The Drexel Dragons (16-14, 16-12-1 ATS, 10-8 CAA) will be fresh off a bye when they play the Monmouth Hawks (7-25, 11-20-0 ATS, 5-13 CAA) in the second round of the CAA Tournament. These teams split their two regular-season matchups, with the home team coming out on top both times. This game will mark the first meeting between the schools in the CAA Tournament. At 2:30 p.m. in Entertainment & Sports Arena, we'll see which team will keep their season alive.
Monmouth was clearly ready for March. They wasted no time jumping on Hampton Friday afternoon, racing out to a 55-34 lead at halftime. Freshman Jack Collins had a career-high 25 points…in the first half. He finished with 32 points, five rebounds, and five steals in a 36-point victory to open the CAA Tournament.
A career-high 25 in the FIRST HALF for @JackCollins_13_.
He's 9-9 and 5-5 from 3.
What can you even say? pic.twitter.com/YeEDczLvjh
— Monmouth Basketball (@MonmouthBBall) March 3, 2023
The Hawks were among the worst teams in college basketball all season, ranking 354th per KenPom. However, this is the month that matters, and if they keep playing as they did on Friday, a monumental Cinderella story is in play.
Offensively, Monmouth finished the season ranked 353rd nationally in field goal percentage at 40.0%. They weren't better from beyond the arc, knocking down only 27.9%, which was 360th in the nation. Their regular season free-throw percentage was 65.9%, good for 335th nationwide. Of course, one man catching fire again can nullify all of that.
Defensively, Monmouth's numbers were also worse than 300th on a national scale. Their opponents shot 37.5% from three and 46.3% overall in the regular season. Opposing teams also took 21.4 trips to the free-throw line.
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