By Alex Mitchell — STAFF WRITER
It’s been a memorable season for the Pride. From beating Florida State to JuanIf winning the CAA regular season title and clinching the first seed for the conference championship isn’t evidence enough, here is why Hofstra should be headed to the big dance.

The CAA tournament match-ups are as follows:

First Round:

Elon vs. Drexel: Elon will most likely pass through Drexel. The Phoenix have won seven CAA games as opposed to the Dragons’ three. Elon is also 2-0 against Drexel in the regular season. The Phoenix will most likely put up a commanding win.

Charleston vs. Delaware: As for the College of Charleston and Delaware, the Cougars should advance. The season series is tied between Charleston and the Blue Hens at 1-1; both games were single digit victories. Almost every Delaware loss has been a close game until the closing seconds. It should be an exciting first round game with Charleston coming out on top.

Quarterfinals:

Hofstra vs. Elon: In the quarterfinals, Hofstra would be paired with Elon. Hofstra is 2-0 facing the Phoenix, but neither win came easy. The second game came down to Juan’ya Green’s jumper with 2.1 seconds left. It should be a close call, but Hofstra will likely advance to the semifinal round with a win in either single or low double-digits.

UNCW vs. Charleston: If there is to be an upset in the CAA tournament, it will be Charleston over UNCW. The Cougars are the most deadly of the lower seeds. They’ve beaten Hofstra and taken UNCW to overtime, losing by four. Charleston also beat LSU in its out-of-conference schedule. Charleston is a team that knows how to match up well against higher contenders. A close win over the Seahawks isn’t much of a stretch.

Towson vs. Northeastern: This game goes to Towson. The two teams split their two regular season matchups. The first was an offensive shootout that Towson won 79-72, while the other was a defensive standoff that Northeastern took 47-44. That was the lowest-scoring game of the year for the Huskies, and a defensive battle probably won’t reoccur in the CAA tournament. Since Towson won the offensive showdown once, they are likely to succeed a second time.

JMU vs. William & Mary: This is the most exciting matchup of the tournament’s opening rounds. The in-state rivals have split the season series 1-1, including a regular season finale that JMU took. The tiebreaker goes to William & Mary. This Tribe team has tournament experience from last year’s finals run that will make the difference to outdo the Dukes. It will also set up a bitter rematch.

Semifinals:

Hofstra vs. William & Mary: The stage is set: Same round, same venue, same teams. William & Mary defeated the Pride 92-91 in double overtime in last year’s CAA semifinal, in the biggest heartbreaker for Hofstra in recent years. Hofstra is 2-0 against William & Mary this year. Hofstra’s head coach Joe Mihalich is confident in a rematch. “That loss down there against William & Mary in overtime is going to make us better,” said Mihalich. Hofstra wins the rematch in an offensive battle and heads to the finals.

Towson vs. Charleston: Even if UNCW were to beat Charleston, Towson would still be going to the final round. The Tigers have played some of the best basketball in the CAA this year. They’ve beaten UNCW by 16, tied for third place and won 20 games. Towson hasn’t scored 50 points in either game against the Cougars, a series that’s split at 1-1. Both games came as defensive standoffs. Like Northeastern, a defensive battle in the tournament is highly unlikely due to the nature of big games. Towson takes it because of its stronger offense.

Finals:

Hofstra vs. Towson: This will be another exciting matchup. Hofstra swept the Tigers in the season series, blowing out the Tigers in the first meeting, 90-58. The second meeting came down to a Gustys layup with 2.7 seconds to go, giving Hofstra the 84-82 win. This will be the most difficult game Hofstra will have played in a year. Each possession will matter, and fatigue will be a heavy factor. It’s just one game, not a whole season, which is why Hofstra will win. Hofstra is terrific in key games this season, especially in the second half of the year. Towson botched a big one against UNCW in the season’s closer. It’s the final round, throw all extenuating factors out the window, it comes down to who wants it and who will show up. The Pride has shown up all year and will not have its season end against a CAA opponent. Hofstra wins and moves on to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001 and since joining the CAA.