Not that Humpty.
A classic CAA game ended in gut-punch fashion Saturday afternoon for the Flying Dutchmen, who led for the first 38-plus minutes before falling to resurgent James Madison, 93-89. That one stung. The Dutchmen will hope to salvage a split of the weekend series this afternoon, when they are scheduled to face the Dukes again. Here’s a look back at the loss to James Madison and a hopeful look ahead to the game against…James Madison. (it’ll be really bad if this ever stops being weird)
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Tareq Coburn tied a career-high with 28 points and Jalen Ray had 26 points, but the two-man show could not overcome a blistering second half by James Madison, which overcame a 12-point first-half deficit by scoring 53 points after intermission. The Dutchmen led by as many as 10 in the second half and led 81-75 following a layup by Ray with 3:35 left before the Dukes ended the game on an 18-8 run in which they hit their final seven shots. Michael Christmas’ 3-pointer gave James Madison its first lead at 82-81 with 1:44 left. Ray drained a jumper on the Dutchmen’s next trip but Terrence Edwards responded on the other end as the Dukes took the lead for good. The Dutchmen cut a six-point deficit to two in the final 25 seconds and had a chance to tie with under three seconds to go, but Omar Silverio missed both free throws with under three seconds left. Coburn and Ray had the Dutchmen’s final 10 points and 31 of the 43 second-half points overall. Coburn added seven rebounds and four steals. Caleb Burgess had seven points and eight assists but also committed seven turnovers and fouled out. Isaac Kante was double-teamed most of the afternoon and had just six points and eight rebounds.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. James Madison 2/13)
3: Tareq Coburn
2: Jalen Ray
1: Caleb Burgess
SEASON STANDINGS
Jalen Ray 36
Isaac Kante 29
Tareq Coburn 24
Caleb Burgess 16
KVonn Cramer 11
Omar Silverio 3
Kevin Schutte 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY GAMES
With Saturday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 12-8, which is tied for the 27th-best start in school history. Hey, that’s the same place they were after 19 games! Six other teams have opened 12-8, most recently the 2017-18 squad. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 20 games.
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 10-10 (loss in 20th game was final regular season loss)
1976-77: 14-6
1999-2000: 15-5
2000-01: 16-4 (marked eighth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 14-6
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 13-7
2004-05: 14-6
2005-06: 16-4 (most recent 16-4 start)
2006-07: 15-5 (most recent 15-5 start)
2015-16: 14-6
2018-19: 17-3 (marked 13th win in the 16-game winning streak)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 15-5
1961-62: 18-2 (most recent 18-2 start)
1962-63: 14-6
1963-64: 17-3
Some other notable 20-game records:
2016-17: 9-11 (most recent 9-11 start; loss in 20th game marked final loss of Mihalich-era record six-game losing streak)
2013-14: 7-13 (most recent 7-13 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-15 (most recent 5-15 start)
2008-09: 13-7 (most recent 13-7 start)
2007-08: 6-14 (most recent 6-14 start)
2003-04: 8-12 (most recent 8-12 start)
2001-02: 9-11 (Tom Pecora’s first team)
1996-96: 10-10 (most recent 10-10 start, last time at .500)
1995-96: 7-18 (loss in 20th game marked sixth loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 6-14 (win in 20th game marked final win of three-game winning streak, the first streak in Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 3-17 (only 3-17 start)
1991-92: 12-8 (win in 20th game was first in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 11-9 (most recent 11-9 start)
1987-88: 4-16 (only 4-16 start, loss in 20th game was 10th loss of program-record 12-game losing streak)
1959-60: 19-1 (most recent 19-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 20th game was ninth win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1944-45: 8-12 (win in penultimate game was final win of season)
1940-41: 13-7 (won regular season finale)
Hofstra has never been 20-0, 2-18, 1-19 or 0-20 through 20 games.
Six seasons were completed in fewer than 20 games:
1936-37: 10-7
1937-38: 10-4
1938-39: 10-8
1943-44: 7-12
1945-46: 12-7
1947-48: 13-6
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1957-58.
This feature is inspired by Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.
TWENTY GAMES, NO TWENTY-POINT GAMES
Have you noticed the Dutchmen haven’t really played in a lopsided game yet this season? Each of their first 20 games have been decided by 18 points or fewer, which is the longest season-opening streak in the country. Going back to last year, the Dutchmen’s last 30 games have been decided by 18 points or fewer. They were last in a game decided by more than 18 points on Feb. 1, 2020, when the Dutchmen rolled to an 83-60 win over William & Mary.
Expanding it a bit to games decided by 20 points or fewer only drops the Dutchmen into second place in terms of both 2020-21 streaks and active streaks dating back to last year. All 21 of Northern Kentucky’s games this season have been decided by 20 points or fewer while South Florida’s last 33 games have been decided by 20 points or fewer.
Overall this season, 16 schools have yet to play a game decided by more than 20 points. Given that this is 2020-21, the number of games those schools have played is all over the map. Here’s the full list:
Northern Kentucky 21
HOFSTRA 20
Hampton 19
Indiana State 18
Butler 18
UMBC 17
NJIT 15
Quinnipiac 14
Cincinnati 13
St. Francis (NY) 13
South Florida 12
Albany 12
Massachusetts 11
Siena 10
Loyola (MD) 8
American 4
IT’S NOT HOW YOU START, IT’S HOW YOU FINISH
The Dutchmen lost Saturday despite not trailing for the first 38:16. It was the longest the Dutchmen have gone before falling behind in an eventual loss since Nov. 19, 2013, when they fell behind for the first time 34 seconds into overtime of a 74-63 loss to Richmond. That, of course, was the breakout game for the late great Zeke Upshaw.
DOUBLE (DIGIT) JEOPARDY
The Dutchmen squandered a double-digit lead for the second time this season. Northeastern overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Dutchmen, 81-78, in overtime Jan. 7. The Dutchmen lost two games in which they held double-digit leads last season, when they led San Diego by 10 points in the first half of a 79-69 loss on Nov. 27, 2019 and led Delaware by 10 points in the first half of a 73-71 loss on Jan. 23, 2020.
EIGHTY’S NOT ENOUGH
The Dutchmen lost a game in which they scored at least 80 points for the first time since Feb. 23, 2019, when they fell to…yup, James Madison 104-99 in overtime. Maybe don’t score 80 points against James Madison anymore? In between the losses to the Dukes, the Dutchmen won 17 straight games in which they scored at least 80 points.
THREE IS USUALLY BETTER THAN TWO
Tareq Coburn and Jalen Ray were the only Hofstra players to score in double figures Saturday. It marked the seventh time this season the Dutchmen have had two or fewer players score in double figures, which matches the number of times it happened in the previous two seasons combined. The Dutchmen are 3-4 this season when two or fewer players score in double figures — the same record they had in games in which two or fewer players scored in double figures the previous two seasons.
HOW MANY PLAYERS SCORED IN THE FIRST HALF?
In a bit of Alanis-esque irony, a game that ended with the Dutchmen needing a third scorer began with nine players scoring at least one point in the first half. It was the first time the Dutchmen have had nine players score in the first half since a 107-54 win over Division III Rosemont on Dec. 22, 2018 and the first time they’ve had nine players score in the first half against a Division I opponent since a 79-61 win over Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 9, 2018. The Dutchmen had 10 players score in the second half of a 102-61 win over Elon on Feb. 7, 2019.
COBURN BABY BURN
Tareq Coburn matched his season- and career-high by scoring 28 points Saturday. He also had 28 points against Iona on Dec. 5 and 28 points against Monmouth on Dec. 15. Coburn has scored at least 20 points five times this season after scoring at least 20 points five times combined in his first two seasons with Hofstra.
COBURN HITS THE TOP TEN
Tareq Coburn hit five 3-pointers Saturday to increase his career total to 165, which vaulted him past Jason Hernandez (160) for 10th place on Hofstra’s all-time list. Charles Jenkins is ninth with 180 3-pointers.
RAY MOVIN’ ON UP
Jalen Ray continued his streak of gaining ground on the Hofstra all-time scoring list Saturday, when his 26 points lifted Ray post Roberto Gittens into 21st place. Ray will need a career-best game this afternoon, though, in order to keep the streak going. He needs 32 points to surpass Mike Tilley for 20th place.
20.) Mike Tilley 1,286
21.) JALEN RAY 1,255
21.) Roberto Gittens 1,240
23.) Carlos Rivera 1,225
24t.) Demetrius Dudley 1,220
24t.) John Mills 1,220
26t.) Juan’ya Green 1,186
26t.) Brian Bernardi 1,186
28.) Rokas Gustys 1,184
29.) Ted Jackson 1,159
30.) Nathaniel Lester 1,139
31.) Wandy Williams 1,132
32.) Mike Moore 1,128
33.) Richie Swartz 1,107
34.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090
35.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
36.) Darius Burton 1,060
37.) Percy Johnson 1,045
38.) James Shaffer, 1,022
39.) John Irving 1,018
Since joining the 1,000-point club on Dec. 22, Ray has gained at least a half-spot on the all-time scoring list in every game.
Dec. 22: Tied for 38th place
Jan. 2: 38th place
Jan. 3: 37th place
Jan. 7: 36th place
Jan. 9: 35th place
Jan. 15: 34th place
Jan. 17: 33rd place
Jan. 23: 29th place
Jan. 24: Tied for 28th place
Jan. 30: 28th place
Jan. 31: 25th place
Feb. 6: 23rd place
Feb. 7: 22nd place
Feb. 13: 21st place
THE FRESHMAN 183
Forgot about the freshman scoring list until this week, but Kvonn Cramer is the first freshman to score at least 100 points since Eli Pemberton scored 397 points in 2016-17. With eight points Saturday, Cramer moved past Shemiye McLendon into 11th place among Hofstra freshmen in the CAA era. He is seven points away from surpassing Nathaniel Lester for 10th place.
1.) Antoine Agudio, 452 (2004-05)
2.) Charles Jenkins, 436 (2007-08)
3.) Kenny Adeleke, 433 (2001-02)
4.) Eli Pemberton, 297 (2016-17)
5.) Loren Stokes, 374 (2003-04)
6.) Chaz Williams, 325 (2009-10)
7.) Jamall Robinson, 312 (2013-14)
8.) Halil Kanacevic, 294 (2009-10)
9.) Carlos Rivera, 226 (2003-04)
10.) Nathaniel Lester, 189 (2007-08)
11.) KVONN CRAMER, 183 (2020-21)
12.) Shemiye McLendon, 178 (2010-11)
13.) Wendell Gibson, 153 (2001-02)
14.) Jordan Allen, 152 (2012-13)
15.) Chris Jenkins, 151 (2013-14)
16.) Rokas Gustys, 140 (2014-15)
17.) Mike Radziejewski, 138 (2001-02)
18.) Aurimas Kieza, 126 (2002-03)
19.) Woody Souffrant, 110 (2001-02)
20.) Moussa Kone, 100 (2011-12)
OVER THE AIR
Today’s game will be aired on FloHoops.com (subscription required). Hofstra will provide a radio feed and live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING JAMES MADISON
The Dukes, under first-year head coach Mark Byington, are 12-5 this season and 7-1 in CAA play after Saturday's win. James Madison is a half-game behind first-place Northeastern.
The Dutchmen and Dukes had no common foes in non-league play.
The Dutchmen, who were picked first in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 168th at KenPom.com, a drop of two spots since yesterday. The Dukes, who were picked ninth, are ranked 175th, up two spots.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in offensive efficiency (106.4) and seventh in defensive efficiency (106.3). The Dukes are fourth in the CAA in offensive efficiency (103.0) and fourth in defensive efficiency (103.4).
Senior guard Matt Lewis, the preseason CAA player of the year, had a team-high 20 points, seven assists and three steals Saturday and leads the Dukes with 20.5 points and 3.8 assists per game while ranking second with 4.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Michael Christmas had 16 points and eight rebounds Saturday while freshman forward Justin Amadi (15 points) and sophomore forward Julien Wooden (13 points) each got into double figures. Junior guard Vado Morse is averaging 13.1 ppg while Amadi, one of two freshman starters for James Madison, is pulling down a team-high 5.3 rpg.
KenPom.com predicts a 77-76 loss for the Dutchmen. (He projected a 76-74 loss yesterday) Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 2-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 9-11 against the spread this season, including 4-9 in CAA play, after the last-second dunk by Amadi turned a push into a James Madison cover. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
ALL-TIME VS. JAMES MADISON
Hofstra is 22-14 against James Madison in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Dutchmen are trying to avoid being swept for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Humpty Dance bias! (Humpty Hitchens has nothing to do with that, but who can ignore an opportunity to post The Humpty Dance?)
New home court bias! (Totally forgot about that yesterday)
Preemptive CAA Tournament home court bias! (What could poss-i-bly go wrong with a Virginia-based team having a home court advantage in the tournament?)
Mark Byington wore a hat into his first meeting with Jerry Wainwright bias! (True story, per the most recent CAA Zoom coaches call)
