2020 CAA Tournament Opening Odds
- The CAA Tournament takes place from March 7th to 10th at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC
- Hofstra is the top seed and favored to win the CAA Tournament, led by senior guards Desure Buie and Eli Pemberton is scoring 35.8 points a game
- See the odds for the full field and best bet for the CAA Tournament below
After coming up just short last season, Hofstra will give it another try this year. The Pride won the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title last season but lost to Northeastern in the championship game of the conference tournament.
Hofstra again enters this year’s tourney as the No. 1 seed and the favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers as it tries to get to the dance. Interestingly, #2 seed William & Mary only has the fifth best odds to win the automatic bid, as the school tries to reach its first ever NCAA Tournament.
The semifinals are set for March 9th and the championship game the following night.
2020 CAA Tournament Odds
| Team (seed) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Hofstra (1) | +190 |
| Northeastern (6) | +375 |
| Towson (3) | +400 |
| Charleston (4) | +475 |
| William & Mary (2) | +500 |
| Delaware (5) | +750 |
| Drexel (8) | +3400 |
| Elon (7) | +4000 |
| James Madison (10) | +7000 |
| UNC-Wilmington (9) | +7500 |
Odds taken March 2nd
CAA Tournament Bracket
Backcourt Duo Leads Hofstra
Hofstra went 14-4 in conference play, finishing one game ahead of William & Mary (13-5). The Pride have won nine of their last 10 games and also gone 9-1 against the spread during that span.
#Hofstra captured its second straight outright regular season @CAABasketball title yesterday! Check out the highlights from the game – that included a SCHOOL RECORD 20 three-pointers! #RoarWithPride pic.twitter.com/7DZBV6TOBi
— Hofstra Men's Basketball (@HofstraMBB) March 1, 2020
Five players have double-figure scoring averages for Hofstra. Desure Buie leads the way at 18.5 points a game – along with a team-high 5.9 assists – and fellow senior guard Eli Pemberton is right behind at 17.3.
Hofstra is first in the CAA and 58th in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 108.7 points per 100 possessions. The Pride is second in adjusted defensive efficiency.
William & Mary Sentimental Favorite
William & Mary is a sentimental favorite as it has never been to the NCAA Tournament. The Tribe also come into the tournament on a roll, having won five games in a row.
Senior forward Nathan Knight is averaging a double-double with 20.6 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. Andy Van Vliet, another senior forward is averaging just over 13 PPG.
Nathan Knight (@n8_knight) is the only active NCAA D1 men's player with career totals of 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ points and 9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ rebounds.
Remember to vote for Nathan! #KareemAward➡️https://t.co/uJFbrpQI3x@SnrCLASSAward➡️https://t.co/gbqWGo4A4G#GoTribe | #KnightVote pic.twitter.com/W5vQxS0eq2
— William & Mary Tribe Men's Basketball (@WMTribeMBB) February 27, 2020
Despite its lofty seed, William & Mary is just sixth in the conference in both Adjusted Offensive & Defensive efficiency.
Towson Tough Down Stretch
Hofstra’s only loss during its 9-1 stretch to end the regular season came at home against Towson, 76-65, on Feb. 27th.
The Tigers will also arrive in Washington with momentum as they have won six of their last seven games.
Towson relies heavily on senior guard Brian Fobbs (16.2) and sophomore guard Allen Betrand (14.0), the only two Tigers scoring in double digits. Fobbs had 21 points and seven rebounds in the win at Hofstra.
Jason Gibson and Brian Fobbs made ESPN tonight and was the 2nd highlight of SportsCenter. pic.twitter.com/snOlsvpnFU
— Towson Men's Hoops (@Towson_MBB) February 23, 2020
Towson has also been the winning play against the spread in five of its last six outings.
Charleston Has Star in Riller
Giving Charleston at least a puncher’s chance of winning is senior guard Grant Riller and his conference-leading 21.7 scoring average. He is a stat sheet stuffer with averages of 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals while he is 12th nationally in percentage of offensive possessions (34.0).
Riller is also shooting 50 percent from the field, 36 percent on 3-pointers and 83 percent at the foul line.
Northeastern is the bookies’ second choice but that really seems off the mark considering its .500 record and low seed.
It takes a lot of energy to win three games in three days, but Towson might be best equipped to run that gauntlet. The Tigers’ adjusted tempo of 65.0 possessions per games is the slowest in the CAA and 317th among the 353 teams in Division I.
The old saying is slow and steady wins the race. Then throw in Towson’s impressive 11-point road win at Hofstra and the Tigers look like a good value.
The pick: Towson +400
SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:
- 2020 Big South Tournament Opening Odds: Radford -110 Favorite
- Colgate Team to Beat in Patriot League Tournament Opening Odds
- 2020 NEC Tournament Opening Odds
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Horizon League Tournament Opening Odds Favor Wright State (-115) and Northern Kentucky (+170)
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San Diego State a -175 Favorite in Mountain West Tournament Opening Odds
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Opening SoCon Tournament Odds Favor East Tennessee State Over Furman, UNC-Greensboro
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
