Optimistic Drexel begins CAA tournament play

While Drexel spent most of the season trying to field a healthy roster from one game to the next, something interesting was going on at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association.

It seemed that nobody wanted to win it.

The CAA regular season ended last weekend in an unprecedented four-team tie for first place between William and Mary, North Carolina-Wilmington, Northeastern, and James Madison, all of whom finished 12-6 in the conference. By virtue of its 5-1 record against the others, William and Mary received the top seed in the tournament.

Seventh-seeded Drexel (11-18, 9-9) opens play Friday at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore against 10th-seeded College of Charleston (8-23, 3-15) in the first round at 8:30 p.m. The winner advances to Saturday's quarterfinals against No. 2 UNCW (17-12).

"It's just been close and competitive," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said of the regular season. "Nobody has really established themselves as the team to beat. So even with the way things have been here this season you move forward optimistically."

The Dragons have been plagued by injuries all season. Their biggest loss occurred Feb. 21 when CAA leading scorer Damion Lee (21.4 ppg.) fractured his hand.

But the Dragons closed the regular season by stunning William and Mary, 80-66, at Williamsburg. The Dragons received a career-high 24 points from senior guard Freddie Wilson and a season-high 22 from junior guard Tavon Allen.

Flint hopes that the Dragons, who have just seven healthy players, can carry some of the momentum from that game into the tournament.

"I told them after the game that this was one of the best games I've been associated with at Drexel," said Flint. "They have persevered through a lot this season, with all of the injuries that we've had."

The Dragons swept the series with Charleston this year, defeating the visiting Cougars, 53-51, on Lee's three-pointer with 17 seconds to play on Jan. 24. On Feb. 7 they limited the Cougars to just 29.1 percent shooting from the field in a 59-45 road win.

The Cougars are led by a pair of sophomore guards, Joe Chealey and Canyon Barry, who both average 12.4 points per game. UNCW has struggled offensively this season, averaging just 58.9 points per game and shooting just 40.6 percent from the floor.

Like the Dragons, the Cougars have upset top seed William and Mary. However, they come into the tournament having lost 11 of their last 13 games, including their last three.