I'll Be Quirky: Manhattan

A very quick I’ll Be Quirky today because I spent most of the day tending to Molly, who has strep throat. Poor kid. That’s no fun. I’ll have the recaps of Rider and Manhattan later in the week or prior to the SUNY-Stony Brook game.

MANHATTAN AND THE MAAC

Manhattan, under eighth-year head coach Steve Masiello, is 2-6 this season and has lost three straight games, including last Wednesday, when the Jaspers fell to SUNY-Stony Brook, 69-62.

Manhattan was picked to finish eighth in the MAAC this season. Junior forward Pauly Paulicap, who was selected to the preseason all-MAAC second team, missed the first five games of the season but is averaging a team-high 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game since his return. 

Thanks to the Dutchmen’s MAAC-heavy non-conference schedule, Hofstra and Manhattan have five common foes this season. In addition to losing to SUNY-Stony Brook, Manhattan opened its season by falling to Elon, 62-56, on Nov. 6. The Dutchmen have already beaten Siena, Monmouth and Rider. Manhattan will play all three schools twice apiece in conference play. 

This is the second straight season Hofstra is facing four MAAC opponents. Last year marked the first time the Dutchmen faced four teams from one league in the non-conference schedule since 1993-94, when the Dutchmen, who were really known as the Dutchmen back then, played four North Atlantic Conference foes in the program’s final pre-NAC season.

Hofstra is 22-42 all-time against Manhattan and has faced the Jaspers more than any other non-conference foe. Manhattan ran its winning streak in the series to five games in the most recent meeting between the schools last Dec. 20, when the Jaspers eked out a 63-61 win in a Hofstra “home” game at Adelphi (very weird). Joe Mihalich, who coached in the MAAC for Niagara for 15 years, is 19-16 all-time against Manhattan. 

At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 124th while Manhattan is ranked 308th. KenPom.com predicts a 68-62 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 7.5-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 8-2 against the spread this season.

Hofstra is 98-118 all-time against current MAAC schools. This marks the 12th time in the last 13 seasons the Dutchmen have played at least two MAAC schools (the 2014-15 schedule had no MAAC teams).

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

All your broadcasters are Hofstra guys bias! (Connor Giblin followed in the footsteps of Christian “Dawson” Heimall by serving as the Jaspers’ PBP man)

Jaden Daly likes UNC bias! (The former Jaspers broadcaster is a friend of the blog)

Rich Williams played in the NCAA Tournament bias! (The former Hofstra recruit had a solid career with Manhattan)

You are on a hill bias! (It’s late and Manhattan College is on a hill)