CIAA men’s tournament: What you need to know about the teams

Fayetteville State (14-2 CIAA)

Coach: Devin Hoehn (1st season)
Players to Watch: Larry Howell (20.7 PPG) and Ezekiel Cannedy (18.3 PPG) both shoot over 37% from 3-point range.
Trending: The Broncos are on a 14-game winning streak, including 13 straight conference wins after a 1-2 start.
Key Note: Hoehn moved to Fayetteville after defeating the Broncos with his former program, Bluefield State, in last year’s CIAA semifinals.
2025: Lost in semifinals.

Coach: Jay Butler (10th season)
Player to Watch: Bobby Gardner averages 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals, while leading the team in assists and minutes played per game.
Trending: It’s a mixed bag. Virginia Union won seven straight games against the worst four teams in the conference, sandwiched by four games against Virginia State and Bluefield State, in which the Panthers went 2-2. Ultimately, this team can beat anyone.
Key Note: Virginia Union boasts the best defense in the conference by a large margin, giving up fewer than 59 points per game. The second-best team gives up over 67.
2025: Lost in quarterfinals.

Coach: Brion Dunlap (4th season)
Player to Watch: Alex Atkinson (12.8 ppg, 9.0 rebounds per game)
Trending: Slightly down. Claflin took two late conference losses, including a bad one to Shaw, and it has not won a game by double digits since Jan. 17. The Panthers are 0-3 in 2026 games against the other CIAA teams with 10-plus conference wins.
Key Note: The Panthers have four players who average more than 10 points and eight who average at least six, and they rank third in the conference in points per game (78.9).
2025: Lost in quarterfinals.

Coach: Lonnie Blow Jr. (12th season)
Player to Watch: Jacob Cooper leads the league in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio while ranking top 10 in scoring.
Trending: The Trojans wrapped the regular season with nine straight wins, including a division-clinching victory over Virginia Union, who beat them by 28 in their first matchup.
Key Note: Virginia State is third in scoring defense and first in opponent field goal percentage allowed, with opponents shooting just 37% from the field.
2025: Champion

Coach: Luke D’Alessio (1st season)
Player to Watch: Myles Pierre (19 ppg) leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage, drilling 43% of his attempts.
Trending: It’s a mixed bag. The Big Blue are 11-5 since starting the year 1-9 (and 8-2 after a 4-12 start), but they went 2-4 against the other top four teams in the conference, with their last win over a team with a winning record coming Jan. 17.
Key Note: D’Alessio joins his third CIAA program after moving on from Fayetteville State, where his Broncos career ended with a loss to his current program.
2025: Lost in final.

Coach: Bobby Collins (5th season)
Player to Watch: Isaiah Buckley is among the top 10 in scoring and top three in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio as Shaw’s primary catalyst on offense.
Trending: Since Jan. 6 Shaw has won consecutive games just once, and the Bears ended on two straight losses, just the second time all season that had happened. However, in that window, Shaw also beat Claflin, so while a deep run feels unlikely, an upset could be in the cards.
Key Note: Shaw is one of two teams ranking top six in the conference in scoring offense and defense. It may be the biggest dark horse.
2025: Lost in opening round.

Coach: Antwain Banks (2nd season)
Players to Watch: Trey Pettigrew and Jamauri Bryant both average over 17 points as top-five scorers in the conference.
Trending: The Golden Bulls enter as losers of three of their past four and without a win against any of the conference’s top five teams. The defense has been fallible, giving up 75-plus points in 15 of 23 contests and going 4-11 in those games.
Key Note: The Golden Bulls are the CIAA’s best 3-point shooting team at 37%.
2025: Lost in quarterfinals.

Coach: James Stinson (21st season)
Player to Watch: Omarion Bodrick is in the top five in rebounding and blocked shots in the CIAA.
Trending: As up as Livingstone can be, as it enters on the heels of two wins, including a solid victory over Shaw, after having lost seven of eight.
Key Note: Livingstone ranks second in 3-point shooting (34.5%) and opponent 3-point percentage (29.6%) in the conference.
2025: Lost in opening round.

Coach: Julius Hodge (2nd season)
Player to Watch: Amadou Fall leads the conference in blocked shots per game (2.5).
Trending: Lincoln lost eight straight to end the season.
Key Note: Lincoln should have size advantages to lean on, leading the conference in offensive rebounds and blocked shots.
2025: Lost in semifinals.

Coach: Darrell Brooks (16th season)
Player to Watch: Guy Fauntleroy leads Bowie State in minutes, averages 11 points per game and is one of four CIAA players averaging over two 3-pointers per game.
Trending: The Bulldogs pulled out an 86-83 win in their regular-season finale, but Bowie State has won just three games since the turn of the calendar.
Key Note: The Bulldogs have been competitive, with four recent losses to the conference’s top five teams by a combined 20 points, but they haven’t garnered any results and will need an upset and home-crowd energy to escape the opening round.
2025: Lost in quarterfinals.

Coach: Tony Jones (interim, 1st season)
Player to Watch: Tyre Boykin (17 ppg) is in the top 10 in scoring, and free throw, field goal and 3-point percentage.
Trending: The Rams have not won since Jan. 10, losing 12 straight games.
Key Note: Abou Camara came just shy of averaging a double-double, ending on 9.8 points and 11.1 rebounds.
2025: Lost in opening round.

Coach: John Richardson (2nd season)
Player to Watch: Donovan Flamer, a freshman out of Owings Mills and Mount Zion Prep, averages 9.5 points per game on 48% shooting.
Trending: Elizabeth City State is 2-12 in 2026 games, losing by 12-plus in three of its final four.
Key Note: Elizabeth City State has the fourth-best scoring defense in the country; however, it’s frequently undone by an offense that ranks last in several metrics, including scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and 3-point shooting.
2025: Lost in opening round.