I’ll Be Quirky: Bradley

A reminder that SportsCenter used to be great. 

The Flying Dutchmen will look to snap out of an early-season funk over the next three days, when they participate in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida. The Dutchmen begin play this afternoon against Bradley. Here are some (hopefully) fun facts to prepare you for the game.

THE MOST RECENT GAME IN A PARAGRAPH

I only heard most of Friday night’s 80-68 loss to Manhattan, which is probably the best for all involved. I didn’t need to see the Flying Dutchmen trail for the last 33-plus minutes and suffer a second straight loss against a non-conference foe ranked lower than 200 by KenPom (but at least Manhattan is close to 200 and not in the 320s, like Sacred Heart) to know it wasn’t very good. At least Eli Pemberton likely survived a frightful-sounding injury scare, Justin Wright-Foreman offered some promise in scoring all 17 of his points in the second half and Brian Bernardi had a second straight solid game. But what is wrong with Rokas Gustys—how nuts is it that we say this about a Dutchmen big when he DOESN’T compile a double-double—and why do the Dutchmen approach playing defense like I do cleaning the living room?

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Manhattan, 11/18)

3: Justin Wright-Foreman

2: Brian Bernardi

1: Eli Pemberton

SEASON STANDINGS

Eli Pemberton 7

Brian Bernardi 4

Justin Wright-Foreman 3

Rokas Gustys 3

Deron Powers 1

OVER THE AIR

The Gulf Coast Showcase will air the game on its YouTube account. Hofstra will also air the WRHU feed here.

LOOKING TO GET BACK TO .500

Hofstra is looking to start 2-2 for the first time since 2012-13 and the fourth time in the CAA era.

Joe Mihalich-coached teams have opened 2-2 five times (1998-99, 2001-02, 2005-06, 2010-11, 2012-13).

BRADLEY AND THE MVC

This will be the first-ever meeting in men’s basketball between Hofstra and Bradley and only the fifth meeting ever in any sport. The Hofstra softball team beat Bradley 7-4 and 3-2 in the Unconquered Invitational at Florida State on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 of this year. The Hofstra volleyball team beat Bradley 3-2 in 2010 and 3-0 in 1988.

Bradley is 1-2 this season. Among its losses is a 63-49 defeat at the hands of Hofstra’s CAA rival, Delaware. 

Hofstra is 3-3 all-time against current Missouri Valley Conference schools. This is the second straight year the Dutchmen will face a MVC foe. Indiana State scored the last eight points in the final 1:50 to edge the Dutchmen 67-66 last Nov. 23 (52 weeks ago today). All six games Hofstra has played against the MVC have come in pre- or post-season tournament play.

PRESEASON TOURNAMENTS

Hofstra is 18-21 in preseason tournament play in the CAA era. The Dutchmen participated in two tournaments last season, when they beat Appalachian State 86-80 in the Holiday Festival and went 1-2 in the Paradise Jam with a win over Florida State and losses to South Carolina and Indiana State.

DOUBLE VISION

Eli Pemberton scored 15 points in Friday’s 80-68 loss to Manhattan. He is just the second Hofstra freshman in the CAA era to score at least 10 points in each of his first three games. In 2004-05, Antoine Agudio opened his career by scoring 20 points against Florida International, 13 points against LaSalle and 22 points against Binghamton. Agudio also reached double digits in his fourth game, when he scored 14 points against James Madison.

GUSTYS HITS THE TOP 20

Junior Rokas Gustys pulled down eight rebounds Friday night to close within one rebound of Percy Johnson for 18th place on Hofstra’s all-time list. Gustys is also just eight rebounds behind Rich Laurel for 17th place. 

17.) Rich Laurel, 647

18.) Percy Johnson, 640

19.) ROKAS GUSTYS, 639

20.) Greg Washington, 629

BERNARDI CLOSING IN ON FOURTH FOR THREES

Senior Brian Bernardi hit one 3-pointer Friday night and now has 186 in his two-plus seasons at Hofstra. He is just four behind Rick Apodaca for fourth place all-time and six behind Norman Richardson for third place.

3.) Norman Richardson, 192

4.) Rick Apodaca, 190

5.) BRIAN BERNARDI, 186

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

Cheap Trick bias! (The band formed in Rockford, less than three hours away from Bradley’s campus in Peoria)

You lost two national title games to CCNY bias! (CCNY became the only school to win the NIT and NCAA titles in the same year when it beat Bradley in both the NIT and NCAA championship games in 1950 GOOGLE IT CRAIN)

You won a CBI game bias! (Bradley made the championship series in the inaugural that of which we do not speak tournament)

Charley Steiner bias! (The great former ESPN anchor and current Dodgers broadcaster graduated from Bradley)