You are averaging a triple-double just by looking at this.
The Flying Dutchmen are still playing basketball and we’re still being quirky. Tyler Thomas capped off an all-time down-the-stretch performance by hitting the tie-breaking jumper with nine seconds left in overtime Tuesday night to lift the Dutchmen to a euphoric 88-86 win over Rutgers in the first round of the NIT. And not only does the season continue this afternoon, it continues at home, where the Dutchmen will host Cincinnati thanks to the latter’s arena being renovated. Here’s a look back at the big win over the Scarlet Knights and a look ahead to the Bearcats (it’s Bearcats, right?).
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
The Dutchmen overcame a slow start and the absence of Aaron Estrada (fouled out, 5-on-8) over the final 11:51 of regulation and overtime to author one of the biggest wins in program history. Rutgers raced out to a 14-4 lead before the Dutchmen inched back during a 26-16 run that ended with Tyler Thomas sinking a game-tying 3-pointer with 4:07 left in the first half. Aundre Hyatt hit a 3-pointer 52 seconds later for Rutgers, which held the lead for the next 11-plus minutes before Estrada’s 3-pointer put the Dutchmen ahead at 54-53 with 12:28 left. Thomas then hit a layup before Rutgers embarked upon an 11-2 run in which Estrada fouled out. The Dutchmen got within three points four times — and Rutgers answered with a basket every time — before Thomas’ jumper cut the Scarlet Knights’ lead to 70-69 with 1:30 left. Caleb McConnell scored the next four points to seemingly end the Dutchmen’s season, but Thomas hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout and Cam Spencer — an 89 percent free throw shooter — missed the front end of a 1-and-1 after being fouled by Nelson Boachie-Yiadom. Jaquan Carlos missed a 3-pointer but Boachie-Yiadom put back the rebound to force overtime. Thomas hit a jumper to open a scorching overtime in which the teams combined to shoot 78.9 percent (10-of-13). The Dutchmen never trailed but Rutgers overcame a quartet of four-point deficits to tie the game at 80-80 with 32 seconds left. Thomas responded with his jumper and Simpson missed a layup that bounced around every inch of the rim just before time expired. Thomas scored 10 of his game-high 25 points after Estrada fouled out while Darlinstone Dubar had 17 points, including a banked 3-pointer to give the Dutchmen their final four-point lead. Carlos had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists while playing all 45 minutes. Estrada finished with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and five turnovers while Boachie-Yiadom tied a season-high with 10 points and added a team-high eight rebonds.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Rutgers, 3/14)
3: Tyler Thomas
2: Darlinstone Dubar
1: Nelson Boachie-Yiadom
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 59
Tyler Thomas 52
Darlinstone Dubar 32
Jaquan Carlos 28
Warren Williams 14
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 8
Amar’e Marshall 6
German Plotnikov 3
Bryce Washington 1
Griffin Barrouk 1
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
No! And for probably the first time, I knew as soon as this game was over that this wasn’t a unicorn score — and not because I remembered the Dutchmen edged Columbia 88-86 on Nov. 29, 2016. In a quirk that will surprise no one, I will always associate 88-86 with the Dutchmen’s double-overtime ECC championship game win over Northeastern Illinois on Mar. 6, 1994. I might have written about that last night!
The Dutchmen have recorded 12 unicorn score victories this season after recording 11 unicorn score victories last season, 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.
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Tyler Thomas, well-accomplished in making Keith Hernandez-related history, did it again Tuesday night, when his tie-breaking jumper gave the Dutchmen the lead for good at (checks the score again) 88-86 with 9.2 seconds left in overtime. That’s the first overtime Keith Hernandez in history (or at least since November, when we began tracking Keith Hernandezes) and completes a triple crown of sorts for Thomas, who also recorded the first first-half Keith Hernandez and has the latest second-half Keith Hernandez.
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 tie-breaking 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)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. Drexel, 2/13/23 (19:52 left 1H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. Hampton, 2/16/23 (19:38 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking free throw vs. Stony Brook, 2/18/23 (4:06 left 2H)
Warren Williams go-ahead layup vs. Northeastern, 2/25/23 (6:14 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. William & Mary, 3/5/23 (19:32 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Rutgers 3/14/23 (:9.2 left, OT)
Tyler Thomas 10
Darlinstone Dubar 5
Aaron Estrada 4
Warren Williams 3
German Plotnikov 2
Jaquan Carlos 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER THIRTY-FOUR GAMES
With Tuesday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 25-9. This means the 2022-23 team has the third-best record in school history through 34 games — a point in the schedule reached by just six teams. The previous four teams to open 24-10 or better either made the NCAA Tournament or NIT or qualified for the NCAA before, well, you know. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 34 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 26-8 (CAA champs! Win in 34th game was a 70-61 victory over Northeastern that clinched the Dutchmen’s first CAA championship and first NCAA Tournament berth since 2001. The Dutchmen then went on to win the NCAA championship, prove me wrong children)
The 1975-76 team, Hofstra’s first to reach the NCAA Tournament, completed its season in 30 games (18-12), as did the 1976-77 team (23-7). The 1999-2000 NCAA Tournament team completed its season in 31 games (24-7), as did the 2000-01 team (26-5).
All four Hofstra teams to reach the NCAA Tournament at the Division II level completed their seasons in 30 games or fewer. The 1958-59 team finished 20-7 while the 1961-62 team ended up 24-4, the 1962-63 team finished 23-7 and the 1963-64 team went 23-6.
NIT TEAMS
2018-19: 27-7 (lost to Northeastern in the CAA championship game)
2015-16: 24-10 (season ended with 80-78 loss to George Washington)
The 2005-06 NIT team completed its season at 26-7. The 2004-05 NIT team completed its season at 21-9 while the 1998-99 and 2006-07 teams both finished at 22-10 following first-round NIT losses.
Some other notable 34-game records — in fact, all of them!
2014-15: 20-14 (season ended with loss to Vermont in the blasted CBI)
2009-10: 19-15 (season ended with loss to IUPUI in the blasted CBI, hmm, I’m starting to see a pattern here)
Hofstra has never been 34-0, 33-1, 32-2, 31-3, 30-4, 29-5, 28-6, 23-11, 22-12, 21-13, 18-16, 17-17, 16-18, 15-19, 14-20, 13-21, 12-22, 11-23, 10-24, 9-25, 8-26, 7-27, 6-28, 5-29, 4-30, 3-31, 2-32, 1-33 or 0-34 through 34 games.
Eighty-one seasons were completed in fewer than 34 games:
1936-37 (7-10)
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)
1946-47 (18-6)
1947-48 (13-6)
1948-49 (18-8)
1949-50 (17-9)
1950-51 (18-11)
1951-52 (26-3)
1952-53 (20-7)
1953-54 (15-9)
1954-55 (19-7)
1955-56 (22-4)
1956-57 (11-15)
1957-58 (15-8)
1958-59 (20-7)
1959-60 (23-1)
1960-61 (21-4)
1961-62 (24-4)
1962-63 (23-7)
1963-64 (23-6)
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)
1975-76 (18-12)
1976-77 (23-7)
1977-78 (8-19)
1978-79 (8-19)
1979-80 (14-14)
1980-81 (12-15)
1981-82 (12-16)
1982-83 (18-9)
1983-84 (14-14)
1984-85 (14-15)
1985-86 (17-13)
1986-87 (10-18)
1987-88 (6-21)
1988-89 (14-15)
1989-90 (13-15)
1990-91 (14-14)
1991-92 (20-9)
1992-93 (9-18)
1993-94 (9-20)
1994-95 (10-18)
1995-96 (9-18)
1996-97 (12-15)
1997-98 (19-12)
1998-99 (22-10)
1999-2000 (24-7)
2000-01 (26-5)
2001-02 (12-20)
2002-03 (8-21)
2003-04 (14-15)
2004-05 (21-9)
2005-06 (26-7)
2006-07 (22-10)
2007-08 (12-18)
2008-09 (21-11)
2010-11 (21-12)
2011-12 (10-22)
2012-13 (7-25)
2013-14 (10-23)
2016-17 (15-17)
2017-18 (19-12)
2020-21 (13-10)
2021-22 (21-11)
(Well) more than half the previous Hofstra seasons were completed by this point.
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52.
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 SIXTY-SIX
With Tuesday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 46-20 (.697) as head coach. That’s the second-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 66 games at the helm. These last 13 games mark the highest Claxton has been in the all-time game-to-game standings since he became head coach last season.
Paul Lynner 50-16 (.758, 66th game was the seventh game of his third season in 1963-64)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 46-20 (.697, 66th game was the 34th game of his second season in 2022-23)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 42-24 (.636, 66th game was the 14th game of his third season in 1957-58)
Dick Berg 33-33 (.500, 66th game was the 11th game of his third season in 1982-83)
Mo Cassara 31-35 (.470, 66th game was the first game of his third season in 2012-13)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 30-36 (.455, 66th game was the ninth game of his third season in 1990-91)
Joe Mihalich 30-36 (.455, 66th game was the 33rd game of his second season in 2014-15)
Jay Wright 23-43 (.348, 66th game was the 11th game of his third season in 1996-97)
Roger Gaeckler 22-44 (.333, 66th game was the 18th game of his third season in 1974-75)
Tom Pecora 22-44 (.333, 66th game was the fifth game of his third season in 2003-04)
Butch van Breda Kolff and Joe Mihalich remain tied for sixth place while Jay Wright breaks the tie for eighth place after the Dutchmen and a freshman point guard named Speedy Claxton snap their seven-game losing streak. OK we’ll let them stick around. And Tom Pecora climbs into a tie for ninth (i.e. last) place with Roger Gaeckler, Maybe this will work out for Tom.
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.
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME (part one)
The Dutchmen’s win on Tuesday night was their first in a postseason tournament since a 77-75 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s in the second round of the NIT on Mar. 20, 2006. That was 6,202 days ago! Well, now it’s 6,206 days ago. But you know what I mean. Here’s what Americans were listening to, watching and paying for gas the previous time Hofstra won a postseason game!
No. 1 song: “So Sick,” Ne-Yo
No. 1 album: “In My Own Words,” Ne-Yo
No. 1 movie: “V for Vendetta”
Price of a gallon of unleaded gas (in New York in March 2006): $2.38
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME (part two)
The Dutchmen were one of 105 teams to play in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in 2006. And prior to Tuesday, they were just one of nine teams to not win a postseason game — the NCAA Tournament as well as the NIT, CIT/The Basketball Tournament, CBI or Vegas 8 — in the subsequent 15 years in which postseason basketball was played. The other eight:
Charlotte***
Delaware State
Georgia Southern
Miami (OH)
Montana
Milwaukee****
Northwestern State
Southern
***playing in the CBI Saturday
****playing in the CBI Sunday
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME (part three)
The Dutchmen’s win on Tuesday was the first for a CAA team in the NCAA Tournament or NIT since Mar. 20, 2013, when James Madison beat Long Island University 68-55 in a first four game. That’s a span of 3,645 days -- and so long ago, James Madison is no longer a CAA member!
DOUBLE DIGIT COMEBACK
The Dutchmen, who trailed by 10 points in the first half Tuesday, overcame a double-digit deficit in a win for the fourth time this season, The Dutchmen trailed Princeton by 12 points in the first half of an 83-77 win in the season opener Nov. 7, trailed San Jose State by 14 points in the first half of an 85-76 win on Nov. 17 and trailed Towson by 11 points in the first half of a 76-72 win on Feb. 2. The Dutchmen had two comebacks from double-digit deficits last season.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Dutchmen, who trailed Rutgers 40-35 at the half, improved to 7-4 when trailing at the half this season after going 6-12 when trailing at the half the previous two seasons combined.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
The Dutchmen took their first lead Tuesday when Aaron Estrada hit a 3-pointer with 12:28 left in the second half. That’s the latest the Dutchmen have taken their first lead in a victory since Feb. 8, 2020, when Jalen Ray’s 3-pointer with 9:01 left in the game put the Dutchmen ahead in their 75-71 victory over Northeastern.
WIN PROBABILITY, SCHWIN PROBABILITY
Per KenPom.com, the Dutchmen’s win probability on Tuesday bottomed out at 2.1 percent when Caleb McConnell hit a layup to put Rutgers ahead 74-69 with 30 seconds left. The previous time the Dutchmen won a game in which their win probability sunk that low or lower was on Dec. 6, 2017, when they beat Monmouth 85-84 after their win probability was at 2.1 percent with the Hawks ahead 84-81 with 10 seconds left. That was the game in which the Dutchmen trailed 84-82 with five seconds left when Justin Wright-Foreman purposely missed his second free throw and Stafford Trueheart tapped the rebound to Jalen Ray, who sank the 3-pointer with two seconds left.
Per KenPom.com, the Dutchmen’s win on Tuesday night is tied for the 67th-least likely win of the season — with VCU’s 63-62 win over Dayton on Jan. 13. Those VCU guys can’t quit us, nor do they want to (nor do we want to quit them).
OK MAYBE GET TO THE WORKIN’ OVERTIME PART
The Dutchmen played an overtime game for the second straight game. They fell to UNC Wilmington, 79-73, in the CAA semifinals on Mar. 6. This is the first time the Dutchmen have played back-to-back overtime games since Feb. 21-23, 2019, when they outlasted Towson, 91-82, in double overtime and fell to James Madison, 104-99.
1010101010 WINS
The Dutchmen had five players score in double figures on Tuesday for the second time this season. Tyler Thomas (26 points), Darlinstone Dubar (22 points), Jaquan Carlos (12 points), German Plotnikov (11 points off the bench) and Aaron Estrada (10 points) all got into double figures in an 83-78 win over Iona on Nov. 11. The Dutchmen are now 6-0 under Speedy Claxton when at least five players score in double figures.
ESTRADA’S DOUBLE-DIGIT STREAK
Aaron Estrada scored 13 points on Tuesday to extend his streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 23 games. Estrada, who has missed four games during his current streak, has scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games this season and in 56 of 62 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 HOLDS STEADY
Aaron Estrada remained in 26th place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list on Tuesday. Estrada enters today 20 points shy of moving past fellow Saint Peter’s transfer Demetrius Dudley as well as John Mills, who are tied for 24th place, and 25 points away from surpassing Carlos Rivera.
22.) Roberto Gittens 1,240
23.) Carlos Rivera 1,225
24t.) Demetrius Dudley 1,220
24t.) John Mills 1,220
26.) AARON ESTRADA 1,201
27t.) Brian Bernardi 1,186
27t.) Juan’ya Green 1,186
29.) Rokas Gustys 1,184
30.) Ted Jackson 1,159
31.) Nathaniel Lester 1,139
32.) Wandy Williams 1,132
33.) Mike Moore 1,128
34.) Richie Swartz 1,107
35.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090
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
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas’ strong season continued on Tuesday, when he finished with 25 points. It was the 12th time this season Thomas has scored at least 20 points. He’s scored in double figures in 14 straight games as well as 20 times in the last 21 games and 28 times in 34 games overall.
TORRID THOMAS
That 25-point effort for Tyler Thomas included an 8-of-8 effort from inside the 3-point line. Thomas is the first Hofstra player to enjoy a perfect night from inside the arc while hoisting at least eight shots since Rokas Gustys scored 16 points while going 8-of-8 from the field in an 84-82 win over Towson on Feb. 18, 2016.
D-STONE SURGES
Darlinstone Dubar had a much-needed big game on Tuesday, when he scored 17 points. It was the sixth time this season Dubar has scored at least 17 points and the first time since Jan. 28, when he had 18 points in the 85-81 upset of Charleston that pretty much made possible the Dutchmen even getting the chance to play an NIT game. The Dutchmen are 13-4 this season when Dubar scores in double figures and 30-10 when he does so since the start of last season.
D-STONE FROM DEEP
Darlinstone Dubar was 3-of-5 from 3-point land on Tuesday. The trio of 3-pointers tied a career-high — set seven times previously — for Dubar. The Dutchmen are 7-1 over the last two seasons when Dubar hits three 3-pointers in a game.
MARATHON MAN
Jaquan Carlos played all 45 minutes on Tuesday. It was the seventh time this season he’s played at least 40 minutes in a game, which means he’s played more minutes — by far — in just seven games than he did as a freshman last season, when he played just 163 minutes over 19 games.
CARLOS STAYS HOT
Jaquan Carlos, who snapped a lengthy 3-point shooting drought during the CAA Tournament, finished 2-of-4 from beyond the arc on Tuesday. Carlos is 8-of-16 from 3-point land in the last three games after having shot just 6-of-26 (23 percent) from 3-point land in his final 11 regular season games. In addition, the eight 3-pointers in a three-game span are a career-high for Carlos, whose had seven 3-pointers — while going 7-of-18 from beyond the arc — from Jan. 7-14 this season.
THE 10/5/5 CLUB
Jaquan Carlos finished with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists on Tuesday, It was the fourth time this season Carlos has collected at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, the second-most such games behind Aaron Estrada (seven).
BOACHIE-YIADOM’S BIG GAME
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom had perhaps his best game of the year at the most important time for the Dutchmen on Tuesday, when he finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. The 10 points tied a season-high for Boachie-Yiadom, who had 10 points in a 76-48 loss to Saint Mary’s on Nov. 19, while the eight rebounds were one shy of his season-high, set first in a 68-47 loss to Towson on Jan. 16 and matched in an 84-52 win over Northeastern on Feb. 25.
LUCKY SEVENS FOR PLOTNIKOV
German Plotnikov scored seven points while going 3-for-3 from the field on Tuesday. The Dutchmen are 12-1 this season when Plotnikov scores at least seven points.
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’s game will be carried on ESPNPlus, which you have if you have the Disney Bundle, which you have if you have a child under the age of 18. Hofstra will also provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
A HISTORIC GAME
At tipoff this afternoon, the Dutchmen will tie the school record for most games in a season — set just once. The 2018-19 team went 27-8 and fell to North Carolina State in the first round of the NIT.
LAST ONES STANDING
With Charleston’s 63-57 loss to San Diego State on Thursday afternoon (sorry everyone who read my advice to take them to reach the Sweet 16), the Dutchmen are the last CAA men’s basketball team playing this season. This is the first time the Dutchmen have been the last team to complete their season in their conference since 2001, when they reached the NCAA Tournament and were the only America East squad to play in the postseason.
CINCINNATI CONSTRUCTION
As the unofficial last seed (snort) in their region, the Dutchmen should be on the road today. But they drew an unexpected extra home game thanks to the planned renovation of the floor at Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena. The construction needed to begin this week in order to be the arena to be ready for Cincinnati’s graduation ceremonies in May. Hey, we’re not complaining.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
The Bearcats, under second-year head coach Wes Miller, are 22-12 this season after beating Virginia Tech, 81-72, in a first-round NIT game on Wednesday night, Cincinnati went 11-7 in the American and fell to eventual league champion (and no. 1 seed in the Midwest Region) Houston, 69-48, in the American semifinals last Saturday.
The Dutchmen and Cincinnati had one common opponent. The Dutchmen fell to South Florida 77-70 on Dec. 19. The Bearcats swept the Bulls in league play, earning an 85-69 win in Florida on Jan. 18 and cruising to an 84-65 victory in Ohio on Feb. 11.
The Dutchmen are ranked 86th at KenPom.com while the Bearcats are ranked 53rd.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank 67th in the nation in offensive efficiency (111.5 points per 100 possessions) and 117th in defensive efficiency (102.4 points allowed per 100 possessions). Cincinnati ranks 51st in the nation in offensive efficiency (112.4 points per 100 possessions) and 63rd in defensive efficiency (98.8 points allowed per 100 possessions).
Redshirt senior guard Landers Nolley, who played previously at Virginia Tech and Memphis and won the 2021 NIT Most Valuable Player while leading the latter squad to the championship, leads Cincinnati in scoring (16.6 points per game) and ranks second in rebounding (5.8 rebounds per game). Graduate student guard David Dejulius, who opened his career at Michigan, ranks second on the Bearcats in scoring (14.7 points per game) and leads the team with 5.3 assists per game. Sophomore forward Viktor Lahkin ranks third in scoring (11.5 points per game) while pulling down a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 77-76 win for the Dutchmen. That sounds stressful but we’ll take it! Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 1-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 20-11-2 against the spread this season.
CINCINNATI IN THE NIT
The Bearcats are in the NIT for the 11th time and the first time since 2010, when they beat Weber State before falling to Dayton, which went on to win the championship. Cincinnati reached the NIT semifinals in 1955 and fell to Duquesne. The Bearcats are 9-10 all-time in the NIT.
ALL-TIME VS. CINCINNATI AND THE AMERICAN
This is the first meeting between Hofstra and Cincinnati in men’s basketball and just the fourth meeting in any sport. The Flying Dutchwomen volleyball team is 1-1 against Cincinnati, with a 3-0 win on Nov. 3, 1984 and a 3-0 loss on Sept. 13, 2013, while the Flying Dutchwomen basketball team fell to Cincinnati 65-63 at the Maggie Dixon Surf ’N Slam Classic in San Diego on Dec. 30, 2010.
The Flying Dutchmen are 7-21 all-time against schools currently in the American following the loss to South Florida on Dec. 19.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Oscar Robertson bias! (Duh, one of the greatest NBA players of all-time graduated from Cincinnati)
Kenyon Martin bias! (The no. 1 pick in the 2000 NBA draft went to Cincinnati)
Sandy Koufax bias! (Loyal Reader Larry informed me Koufax went to Cincinnati, which I did not know)
Pat Kelsey roots for all the teams in your town bias! (We all knew that)
You’re going to the Big 12 bias! (At least they are for the moment, who really knows with realignment)
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