The CAA tournament is a good place for a struggling young team to get valuable high stakes seasoning.
Northeastern coach Bill Coen is hoping his young squad can grow from the experience and climb the bracket when the No. 11 seed Huskies (10-19, 6-12) engage defending champion and No. 6 Delaware (16-15, 8-10) in the opening round.
The CAA tournament expanded to 13 teams this season with the additions of Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook. No. 1 Hofstra and No. 2 Clarkson both finished at 16-2 but the Pride won the tiebreaker.
NU will have six freshmen and two starters, guards Masai Troutman and Rashad King, when the Huskies take the floor against the Blue Hens on Saturday night (8:30) at Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
“I think that is what experience does for you by getting put in these types of situations,” said Coen. “I think all of our freshmen have grown and I’ve seen growth in them throughout the year.
“We are hoping the tournament experience pays dividends sooner rather than later and particularly this weekend. It is a great atmosphere and all the teams are represented and the urgency will be great.
“Until you are put in that position it is hard to understand what that type of environment does. It gives them an opportunity to be the best version of themselves and to rise to the occasion and be one of those stories.”
Northeastern has historically entered the CAA tournament from positions of strength on Coen’s watch, so being on the bottom half of the bracket is something of an adjustment. The Huskies have won four CAA regular season titles and two tournament championships.
NU is making its 18th appearance in the CAA tournament and leads the league with 15 playoff victories. The Huskies have advanced to the quarterfinals 16 times and the semifinals in eight of the last 10 seasons.
“We have an opportunity to get better and experience something nobody else has experienced,” said Coen. “It starts with a positive mindset and enthusiasm and being grateful for being part of something like March Madness.
“It is the greatest month of the year for college basketball so why not go out there with hopes and dreams and play hard and play smart and play together?”
NU and Delaware will meet for the sixth time in the CAA tournament, with the Huskies holding a 3-2 lead. The teams split in the regular season with both games decided by a total of four points.
NU rallied from a 16-point deficit to capture a 59-58 win at Matthews Arena on Jan. 16. Delaware prevailed 81-78 in the rematch on Jan. 28, but the story of the game was Huskies’ junior forward Coleman Stucke’s career-high 34 points.
“It was a career night of him and it was great to see,” said Coen. “Coleman is a remarkable young man and he is all about doing the right things. He’s been as consistent of a student athlete that I have been around.”
