Blue Hens

Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens

General Information

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association (2001-present)
City: Newark, Del.
Stadium: Acierno Arena at the Bob Carpenter Center

Championships:

NCAA Tournaments: 6 (1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2014, 2022)
National Championships: None
Conference Tournament Titles: 6 (1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2014, 2022)
Conference Regular Season Titles: 4 (1992, 1998, 1999, 2014)

Past Conferences:

East Coast
North Atlantic
America East

Team History

The Delaware Blue Hens are a Division I team based in Newark, Del. Delaware currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association and is coached by Martin Ingelsby, a former player, and later assistant, at Notre Dame.

Delaware has advanced to the NCAA Tournament six times, including a surprising run in 2021-22. As the No. 5 seed in the CAA Tournament, the Blue Hens overcame long odds to claim the conference’s automatic bid when they knocked off No. 4 Drexel, top-seeded Towson, and No. 2 UNC Wilmington on consecutive days. They went on to play Villanova as a No. 15 seed and were beaten 80-60 in the opening round of the South Region.

The Blue Hens’ previous trip to the Big Dance as a member of the CAA came in 2014. That year, they lost in the first round to Michigan State. They also made it in 1992, 1993, 1998, and 1999 out of the North Atlantic/America East Conference, including twice under coach Mike Brey. Their combined record in the NCAA Tournament is 0-6.
Delaware also reached the NIT in 2000 and the CBI in 2012. Both times, the school fell in the first round. Brey went 99-51 over five years at Delaware, winning two America East titles. In 1998, he was named America East Coach of the Year. He left for Notre Dame in 2000 and has become one of college basketball’s most recognizable figures.

Ingelsby, Brey’s former protégé, entered this season with an overall record of 95-85 at Delaware, including 45-54 in conference play. The Blue Hens were picked third in the CAA preseason poll, behind Towson and Hofstra. Guard Jameer Nelson Jr., whose father starred at St. Joseph and played 14 years in the NBA, was selected to the league’s preseason First Team.