Yes let's just keep beating the hottest teams in the CAA, over and over and over again!
Apparently I need to watch games in a shirt and tie while seated inside the lobby of a swank New York City hotel more often. The Flying Dutchmen authored one of the great regular season wins in program history Saturday afternoon, when the trio of Jaquan Carlos, Darlinstone Dubar and Tyler Thomas finished what Aaron Estrada started in an 85-81 win of no. 18 Charleston. But the tasks get no easier tonight, when the in-the-thick-of-it Dutchmen get preseason favorite Towson. Here’s a look back at the big win over the Cougars and a look ahead to the Tigers.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Aaron Estrada scored 23 of his game-high 25 points in the second half before Jaquan Carlos, Darlinstone Dubar and Tyler Thomas combined to score 37 of the Dutchmen’s 41 second half points in a historic upset of Charleston. The Cougars scored the game’s first six points and held the Dutchmen at bay before opening their biggest lead at 28-20 with 7:06 left in the first. Estrada went into The Wolf mode, scoring 18 points — including the 1,000th of his career — in a half-ending 24-18 run. Nelson Boachie-Yiadom scored the first basket of the second half for the Dutchmen, after which it was the Carlos-Dubar-Thomas show except for a layup by Estrada with 9:11 left. There were two ties and four lead changes in the first four minutes of the second half before Dubar scored on consecutive possessions to put the Dutchmen ahead for good at 60-56 and spark a 20-7 run in which he collected eight points. Charleston got within a possession three times in the final 5:07, but Carlos responded with a big basket every time — a second-chance 3-pointer to extend the lead to 79-73 and then jumpers the two times the Cougars cut the deficit to two points. The teams were scoreless for 1:20 before Thomas sank two free throws with 19 seconds left to give the Dutchmen an 85-79 lead. Reyne Smith sank two free throws before Bolon missed a 3-pointer following a missed free throw by Estrada. Dubar and Carlos had 13 points apiece in the second half and finished with 18 and 15 points, respectively. Dubar added a team-high eight rebounds. Estrada had seven rebounds and six assists, including five in the second half. Thomas had 17 points and seven rebounds. The Cougars, who scored 38.4 percent of their points via the 3-pointer entering the game, finished 5-of-31 from beyond the arc and missed their last 18 attempts.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Charleston, 1/28)
3: Aaron Estrada
2: Darlinstone Dubar
1: Jaquan Carlos
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 45
Tyler Thomas 29
Darlinstone Dubar 24
Jaquan Carlos 16
Warren Williams 10
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 7
Amar’e Marshall 6
Griffin Barrouk 1
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! Appropriately enough for a historic win! Prior to Thursday, the Dutchmen had previously earned wins by scores of 86-80, 85-83, 83-81 and 84-82 as well as by 85-80 over George Washington way back on Nov. 11. But they’d never won 85-81 before Saturday afternoon. FYI: As far as I can tell, there are unicorn scores waiting to be earned by 85-79 and 85-82. Let’s get on that tonight, shall we?
This is the Flying Dutchmen’s second straight unicorn score victory and their seventh 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
In another neat and quirky twist, the three biggest regular season wins by the Dutchmen since we began figuring out unicorn scores have all BEEN by a unicorn score. The Dutchmen beat UCLA 88-78 on Nov. 21, 2019 and then-no. 24 Arkansas 89-81 on Dec. 18, 2021.
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Hours before Hernandez joined Gary Cohen and Ron Darling in accepting an award honoring their 17-year run in the SNY booth (hey SNY, stop messing around and sign Hernandez to an extension to ensure GKR set the franchise record for longest radio/TV team) at the New York Baseball Writers Association of America dinner, Darlinstone Dubar put the exclamation point on his slump-busting effort by hitting the tie-breaking jumper with 15:24 left that put the Dutchmen ahead for good at 58-56. It’s the third straight second half Keith Hernandez for the Dutchmen as well as, for the second straight game, their second-earliest second half Keith Hernandez of the season.
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 5
Aaron Estrada 4
Darlinstone Dubar 2
German Plotnikov 2
Warren Williams 1
Jaquan Carlos 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-THREE GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 15-8. This ties the 2022-23 team for the 21st-best record in school history through 22 games. This is the first 15-8 start for the Dutchmen since way back in 1991-92 — my freshman year of junior college! — and just the fourth 15-8 start in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 23 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 12-11 (loss in 23rd game was the final loss of the regular season)
1976-77: 17-6 (win in 23rd game marked third win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 17-6 (loss in 23rd game snapped 10-game winning streak)
2000-01: 19-4 (win in 23rd game marked 11th win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 16-7 (most recent 16-7 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 16-7
2004-05: 16-7
2005-06: 18-5 (most recent 18-5 start)
2006-07: 17-6 (most recent 17-6 start)
2015-16: 16-7
2018-19: 19-4 (most recent 19-4 start, loss in 23rd game snapped the 16-game winning streak)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 18-5
1961-62: 20-3 (most recent 20-3 start)
1962-63: 17-6 (sixth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 19-4
Some other notable 23-game records:
2021-22: 14-9 (most recent 14-9 start)
2020-21: 13-10 (the Dutchmen’s shortest season — at least in terms of games played — since 1957-58 ends with a 76-58 loss to Elon in the CAA Tournament semifinals)
2016-17: 10-13 (most recent 10-13 start)
2013-14: 7-16 (most recent 7-16 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-18 (most recent 5-18 start, tied for worst 23-game record in school history)
2009-10: 11-12 (most recent 11-12 start)
2007-08: 8-15 (most recent 8-15 start)
1995-96: 7-16 (loss in 23rd game marked last loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 8-15 (Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 5-18 (VBK’s last year)
1991-92: 15-8 (win in 23rd game was fourth in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 12-11 (most recent 12-11 start)
1986-87: 9-14 (most recent 9-14 start)
1981-82: 11-12 (under .500 for good, fifth loss of eight-game losing streak)
1978-79: 8-15 (first loss of season-ending five-game losing streak)
1971-72: 11-12 (under .500 for good, second loss of season-ending four-game losing streak)
1964-65: 11-12 (final win of season)
1960-61: 20-3
1959-60: 22-1 (only 22-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 23rd game was 12th win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1957-58: 15-8 (lost season finale)
1955-56: 20-3 (had only back-to-back losses in games 22-23)
1953-54: 14-9 (last loss of season)
1950-51: 13-10 (first 13-10 start and the only one until 2020-21)
Hofstra has never been 23-0, 21-2, 6-17, 4-19, 3-20, 2-21, 1-22 or 0-23 through 23 games.
Eleven seasons were completed in fewer than 23 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
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-FIVE
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 36-19 (.655) as head coach. That’s the second-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 55 games at the helm. These last two games mark the highest Claxton has been in the all-time game-to-game standings since he became head coach last season.
Paul Lynner 43-12 (.782, 55th game was the 25th game of his second season in 1963-64)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 36-19 (.655, 55th game was the 22nd game of his second season in 2022-23)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 34-21 (.618, 55th game was the third game of his third season in 1957-58)
Mo Cassara 28-27 (.509, 55th game was the 22nd game of his second season in 2011-12)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 26-29 (.473, 55th game was the 26th game of his second season in 1989-90)
Joe Mihalich 24-31 (.436, 55th game was the 22nd game of his second season in 2014-15)
Dick Berg 24-31 (.436, 55th game was the 28th and final game of his second season in 1981-82)
Roger Gaeckler 19-36 (.345, 55th game was the seventh game of his third season in 1974-75)
Jay Wright 19-36 (.345, 55th game was the 27th and final game of his second season in 1995-96)
Tom Pecora 17-38 (.309, 55th game was the 23rd game of his second season in 2002-03)
How about that? Claxton got the win he needed to move two games ahead of van Breda Kolff through 55 games!
Joe Mihalich remains in a tie for sixth place with Dick Berg while a loss in the finale of his second season drops Jay Wright back into a tie with Roger Gaeckler for eighth place. Hofstra should probably move on from this Wright cat, especially if he doesn’t have a program-changing recruit arriving in the fall of 1996. And once again Tom Pecora remains in last, probably never to emerge.
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.
THRICE AS NICE
Beating a ranked team — especially one in conference — yields multiple nuggets! The win over Charleston marked the fifth time the Dutchmen have beaten a team ranked in one of the polls and the third time they’ve beaten a team ranked in the Associated Press poll. The Flying Dutchmen — who really were named the Flying Dutchmen back then! — beat no. 18 Southern Illinois 67-66 in the championship game of the Pittsburgh Classic on Dec. 11, 1976. The Dutchmen’s second win over an opponent ranked in the AP poll was, of course, their 88-81 victory over no. 24 Arkansas on Dec. 18, 2021.
The Dutchmen’s other wins over ranked opponents came against teams ranked in the USA Today coaches poll, The Dutchmen beat no. 25 George Mason 77-68 on Feb. 23, 2006 and edged no. 23 Richmond 76-71 on Dec. 22, 2020.
TWICE (OR THRICE) AS NICE FOR THE ROAD WARRIORS
The Dutchmen earned a road — or semi-road, as we’ll explain shortly — victory over a ranked opponent for the second straight (or third straight, if you want to count the Richmond win, which you should) season. No matter how you categorize these wins, the Dutchmen are the only mid-major in the country with road or semi-road wins over a top 25 opponent in each of the last two (or three) seasons. The Arkansas game wasn’t officially a road game and was actually played about three hours from the Arkansas campus, but if KenPom.com considers it a semi-home game for Arkansas, so do we. Also, it was in Arkansas.
TWICE AS NICE
The Dutchmen are responsible for the CAA’s two most recent wins over a ranked opponent. Prior to the Dutchmen’s victory over Arkansas, a CAA team hadn’t beaten an opponent ranked in the Associated Press top 25 since Northeastern beat no. 15 Miami (FL) 78-77 on Nov. 27, 2015. Snicker snicker.
THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE (Or: A Valid Reason For Posting Susanna Hoffs-related Content)
The win by the Dutchmen marked the first time a CAA school has knocked off a ranked opponent in league play since Jan. 8, 1987, when Richmond beat then-no. 15 Navy, 64-62. That’s a span of 13,168 days! Or, to put it into further context, here’s what we were listening to on our Walkmans, what we were watching at the local cinematorium and how much our parents had to pay to drive us to the aforementioned cinematorium as Richmond was beating Navy.
No. 1 song: “Walk Like An Egyptian,” The Bangles
No. 1 album: “Live/1975-85,” Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
No. 1 movie: “The Golden Child,” starring Eddie Murphy
Average price for a gallon of gas for the month in New York: $0.65
Because everyone within 10 years of my age still has a crush on Susanna Hoffs.
KNOCKED FROM THE RANKS OF THE RANKED (Or: A Valid Reason For Posting Bon Jovi-related Content)
However, that win by Richmond didn’t knock Navy out of the AP poll. It just dropped the Midshipmen to no. 19 in the poll released Monday, Jan. 12. Navy moved up one spot the following week before falling out for good with a two-loss week in which it fell to Drexel — not a CAA foe at the time, but a member of the good ol’ East Coast Conference WHAT’S UP LITOS — and Kentucky on Jan. 21 and Jan. 25, respectively. Thus, to put THAT into context, here’s what we were listening to on our Walkmans, what we were watching at the local cinematorium and how much our parents had to pay to drive us to the aforementioned cinematorium as Navy fell out of the AP poll.
No. 1 song: “At This Moment,” Billy Vera & The Beaters (Alex & Ellen FTW!)
No. 1 album: “Slippery When Wet,” Bon Jovi
No. 1 movie: “Platoon,” starring Tom Berenger
Average price for a gallon of gas for the month in New York: still $0.65
Because George Mason in 2006 ruined "Livin' On A Prayer."
ESTRADA JOINS CLUB 1K
OK, I guess that’s enough about beating a ranked team. How about Aaron Estrada racing into the 1,000-point club faster than anyone in the last 31 seasons? Estrada, playing in his 52nd game at Hofstra, hit the milestone by draining a 3-pointer with 6:47 left in the first half Saturday. That also began his 16-point flurry over the final *checks his math* 6:47 of the first half. Estrada is the 40th Hofstra player to score 1,000 points, the 22nd to do so in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-present) and the ninth since 2013-14, the first year of the Joe Mihalich era and the beginning of this golden age of Hofstra hoops. He is the first player to reach 1,000 points since Jalen Ray did so on Dec. 22, 2020.
Estrada now has 1,019 points, meaning his last basket on Saturday moved him past John Irving into 39th place on the all-time scoring list. He enters tonight four points shy of surpassing James Shaffer for 38th place, 27 points shy of moving past Percy Johnson into 37th place and 42 points shy of surging past Darius Burton for 36th place. Anything is possible after last week.
35.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
36.) Darius Burton 1,060
37.) Percy Johnson 1,045
38.) James Shaffer 1,022
39.) AARON ESTRADA 1,019
40.) John Irving 1,018
THE SAINT PETER’S PIPELINE
As noted above, Aaron Estrada needed just 52 games to reach 1,000 points. That’s the fastest anyone has reached 1,000 points in the DD Era and the fastest a player has recorded 1,000 points at Hofstra since the late great Demetrius Dudley — who also began his collegiate career at Saint Peter’s — reached 1,000 points in 47 games. Dudley and Estrada are two of the six players to reach 1,000 points in fewer than two full seasons since 1992-93.
Demetrius Dudley 47 games (1991-92 thru 1992-93)
Aaron Estrada 52 games (2021-22 thru 2022-23)
Juan’ya Green 58 games (2014-15 thru 2015-16)
Charles Jenkins 59 games (2007-08 thru 2008-09)
Mike Moore 60 games (2010-11 thru 2011-12)
Antoine Agudio 62 games (2004-05 thru 2005-06)
FAST FINISH
The Dutchmen, who trailed Charleston 46-44 at the half, won after trailing at the half for the second straight game. The Dutchmen beat Not Twitter Guy 82-65 after trailing 35-33 at the half last Thursday It’s the first time the Dutchmen have won back-to-back games in which they trailed at the half since Dec. 28-30, 2019, when they beat James Madison 82-76 after trailing 36-30 at the half and beat Towson 75-67 after trailing 36-28 at the half.
The Dutchmen have won four games this season in which they trailed at the half. Prior to beating not Twitter Guy, the Dutchmen beat Princeton 83-77 after trailing 42-38 at the half in the season opener Nov. 7 and beat San Jose State 85-76 after trailing 41-30 at the half on Nov. 17. The Dutchmen are 4-4 when trailing at the half this season after going 3-6 when trailing at the half last season.
TEAM BARBASOL AGAIN
The Dutchmen finally played a non-lopsided game Saturday, when their four-point victory snapped a streak of seven straight games decided by at least 10 points from Jan. 5 through Jan. 26. The Dutchmen went 6-1 in that stretch, which was the longest streak of games decided by at least 10 points since a seven-game stretch from Nov. 9 through Dec. 1, 2019 in which the Dutchmen went 5-2.
KNOCKING OFF THE LAST OF THE UNBEATENS
Charleston entered Saturday 9-0 in CAA play before the Dutchmen ended the Cougars’ hopes of becoming the first team to post a perfect league season since William & Mary went 9-0 in the CAA’s first season in 1982-83. I think Terry Tarpey played on that team. Anyway, the Dutchmen are now 2-3 all-time when opposing the CAA's last unbeaten team, with wins over Charleston and VCU (79-68 on Jan, 31, 2007) and losses to Old Dominion (71-66 on Jan. 10, 2004 and 67-66 on Jan. 19, 2005) and UNC Wilmington (78-72 on Jan. 29, 2022).
STINGY BEYOND THE ARC
The Dutchmen gave up 81 points Saturday but limited Charleston — which entered the game scoring 38.4 percent of its points from beyond the arc — to 5-of-31 shooting (16.1 percent) from 3-point land. That’s the lowest 3-point shooting percentage recorded by a Division I opponent since Duquesne shot 12.5 percent (#-of-24) in the Dutchmen’s 73-63 win on Nov. 13, 2021.
STAT-STUFFING ESTRADA
Aaron Estrada finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists Saturday afternoon. It was the second time this season he’s had at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game — he finished with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 72-70 win over Quinnipiac on Nov. 27 — and the sixth time he’s done so in his Hofstra career. That's the most 25/5/5 games by a Hofstra player since Justin Wright-Foreman had eight such games from 2015-16 through 2018-19. Fun fact: Speedy Claxton also had eight games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists during his playing career, including five during his senior season in 1999-2000.
SHOOTING SLUMP? WHAT SHOOTING SLUMP?
Remember when Aaron Estrada couldn’t buy a bucket from long-distance? Well, he went 5-of-9 from 3-point land on Saturday and is now shooting a robust .542 (13-of-24) from beyond the arc his last two games. That back-to-back blitz follows a nine-game stretch in which Estrada shot just 26 percent (13-of-50) from 3-point land. He’s now shooting 38.5 percent (47-of-122) from beyond the arc this season, up from 34.7 percent (34-of-98) entering last Thursday’s game against Elon. My GPA could have used similarly quick improvements back in the day.
ESTRADA’S DOUBLE-DIGIT STREAK
With his 25 points on Saturday, Aaron Estrada extended his streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 13 games. Estrada, who has missed three games during his current streak, has scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games this season and in 46 of 52 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.
FOUR IS BETTER THAN ONE (or two or three)
The Dutchmen had four players finish with at least 15 points on Saturday, when Aaron Estrada led the way with 25 points followed by Darlinstone Dubar (18 points), Tyler Thomas (17 points) and Jaquan Carlos (15 points). It’s the first time the Dutchmen have had at least four players score at least 15 points since Jan. 9, 2022, when Estrada scored 20 points, Dubar had 19 points and Jalen Ray and Abayomi Iyiola finished with 15 points apiece in an 87-80 win over James Madison.
D-STONE SNAPS THE SLUMP
Darlinstone Dubar snapped a lengthy slump Saturday afternoon, when he scored 18 points, including 16 in the second half. Dubar was 8-of-11 from the field after scoring in single digits in each of his previous five games, a stretch in which he had just 23 points on 8-of-29 shooting from the field. The 18 points were the most for Dubar since he had 23 points against Division III Old Westbury on Dec. 22 and his most against a Division I foe since he finished with 22 points against Iona on Nov. 11.
D-STONE ON THE REBOUND
Darlinstone Dubar also had eight rebounds Saturday, tied for his second-highest single-game figure of the season and his most since collecting eight rebounds against George Washington on Nov. 14.
CARLOS CHIPS IN
Jaquan Carlos followed up a three-game stretch where he did more creating than finishing by scoring a career-high 15 points Saturday afternoon, including 13 in the second half. Carlos was 6-of-11 from the field after entering Saturday with 14 points in his previous three games, a stretch in which he was 6-of-12 from the field while collecting 19 assists and committing just four turnovers. Carlos’ previous career high was 14 points, set against Quinnipiac on Nov. 27 and tied against Delaware on Jan. 14.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
You know things are going well when a 17-point, seven-rebound performance doesn’t even result in the player earning one of the three stars of the game. Tyler Thomas continued his strong season Saturday, when he had those aforementioned 17 points and seven rebounds. The seven rebounds tied a season high for Thomas, who also had seven rebounds against UNC Wilmington on Jan. 19. He has scored in double figures in nine of 10 CAA games and 17 of 23 games overall.
DIMES FROM THE FIVE
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom continued to be an unusually proficient distributor out of the paint Saturday afternoon, when he had two points and four assists. Boachie-Yiadom has at least four assists in four games this season, the most of any center since 2010-11 (the start of the Play Index era at College Basketball Reference) and the second-most among Hofstra non-guards behind Jordan Allen, who had five such games in two seasons from 2012-13 through 2013-14.
BRYCE’S BIG BUCKETS
Bryce Washington, pressed into first-half minutes with Amar’e Marshall out for a second straight game, hit a pair of 3-pointers, including the game-tying basket with 1:06 left in the first half. The two 3-pointers are a season-high for Washington while the six points were his most since he had nine points against Old Westbury on Dec. 22 and his most points against a Division I foe this season. Washington also played 13 minutes, his most since playing 25 minutes against Old Westbury on Dec. 22 and his most against a Division I foe since playing 15 minutes against George Mason in an overtime loss on Nov. 30.
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
To the surprise of no one, Aaron Estrada earned CAA Player of the Week honors last week after scoring a career-high 40 points against Elon and leading the way with 25 points in the upset of Charleston. It’s the third time this season Estrada has at least shared Player of the Week honors, tied for the most in the league with Towson’s Nicolas Timberlake, and the league-leading eighth time he’s done so in the last two seasons.
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 TOWSON
The Tigers, under 12th-year head coach Pat Skerry, are 16-7 this season and 8-2 in CAA play following a 92-73 win over William & Mary on Saturday, It was the sixth straight win for Towson. I should look up if the Dutchmen have ever faced teams with winning streaks of six games or longer in consecutive league games!
The Dutchmen and Tigers had two common opponents in non-conference play, Both teams beat UNC Greensboro, with the Dutchmen defeating the Hornets 65-53 on Nov. 26, nine days (PLAY STORY OF A GIRL) after Towson earned a 56-53 win. The Dutchmen fell to Massachusetts 71-56 on Dec. 11 while the Tigers knocked off the Minutemen, 67-55, on Nov. 10.
In CAA play, both teams have beaten Monmouth, Elon and William & Mary. The Dutchmen beat Charleston, which edged Towson in overtime 76-74 on Dec. 31, and swept Delaware, which beat Towson 72-59 on Jan. 11. The Tigers have beaten North Carolina A&T, which beat Hofstra.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish second in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 100th at KenPom.com. That’s tied for the Dutchmen’s highest KenPom.com ranking entering a game under Speedy Claxton, though they were no. 99 for a bit yesterday. Thanks random results! The Tigers, who were picked to finish first, are ranked 133rd.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (112.1 points per 100 possessions) and fourth in conference-only defensive efficiency (95.9 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 67.3 possessions per 40 minutes, the fourth-most in the league. The Tigers rank third in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (110.7 points per 100 possessions) and fifth in defensive efficiency (97.0 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 63.2 possessions per 40 minutes, 12th in the league.
Graduate student guard Nicolas Timberlake, who was named to the preseason all-CAA first team and is a potential captain of the Andrey Semenov How-Hasn’t-That-Guy-Used-Up-All-His-Eligibility-Yet team, leads the Tigers with 15.9 points per game and ranks second with 2.4 assists per game. Redshirt senior guard Cam Holden, another preseason all-CAA first team selection, ranks second on the Tigers with 14.2 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game and first with 4.7 assists per game. Along those lines, Holden posted Towson’s first-ever #Redundant triple-double against a Division I opponent on Saturday, when he finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — off the bench! Senior forward Charles Thompson, ANOTHER preseason all-CAA first team selection, is averaging 12.8 points per game and leads the Tigers with 7.5 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 72-66 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 3 1/2-point underdogs. Pretty big spread there between the computers and the humans. The Dutchmen are 11-9-2 against the spread this season.
THE ECC RACE
It’s back! But in modified form because of the dreadful unbalanced schedule. The Dutchmen are slated to play Delaware and Towson twice apiece but Drexel just once. So wrong. 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. Towson’s win on Jan. 16 means the Dutchmen are in virtual must-win mode tonight if they once again hope to win this very prestigious and very real title.
Towson 2-1 .667
HOFSTRA 2-1 .667
Drexel 1-1 .500
Delaware 1-3 .250
FEBRUARY = CRUNCH TIME
The Flying Dutchmen have fared well in February, which, as you likely know, began Wednesday. Since joining the CAA in 2001-02, the Dutchmen are 104-68 (.605) in regular season games played on or after Feb. 1, including 8-2 last February.
GROUNDHOG DAY
The Dutchmen are playing on Groundhog Day for the first time since 2019, when their 16-game winning streak ended with a 75-61 loss to Northeastern. The Dutchmen are 4-4 on Groundhog Day since joining the CAA in 2001-02 and 5-6 on Groundhog Day in the DD era.
ALL-TIME VS. TOWSON
Hofstra is 46-30 against Towson in a series that began during the 1982-83 season, when both schools were in the East Coast Conference. Towson is seeking a season sweep after overcoming an early 10-point deficit and beating the Dutchmen, 68-47, in Maryland on Jan. 16. The Tigers also swept the season series last year, when they earned a 78-66 win in Maryland on Jan. 11 before beating the Dutchmen 78-68 at the Arena on Feb. 3. It was the first season sweep for Towson since the 2016-17 campaign.
Hofstra and Towson opposed one another in the ECC and the North Atlantic Conference/America East before moving together to the CAA for the 2001-02 school year. Hofstra has faced only two opponents as often as it’s faced Towson: Longtime conference rivals Delaware and Drexel.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Tom Brady finally “retired” again bias! (Also used this for the game against Towson and Patriots fan Pat Skerry immediately after Brady’s first “retirement” LAST Feb. 1)
Elaine Benes bias! (How did I not know/remember she was from Towson?)
All Time Low bias! (The punk band is from Towson, per Wikipedia, which I rely upon for recent music news)
Last ECC champion bias! (An oldie but goodie)
No comments:
Post a Comment