Enjoy these goofy 14-plus minutes from 1991 and a much simpler time in life, including Deion Sanders doing the silliest thing he'll ever do!
The Flying Dutchmen, the most impressive of the nation’s 70 remaining unbeaten teams (prove me wrong children!) and the proud owner of one vote in this week’s Associated Press poll, will take the traveling show to Tallahassee tonight, when they look to topple another upper conference foe in Florida State.
As was the case following the wins over Iona and Seton Hall— and as will hopefully be the case all season — I ran down the boilerplate postgame material from Saturday’s 75-71 overtime win over Massachusetts in Monday’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that victory (lots of quirkiness!) as well as a preview of the Seminoles. Enjoy!
GO FOURTH YOUNG MEN
The Dutchmen are 4-0 for the first time since 2022-23, when the dream of an unbeaten season ended with a 76-48 loss to Saint Mary’s on Nov. 19 (I will ignore that potential sign), and for the 13th time in program history.
GET TO THE WORKIN’ OVERTIME PART
With the win Saturday night, the Dutchmen improved to 4-3 in overtime under Speedy Claxton. It was the third straight victory in an overtime contest for the Dutchmen, who beat Rutgers 88-86 in the first round of the NIT on Mar. 14, 2023 and edged High Point 97-92 in the Gulf Coast Showcase championship game last Nov. 22.
ONE POSSESSION OBSESSION
The Dutchmen trailed just once Saturday night — at 62-61 following a 3-pointer by UMass’ Rahsool Diggins with 55 seconds left. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have trailed just once in a game since Feb. 17, when they spotted Northeastern the first two points in an 82-62 win. Of course, falling behind in the opening minute is a lot different than falling behind in the final minute…
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER WINNING
…and if my research is correct, Saturday marks the latest in a game the Dutchmen have trailed for the first time since way back on Nov. 19, 2013 (there’s that date again!), when they didn’t trail until there was 4:26 left in overtime of a 74-63 loss to Richmond. That game 11 years ago tonight was the fourth game of the Joe Mihalich Era.
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME
Now this is a fun bit of quirkiness. By edging UMass on Saturday night, the Dutchmen snapped a losing streak of more than 50 years against an opponent for a second straight game! The Dutchmen’s previous win over the Minutemen came Dec. 20, 1971, when they earned a 60-56 victory. And last Wednesday’s 49-48 win over Seton Hall was the Dutchmen’s first against the Pirates since a 71-69 victory on Dec. 6, 1966. Alas the Dutchmen have a winning streak against Florida State, whom they beat 82-77 in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 20, 2015.
If my perusal of the media guide is correct, there are 11 Division I opponents whom the Dutchmen haven’t beaten in at least 50 years — including two-time defending national champion Connecticut. Schedule us, you cowards!
THE CLIMB TO NUMBER ONE HAS BEGUN
The Dutchmen, one of 70 remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, joined an even more select group of programs Monday, when they received one vote in the Associated Press top 25 poll. Shout out to Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette for his brilliance! The Dutchmen, one of 49 schools to receive one vote, are tied for 47th in the balloting with Michigan and Maryland. And a shoutout to Loyal Reader EvanJ, who notes this is the first time Hofstra has received a vote in the AP poll since Jan. 28, 2019, when the Dutchmen were in the midst of their 16-game winning streak.
HONORS FOR ARANGUREN
Jean Aranguren, who had 33 points, 13 rebounds and five assists while collecting the Keith Hernandez in the wins over Seton Hall and UMass, shared the CAA’s Player of the Week award with Monmouth’s Abdi Bashir Jr. Aranguren’s first honor with Hofstra extends an impressive streak for the Dutchmen while adding to their historical dominance within the category.
A Hofstra player has won at least one Player of the Week award in each of the last 22 seasons dating back to 2003-03, which is easily the longest active streak in the CAA. Another way to put that is that a Hofstra player has earned Player of the Week honors in every single season the school’s been in the CAA EXCEPT 2002-03. Another way to put that: Even the 2012-13 team had an honoree (alas, he is one of The Those Who Shall Not Be Named).
In addition, with Aranguren taking home the honors last week, Hofstras now had a whopping 27 players combine to earn 84 Player of the Week awards dating back to the school’s first season in the CAA in 2001-02. That’s the most players to earn a Player of the Week award and the most Player of the Week awards earned by any CAA school in that span. Delaware ranks second in both categories, but their 25 honorees have combined for 47 awards — barely half that of Hofstra. Devon Saddler is the most-honored Delaware player with six Player of the Week awards, a total matched or exceeded by five Dutchmen: Justin Wright-Foreman (12), Charles Jenkins (10), Loren Stokes (9), Aaron Estrada (8) and Juan’ya Green (6).
ALL A’S FOR ARANGUREN
Jean Aranguren posted his first double-double Saturday night, when he had 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Aranguren is the second Hofstra player to post a double-double this season — KiJan Robinson had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 89-62 win over Old Westbury on Nov. 4 — and the first to do so against a Division I opponent since Darlinstone Dubar had 23 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-58 win over Delaware in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals on Mar. 10.
ARANGUREN THE DUAL THREAT
Jean Aranguren scored at least 20 points in a game for the fifth time Saturday. It was his first 20-point effort against a Division I opponent since Feb. 10, when he had 21 points for Iona in a 73-69 loss to Canisius. The 11 rebounds were two more than his previous single-game best set way back on Nov. 8, when he flirted with a triple-double (18 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) against Iona in a 90-76 win.
JEAN FITS
Jean Aranguren has opened the season by scoring in double figures in a career-high four straight games. He is the first Hofstra player to begin his career by scoring at least 10 points in each of his first four games games since Zach Cooks and Aaron Estrada both scored in double figures in their first four games in 2021-22.
CRUZ’S CAREER NIGHT
Cruz Davis scored a career-high 21 points Saturday night, when he finished with six rebounds, his most ever against a Division I opponent. Davis opened the season by scoring 19 points in an 89-62 win over Division III Old Westbury on Nov. 4, when he also had seven rebounds. Davis’ previous single-game highs in scoring and rebounding against Division I opponents were established Jan. 6, 2023, when he had 16 points for Iona in an 84-57 win over Marist, and way back on Nov. 8, when he had five rebounds against Iona.
CRUZ COLLECTING HIS FREEBIES
Cruz Davis finished 7-for-7 from the free throw line Saturday. That’s the most made free throws without a miss by a Hofstra player since last Nov. 22, when Tyler Thomas was 10-for-10 from the line in a 97-92 overtime win over High Point in the Gulf Coast Showcase championship game.
TJ’S TIME
TJ Gadsden had by far his best game of the season Saturday, when he nearly posted a double-double by finishing with nine points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Gadsden scored seven points in the first six minutes — one point fewer than he scored in the first three games combined, when he was 3-for-13 from the field — before he iced the win with two free throws in the final second of overtime. The 12 rebounds by Gadsden were his most since he pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds for Canisius in 64-51 win over Fairfield on Feb. 26, 2023.
SHARP-SHOOTING SANDERS
Jaquan Sanders had his quietest game of the year Saturday, when he scored all nine of his points in the second half as the Dutchmen fended off UMass’ comeback bid and forced overtime. Sanders was 2-for-6 from 3-point land and has drained at least two 3-pointers in all four games this season after sinking multiple 3-pointers just nine times in his previous two seasons at Seton Hall. Sanders has 14 3-pointers overall after collecting 31 3-pointers for the Pirates.
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
Michael Graham continued to perform well in relatively limited duty Saturday, when he was limited to a season-low 13 minutes due to foul trouble but had four points while going 2-of-3 from the field. Graham had the final and perhaps the most important basket of the game in the final minute of overtime, when his second-chance layup extended the Dutchmen’s lead to 71-68. He is shooting 70 percent (14-of-20) this season after shooting a combined 62.9 percent the previous four seasons for Elon and Loyola Marymount.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
With Michael Graham battling foul trouble Silas Sunday continued his emergence as the 1A at the five by finishing with four points, four rebounds, one block and one steal in 26 minutes before fouling out. The 26 minutes were one shy of a career-high for Sunday, who is 7-of-7 from the field in the last three games since being limited to five minutes at the end of the season-opening 89-62 win over Old Westbury on Nov. 4.
HERE’S TO YOU MR. ROBINSON
It might not be time to call him the Microwave yet (GOOGLE IT CRAIN) but KiJan Robinson continued to establish himself as a legitimate scoring threat off the bench Saturday by collecting eight points in 23 minutes. Robinson was scoreless in eight minutes against Iona on Nov. 8 but has 14 points and four 3-pointers in the last two games.
GERMAN’S QUIET START
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, remained scoreless this season when he didn’t take a shot over six minutes Saturday. The five-game scoreless streak dating back to last season is the longest of Plotnikov’s three-season career and the longest for a Hofstra player since Silas Sunday went nine straight games without a point from Jan. 4 through Feb. 1.
PLEADING FOR A FIFTH
The Dutchmen are looking to start 5-0 for the first time since 2004-05, when they began 9-0, and the 11th time in program history.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game is slated to be carried live on ACC Network, which goes by the nickname ACCNX, which I believe means they recycle to the extreme. I also believe, but am not 100% sure, that ACCNX is part of ESPNPlus, which you have if you have the Disney Bundle, which you have if you have a child under 18. (Alas mine mostly watches Max and Netflix, sigh) Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
FLORIDA STATE AND THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Florida State, under 23rd-year head coach Leonard Hamilton, is 3-1 this season following Friday’s 87-74 loss to Florida. At least you didn’t lose to them in the conference tournament!
Florida State was picked to finish 15th in the 18-team ACC. The Seminoles were picked to finish ahead of California, Stanford and Boston College, which is impossible because two of those schools are in the Pac-12 and another one is in the Big East.
Redshirt senior Jamir Watkins, a preseason all-ACC second-team selection who began his career with two seasons at VCU, leads the Seminoles with 18.5 points per game and ranks second with 5.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore Taylor Bol Bowen is averaging 8.5 points and a team-high 6.3 reboudns per game. True freshman Daquan Davis and senior Justin Thomas, who played the 2022-23 season with Milwaukee, are averaging 8.0 points and 2.0 assists per game. Senior Bostyn Holt, who opened his career with two season at Utah and one season at South Dakota, is also averaging 2.0 assists per game. Watkins, Bowen and junior Chandler Jackson are the only returning players who scored for Florida State last season.
Per KenPom.com, Florida State ranks 90th nationally in offensive efficiency (106.0 points per 100 possessions) and 57th in defensive efficiency (97.8 points per 100 possessions) while ranking 34th in tempo (72.8 possessions per 40 minutes).
The Dutchmen and Seminoles have four common opponents this season, which seems like a lot! Florida State earned consecutive wins Nov. 9-12 against Rice (73-65) and Tarleton State (72-52), whom the Dutchmen are slated to play in the opening two games of the Baha Mar Hoops tournament in the Bahamas on Nov 29-30. After tonight, the Seminoles have another 1-2 punch of common Hofstra opponents when they play Temple and Massachusetts in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament this Friday and Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. The Dutchmen are slated to host Temple Dec. 15 and just beat UMass. You might have read about it!
Hofstra is 1-3 all-time against Florida State, though the Dutchmen won the most recent meeting between the teams on Nov, 20, 2015, when Brian Bernardi scored 24 points in an 82-77 win in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. How is that nine years ago tomorrow?!
Hofstra is 5-35 all-time against current ACC schools, though that ledger includes games against Syracuse, Boston College and California when they were all in their proper homes. The win over Florida State on Nov. 20, 2015 marks the Dutchmen’s most recent win against an ACC opponent. This marks the second straight season Hofstra is playing an ACC foe. The Dutchmen fell to Duke, 89-68, last Dec. 12. The Dutchmen last played ACC teams in consecutive seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16, when they lost to North Carolina State and beat Florida State.
At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 133rd while Florida State is ranked 90th. KenPom.com predicts a 74-67 loss for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 8-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 3-0 against the spread this season.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Deion Sanders bias! (The former Yankees outfielder began his spotlight-averse, two-sport career as a superstar cornerback at Florida State)
Pat Kennedy never sacrificed a trench coat for you guys bias! (Long before things, err, did not go well at Towson, Kennedy was one of the nation’s up-and-coming coaches when he directed Florida State to five NCAA Tournaments and one Elite Eight from 1986-87 through 1996-97)
Leonard Hamilton is the real Ponce de Leon bias! (The eternally youthful head coach is 76 years old and looks half that, tops)
Doug Mientkiewicz recorded the last putout of the 2004 World Series bias! (And then what happened?)
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