel is prone to struggle at times. They finished the season shooting 31.4% from three, which was worse than 325th in the nation. The Dragons' field goal percentage as a unit was 43.0%.
Drexel was ranked 205th by KenPom this season. The win over Monmouth pushed them to 2-2 in neutral court contests. It also marked a second straight win after ending a three-game losing streak that included Hofstra.
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