Again, everyone, these are the good ol’ days. The Flying Dutchmen locked up another CAA regular season championship last Saturday, when they mounted another nearly wire-to-wire win in an 84-52 victory over Northeastern. With an NIT bid in their back pocket, the Dutchmen will look to render that backup plan unnecessary beginning this afternoon, when they start the pursuit of a second CAA Tournament title — and first trip to the NCAA Tournament as a CAA representative! — by facing eighth-seeded William & Mary in the quarterfinals. William & Mary in the CAA Tournament. What could poss-i-bly go wrong? Here’s a look back at the win over the Huskies and a look ahead to the Tribe.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Warren Williams (19 points, nine rebounds) almost posted a double-double in fewer than 20 minutes and Tyler Thomas (23 points) and Aaron Estrada (19 points) both looked like the all-CAA players they’d become later in the week #Foreshadowing as the Dutchmen cruised to victory. Northeastern scored eight unanswered points — six by Chase Cormier — to take its lone lead at 21-20 with 6:36 left, but Williams drained a jumper on the next trip down the court to begin an 11-0 run for the Dutchmen. That began a half-spanning 27-4 run for the Dutchmen, who scored the first nine points of the second half to take their first 20-point lead at 47-25. The Dutchmen led by as many as 34 while emptying the bench. The 19 points were a season-high for Williams while the nine rebounds were his most against a Division I foe. Thomas was 5-of-10 from 3-point land while Estrada added five assists. German Plotnikov had nine points — all in the first half with Darlinstone Dubar saddled with two fouls — while Jaquan Carlos had another quirky line with no points but eight assists. Nelson Boachie-Yiadom had four points and tied a season-high with nine rebounds while walk-on Petey Galgano had a Senior Day to remember by scoring the Dutchmen’s final four points (on back-to-back goaltending calls, don’t see that everyday).
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Northeastern, 2/25)
3: Warren Williams
2: Tyler Thomas
1: German Plotnikov
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 54
Tyler Thomas 46
Darlinstone Dubar 30
Jaquan Carlos 24
Warren Williams 14
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 7
Amar’e Marshall 6
German Plotnikov 3
Bryce Washington 1
Griffin Barrouk 1
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! Not a huge surprise, given the large margin of victory and Northeastern’s low-scoring output. Only one other win came within one point of an 84-52 final, and that was way back during the 1961-62 season, when the Dutchmen beat Manhattan 83-52. My parents were teenagers! Every previous win to come within three points of an 84-52 final was from the pre-shot clock era except an 86-52 victory over Vermont on Jan. 14, 2000.
This is the Flying Dutchmen’s 11th 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
2/16/23: 73-43 over Hampton
2/25/23: 84-52 over Northeastern
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Warren Williams completed a regular season sweep against Northeastern by hitting the layup that gave the Dutchmen the lead for good at 22-21 with 6:14 left in the first half. It was Williams’ third Keith Hernandez of the season but the first without a free throw included. It also marked the first time in CAA play that the Keith Hernandez was hoisted with the Dutchmen trailing. Williams is the second player to have two Keith Hernandezes against the same opponent this season, joining Tyler Thomas, who pulled off the historic feat against Stony Brook.
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 8
Darlinstone Dubar 5
Aaron Estrada 4
Warren Williams 3
German Plotnikov 2
Jaquan Carlos 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER THIRTY-ONE GAMES
With last Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 23-8. This ties the 2022-23 team for the fifth-best record in school history through 31 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have been 23-8 through 31 games since 2019-20 and just the third time they’ve opened 23-8 in program history. All nine teams to open 22-9 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 31 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1999-2000: 24-7 (season ended with an 86-66 loss to Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, only 24-7 start)
2000-01: 26-5 (season ended with a 61-48 loss to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which snapped the program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak, best 31-game record in program history)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 23-8 (most recent 23-8 start, beat James Madison in regular season finale to clinch second straight CAA regular season title)
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). 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
1998-99: 22-9 (lost to Drexel in America East semifinals)
2005-06: 25-6 (beat Nebraska, 73-62, in the first round of the NIT)
2006-07: 22-9 (most recent 22-9 start, lost to George Mason—PASS THE BALL TO AGUDIO, GREG—in the CAA quarterfinals)
2015-16: 23-8 (beat Drexel in the CAA quarterfinals)
2018-19: 25-6 (most recent 25-6 start, beat Delaware in regular season finale to clinch the outright CAA regular season title)
The 2004-05 NIT team completed its season at 21-9.
Some other notable 31-game records — in fact, all of them!
2017-18: 19-12 (most recent 19-12 start, season ended with a loss to UNC Wilmington in the CAA quarterfinals)
2016-17: 15-16 (only 15-16 start, beat James Madison in regular season finale to get within one game of .500 for the fifth time since falling under .500 for good on Jan. 14, last win of season)
2014-15: 19-12 (lost to James Madison in regular season finale)
2013-14: 9-22 (only 9-22 start, beat James Madison in regular season finale, Joe Mihalich's first season)
2012-13: 7-24 (lost to Towson in regular season finale, worst 31-game record in program history)
2011-12: 10-21 (only 10-21 start, beat UNC Wilmington in regular season finale, last win of season)
2010-11: 21-10 (beat William & Mary in CAA quarterfinals, last win of season)
2009-10: 18-13 (only 18-13 start, beat Georgia State in regular season finale)
2008-09: 21-10 (beat UNC Wilmington in CAA first round, last win of season)
2001-02: 12-19 (only 12-19 start, beat George Mason in CAA quarterfinals, hee hee, last win of season)
1997-98: 19-12 (season ended with loss to Delaware in America East semifinals)
Hofstra has never been 31-0, 30-1, 29-2, 28-3, 27-4, 20-11, 17-14, 16-15, 14-17, 13-18, 11-20, 8-23, 6-24, 6-25, 5-26, 4-27, 3-28, 2-29, 1-30 or 0-31 through 31 games.
Sixty-six seasons were completed in fewer than 31 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)
2002-03 (8-21)
2003-04 (14-15)
2004-05 (21-9)
2007-08 (12-18)
2020-21 (13-10)
(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, 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 SIXTY-THREE
With last Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 44-19 (.698) as head coach. That’s the second-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 63 games at the helm. These last 10 games mark the highest Claxton has been in the all-time game-to-game standings since he became head coach last season.
Paul Lynner 47-16 (.758, 63rd game was the fourth game of his third season in 1963-64)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 44-19 (.698, 63rd game was the 31st game of his second season in 2022-23)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 40-23 (.629, 63rd game was the 11th game of his third season in 1957-58)
Dick Berg 31-32 (.484, 63rd game was the eighth game of his third season in 1982-83)
Mo Cassara 30-33 (.484, 63rd game was the 30th game of his second season in 2011-12)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 29-34 (.468, 63rd game was the sixth game of his third season in 1989-90)
Joe Mihalich 29-34 (.452, 63rd game was the 30th game of his second season in 2014-15)
Jay Wright 22-41 (.355, 63rd game was the eighth game of his third season in 1996-97)
Roger Gaeckler 21-42 (.339, 62nd game was the 14th game of his third season in 1974-75)
Tom Pecora 21-42 (.339, 63rd game was the second game of his third season in 2003-04)
Dick Berg breaks the tie with Mo Cassara for fourth place while Joe Mihalich climbs into a tie for sixth place with Butch van Breda Kolff. Jay Wright loses for the FIFTH STRAIGHT 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.
CLUB 21 AND OVER
The Dutchmen, as you may have surmised by now, recorded their 23rd victory last Saturday, two more wins than they earned last season. They are just one of 41 Division I schools with at least 21 wins in the last two seasons. Here’s the full list — 21 mid-majors and 20 majors.
HOFSTRA
Akron
Belmont
Boise State
Colgate
Drake
Furman
Iona
Kent State
Liberty
Montana State
Morehead State
North Texas
Samford
San Diego State
Santa Clara
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Toledo
UAB
UNC Wilmington
VCU
Arizona
Baylor
Connecticut
Duke
Gonzaga
Houston
Kansas
Memphis
Miami (FL)
Providence
Purdue
Saint Mary’s
Santa Clara
Southern Cal
Tennessee
Texas
Texas A&M
UCLA
Virginia
Xavier
STREAKING (part one)
The Dutchmen’s 11-game winning streak is the fifth-longest active streak in Division I.
Oral Roberts 15
Toledo 15
Vermont 13
Bradley 12
HOFSTRA 11
STREAKING (part two)
The Dutchmen’s 11-game winning streak is ninth winning streak of at least 11 games in school history and the longest since the 2018-19 team won 16 straight.
ALMOST A WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
The Dutchmen trailed just once last Saturday — at 21-20 with 6:36 left. While this wasn’t their ninth wire-to-wire win of the season, it was something almost as impressive and maybe even more unique (or quirkier, if you will). The win over Northeastern marks the seventh time the Dutchmen have won a game in which they never trailed by more than a possession (and the second time they did it against Northeastern).
vs. George Washington: trailed by two points 11/14/22
vs. UNC Greensboro: trailed by two points 11/26/22
vs. Quinnipiac: trailed by one point 11/27/22
vs. Old Westbury: trailed by two points 12/22/22
vs. William & Mary: trailed by two points 1/7/23
vs. Northeastern: trailed by one point 2/8/23
vs. Northeastern: trailed by one point 2/23/23
And there’s a defeat in which the Dutchmen never trailed by more than a possession — the 81-79 loss to North Carolina A&T on Dec. 31, when the Aggies took their biggest lead on the buzzer-beating tap-in by Tyrese Elliott. Quirky!
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST
The Dutchmen improved to 11-0 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points and have won 43 straight games 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.
WW BIG IN THE DUB
Warren Williams had his best game of the season last Saturday, when he finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The 19 points were the most this season for Williams, who had 18 points against Monmouth on Jan. 11, and his most since he scored 20 points for Manhattan against Fairfield on Mar. 5, 2021. Two years ago today! The nine rebounds were the second-most this season for Williams, who had 14 rebounds against Division III Old Westbury on Dec. 22, and his most against a Division I foe since he pulled down 10 rebounds against Siena on Feb. 27, 2021.
A LOT IN A LITTLE
Warren Williams needed just 19 minutes to score 19 points last Saturday. That’s the fewest minutes a Hofstra player has needed to score at least 19 points against a Division I opponent since Kenny Adeleke had 19 points in 16 minutes against Manhattan in a 65-58 loss on Dec. 31, 2003. Darlinstone Dubar had 23 points in 18 minutes in a 96-48 win over Division III Old Westbury on Dec. 22.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas’ strong season continued last Saturday, when he finished with 23 points for the second straight game. It was the 10th time this season Thomas has scored at least 20 points and the ninth time he’s done so in 18 CAA games. He’s scored in double figures in 11 straight games as well as 17 times in 18 CAA games and 25 times in 31 games overall.
ESTRADA’S DOUBLE-DIGIT STREAK
Aaron Estrada scored 16 points last Saturday to extend his streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 20 games. Estrada, who has missed four games during his current streak, has scored in double figures in 26 of 27 games this season and in 53 of 59 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.
0-FER FROM THREE
Aaron Estrada scored his 16 points last Saturday despite going 0-for-3 from 3-point land. It was the second straight game without a 3-pointer for Estrada, who was 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in the 68-65 win over Stony Brook on Feb. 18. It’s the second time this season Estrada’s gone scoreless from 3-point land in at least two straight games. He was a combined 0-for-10 in three games from Nov. 19-26 against Saint Mary’s, Middle Tennessee State and UNC Greensboro. Good news: Estrada had four 3-pointers in each of his next two games.
ESTRADA MOVIN’ ON UP
Aaron Estrada jumped three spots on the all-time Hofstra scoring list last Saturday, when he scored 16 points to move past Mike Moore, Wandy Williams and Nathaniel Lester into 30th place. Estrada enters today 19 points shy of surpassing past Ted Jackson into 29th place.
28.) Rokas Gustys 1,184
29.) Ted Jackson 1,159
30.) AARON ESTRADA 1,141
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
HOW MANY POINTS DID GERMAN PLOTNIKOV SCORE?
Niiiiiine points. Plotnikov scored all nine points in the first half, when he played the final 17 points as Darlinstone Dubar sat with two early fouls. Plotnikov has scored at least nine points in four of his last seven games after scoring eight points or fewer in 20 straight games from Nov. 19 through Feb. 2.
HOW MANY REBOUNDS DID NELSON BOACHIE-YIADOM HAVE?
Niiiiiiine rebounds. That tied a season-high for Boachie-Yiadom, who had nine rebounds in a 68-47 loss to Towson on Jan. 16. It was the second game this season in which two players have pulled down at least nine rebounds for the Dutchmen. Tyler Thomas had 11 rebounds and Jaquan Carlos recorded 10 rebounds in a XX-YY win over Stony Brook on Feb. 4. The Dutchmen last had more than two games against Division I foes in which at least two players had at least nine rebounds during the 2020-21 season, when they did it a remarkable seven times in just 23 games.
A ZERO AND CRAZY EIGHTS
Jaquan Carlos, king of the quirky stat lines this season, did it again last Saturday, when he was scoreless while going 0-for-4 from the field but added eight assists and three rebounds. Carlos is the first Hofstra player to have no points and at least eight assists since Woody Souffrant was scoreless while dishing out nine assists against Towson on Feb. 25, 2002. Long time ago!
CARLOS’ DROUGHT
Jaquan Carlos went scoreless for the second straight game. Carlos, who was 0-for-9 from the field in the 68-65 win over Stony Brook on Feb. 18, is the first Hofstra player to go scoreless in consecutive games as a starter since Nelson Boachie-Yiadom went scoreless against Purdue and Massachusetts from Dec. 7-11.
PETEY POINTS
One of the coolest moments of the season happened over the final two minutes, when graduate senior walk-on Petey Galgano got into the game and scored the Dutchmen’s final four points. It’s cool enough they were both baskets via goaltending (hey, when you’re playing on Senior Day, drive the lane), but even better, Galgano is the first walk-on to score on his Senior Day in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-pres). How great is that? Galgano’s four points are the most in a game by a walk-on since Connor Klementowicz scored nine points in a 107-54 win over Rosemont on Dec. 22, 2018.
LUCKY THIRTEEN
The Dutchmen used all 13 active players last Saturday for the second time this season. They also used all 13 players in an 86-62 win over Delaware on Jan. 11. As noted by Loyal Reader EvanJ back then, that was the first time the Dutchmen played 13 players since a 68-52 win over St. Francis (NY) on Dec. 13, 2008 — or 461 games ago. From 461 games between 13-player outings to just 12 games! If these trends continue…
FUN FEBRUARY
The Dutchmen finished 8-0 in February. It was their first unbeaten February since going 7-0 in February 2001 — wins nine through 15 of the 18-game winning streak that ended in the NCAA Tournament, let’s go history repeating itself! — and their first unbeaten month since December 2018, when they went 8-0. Well, the Dutchmen also went 3-0 in March 2020, but well, yeah.
AWARDS SEASON
Congrats again to Aaron Estrada and Speedy Claxton, who joined pretty good clubs Thursday, when Estrada was named the CAA Player of the Year for the second straight season and Claxton won the CAA Coach of the Year for the first time.
Estrada is the third two-time Player of the Year winner from Hofstra, joining Charles Jenkins (2010-11) and Justin Wright-Foreman (2018-19), and one of five Hofstra players to win the award, along with Loren Stokes (2006) and Juan’ya Green (2016). The three two-time winners and eight total Player of the Year winners for the Dutchmen are both the most in CAA history.
Claxton is the second Hofstra coach to earn Coach of the Year honors, following in the footsteps of Joe Mihalich (2019).
In addition, Tyler Thomas was named to the all-CAA second team while Jaquan Carlos made the all-CAA defensive team. Thomas is the Dutchmen's first second-team honoree since Isaac Kante in 2021 while Carlos is the first Hofstra player to earn a spot on the all-defensive team since Desure Buie in 2020.
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.
THE CAA RACE
As you no doubt know by now, Hofstra and Charleston finished tied for first in the CAA with 16-2 records. The Dutchmen, of course, earned the no. 1 seed by virtue of their head-to-head win over the Cougars. Viva la unbalanced schedule! The CAA is one of just two Division I leagues in which the top two teams finished with two regular seasons losses or fewer. Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga tied for the West Coast Conference regular season championship at 14-2, with Saint Mary’s earning the no. 1 seed by virtue of beating Hofstra. Or some other tiebreaker thing, I don’t know.
This is the first time two teams have finished with two losses or fewer in an 18-game CAA schedule and only the fourth time it’s happened in league history. Navy (13-1) edged Richmond (12-2) by a game in 1985-86 and Richmond and James Madison tied for the regular season title at 12-2 in 1991-92 before James Madison and Northeastern both finished 8-2 during the pandemic-wracked 2020-21 season.
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
The Dutchmen won the CAA regular season championship for the fourth time, which is tied with James Madison for the fifth-most in CAA history behind the quartet of UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion, Richmond and VCU, all of whom have won or won five titles. All four of Hofstra’s titles have come since 2016, the most titles in a span of eight seasons or fewer since VCU won four titles in six years from 2003-04 through 2008-09. Really, folks, we’ve got it pretty good.
THE DUTCHMEN IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PLAY
The Flying Dutchmen enter today 19-20 in CAA Tournament play since 2002, 28-25 in conference tournament play in the NAC/America East/CAA era (1994-present) and 31-25 in conference tournament play in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-present), which, let’s face it, is the only era that matters because it includes the ECC. Hello Litos.
In the CAA, the Dutchmen fell in the title game three times — in 2006, 2016 and 2019 — before finally breaking through and winning it all by beating Northeastern 70-61 in the title game on Mar. 10, 2020. It was a nice 24 hours. The repeat championship bid ended in the conference semifinal last season, when the Dutchmen lost to Elon 76-58.
In addition to the one title game win and three title game losses as a CAA member, the Dutchmen have fallen in the semifinals five times, been eliminated in the quarterfinals nine times — including last year, when they fell to Charleston 92-76 — and lost on Pillowfight Friday four times since 2002. Dating back to 1994, the Dutchmen have won four championships (1994 ECC, 2000 America East, 2001 America East, 2020 CAA), fallen in the title game three times, lost in the semifinals seven times, fallen in the quarterfinals 10 times and been eliminated in an outbracket game five times (we didn’t call it Pillowfight Friday back in the NAC).
THE DUTCHMEN AS A NUMBER ONE SEED
The Flying Dutchmen are the no. 1 seed in the CAA Tournament for the fourth time and a no. 1 seed in a conference tournament for the seventh time. They have won three titles as the no. 1 seed and fallen in the title game the other three times.
2020 CAA: beat no. 8 Drexel in QFs, beat no. 5 Delaware in SFs, beat no. 6 Northeastern in championship, named national champion (prove me wrong, children!)
2019 CAA: beat no. 8 James Madison in QFs, beat no. 5 Delaware in SFs, lost to no. 2 Northeastern in championship
2016 CAA: beat no. 9 Drexel in QFs, beat no. 5 William & Mary in SFs, lost to no. 2 UNCW in championship
2001 A-East: beat no. 8 Vermont in QFs, beat no. 4 Maine in SFs, beat no. 2 Delaware in championship
2000 A-East: beat no. 8 Boston U. in QFs, beat no. 5 Drexel in SFs, beat no. 2 Delaware in championship
1992 ECC: beat no. 4 UMBC in SFs, lost to no. 2 Towson in championship
THE ONE AND ONLY?
As we’ve been fortunate enough to learn a few times over the last eight seasons, being the no. 1 seed means having nightmares (often while awake) of all that can go wrong for the Dutchmen. But over the last 29 seasons, the no. 1 seed in Hofstra’s conference tournament is a halfway decent 69-10 in tourney play. That’s a winning percentage of .873. Since 1994, the no. 1 seed in Hofstra’s conference tournament has won it all 19 times and fallen in the finals five other times. It has failed to make the championship game just five times, though that’s happened in each of the last two seasons. Uh-oh.
In 40 seasons of CAA play, the no. 1 seed has gone 86-18 (a lower but still pretty good winning percentage of .827) while winning the championship 21 times and losing in the finals 11 times. It has fallen prior to the title game just eight times — though, again, that’s happened in each of the last two seasons. I repeat: Uh-oh.
NUMBER ONES IN GAME NUMBER ONE
The no. 1 seed in Hofstra’s conference tournament is 27-2 in its first tourney game in the Defiantly Dutch era. The only defeats were absorbed by Troy State (hey, it was a State back then) in 1994, when the Trojans received a bye to the semifinals but lost to the Flying Dutchmen, 90-89, in overtime, and by James Madison, which was stunned by Elon, 72-71, in 2021.
And in the CAA, the no. 1 seed is 38-2 all-time in its opening game. Prior to James Madison in 2021, the only top seed to fall in the quarterfinals was the 1991 James Madison squad, which fell to Navy, 85-82, in overtime.
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
The Tribe, under fourth-year head coach Dane Fischer, advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Elon, 73-51, in a second-round game Saturday afternoon. Miguel Ayesa, pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries, tied a career-high with 23 points and drained a career-high seven 3-pointers, one shy of the CAA Tournament record. William & Mary, which improved to 13-19, earned the no. 8 seed by finishing 7-11 in CAA play.
The Dutchmen and Tribe had no common opponents in non-conference play. In CAA play, both teams lost to North Carolina A&T. The Dutchmen swept Monmouth, whom William & Mary beat, as well as Northeastern, Hampton and Stony Brook, all of whom split with the Tribe. The Dutchmen beat Elon and UNC Wilmington, each of whom split with William & Mary, and split with Towson, which fell to the Tribe. The Dutchmen swept Delaware and beat Drexel and Charleston, all of whom beat William & Mary.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish second in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 91st at KenPom.com. The Tribe, which was picked to finish eighth, is ranked 314th.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank second in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (113.1 points per 100 possessions) and first in conference-only defensive efficiency (91.4 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.7 possessions per 40 minutes, the sixth-most in the league. The Tribe rank seventh in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (100.4 points per 100 possessions) and 11th in defensive efficiency (108.0 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.6 possessions per 40 minutes, ninth-most in the league.
Graduate student guard Anders Nelson (great Islanders name), who played last season at St. Thomas, leads the Tribe with 11.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. Junior forward Ben Wight ranks just behind Nelson at 11.0 points per game and is also second in rebounding (5.2 rebounds per game). Sophomore guard Gabe Dorsey, a Vanderbilt transfer, is averaging 10.9 points per game while junior forward Noah Collier, a Pittsburgh transfer, leads the Tribe with 8.2 rebounds per game. However, both players have missed the last seven games.
KenPom.com predicts a 78-64 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 13-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 18-10-2 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. WILLIAM & MARY
Hofstra is 27-15 against William & Mary in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Dutchmen won the lone meeting between the teams this season on Jan. 7, when Aaron Estrada and Tyler Thomas scored 20 points apiece in a 75-62 victory in Virginia. This year marks the first time the Dutchmen are playing a CAA Tournament game against a team they opposed just once in the regular season since 2012, when they lost to Georgia State 85-50. Hey that’s no longer the most lopsided loss in CAA Tournament history!
The Hofstra-William & Mary series has lately been one of the CAA’s most exciting and competitive rivalries. Twelve of the last 22 games between the teams have been decided by six points or fewer or in overtime, including back-to-back barnburners in the CAA Tournament in 2015 (shudders) and 2016.
Speaking of the CAA Tournament, the Dutchmen are 3-1 all-time in the tourney against the Tribe, whom Hofstra has faced more than any other opponent except Delaware (3-3), UNC Wilmington (2-4) and Old Dominion (0-4).
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Anders Nelson is neither Anders Lee nor Brock Nelson bias! (But he is from Minnesota, like the Islanders’ stars)
Holy shit bias! (Daniel Dixon for the win — literally, but probably not today, right? RIGHT?!)
Why aren’t the Timberwolves playing Nathan Knight more bias! (Five DNP-CDs for the Commodore in the last six games, c’mon Chris Finch)
Turk and J.D. are now shilling for cell phones bias! (We’ll take our Scrubs any place we can get it)
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