I was totally going to go with Corbin Burnes as the picture here, but who can resist yet another 1980s Topps card? Also, I didn't know until just now that Tom Candiotti was ever with the Brewers.
Four down, who wants next? The Flying Dutchmen’s bid for an unbeaten season remained intact Thursday night, when they overcame a 14-point deficit and beat San Jose State, 85-76. The really big test arrives tonight, when the Dutchmen are slated to visit West Coast Conference powerhouse and perennial NCAA Tournament contender Saint Mary’s. Here’s a look back at the win over the Spartans and a look ahead to the Gaels (but not the ones from Iona).
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Aaron Estrada scored 27 points and provided the finishing touches on game-ending 42-22 run for the Dutchmen that turned a 13-point deficit into the most lopsided victory of the season (and a win at the books, if you know what we mean). A jumper by San Jose State’s Alvaro Cardenas gave the Spartans a 56-43 lead with 13:23 left, but Tyler Thomas (15 points) started the decisive surge by hitting a jumper and a 3-pointer. Following a basket by Robert Vaihola the Dutchmen went on a 10-0 run and tied the game at 58-58 on a layup by German Plotnikov with 7:09 remaining. Sage Tolbert hit one of two free throws for the Spartans before Plotnikov drained a 3-pointer to put the Dutchmen ahead for good. San Jose State got within one once more, but 3-pointers by Amar’e Marshall and Estrada bookended a 9-0 run that extended the lead to 74-64 with 1:13 left. The Dutchmen iced the win by going 11-of-12 from the free throw line the rest of the way, a stretch in which Estrada sank all six of his attempts. Estrada added five assists, three rebounds and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Nelson Boachie-Yiadom had another Ironman performance in the paint, playing a career-high 37 minutes and collecting eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks, one of which led to Thomas’ 3-pointer. Plotnikov (12 points) and Marshall (nine points) were each productive in a combined 39 minutes off the bench.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. San Jose State, 11/17)
3: Aaron Estrada
2: Nelson Boachie-Yiadom
1: Tyler Thomas
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 9
Tyler Thomas 6
Darlinstone Dubar 4
Jaquan Carlos 3
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 2
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! The Dutchmen previously won games by scores of 86-77 (over legendary ECC rival Chicago State) and 86-76 (over legendary CAA rival George Mason) as well as by scores of 85-75 and 85-77 — as well as 83-78 and 85-80 just in the last eight days! But they’d never won by an 85-76 score until Thursday night. Hooray!
This is the Flying Dutchmen’s third straight unicorn score victory and third unicorn score victory of the season. The Dutchmen recorded 11 unicorn score victories last season after recording no unicorn scores in 2020-21, 13 unicorn scores in 2019-20 and 10 unicorn scores in 2018-19. The term unicorn score was coined by Mets superfan, historian and blogger Greg Prince to describe a score by which the Mets had never previously won. You may also know it as a “Scorigami,” a term popularized in the NFL.
11/11/22: 83-78 over Iona
11/14/22: 85-80 over George Washington
11/17/22: 85-76 over San Jose State
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
As you may have surmised by now, German Plotnikov hit the basket that put the Dutchmen ahead for good by draining that 3-pointer with 6:32 left in the game. It is the earliest a Hofstra player has ever hit a known Keith Hernandez dating back to *flips calendar* when we began this feature last week.
Jaquan Carlos tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Princeton, 11/7/22 (1:11 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Iona, 11/11/22 (:35.2 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead layup vs. George Washington, 11/14/22 (5:09 left 2H)
German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. San Jose State. 11/17/22 (6:32 left 2H)
Four games, four wins, four different Keith Hernandezes, none the reigning CAA Player of the Year. Pretty good!
The Keith Hernandez is bestowed upon the player who scores the points that put the Dutchmen ahead for good in a victory. The stat pays homage to Hernandez, the World Series-winning Cardinals and Mets first baseman who had a record 129 game-winning RBIs when the stat was inexplicably discontinued after the 1988 season.
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER FOUR GAMES
As you may have gathered by now, the Dutchmen are 4-0. This ties the 2022-23 team for the best record in school history through four games! Eleven other teams began 3-0, most recently the 2004-05 squad. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through four games:
NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 2-2
1976-77: 3-1
1999-2000: 2-2
2000-01: 4-0
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 2-2
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 1-3
2004-05: 4-0
2005-06: 2-1
2006-07: 1-3
2015-16: 3-1
2018-19: 2-2
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 2-2
1961-62: 3-1
1962-63: 2-2
1963-64: 3-1
Other notable four-game starts:
2021-22: 1-3 (most recent 1-3 start)
2020-21: 2-2 (most recent 2-2 start)
2017-18: 3-1 (most recent 3-1 start)
2013-14: 1-3 (Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2010-11: 1-3 (Mo Cassara’s first team)
2002-03: 1-3 (loss in fourth game — to future Ton Pecora employer Quinnipiac — was first loss in eight-game losing streak, tied for the longest of the Tom Pecora era)
2001-02: 3-1 (Tom Pecora’s first team)
1994-95: 1-3 (Jay Wright’s first team)
1993-94: 0-4 (VBK’s last team, most recent 0-4 start)
1982-83: 4-0
1974-75: 2-2 (at .500 for the last time)
1973-74: 0-4
1972-73: 2-2 (at .500 for the last time)
1969-70: 0-4
1960-61: 4-0
1959-60: 4-0
1955-56: 4-0 (Butch van Breda Kolff improves to 4-0)
1954-55: 4-0
1952-53: 4-0
1951-52: 4-0
1948-49: 4-0
1947-48: 4-0 (Frank Reilly improves to 4-0)
1944-45: 2-2 (at .500 for the last time)
1936-37: 2-2 (program is at all-time .500 for the first time — albeit after just four games)
This feature is inspired by Mets superfan and blogger Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.
NUMBER TEN THROUGH THIRTY-SIX
With Thursday night’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 25-11 (.694) as head coach. That’s the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 36 games at the helm.
Paul Lynner 28-8 (.778, 36th game was the sixth game of his second season in 1963-64)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 28-8 (.778, 36th game was the 10th game of his second season in 1956-57)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 25-11 (.694, 36th game was the fourth game of his second season in 2022-23)
Mo Cassara 23-13 (.639, 36th game was the third game of his second season in 2011-12)
Dick Berg 16-20 (.444, 36th game was the ninth game of his second season in 1981-82)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 16-20 (.444, 36th game was the seventh game of his second season in 1989-90)
Tom Pecora 13-23 (.361, 36th game was the fourth game of his second season in 2002-03)
Jay Wright 13-23 (.361, 35th game was the eighth game of his second season in 1995-96)
Joe Mihalich 12-24 (.333, 36th game was the third game of his second season in 2013-14)
Roger Gaeckler 9-27 (.250, 36th game was the 12th game of his second season in 1973-74)
The records are incomplete for Jack McDonald’s first stint from 1936 through 1943 as well as the tenures of Jack Smith (1943-46) and Frank Reilly (1947-55).
Three coaches had one-season tenures lasting fewer than 33 games at Hofstra. McDonald went 18-6 in the lone season of his second stint in 1946-47 while Joe Harrington went 14-14 in 1979-80 and Mike Farrelly went 13-10 in 2020-21.
FINALLY!
The Dutchmen beat San Jose State in a sporting competition for the first time ever Thursday night. Of course, the schools only played each other three times previously, twice in volleyball in the mid-‘90s and in men’s basketball in the 2019-20 season opener. Still. Revenge!
DOUBLE DIGIT COMEBACK
The win over San Jose State marked the first time this season the Dutchmen have overcome a double-digit deficit in a win and the first time they’ve done so since Feb, 19, when they trailed Northeastern by 11 points in the second half of a 76-73 victory. The Dutchmen had two comebacks from double-digit deficits last season. They trailed Bucknell by 10 points in the first half of an 88-69 victory on Dec. 4.
The comeback from a 14-point deficit was the biggest by the Dutchmen since they overcame a 16-point first-half deficit in a 75-71 win over Northeastern on Feb. 8, 2020. In addition, the 13-point second half deficit overcome by the Dutchmen was their biggest second half comeback since Dec. 28, 2019, when the Dutchmen trailed by 13 points in the second half of an 82-76 win over James Madison.
EXCELLENT ESTRADA
Aaron Estrada had another big game Thursday, when he scored a game-high 27 points. It marked the third time in four games this season he’s scored at least 27 points — the most such games in the nation entering today’s games. Ten other players have scored at least 27 points in two games, including Detroit Mercy bucket maker Antoine Davis.
In addition, the 27-point game Thursday marked the ninth time Estrada has scored at least 25 points since the start of last season, That’s tied for the 16th-most 25-point efforts with players including St. John’s’ Julian Champagnie, who went pro after last season, and Michigan All-American center Hunter Dickinson.
AARON 1K
Aaron Estrada’s prolific pace has him within range of reaching 1,000 points in a career that includes previous stops at Saint Peter’s and Oregon. Estrada has 945 points, which leaves him *does the math* 55 points shy of 1,000. None of us would mind if he got to 1,000 points tonight. He has 690 points in just 36 games at Hofstra. It would be REALLY impressive if he reached both 1,000 career points and 1,000 points at Hofstra tonight.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Redshirt senior Tyler Thomas scored in double digits for the third straight game Thursday, when he finished with 15 points. Thomas has 64 points in his first four games — the fifth-most points a newcomer has collected in his first four games since 2013-14, which was Joe Mihalich’s first season as head coach. Thomas ranks behind the late great Zeke Upshaw (83 points in the first four games of the 2013-14 season) as well as Juan’ya Green (79 points in the first four games of the 2014-15 season), Zach Cooks (79 points in the first four games of the 2021-22 season) and Eli Pemberton (68 points in the first four games of the 2016-17 season). Thomas’ pace is ahead of the one set last year by Aaron Estrada, who had 52 points in his first four games before emerging as the Dutchmen’s go-to scorer.
MARATHON MAN
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, manning the five with Warren Williams sidelined, played a career-high 37 minutes Thursday. That broke his previous career-high of 36 minutes set against Iona on Nov. 11, which in turn shattered his pre-Hofstra career-high of 27 minutes, set while Boachie-Yiadom was playing for Davidson against La Salle on Feb. 25, 2020. The 37 minutes are the most by a Hofstra center since Isaac Kante played 37 minutes in the CAA championship game win over Northeastern on Mar. 10, 2020. Boachie-Yiadom played as many as 37 minutes combined over a two-game stretch just 20 times over his four seasons at Davidson.
EIGHT SQUARED
One game after finishing with seven points and seven rebounds against George Washington, Nelson Boachie-Yiadom set season highs Thursday night with eight points and eight rebounds. It was his most prolific all-around game since Feb. 14, 2020, when Boachie-Yiadom posted his lone career double-double by collecting 11 points and 10 rebounds for Davidson against St. Bonaventure. Boachie-Yiadom scored exactly eight points six times in the subsequent 63 games since then but hadn’t pulled down eight rebounds until Thursday.
ENTRENCHED OFF THE BENCH
Junior German Plotnikov and freshman Amar’e Marshall continued establishing themselves as the sixth and seventh men for the Dutchmen Thursday, when Plotnikov finished with 12 points and Marshall added nine points. It was the third time Plotnikov has scored at least nine points this season and the second time Marshall has done so. Only six other players have at least two games in which they’ve scored at least nine points in a reserve role for the Dutchmen since the start of the 2019-20 season, Omar Silverio did it 19 times while Zach Cooks did it six times and Kvonn Cramer and Jalen Ray had four such games. Jarrod Simmons scored at least nine points off the bench three times last season and Vukasin Masic did it twice in 2020-21.
NOSTALGIC 3-POINT PLAYS (AND A BRIEF MUSICAL INTERLUDE REGARDING THEM)
As those of you who follow me on Twitter (for now anyway!) know, I often use the term “nostalgic 3-point play” and post a video of a hit song from the 1984-85 college basketball season whenever a player drains a free throw after being fouled on a successful field goal attempt. It’s a homage to good friend and mentor Mike Litos, who agrees with me that it’s sort of funny to use the term “old-fashioned 3-point play” for something that has been a part of the game for so long. But not as long as I’ve thought! I found out last off-season that the NCAA added the 3-point line for the 1986-87 season, not the 1985-86 season as I’ve been thinking since, well, 1985-86. I always thought the 3-point field goal was added along with the shot clock, but the shot clock was the only feature implemented for the 1985-86 season…which means I should have been posting videos of hit songs from the 1985-86 season (the last one without a 3-point field goal) this whole time!
The good news is I was starting to run out of even semi-recognizable songs from 1984-85, so there’s a plethora of hit songs from 1985-86 to choose from now! And of course I kicked things off #WrongSportsAnalogy with a hit from my favorite band Night Ranger, whose song “Four In The Morning” peaked at no. 19 in October 1985 and was still on the Hot 100 as the college basketball season approached in November. It’s a bit of a stretch but folks I’m always gonna err on the side of getting Night Ranger in here somehow someway. Thanks to my friends at the Fans In Motion Facebook page for confirming when “Four In The Morning” appeared on the charts.
Four in the morning is also when I do my best work here.
Anyway, the Dutchmen have three nostalgic 3-point plays this season after Nelson Boachie-Yiadom converted the and-on with 9:21 left in the second half Thursday. German Plotnikov (6:55 left in the first half) and Darlinstone Dubar (13:04 left in the second half) each had one against Iona.
PLEADING FOR A FIFTH
The Dutchmen are looking to improve to 5-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season and the 11th time in program history.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game is slated to be carried live on the WCC Network. I have no idea if WCC Network is a subscription service. Guess we’ll find out together, just like we found out together on Thursday that Watch Stadium was free! Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SAINT MARY'S AND THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE
Saint Mary’s, under 22nd-year head coach Randy Bennett, is 4-0 this season after beating Southern, 72-54, on Wednesday night. The Gaels haven’t trailed in either of their last two wins and have yet to face a deficit of more than four points this season. This is the fifth straight home game for the Gaels, who will leave California just twice during the non-conference season. Not a mid-major! And also not too bad for a program that was 1-27 in the year before Bennett’s arrival.
Saint Mary’s was picked to finish second in the 10-team West Coast Conference behind a scrappy outfit called Gonzaga, which I don’t think anyone has ever heard of. Freshman guard Aidan Mahaney leads the Gaels with 13.3 points per game despite coming off the bench in the first four games. Junior center Mitchell Saxen is averaging 13.0 points and a team-high 9.3 points per game while senior forward Alex Ducas (12.3 points per game) and graduate senior guard Logan Johnson (10.8 points per game) are also averaging at least 10 points per game. Senior forward Kyle Bowen ranks second on the team with 7.5 rebounds per game.
The Dutchmen and Gaels have no common opponents.
This is the first meeting between Hofstra and Saint Mary’s in men’s basketball and just the third meeting in any sport. The Saint Mary’s volleyball team is 2-0 against Hofstra with a 3-1 win on Sept. 9, 1995 and a 3-1 win almost exactly 13 years later on Sept. 8, 2018. Once again, it’s time for revenge!
The Dutchmen are 1-7 all-time against current West Coast Conference schools. The lone win was an 80-67 win over Santa Clara in the Cougar Classic at Brigham Young on Dec. 14, 1984, back when Brigham Young was not in the WCC and seven days before the BYU football team locked up the national championship with a 24-17 win over Michigan. Seriously, a non-power conference team won a national championship by capping an unbeaten season with a win in a non-New Years Day bowl and it was really cool. Also, once again, Robbie Bosco bias! Tonight marks Hofstra’s first game against a WCC school since a 79-69 loss to San Diego on Nov. 27, 2019. A scheduled game against San Francisco in 2020-21 fell through due to the pandemic.
At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 122nd while Saint Mary’s is ranked 23rd. The Gaels are the highest-ranked KenPom.com opponent for th Dutchmen since the 2021-22 season opener, when the Dutchmen fell to then-no, 11 Houston, 83-75, in overtime. KenPom.com predicts a 76-63 loss for the Dutchmen. What does he know anyway? Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 13-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 3-1 against the spread this season.
A REALLY BIG GAME
How big a game? It’s one of just three games today pitting unbeaten teams, along with Maryland-Saint Louis and Providence-Miami (FL). Why can’t Providence get coaches like Jim Larranaga? The Hofstra-Saint Mary’s game was ranked third — behind the aforementioned games — on the list of today’s top games by national college basketball writer Jeff Goodman.
And while Hofstra’s played higher-ranked teams in non-conference action over the last 18 years, this is almost undoubtedly the Dutchmen’s biggest non-conference game since the 2004-05 team went into Syracuse with a 9-0 record on Dec. 30, 2004. With me, my wife and two friends sitting in the last row of the Carrier Dome, the Dutchmen had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final minute of an 80-75 loss. Saint Mary’s, which has made eight NCAA Tournaments under Bennett and has been a top-50 KenPom.com program in seven of the last eight seasons, presents a similar statement opportunity for the Dutchmen.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Tom Candiotti bias! (The knuckleballer went to Saint Mary’s)
Corbin Burnes bias! (Been sitting on that one for MONTHS, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner and Brewers ace went to Saint Mary’s)
Von Hayes bias! (The super underrated ‘80s baseball star and favorite of Mac from “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” went to — you can probably see where this is going — Saint Mary’s)
Patty Mills bias! (One of the few sane members of the Nets went to Saint Mary’s)
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