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Can Blue Hens concoct another CAA Basketball Tournament miracle? Here's what it will take

kevin tresolini, delaware news journal
·4 min read

It will take a miracle, though that is a trick the Blue Hens have pulled off before.

The Blue Hens’ bid for the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament men’s basketball title and accompanying NCAA Tournament berth will be launched from the No. 6 seed on Saturday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

Delaware (18-13) will play at 8:30 p.m. against No. 14 Hampton (9-23), the winner of Friday’s game against No. 11 Elon. The Hens arrive having lost four of their last six, beginning with a 73-67 setback at Elon on Feb. 15.

Before Delaware won the tournament as a fifth seed in 2022, the only previous CAA champ to knock off three higher seeds en route to the title was East Carolina in 1993. The Blue Hens would likely have to equal that accomplishment this year in the 41st annual CAA tourney.

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens guard Christian Ray (5) jumps for the basket as Drexel Dragons forward Lucas Monroe (2) jumps for the block during critical late-season CAA basketball game at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Drexel won 70-60.
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens guard Christian Ray (5) jumps for the basket as Drexel Dragons forward Lucas Monroe (2) jumps for the block during critical late-season CAA basketball game at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Drexel won 70-60.

“We are confident,” said Christian Ray, the CAA’s leading rebounder with nine per game. “We’re ready. And I think we can draw a little bit of inspiration [from 2022].”

Drexel’s 2021 CAA Tournament title is the only time a sixth seed has prevailed, though East Carolina won as a No. 7 in 1993.

Since sweeping the CAA regular-season and tournament titles in 2014, Delaware has never been seeded higher than fifth in 10 CAA tournaments. But Delaware did win that 2022 title and also reached the 2019 and 2020 semifinals as a No. 5.

So anything is possible in basketball’s postseason. These are factors that will shape Delaware’s outcome:

Shoot better, especially beyond the arc

Delaware has the CAA’s second-best shooting percentage at 46.6, but much of that springs from having several capable players of getting to the basket. Jyare Davis (17.5 ppg), in particular, can be deadly from close range.

But its offensive efficiency has been inconsistent. In its last seven games, Delaware has shot just 23.2 percent (29-for-125) on 3-pointers, which will not translate to a long tourney run.

Delaware's Jyare Davis shoots over William and Mary's Caleb Dorsey in the second half of Delaware's 69-58 win at the Bob Carpenter Center, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.
Delaware's Jyare Davis shoots over William and Mary's Caleb Dorsey in the second half of Delaware's 69-58 win at the Bob Carpenter Center, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.

“It’s a make-or-miss game,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said. “We haven’t scored enough points (70.8 per game in the CAA).”

Part of that must include, Ingelsby added, “taking better shots more consistently through a 40-minute game,” especially since Delaware will likely face some zone defenses.

“You can’t win a championship by making two threes in a game,” Ingelsby said, referring to what the Hens did in three of their last seven games.

Make foul shots

Delaware is, quite uncharacteristically, shooting 69% in league games, better than just two CAA teams, at the foul line. The Hens were below 45% in two recent losses.

Be tough defensively

Delaware has a defensive stopper in Niels Lane, and Jalun Trent is also quite adept at harassing opposing ballhandlers and blocking shots. But Delaware will need ferocious five-man defense, inside and out, to have a chance.

“It starts with our defense, our toughness and our discipline at the defensive end,” Ingelsby said.

That would also have a positive impact on the Blue Hens’ offensive productivity and spur fast-break opportunities.

“That’s where we’ve been maybe at our best,” Ingelsby said, “when we get stuff in our transition offense.”

Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby goes into a late timeout with his team down double digits in the second half of Delaware's 90-71 loss to Charleston at the Bob Carpenter Center, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.
Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby goes into a late timeout with his team down double digits in the second half of Delaware's 90-71 loss to Charleston at the Bob Carpenter Center, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.

Play together

It’s the nature of modern-day college basketball. Delaware added six transfers last summer and, though the Hens have been playing together since July, they are still learning and adjusting to compete as a cohesive unit.

They’ll have to be in sync in D.C. And while Ingelsby has typically relied on just seven players, others will have to step up if needed.

Know it’s possible

It would now take four wins – not three as when the CAA was a smaller league two years ago – for the Blue Hens to repeat their magical 2022 title run. That certainly lengthens the odds of doing so.

But it’s called March Madness because anything can happen.

“They’re 18- to 22-year-old kids. They’ll be ready to play four games in four days,” Ingelsby said. “Sometimes they played three or four games in a day in an AAU tournament. … Once the ball tips up, it’s win or go home and survive and advance. We gotta leave it all out there.”

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Blue Hens seek another CAA Basketball Tournament miracle