Show us Dragons! But only once this regular season, grumble grumble.
The Flying Dutchmen’s first conference road trip to New Jersey went about as well as possible Saturday afternoon, when they mounted another wire-to-wire win in cruising past Monmouth 86-57. The Dutchmen will again look to extend their winning streak and maintain their share of first place in the CAA tonight, when they are slated to host Drexel in the only regular season game between the longtime rivals. Really? Really. Thanks realignment! Here’s a look back at the win over the Hawks and a look ahead to the Dragons.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Tyler Thomas (23 points) had another strong game for the Dutchmen, who scored the first 10 points of the game and were never threatened thereafter on their way to a convincing win over Monmouth. After the teams combined to miss their first seven shots, Darlinstone Dubar hit a second-chance layup to spark the game-opening run, during which he scored five points. Monmouth scored six of the next eight points before the Dutchmen went on a 16-0 run in which German Plotnikov scored five points. The Dutchmen led 37-16 at the half and only a dunk by Andrew Ball off a Jaquan Carlos turnover just before the buzzer kept Monmouth from posting the fewest points in a half against the Dutchmen in more than 17 years. The Dutchmen led by at least 19 points throughout the second half and held a trio of 32-point leads. Thomas was 5-of-12 from 3-point land and added three assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Dubar had 14 points, three rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes. Aaron Estrada posted a decidedly quirky line by finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and seven turnovers in 35 minutes. Jaquan Carlos (six points, seven assists and a team-high eight rebounds) had another brief triple-double flirtation while Plotnikov finished with nine points.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Monmouth, 2/11)
3: Tyler Thomas
2: Jaquan Carlos
1: Darlinstone Dubar
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 49
Tyler Thomas 39
Darlinstone Dubar 25
Jaquan Carlos 22
Warren Williams 10
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 7
Amar’e Marshall 6
German Plotnikov 2
Bryce Washington 1
Griffin Barrouk 1
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! The Dutchmen previously earned wins by scores of 85-56, 86-56 and 86-58 as well as 85-55, 85-56 and 85-57. But never 86-57 before Saturday!
This is the Flying Dutchmen’s fifth unicorn score victory in their last six games and their 10th 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
12/22/22: 96-48 over Old Westbury
1/11/23: 77-57 over Monmouth
1/26/23: 82-65 over Not Twitter Guy
1/28/23: 85-81 over Charleston
2/2/23: 76-72 over Towson
2/8/23: 72-53 over Northeastern
2/11/23: 86-57 over Monmouth
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Darlinstone Dubar hit the layup that put the Dutchmen ahead for good at *double checks* 2-0 with 18:14 left in the first half. It was the third Keith Hernandez for Dubar, vaulting him into third place all-time in this statistic since it began being tabulated way back in November. The Dutchmen have collected three straight Keith Hernandezes in the first half, each earlier than the one before it. If these trends continue…
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)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. UNC Greensboro, 11/26/22 (14:56 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada go-ahead jumper vs. Quinnipiac, 11/27/22 (17:28 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Old Westbury, 12/22/22 (19:02 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Delaware, 12/29/22 (19:42 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Hampton, 1/5/23 (19:27 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking jumper vs. William & Mary, 1/7/23 (8:37 left 1H)
German Plotnikov tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Monmouth, 1/11/23 (7:50 left 1H)
Warren Williams tie-breaking nostalgic 3-pointer vs. Delaware 1/14/23 (14:28 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking jumper vs. UNC Wilmington, 1/19/23 (19:02 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Not Twitter Guy, 1/26/23 (14:03 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking jumper vs. Charleston, 1/28/23 (15:24 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Towson, 2/2/23 (:58.6 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Stony Brook, 2/4/23 (6:54 left 1H)
Warren Williams free throw vs. Northeastern, 2/8/23 (6:32 left 1H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. Monmouth, 2/11/23 (18:14 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas 7
Aaron Estrada 4
Darlinstone Dubar 3
Warren Williams 2
German Plotnikov 2
Jaquan Carlos 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-SEVEN GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 19-8. This ties the 2022-23 team for the 13th-best record in school history through 27 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have been 19-8 through 27 games since 2015-16 and just the fourth time they’ve opened 19-8 in program history. Speedy Claxton’s been connected to three of those teams! Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 27 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 16-11 (win in 27th game came in ECC Tournament opener and marked fourth win of six-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1976-77: 21-6 (win in 27th game came in ECC Tournament opener and marked seventh win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 21-6 (the 66-57 win over Drexel in 27th game gave the Dutchmen the outright America East regular season championship, most recent 21-6 start)
2000-01: 23-4 (win in 27th game capped regular season and marked 15th win in program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak, tied for best 27-game record)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 20-7 (most recent 20-7 start, win in 27th game was sixth win of eight-game winning streak)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 19-8 (first 19-8 start)
2004-05: 20-7 (win in 27th game came in regular season finale and was sixth win of seven-game winning streak)
2005-06: 22-5 (win in 27th game came in regular season finale)
2006-07: 19-8
2015-16: 19-8
2018-19: 22-5 (most recent 22-5 start)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 20-7 (season ended with third-round loss in NCAAs)
1961-62: 23-4 (won first-round NCAA game for final win of VBK’s first stint, tied for best 27-game record)
1962-63: 21-6 (win in NCAA opener was 10th win of 11-game winning streak, first 21-6 start)
1963-64: 22-5 (won NCAA opener, first 22-5 start)
Some other notable 27-game records:
2021-22: 18-9 (most recent 18-9 start)
2017-18: 16-11 (most recent 16-11 start)
2016-17: 13-14 (most recent 13-14 start)
2014-15: 17-10 (most recent 17-10 start)
2013-14: 8-19 (most recent 8-19 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 6-21 (most recent 6-21 start, tied for worst 27-game record in school history)
2009-10: 14-13 (most recent 14-13 start, over .500 for good)
2007-08: 11-16 (only 11-16 start)
2002-03: 7-20 (most recent 7-20 start, lost regular season finale)
2001-02: 10-17 (most recent 10-17 start, loss in 27th game marked sixth loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1996-97: 12-15 (most recent 12-15 start, season ended w/loss in NAC quarterfinals)
1995-96: 9-18 (most recent 9-18 start, season ended w/loss in NAC outbracket game)
1994-95: 10-17 (beat Maine in NAC outbracket game for final win, Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 7-20 (beat Chicago State to begin ECC Tournament run, VBK’s last year)
1992-93: 9-18 (lost season finale)
1991-92: 19-8 (103-87 win over UMBC in 27th game ended regular season, locked up no. 1 seed in ECC title game & was eighth win in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game, also the final 100-point game for Hofstra until 2010-11)
1990-91: 14-13 (lost regular season finale)
1989-90: 13-14 (won regular season finale)
1988-89: 13-14 (won regular season finale)
1987-88: 6-21 (season ended w/loss in ECC first round, tied for worst 27-game record in school history, final game for Dick Berg)
1986-87: 10-17 (lost regular season finale)
1985-86: 15-12 (only 15-12 start, won regular season finale)
1983-84: 14-13 (won regular season finale)
1982-83: 18-9 (season ended w/loss in ECC first round)
1980-81: 12-15 (season ended w/loss in ECC first round)
1979-80: 14-13 (final win of season, final win for Joe Harrington)
1978-79: 8-19 (lost season finale, final game for Roger Gaeckler)
1977-78: 8-19 (lost season finale)
1952-53: 20-7 (lost season finale, first 20-7 start)
Hofstra has never been 27-0, 26-1, 25-2, 24-3, 5-22, 4-23, 3-24, 2-25, 1-26 or 0-27 through 27 games.
Thirty-two seasons were completed in fewer than 27 games:
1936-37 (10-7)
1937-38 (10-4)
1938-39 (10-8)
1939-40 (12-9)
1940-41 (13-7)
1941-42 (15-6)
1942-43 (15-6)
1943-44 (7-12)
1944-45 (8-13)
1945-46 (12-7)
1947-48 (13-6)
1948-49 (18-8)
1949-50 (17-9)
1953-54 (15-9)
1954-55 (19-7)
1955-56 (22-4)
1956-57 (11-15)
1957-58 (15-8)
1959-60 (23-1)
1960-61 (21-4)
1964-65 (11-14)
1965-66 (16-10)
1966-67 (12-13)
1967-68 (13-12)
1968-69 (12-13)
1969-70 (13-13)
1970-71 (18-8)
1971-72 (11-14)
1972-73 (8-16)
1973-74 (8-16)
1974-75 (11-13)
2020-21 (13-10)
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55.
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.
NUMBER TEN THROUGH FIFTY-NINE
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 40-19 (.678) as head coach. That’s the second-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 59 games at the helm. These last six games mark the highest Claxton has been in the all-time game-to-game standings since he became head coach last season.
Paul Lynner 46-13 (.780, 59th game was the 29th and final game of his second season in 1963-64)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 40-19 (.678, 59th game was the 26th game of his second season in 2022-23)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 37-22 (.627, 59th game was the seventh game of his third season in 1957-58)
Mo Cassara 29-30 (.492, 59th game was the 26th game of his second season in 2011-12)
Dick Berg 28-31 (.475, 59th game was the fourth game of his third season in 1982-83)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 27-32 (.458, 59th game was the second game of his third season in 1989-90)
Joe Mihalich 26-33 (.441, 59th game was the 26th game of his second season in 2014-15)
Jay Wright 22-37 (.373, 59th game was the fourth game of his third season in 1996-97)
Roger Gaeckler 19-40 (.322, 59th game was the 11th game of his third season in 1974-75)
Tom Pecora 19-40 (.322, 59th game was the 27th game of his second season in 2002-03)
Mo Cassara falls under .500 for good. Dick Berg snaps a tie with Butch van Breda Kolff II and moves into sole possession of fifth place. Jay Wright loses for the first time with a freshman point guard named Speedy Claxton, I dunno, maybe this isn't going to work out for anyone involved. And Tom Pecora remains in a tie for ninth (i.e. last) place with Roger Gaeckler.
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 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.
CAN’T STOP THE STREAKING
Been meaning to look this one up since the win over Stony Brook on Feb. 4 and I finally got the chance to do it over the weekend. The Dutchmen have posted a winning streak of at least five games in each of the last five seasons. They are one of only 40 Division I teams with a five-game winning streak in each of the last five seasons and one of 20 mid-majors (defined by me as everyone outside the power six conferences, the American and the West Coast Conference). Pretty neat! Here’s the list, starting with the mid-majors and then including all the other schools from those other boring big leagues.
HOFSTRA
Belmont
Colgate
Furman
Liberty
Louisiana Tech
North Dakota State
North Texas
Saint Louis
Sam Houston State
San Diego State
Santa Clara
Toledo
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
UMBC
Utah State
VCU
Vermont
Western Kentucky
Arizona
Arkansas
Auburn
Baylor
Central Florida
Clemson
Colorado
Creighton
Gonzaga
Houston
Iowa
Kansas
LSU
Michigan State
Saint Mary’s
Tennessee
Texas
Villanova
Wisconsin
Xavier
In addition, 14 teams have yet to post a five-game winning streak this season after doing so in each of the previous four seasons. It’s actually 15 schools, but, uhh, I don’t think New Mexico State is playing again this year. Here’s that list:
Abilene Christian
Bowling Green
Cal Baptist
Florida State
Georgia State
Norfolk State
Northern Kentucky
Ohio State
Oregon
South Dakota State
St. Bonaventure
Texas Southern
Texas State
Wright State
Norfolk State and South Dakota State are each in the midst of four-game winning streaks while Wright State is in the midst of a three-game winning streak.
One more in addition: Ivy League schools Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale all had five-game winning streaks in the two seasons prior to the pandemic shutting down the Ivy League in 2020-21 as well as in each of the last two seasons.
WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
The Dutchmen never trailed Saturday. It was their sixth wire-to-wire win of the season, all of which have happened in CAA play. The Dutchmen earned an 87-73 win over Delaware on Dec. 29 before leading wire-to-wire in a 67-51 win over Hampton on Jan. 5, an 86-62 win over Delaware on Jan. 14, a 70-46 win over UNC Wilmington on Jan. 19 and a 79-58 win over Stony Brook on Feb. 4.
A PERFECT 10
The Dutchmen opened Saturday’s game with a 10-0 run, their longest game-opening run of the season and their longest game-opening run since they scored the first 13 points of a 76-73 win over Charleston on Jan. 27, 2022.
A PRETTY PERFECT 20, TOO
The Dutchmen opened their first 20-point lead when Aaron Estrada hit a layup with 8:05 left in the first half to extend the lead to 26-6. That’s the fastest the Dutchmen have opened up a 20-point lead against a Division I opponent since Feb. 7, 2019, when they led by 20 points for the first time with 13:35 left in the first half of a 102-61 win over Elon. The Dutchmen did open their first 20-point lead against Division III Old Westbury with 9:10 left in the first half of a 96-48 win on Dec. 22.
A PRETTY GOOD HALF
The Dutchmen led 37-16 at the half Saturday. It was their second-biggest halftime lead of the season, behind the 34-point margin enjoyed at 59-25 of the game against Old Westbury on Dec. 22, and their biggest halftime lead against a Division I foe since heading into the locker room with a 56-34 lead against Elon on Feb. 15, 2022. Almost a year ago!
RUN RUNAWAY
The Dutchmen put Saturday’s game away with a 16-0 run later in the first half. I believe that’s the Dutchmen’s longest run since half-spanning 19-0 run against Northeastern in a 67-56 loss on Jan. 9, 2021. That was a weird one.
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST (part one)
The Dutchmen allowed fewer than 60 points for the third straight game while improving to 8-0 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points and winning their 40th straight game when surrendering fewer than 60 points. The Dutchmen last lost when giving up fewer than 60 points on Feb. 10, 2014, when they fell to James Madison, 59-53.
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST (part two)
As you may have just read, the Dutchmen have allowed fewer than 60 points in three straight games. That’s the longest streak for the Dutchmen since a three-game run from Dec. 31, 2014 through Jan. 5, 2015, when they cruised past Central Connecticut 84-56 in the Beach Lineage Bowl, beat UNC Wilmington 68-56 and defeated Delaware 71-58. Spanning two years!
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST (part three)
The Dutchmen gave up just 16 first-half points Saturday, which is tied for the fewest points surrendered in a half by the Dutchmen both this season AND since the 2005-06 season. The Dutchmen also gave up 16 points in the second half of a 70-46 win over UNC Wilmington on Jan. 19. But the Dutchmen just missed a chance at an even more impressive bit of history against Monmouth, which was at 14 points until Andrew Ball dunked off a Jaquan Carlos turnover just before the buzzer. That cost the Dutchmen at posting their stingiest half since Nov. 29, 2005, when they held St. John’s to 11 points in the second half of a 64-51 win. Ha ha no wonder the Red Storm won’t play us anymore.
SEVEN TIMES FIVE
Is still 35! But once again, that’s not the point of this exercise. The Dutchmen had at least seven players finish with at least five points Saturday. Actually, it was seven players finishing with at least six points for the second straight game, but five is a rounder number. Anyway, it’s the fifth time this season the Dutchmen have had seven players score at least five points following well-distributed wins against San Jose State on Nov. 17, Old Westbury on Dec. 22, Delaware on Jan. 14 and Northeastern last Wednesday. Four different months!
GIVE THEM A HAND
The Dutchmen finished with 24 assists Saturday, their most against a Division I opponent since they collected 27 assists in a 104-99 overtime loss to James Madison on Feb. 23, 2019. The Dutchmen last collected at least 24 assists in regulation against a Division I foe on Feb. 7, 2019, when they had 25 assists in a 102-61 win over Elon.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas’ strong season continued Saturday, when he led the Dutchmen with 23 points. It was the eighth 20-point effort of the season for Thomas, his seventh in CAA play and his fifth in the last seven games. It was also the seventh straight game in which Thomas has scored in double figures as well as 13th time in 14 CAA games and the 21st time in 27 games overall.
EASY AS 6-7-8
Jaquan Carlos didn’t come quite as close to a triple-double this time, but he still got more than halfway there in every category by scoring six points, collecting seven assists and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. It’s the second straight game in which Carlos has finished with at least six points, seven rebounds and eight assists — following, of course, his triple-double flirtation against Northeastern last Wednesday. Carlos, Aaron Estrada (twice) and Juan’ya Green (four times) are the only players to have at least six points, seven assists and eight rebounds in a game for the Dutchmen since 2010-11, the first season of the Play Index era at College Basketball Reference.
EASY AS 10-9-8
Some of us may remember 10-9-8 as a one-hit wonder by Face To Face (hi Brodsky!). But it’s also the rebounding totals over the last three games for Jaquan Carlos, which means he’s *carries the one, drops the remainder* got 27 rebounds in that span. Pretty impressive for a 6-foot guard. The 27 rebounds over a three-game span are the most by a Hofstra player in a three-game span this season, exceeding the 26 rebounds collected by Darlinstone Dubar in the first three games from Nov. 7-14, and the most by a Hofstra player since Abayomi Iyiola had 37 rebounds in three games from Dec. 22, 2021 through Jan. 9, 2022. Spanning two years!
D-STONE IN DOUBLE DIGITS
Darlinstone Dubar finished second on the Dutchmen in scoring Saturday afternoon, when he had 14 points. The 14 points were one more than Dubar scored in his previous three games combined and marked just the second time Dubar’s scored in double figures over the last 11 games. Dubar scored in double figures in 12 of the first 17 games this season, a stretch that includes the game against George Mason in which he exited with a head injury after three minutes.
ESTRADA’S DOUBLE-DIGIT STREAK
With his 13 points on Saturday, Aaron Estrada extended his streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 16 games. Estrada, who has missed four games during his current streak, has scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games this season and in 49 of 55 games since debuting for Hofstra last season. He scored in double figures in 13 of the 37 games in which he played for Saint Peter’s and Oregon from 2019 through 2021.
ESTRADA MOVIN’ ON UP
Aaron Estrada resumed his climb up the Hofstra all-time scoring list Thursday, when he scored 13 points to move past Darius Burton and Derrick Flowers into 35th place. Estrada now has 1,072 points, 19 points shy of surpassing Ameen Tanksley for 34th place and 36 points shy of surging past Richie Swartz into 33rd place.
32.) Mike Moore 1,128
33.) Richie Swartz 1,107
34.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090
35.) AARON ESTRADA 1,072
36.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
37.) Darius Burton 1,060
38.) Percy Johnson 1,045
39.) James Shaffer 1,022
40.) John Irving 1,018
ESTRADA’S QUIRKY STAT-STUFFER
Aaron Estrada had one of those quirky lines we like around here Saturday afternoon, when he finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and seven turnovers. He’s the first Hofstra player to have at least 10 points, five rebounds five assists, three blocks and five turnovers in the same game since Juan’ya Green finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds. five assists, four blocks and six turnovers in a 70-67 loss to UNC Wilmington on Feb. 4, 2016.
SHARP PLOTNIKOV
German Plotnikov had a third straight solid game off the bench Saturday, when he scored nine points. Plotnikov has 31 points in his last three games, his most prolific three-game stretch of the season. He had just 35 points in the Dutchmen’s first 11 CAA games.
THE OCHO FOR BOACHIE-YIADOM
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom scored eight points Saturday afternoon, his most since he scored eight points against Delaware on Dec. 29. Boachie-Yiadom has scored at least eight points four times this season after scoring eight points four times in his final two seasons at Davidson, a span of 55 games.
OVER THE AIR
Today’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required). Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING DREXEL
The Dragons, under seventh-year head coach Zach Spiker, are 15-11 overall and 9-5 in CAA play following a 73-66 overtime win over Towson on Saturday. That continued a wild home-and-away split for Drexel, which is 7-0 in league games at home and just 2-5 on the road. The Dragons have beaten Charleston and Towson at home and are slated to host UNC Wilmington on Thursday. The only current top-four team the Dragons won’t play at home is Hofstra, which is a scheduling quirk I will properly complain about shortly.
The Dutchmen and Dragons had one common opponent in non-conference play. Hofstra beat Princeton 83-77 in the season opener Nov. 7 while Drexel fell to the Tigers, 83-63, on Dec. 3.
In CAA play, both teams have swept Delaware, beaten William & Mary, Northeastern, Hampton and Charleston, split with Towson and lost to North Carolina A&T. The Dutchmen swept Monmouth and beat Elon, each of whom split with Drexel, and beat Stony Brook, which beat the Dragons. Drexel is the only CAA team Hofstra has yet to play.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish second in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 93rd at KenPom.com. The Dragons, who were picked to finish seventh, are ranked 200th.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in offensive-only efficiency (114.6 points per 100 possessions) and second in defensive efficiency (95.1 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.6 possessions per 40 minutes, the sixth-most in the league. More Iron Maiden references go here! The Dragons rank fourth in the CAA in offensive-only efficiency (103.0 points per 100 possessions) and third in defensive efficiency (96.3 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 63.5 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks 12th in the league.
Junior forward Amari Williams, who was named to the preseason all-CAA second team, leads the Dragons with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while ranking second with 2.3 assists per game. Senior guard Coletrane Washington is averaging 9.8 points per game while freshman guard Justin Moore is averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 2.8 assists per game. However, Moore has missed the last two games with an injury while Washington was also sidelined Saturday. Senior guard Luke House and junior guard Lamar Oden are each averaging 8.5 points per game while Oden ranks second on the Dragons with 5.3 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 72-63 for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 8 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 15-9-2 against the spread this season after covering for the seventh straight game Wednesday night. They’re winning everywhere!
THE CAA RACE
Drexel’s 73-66 overtime win over Towson all but ensured the race for the regular season championship is now a two-team derby. Hofstra and Charleston remained tied for first at 12-2 by virtue of the Dutchmen’s win and the Cougars’ 83-70 victory over Hampton. UNC Wilmington (10-4) moved a half-game ahead of Towson (9-4) by virtue of the Seahawks’ 71-59 win over Northeastern and the Tigers’ loss. Hofstra and Charleston are each 3-1 against UNC Wilmington and Towson, with the Cougars slated to face the Tigers in the penultimate game of the regular season on Feb. 23.
THE ECC RACE
But an even bigger race will be determined tonight, even if it’s being decided in modified form because of the dreadful unbalanced schedule. The Dutchmen and Dragons enter tonight 3-1 in the ECC. But tonight is their only meeting — so wrong — while Delaware, Towson and Drexel all play each other twice apiece, the way it was intended. Thus, the very real champion of the very real ECC (hi Litos) will be determined by winning percentage and will be decided tonight. This is big stuff!
HOFSTRA 3-1 .750
Drexel 3-1 .750
Towson 2-3 .400
Delaware 1-4 .200
THE BIG GAME AFTER THE BIG GAME
The Dutchmen will be facing a school located in the same area as a Super Bowl team in the first game immediately after the Super Bowl for just the fourth time ever and the first time since Feb. 1, 2001, when the Dutchmen beat Towson 79-58 four days after the Baltimore Ravens routed the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXV. The Dutchmen also beat Buffalo 67-51 on Jan. 27, 1992, one day after Washington beat the Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI. Schedules are a little harder to figure out when Hofstra was playing a mix of Division I and non-Division I teams, but I believe the Dutchmen’s first game following the Jets’ iconic 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969 was a 69-68 loss to Kings Point. That’s a Long Island-Long Island battle!
ALL-TIME VS. DREXEL
Hofstra is 49-47 against Drexel in a series that began during the 1958-59 season. The Dutchmen took the all-time lead by sweeping the Dragons last year by earning a 71-68 win at the Arena on Jan. 17 and recording an 83-73 victory in Philadelphia on Feb. 10. The sweep was the fourth in five years for the Dutchmen, who have won 16 of the last 18 games between the schools
The Dutchmen and Dragons have opposed one another as members of the East Coast Conference, the North Atlantic Conference/America East and the CAA. The only opponent Hofstra has faced more than Drexel is Delaware, whom the Dutchmen have played 98 times. Yeah about that…
ONE TIME ONLY
The unbalanced schedule means this season marks the first time since 1982-83 — when I believe the ECC schedule consisted of just a single round-robin — that Hofstra and Drexel are in the same conference and playing each other just once in the regular season. They played each other twice apiece from 1983-84 through Drexel’s last year in the ECC in 1990-91 and twice a season every year from 1994-95 — Hofstra’s first season in the North Atlantic Conference, Jay Wright’s first season as head coach and my second year on campus — through 2021-22. That’s 28 straight seasons, including a campaign played in a pandemic. I know there’s a lot of balls to juggle in the air when scheduling a 13-team league, but it’s a bummer this streak ended.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
The gang lost the big game bias! (Sorry Eagles)
Show me dragon bias! (How has it taken me this long to come up with this Sunny-themed bias?)
Your city has lost three professional championship rounds in barely three months bias! (The Phillies lost Game 6 of the World Series to the Astros on Nov 5, the same day the Philadelphia Union lost to Los Angeles FC in the MLS Cup)
Katherine McNamara bias! (Per Wikipedia, which is never wrong, she was in a show called "Shadowhunters")
No comments:
Post a Comment