Seawolves Fans

NORTH CAROLINA A&T (7-11, 2-3 CAA)
Last Game: North Carolina A&T 80, Elon 71 on 1/11/23
Last 10: 3-7
Last Game vs SBU: First-ever meeting
Checkmate Guess the Line: UNC A&T -6.5 ✓
NET Ranking: Drexel 274, Stony Brook 308
KenPom Rating: UNC A&T 260, Stony Brook 316
KenPom Prediction: UNC A&T 73, Stony Brook 66
Watch: https://my.flosports.tv/partner/caa?utm_campaign=caa&utm_medium=partner&utm_source=teams&utm_content=teams&rtid=ncat&coverage_id=
Listen: N/A
Notables:
6-2/185 so G Kam Woods 18.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.7 spg, .378 3-pt FG%
6-6/235 rjr F Marcus Watson 12.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .450 FG%
6-5/200 sr G Demetric Horton 12.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.6 spg, .469 FG%, .468 3-pt FG%, .867 FT%
6-8/225 rfr F Duncan Powell 7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg
6-9/235 sr F Austin Johnson 5.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Two new entries to the CAA, and I have to say, we've gotten ourselves acclimated OK.

I wasn't so sure about A&T's addition, not with a pretty ordinary track record in a historically bad basketball conference. Their year in the Big South did little to change that, and spelled a coaching change too. But the elevated profile to the program, through its new affiliation with the CAA, could really pay dividends for them. You saw some of that a month ago when Marquavious Brown, a former Georgia (!) football commit and a three- or four-star hoops recruit depending on where you look, committed to A&T. They might have something going.

This year though, Woods is the engine to the team, playing a million minutes (193 out of a possible 200 in conference), leading the CAA in threes made (54) but also showing that he's more than capable of pushing the pace and taking his defender off the dribble. He can really scoot. Woods averaged 10 ppg in his freshman season at Troy before winning a juco national title at Northwest Florida State last year. The former head coach at A&T used to be an assistant at NWFS and, even when he left, Woods stuck with his commitment. He's made the most of the opportunity and is a big reason why A&T one of the faster-paced teams in the conference.

Powell's a really interesting case. He's the highest ranked recruit in the history of the program – a four star out of Texas who, at some point, ranked 84th in ESPN's top 100 in 2021. He committed to Arkansas as a sophomore in high school, decommitted as a senior and opted to play at an HBCU, following in his cousin's footsteps. Knee injuries delayed his arrival, but we're starting to see now what he can become. Powell is a physical specimen who can body up inside, create his own shot, knock down the open jumper, etc., so even though he hasn't dominated from day one, he's come on of late, dropping 18 on Hofstra in A&T's surprising road win, and following it up with 20 in a loss to Charleston. It's led to back to back CAA Freshman of the Week awards. If he stays, he has all-conference first or second team written all over him. And, I guarantee, that he will also prompt each of you to say "who's this 47-year-old on their team?" You'll see. Guaranteed.

He's one of many guys who will hoist it from deep for A&T. Nearly 43 percent of their shot attempts will come from behind the arc, and with the volume and a 35 percent make rate, they rank 16th in the country in percentage of points coming from three.

In general, I like their balance, with Watson being a really nice complement to Woods, going for double digits 10 times and topping 20 on a few occasions. And we really have to keep an eye on Horton, who knocked down five threes en route to a 21-point effort in their win over Hofstra.

It's a busy stretch for A&T, with four games over an eight-day span – us, then Hampton Monday, Towson Thursday and William & Mary Saturday. We'll have a span like that in mid-February, but three of the games will be at home at least. These are tough turnarounds on their own though, particularly with an exhilarating Thursday night game and then a matinee down the coast. It's tough on the preview guy too.

I think it's challenging to go down there and get a third road win given the circumstances, but this team has surprised me more than a few times in the last month. And seven feels like a lot. Last night was just terrific in just about every way imaginable, not the least of which was the movement and the passing. We need the iso stuff on occasion like you saw on the final play – somebody go get a bucket – but you can't go wrong with action toward the basket, with or without the ball. Let's see if we can keep things going and keep up the intensity and teamwork.

Gotta say I'm not used to the quick turnaround. AE it was always Wednesday/Saturday, never just 1 day's rest