# 2016–17 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball season

The 2016–17 CAA men's basketball season marked the 32nd season of Colonial Athletic Association basketball. The season began with practices in October 2016, followed by the start of the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in late December and concluded in late February.
On February 23, 2017, UNC Wilmington clinched the regular season CAA championship, their third consecutive CAA championship. The College of Charleston finished in second place.
The CAA tournament was held from March 3–6, 2017 at North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. UNC Wilmington defeated College of Charleston to win the tournament championship, their second consecutive tournament championship. As a result, UNC Wilmington received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. College of Charleston received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. Towson was invited to play in the College Basketball Invitational, but declined the invitation.

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes

* On March 7, 2016, Bruiser Flint was fired as head basketball coach after 15 seasons with Drexel. On March 24, 2016, Drexel announced that Zach Spiker was hired to replace Bruiser Flint as head coach.
* James Madison, despite finishing with 21 wins, fired head coach Matt Brady on March 14, 2016. He was 139–127 in eight seasons with James Madison. On March 31, 2016, the school hired Louis Rowe, a JMU alum, as head coach.
* Delaware Head coach Monté Ross was fired following the season. On May 24, the school hired Martin Ingelsby as his replacement.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Year at school | Overall record | CAA record | CAA championships | NCAA Tournaments |
| College of Charleston | Earl Grant | Clemson (asst.) | 3 | 51–48 | 25–29 | 0 | 0 |
| Delaware | Martin Ingelsby | Notre Dame (asst.) | 1 | 13–20 | 5–13 | 0 | 0 |
| Drexel | Zach Spiker | Army | 1 | 9–23 | 3–15 | 0 | 0 |
| Elon | Matt Matheny | Davidson (asst.) | 8 | 126–130 | 23–31 | 0 | 0 |
| Hofstra | Joe Mihalich | Niagara | 4 | 69–64 | 36–34 | 0 | 0 |
| James Madison | Louis Rowe | Bowling Green (asst.) | 1 | 10–23 | 7–11 | 0 | 0 |
| Northeastern | Bill Coen | Boston College {asst.) | 11 | 177–174 | 109–87 | 1 | 1 |
| Towson | Pat Skerry | Pittsburgh (asst.) | 6 | 98–101 | 54–52 | 0 | 0 |
| UNC Wilmington | Kevin Keatts | Louisville (asst.) | 3 | 72–28 | 41–13 | 2 | 2 |
| William & Mary | Tony Shaver | Hampden-Sydney College | 14 | 192–239 | 110–153 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Year at school includes 2016–17 season.
* Overall and CAA records are from time at current school and are through the end of the 2016–17 season.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

Source
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | UNC Wilmington (37) |
| 2 | Towson (2) |
| 3 | William & Mary (1) |
| 4 | College of Charleston |
| 5 | James Madison |
| 6 | Hofstra |
| 7 | Northeastern |
| 8 | Elon |
| 9 | Drexel |
| 10 | Delaware |
 first place votes

### Preseason Awards

Source
| Award | Recipients |
| Preseason Player of the Year | Chris Flemmings (UNC Wilmington) |
| Preseason All-CAA First Team | William Adala Moto (Towson) Jarrell Brantley (College of Charleston) Chris Flemmings (UNC Wilmington) Rokas Gustys (Hofstra) Omar Prewitt (William & Mary) |
| Preseason All-CAA Second Team | Shakir Brown (James Madison) Daniel Dixon (William & Mary) Denzel Ingram (UNC Wilmington) Cameron Johnson (College of Charleston) Mike Morsell (Towson) |
| Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention | Brian Bernardi (Hofstra) C. J. Bryce (UNC Wilmington) Chivarsky Corbett (Delaware) Yohanny Dalembert (James Madison) Jeremy Miller (Northeastern) Tyler Seibring (Elon) Rodney Williams (Drexel) |
Colonial Athletic Association Preseason Player of the Year: Chris Flemmings (UNC Wilmington)

## Regular season
### Conference matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.
| | College of Charleston | Delaware | Drexel | Elon | Hofstra | James Madison | Northeastern | Towson | UNC Wilmington | William & Mary |
| vs. College of Charleston | – | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Delaware | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Drexel | 2–0 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Elon | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Hofstra | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. James Madison | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Northeastern | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Towson | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. UNC Wilmington | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 |
| vs. William & Mary | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – |
| Total | 14–4 | 5–13 | 3–15 | 10–8 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 15–3 | 10–8 |

### CAA Players of the Week

* Nov. 14 – T. J. Williams (Northeastern)
* Nov. 21 – Devontae Cacok (UNCW)
* Nov. 28 – Luke Eddy (Elon)
* Dec. 5 – Jarrell Brantley (Charleston), Brian Dawkins (Elon)
* Dec. 12 – Denzel Ingram (UNCW), Rodney Williams (Drexel)
* Dec. 19 – Alex Murphy (Northeastern)
* Dec. 26 – T. J. Williams (Northeastern) (2)
* Jan. 2 – Daniel Dixon (William & Mary)
* Jan. 9 – Joe Chealey (Charleston)
* Jan. 16 – William Adala Moto (Towson), Chris Flemmings (UNCW)
* Jan. 23 – Tyler Seibring (Elon), Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra)
* Jan. 30 – Omar Prewitt (William & Mary), Tyler Seibring (Elon) (2)
* Feb. 6 – Daniel Dixon (William & Mary) (2)
* Feb. 13 – Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra) (2)
* Feb. 20 – Mike Morsell (Towson)
* Feb. 27 – C. J. Bryce (UNCW)

### CAA Rookies of the Week

* Nov. 14 – Eli Pemberton (Hofstra), Grant Riller (Charleston)
* Nov. 21 – Kurk Lee (Drexel)
* Nov. 28 – Max Boursiquot (Northeastern)
* Dec. 5 – Eli Pemberton (Hofstra)(2)
* Dec. 12 – Ryan Daly (Delaware)
* Dec. 19 – Eli Pemberton (Hofstra)(3)
* Dec. 26 – Kári Jónsson (Drexel)
* Jan. 2 – Ryan Daly (Delaware)(2)
* Jan. 9 – Ryan Daly (Delaware)(3)
* Jan. 16 – Grant Riller (Charleston)(2)
* Jan. 23 – Ryan Daly (Delaware)(4)
* Jan. 30 – Grant Riller (Charleston)(3)
* Feb. 6 – Bolden Brace (Northeastern), Kurk Lee (Drexel)(2)
* Feb. 13 – Ryan Daly (Delaware)(5), Grant Riller (Charleston)(4)
* Feb. 20 – Ryan Daly (Delaware)(6)
* Feb. 27 – Bolden Brace (Northeastern)(2)

## CAA honors and awards

| Award | Recipients |
| Coach of the Year | Earl Grant (College of Charleston) |
| Player of the Year | T. J. Williams (Northeastern) |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Devontae Cacok (UNC Wilmington) |
| Rookie of the Year | Ryan Daly (Delaware) |
| Dean Ehlers Leadership Award | Evan Bailey (College of Charleston) |
| First Team | C. J. Bryce (UNC Wilmington) Joe Chealey (College of Charleston) Daniel Dixon (William & Mary) Chris Flemmings (UNC Wilmington) T. J. Williams (Northeastern) |
| Second Team | Jarrell Brantley (College of Charleston) Denzel Ingram (UNC Wilmington) Omar Prewitt (William & Mary) Tyler Seibring (Elon) Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra) |
| Third Team | Devontae Cacok (UNC Wilmington) Ryan Daly (Delaware) John Davis (Towson) Mike Morsell (Towson) Rodney Williams (Drexel) |
| All-Defensive Team | Devon Begley (Northeastern) Jarrell Brantley (College of Charleston) Devontae Cacok (UNC Wilmington) Cameron Johnson (College of Charleston) Deshaun Morman (Towson) |
| All-Rookie Team | Ryan Daly (Delaware) Nathan Knight (William & Mary) Kurk Lee (Drexel) Eli Pemberton (Hofstra) Grant Riller (College of Charleston) |
| All-Academic Team | William Adala Moto (Towson) Evan Bailey (College of Charleston) Dimitrije Cabarkapa (James Madison) Rokas Gustys (Hofstra) Curtis Lochner (Delaware) John Moran (Drexel) Ambrose Mosley (UNC Wilmington) Paul Rowley (William & Mary) Patrick Ryan (Elon) Hunter Sabety (Hofstra) Steven Santa Ana (Elon) Paulius Satkus (James Madison) Tyler Seibring (Elon) Dainan Swoope (Elon) Rodney Williams (Drexel) |
| All-Tournament Team | C. J. Bryce (UNC Wilmington) Jarrell Brantley (College of Charleston) Devontae Cacok (UNC Wilmington) Joe Chealey (College of Charleston) Ryan Daly (Delaware) Denzel Ingram (UNC Wilmington) |
| Tournament MVP | C. J. Bryce (UNC Wilmington) |

## Postseason
### Colonial Athletic Association Tournament

| Session | Game | Time* | Matchup | Score | Attendance | Television |
| First round – Friday March 3, 2017 | First round – Friday March 3, 2017 | First round – Friday March 3, 2017 | First round – Friday March 3, 2017 | First round – Friday March 3, 2017 | | |
| 1 | 1 | 6:00 PM | No. 9 Delaware vs No. 8 Hofstra | 81–76 | 1,794 | CAA.tv |
| 1 | 2 | 8:30 PM | No. 10 Drexel vs No. 7 James Madison | 70–80 | 1,889 | CAA.tv |
| Quarterfinals – Saturday March 4, 2017 | Quarterfinals – Saturday March 4, 2017 | Quarterfinals – Saturday March 4, 2017 | Quarterfinals – Saturday March 4, 2017 | Quarterfinals – Saturday March 4, 2017 | | |
| 2 | 3 | 12:00 PM | No. 9 Delaware vs No. 1 UNC Wilmington | 82–91 | 4,217 | Comcast SportsNet |
| 2 | 4 | 2:30 PM | No. 5 Elon vs No. 4 William & Mary | 66–71 | 4,096 | Comcast SportsNet |
| 3 | 5 | 6:00 PM | No. 7 James Madison vs No. 2 College of Charleston | 62–67 | 4,212 | Comcast SportsNet |
| 3 | 6 | 8:30 PM | No. 6 Northeastern vs No. 3 Towson | 54–82 | 4,143 | Comcast SportsNet |
| Semifinals – Sunday March 5, 2017 | Semifinals – Sunday March 5, 2017 | Semifinals – Sunday March 5, 2017 | Semifinals – Sunday March 5, 2017 | Semifinals – Sunday March 5, 2017 | | |
| 4 | 7 | 2:00 PM | No. 4 William & Mary vs No. 1 UNC Wilmington | 94–105 | 4,389 | Comcast SportsNet |
| 4 | 8 | 4:30 PM | No. 3 Towson vs No. 2 College of Charleston | 59–67 | 4,708 | Comcast SportsNet |
| Championship – Monday March 6, 2017 | Championship – Monday March 6, 2017 | Championship – Monday March 6, 2017 | Championship – Monday March 6, 2017 | Championship – Monday March 6, 2017 | | |
| 5 | 9 | 7:00 PM | No. 2 College of Charleston vs No. 1 UNC Wilmington | 69–78 | 6,342 | CBS Sports Network |
| *Game times in ET. Rankings denote tournament seed |||||||

### NCAA tournament

The CAA had one bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, that being the automatic bid of UNC Wilmington by winning the conference tournament.
| Seed | Region | School | First Four | First round | Second round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| 12 | East | UNC Wilmington | N/A | Eliminated by (5) Virginia 71–76 | | | | | |
| Bids | | W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) |

### National Invitation Tournament

The College of Charleston was invited to play in the 2017 National Invitation Tournament.
| Seed | School | First round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship |
| 5 | College of Charleston | Eliminated by Colorado State 74–81 | | | | |
| Bids | W-L (%): | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) |