More feeling like Mac and Frank and less feeling like Dee and Dennis tonight, please.
As the ancient philosophers used to say: You can’t earn an NCAA Tournament berth by winning five conference tournament games in five days if you don’t win on day one — preferably in the easiest and least stressful fashion possible. As long as Jean Aranguren’s ankle is OK, the 11th-seeded Flying Dutchmen accomplished all their objectives Friday afternoon, when they never trailed in a 77-55 win over 14th-seeded North Carolina A&T.
The pursuit of the seemingly impossible continues tonight, when the Dutchmen face sixth-seeded Monmouth in the final second-round game at 8:30 PM. Remember how much it sucked to have to wait for Hofstra to finally play as the three seed at 8:30 PM? This day-long anticipation is much better than that.
Anyway, as has somehow remained the routine throughout conference play (so far so good), I ran down the boilerplate material from Friday’s win in a (very) late night Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that win as well as some CAA Tournament historical nuggets and a preview of the Hawks. Enjoy!
WE’RE STREAKING!
Do consecutive wins over the same team constitute a winning streak? They do when you haven’t won consecutive games since before Christmas. By beating North Carolina A&T in the last two games, the Dutchmen have earned back-to-back wins for the first time in CAA play and the first time since they won three in a row over Arkansas State, St. Joseph’s (NY) and Norfolk State from Dec. 1-9. Wow! Spanning two presidential administrations! Another way to put it: The Dutchmen were the last CAA team to author back-to-back league wins this season, Yet another way to put it: The Dutchmen went 87 days in between winning streaks, marks the longest the Dutchmen have gone without back-to-back wins in a single season since the 2012-13 team went the final 111 days of that miserable season without recording consecutive victories.
WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
The Dutchmen never trailed Friday afternoon. It was their second wire-to-wire win this season and their first since a 114-48 win over Division III St. Joseph’s (NY) on Dec. 6. It was also their first wire-to-wire win over a Division I foe since the Dutchmen earned an 81-49 victory over North Carolina A&T on Feb. 10, 2024.
TWICE AS NICE
The Dutchmen beat North Carolina A&T in the first round of the CAA Tournament six days after they defeated the Aggies, 70-49, in the regular season finale for both clubs. It was the first time a team has won both it regular season finale and CAA Tournament opener against the same team since the 2013-14 season, when Northeastern defeated Drexel to close out the regular season slate before eliminating the Dragons in a quarterfinal clash. Teams that won the regular season finale lost an immediate tournament rematch four straight times in between. The teams that win the regular season finale are now 11-7 in an immediate tournament rematch.
The Dutchmen are 5-1 in CAA Tournament openers against a team whom they faced in the regular season finale with wins over Towson in 2002, UNC Wilmington in 2009, Georgia State in 2019 and James Madison in 2015 and a loss to Charleston in 2022. The wins over North Carolina A&T mark the third time the Dutchmen have swept the finale and tournament rematch (UNC Wilmington and Georgia State).
A PRETTY GOOD HALF
The Dutchmen led 39-19 at the half Friday afternoon. The 20-point halftime lead was their largest since the Dutchmen led Division III St. Joseph’s (NY) 53-27 on Dec. 6 and their biggest lead over a Division I foe since they went into the locker room with a 34-15 lead over North Carolina A&T on Feb. 10, 2014. In addition, the 19 points allowed in th first half were the fewest surrendered by the Dutchmen in a half since they gave up 18 second-half points to Northeastern in a 55-37 win on Jan. 4. You will not be surprised to read, then, that the 19 first-half points by North Carolina A&T were the fewest scored by a Hofstra opponent in the first half since Northeastern scored 19 points in the first half of the Dutchmen’s 55-37 win on Jan. 4!
TOOK A WHILE TO GET TO TEN
A little wordy, but it does the trick! North Carolina A&T didn’t break into double figures Friday afternoon until Jahnathan Lamothe’s layup with 7:25 left in the first half pulled the Aggies within 15-10. It was the deepest into a game the Dutchmen have held an opponent in single digits since Jan. 25, when Campbell didn’t break into double figures until there was 7:11 left in the first half. Things…things did not go so great after that.
CRUZ TAKES CONTROL
Cruz Davis was a one-man team for the first seven-plus minutes Friday afternoon, when he scored the Dutchmen’s first eight points to stake them to an 8=2 lead before Silas Sunday dunked with 12:50 left. Davis’ streak was the longest consecutive stretch of points by a Hofstra player to begin a game since Tyler Thomas scored the Dutchmen’s first nine points in an 87-73 win over Delaware on Dec. 29, 2022.
NO FIRST HALF FADE
We had a pretty good feeling things would proceed smoothly Friday afternoon when the Dutchmen fared fine in the final two minutes of the first half, during which they outscored North Carolina A&T 4-2 while going 2-of-4 from the field and limiting the Aggies to 1-of-4 shooting. Most importantly, Michael Graham sank a jumper just before the buzzer, which gave the Dutchmen points in their final possession of the first half for just the third time in their last 12 games. Graham dunked against Campbell on Jan. 25 and German Plotnikov had a putback against Stony Brook on Feb. 27. Overall this season in CAA play, the Dutchmen have been outscored 63-50 in the final two minutes of the first half in 19 league games, during which their opponent has shot 21-of-50 from the field (42.0 percent) in the last two minutes and scored on their final possession seven times. The Dutchmen have shot 21-of-57 from the field (36.8 percent) in the last two minutes of the first half and scored on their last possession six times.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, had the best game of his three-year career Friday afternoon, when he set career-highs with 23 points, seven 3-pointers and 10 rebounds while adding three steals, one assist and one block in 33 minutes. It was the first double-double for Plotnikov, who played his 93rd career game Friday. The 23 points exceeded Plotnikov’s previous high of 20 points, set twice previously against North Carolina A&T on Feb. 10, 2024 and Northeastern on Feb. 17, 2024. The 10 rebounds were two more than his previous single-game best, set against Division III St. Joseph’s (NY) on Nov. 6, 2023, and three more than his previous single-game best against a Division I foe set five times previously and matched in the final two games of the regular season against Stony Brook and North Carolina A&T. And the seven 3-pointers easily beat Plotnikov’s previous best of four 3-pointers, set three times previously. He also had multiple steals for the fourth straight game and the seventh time in the last 11 games after he recorded multiple steals just eight times in his first 82 career games. Plotnikov, who made his eighth straight start Friday, has scored in 23 of the last 24 games in which he’s played after scoring just once in the first six games.
PEAKING PLOTNIKOV
German Plotnikov’s big game Friday afternoon continued a timely hot stretch for the senior, who has 43 points and 24 rebounds in the last three games. The 43 points are the most for Plotnikov in a three-game stretch since he had 45 points from Feb. 10-20, 2024 while the 24 rebounds are the most he’s ever recorded in a three-game span.
SEVEN WISHES
German Plotnikov did most of his damage from 3-point land Friday afternoon, when he was 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. The seven 3-pointers were the most by a Hofstra player since KiJan Robinson had eight 3-pointers in a 114-46 win over Division III St. Joseph’s (NY) and the most by a Hofstra player against a Division I foe since Darlinstone Dubar drained seven 3-pointers in an 89-68 loss to then-no. 21 Duke on Dec. 12, 2023.
A FINE FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE
All double-doubles are good, but how about a first career double-doubles where the player sets new single-game highs in BOTH scoring and rebounding? German Plotnikov did that Friday afternoon, when he finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in his first career double-double. He’s the first Hofstra player to set career-highs in both scoring and rebounding in his first double-double since Cruz Davis had 28 points and 10 rebounds in a 93-68 win over Delaware on Jan. 23.
CRUZ-IN
Cruz Davis had another solid game Friday afternoon, when he scored 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting — including 3-of-8 from 3-point land — to go along with four rebounds and a team-high eight assists. Davis did almost all his damage in the first half, when he had 18 of the Dutchmen’s 39 points and nearly outscored North Carolina A&T (19 points) by himself. It was the fourth straight double-digit scoring effort for Davis, who has 72 points, 18 rebounds and 24 assists in that span after collecting just 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists against Hampton and Monmouth from Feb, 15-20. Davis has reached double figures 21 times in 32 games this season after scoring at least 10 points just five times over the previous two seasons for Iona and St. John’s. The Dutchmen are now 12-9 when Davis scores in double figures.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden, who missed the previous three games, had his best game in weeks — if not months — Friday afternoon, when he had eight points and five rebounds in 12 second half-minutes. Gadsden, who entered when Jean Aranguren appeared to roll his ankle with 12:34 left, scored at least eight points for the fifth time this season and collected at least five rebounds for the seventh time. But Friday marked the first time Gadsden had at least eight points and five rebounds in the same game since way back on Nov. 16, when he scored nine points and pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds in the 75-71 overtime win over UMass. Gadsden has scored in double figures just twice this season after scoring at least 10 points in 11 of 25 games last season for Canisius.
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
Michael Graham helped ensure the Dutchmen wouldn’t squander another big early lead Friday afternoon, when he finished with six points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. Graham had four points and all six rebounds in the first half before he collected his final points with a dunk just 1:18 into the second half. He exited for good with 13:24 left. Graham finished 3-of-5 from the field Friday and is shooting 62.0 percent (67-for-108) in 19 CAA games, a stretch that includes two games against William & Mary in which he didn’t attempt a shot as well as a 3-of-12 game against Northeastern on Feb. 6. The Dutchmen are now 11-11 when Graham plays at least 20 minutes, including 6-9 in CAA play.
BLUE JEAN
The Dutchmen hope they dodged an injury scare with Jean Aranguren, who exited after he appeared to roll his ankle with 12:34 left. Aranguren, who finished with six points on 2-of-9 shooting while adding five assists, two rebounds and one steal in 23 minutes, headed to the locker room but finished the game on Hofstra’s bench. The abbreviated appearance snapped a two-game surge for Aranguren, who had 37 points on 16-of-31 shooting along with 17 reboudns and eight assists against Stony Brook on Feb. 27 and North Carolina A&T last Saturday. Aranguren has scored in single digits in four of the Dutchmen’s last seven games after reaching double figures in 15 straight games from Dec. 9 through Feb. 8. Overall this season, Aranguren has scored in double figures 25 times in 33 games after reaching double figures just nine times in 33 games last season with Iona.
POTENT PARNELL
Eric Parnell continued establishing himself as a key member of the Dutchmen’s rotation Friday afternoon, when he scored three points on 1-of-2 shooting while collecting a career-high four assists and tying his career-high with four rebounds over 28 minutes. The four assists doubled Parnell’s previous single-game best, set in a 75-52 loss to Campbell on Feb. 1. Parnell has 25 points over 91 minutes in the last four games — a span that includes a scoreless performance against Stony Brook on Feb. 27 — after scoring just 35 points over 82 minutes in the first 11 games in which he played.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday was solid in limited duty Friday afternoon, when he had four points and three rebounds before fouling out in 11 minutes. The disqualification was the first for Sunday since Nov. 16, when the Dutchmen beat UMass 75-71 in overtime, while the 11 minutes were Sunday’s fewest since he played just one minute in a 61-60 loss to William & Mary on Feb. 13. Sunday has played at least 10 minutes in 25 of 32 games this season after logging 10 minutes 17 times in 32 games last season.
FARMER AID
Khalil Farmer set a career-high with his fourth straight start Friday afternoon, when he had three points on 1-of-3 shooting while adding two rebounds and one steal in 20 minutes. Farmer was in danger of being held scoreless for the second straight game before he sank a 3-pointer with 3:32 left. He has just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting -- including 2-of-9 from 3-point land — in three games since he score a career-high 19 points in a 78-65 win over Delaware on Feb. 22. Farmer has scored in 22 of the last 27 games in which he’s played after he didn’t score in his first two games of the season.
HERE’S TO YOU, MR, ROBINSON
KiJan Robinson had his most active game in a month Friday afternoon, when he finished with five points on 1-of-5 shooting while adding one rebound and one assist in nine minutes. The five points were the most for Robinson since he had six points in a 75-52 loss to Campbell on Feb, 1 while the nine minutes were his most since Robinson logged 14 minutes in a 77-68 loss to Northeastern on Feb. 6. Robinson has just 24 points over 87 minutes in the last 12 games he’s played, a span in which he was held scoreless four times. He was held scoreless just twice in the Dutchmen’s first 18 games, a span in which Robinson averaged 8.1 points and 21 minutes per game.
DECADY’S CAMEO
Joshua DeCady continued to see limited duty Friday afternoon, when he was scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting while recording one rebound and one block in nine minutes. DeCady has scored 12 points over 83 minutes in his last nine games since he scored a career-high 15 points over 20 minutes in the 74-63 win over Not Twitter Guy on Jan. 31. He has played in a career-high 13 straight games after appearing in just 12 of the Dutchmen’s first 19 games.
HELLO, HENRIQUEZ
With the game well in hand, sophomore walk-on Jaydon Henriquez got to play the final 46 seconds Friday afternoon, when he committed one foul. It was the first action for Henriquez since Dec. 6, when he scored two points over the final four minutes of the 114-46 win over Division III St. Joseph’s (NY).
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required, click here for options). Let’s hope it doesn’t kick out in the second half, or at all, like yesterday. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
TOURNEY TESTED
With Friday afternoon’s victory, the Dutchmen have won at least one CAA Tournament game in each of the last three seasons and 16 times in 24 seasons overall since joining the league in 2001-02.
THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN
With the Dutchmen’s win Friday afternoon, the no. 11 seed improved to 5-13 all-time in the CAA Tournament. The Dutchmen are trying to become the second no. 11 seed to win multiple games in the tournament and the first since Towson did so in 2009, when the Tigers advanced to the semifinals of a 12-team tournament by upsetting sixth-seeded Drexel and third-seeded Northeastern before falling to second-seeded George Mason. James Madison (2010) and William & Mary (2011) are the other no. 11 seeds to win a first-round game.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
The Hawks, under 14th-year head coach King Rice, finished the regular season 12-19 overall and 10-8 in CAA play. Monmouth was tied for fifth with Campbell but is seeded sixth by virtue of its head-to-head loss to the Camels.
The Dutchmen and Hawks had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen edged Seton Hall 49-48 on Nov. 13 before Monmouth snapped its season-opening eight-game losing streak by upsetting the Pirates 63-51 on Nov. 30.
In CAA play, both teams won their lone regular season meetings against North Carolina A&T. The Dutchmen swept Delaware, which split with the Hawks, and were swept by Stony Brook, whom Monmouth swept. The Dutchmen beat Not Twitter Guy, who split with Monmouth. The Dutchmen split with Northeastern, whom the Hawks beat, and defeated UNC Wilmington, which won its lone meeting with the Hawks. The Dutchmen lost to Drexel, which split with Monmouth, and Towson, which swept the Hawks, Hofstra dropped its lone meetings with Charleston and Hampton, both of whom Monmouth beat. The Dutchmen were swept by Campbell and William & Mary, each of whom won their lone meetings against the Hawks.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 216th at KenPom.com, which is an improvement of 15 spots from their season low the morning of Feb. 22. The Hawks, who were picked to finish eighth, are ranked 275th, a drop of 61 spots from their preseason ranking but a 29-spot improvement from their season-worst ranking entering play Nov. 30.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank 13th in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (100.2 points per 100 possessions) and second in defensive efficiency (101.1 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 63.7 possessions per 40 minutes, the 11th-most in the league. The Hawks rank sixth in the CAA in offensive efficiency (107.4 points per 100 possessions) and 11th in defensive efficiency (109.3 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.6 possessions per 40 minutes, the sixth-most in the league. IRON MAIDEN BIAS!
The Hawks return eight players from last year’s team. True sophomore Abdi Bashir Jr., whom Rice is begging other teams not to tamper with until at least after the season, earned first-team all-CAA honors after leading the league with 20.3 points per game. Junior Madison Durr, who opened his career with two seasons at The Citadel, is averaging 12.9 points per game and a team-high 3.1 assists per game. Imagine going from The Citadel to the Jersey shore, that must be a bends-inducing experience. True junior Jack Collins is averaging 8.9 points per game and a team-high 5.84 rebounds per game along while ranking second on the Hawks with 2.9 assists per game. True sophomore Cornelius Robinson Jr. is averaging 7.1 points per game and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. (Robinson has two fewer total rebounds than Collins)
KenPom.com predicts a 68-64 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 3 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 14-16 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. MONMOUTH
Hofstra is 8-8 all-time against Monmouth in a series that began in 1983-84. The Hawks knotted the series in the lone regular season meeting between the teams this season on Feb, 20, when they overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to earn a 68-62 win. Monmouth didn’t lead until Andrew Ball sank the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to cap his individual 7-0 run. Ball didn’t score before or after that. Fun! German Plotnikov scored 19 points — a season-high he exceeded Friday afternoon — in defeat for the Dutchmen.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
You used to share a campus with a high school bias! (Per Wikipedia, which is never wrong, Monmouth Junior College was founded in 1933 at Long Branch High School)
Jack Collins is the modern-day Andrei Semenov bias! (Collins has played all three of his collegiate seasons at Monmouth, which translates to, like, 10 years in the NIL era)
Wendy Boglioli bias! (Boglioli swam at Monmouth and won a gold medal as part of the United States 4x100 freestyle relay team in the 1976 Summer Olympics)
Give us the rum ham bias! (Good things happen when you get rum ham near the Jersey Shore…we’re due)
