The Flying Dutchmen, plunging down the KenPom.com rankings like a Krusty charity record. Can the Dutchmen climb out of the well WAY DOWN THAT WELL?
College basketball: Where you can play four games in 31 days and then perhaps decide where your season is headed by playing four games in nine days. The potentially defining stretch got off to just about the worst start imaginable in the CAA opener Thursday night for the Flying Dutchmen, who fell behind by 30 points in the first half of a 74-56 loss to William & Mary.
Things are not likely to get any easier this afternoon, when the Dutchmen visit Northeastern in the things-never-go-terribly-during-the-noontime-in Boston-start. But don’t worry, after this, the Dutchmen get to play Charleston, UNC Wilmington, Towson and Drexel! Gulp.
As will hopefully be the routine now that conference play has begun, I ran down the boilerplate material from Thursday’s loss in Friday’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that loss (avert your eyes, children) as well as a preview of the Huskies as the Dutchmen try to avoid an 0-2 start that could spiral into something more. Enjoy!
FOR STARTERS
With Thursday night’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 14-10 in the first game of league play since joining the CAA in 2001-02. (My apologies, I had them at 13-10 going into yesterday) They’ve lost consecutive CAA openers for the first time since the Dutchmen dropped their first three CAA openers from 2001-02 through 2003-04.
The Dutchmen are now 1-3 in CAA openers against William & Mary. Pretty great considering they didn’t even play a CAA opener against the Tribe until the 2017-18 season! The only other CAA foe to win multiple openers against the Dutchmen is Delaware, which won the 2003-04 and 2013-04 openers. Speaking of William & Mary…
LET'S JUST SKIP OVER JAN. 2 FROM NOW ON
…in a very quirky thing, the Dutchmen fell to 0-3 against William & Mary on Jan 2 with Thursday’s uniquely painful defeat. At least Daniel Dixon didn’t hit one of the all-time great buzzer beaters, as he did to lift the Tribe to a 95-93 overtime win in 2017. And at least the Dutchmen only lost by 18 instead of the 27 points by which they were routed in an 88-61 loss in 2020! And at least a lunatic didn’t try starting war last night! Alas the next Jan. 2 to land on a day likely to feature CAA play is only in 2027, so just gird yourself for Really Bad Stuff happening that Saturday afternoon and evening. Which, frankly, you should have been doing anyway. Moving on!
A PRETTY BAD HALF
The Dutchmen might have had their worst first half in CAA play — ever — Thursday night, when they fell behind 48-18 before scoring the final nine points of the half. While it was the second time this season the Dutchmen have fallen behind by at least 30 points in th first half — Houston raced out to a 48-15 lead before taking a, I kid you not, 48-18 halftime lead on Nov. 22 — it was the first time the Dutchmen have trailed by 30 points in the first half of a CAA game since at least the 2005-06 season, which is as far back as boxscores go at the Hofstra site. And considering the Dutchmen suffered just one 30-point defeat in CAA play prior to that — a 77-46 loss to Old Dominion on Mar. 1, 2003 — I’m fairly confident Thursday is the first time the Dutchmen have fallen behind by 30 points in the first half of a CAA game. So they’ve got that going for them!
The previous known biggest first-half deficit for the Dutchmen was the 27-point hole they fell into Jan. 28, 2015, when — who else? — William & Mary took a 42-15 lead on its way to a 100-79 win. The 21-point halftime deficit Thursday was the biggest for the Dutchmen against a CAA foe since Charleston led 55-33 at halftime of the Cougars’ 92-76 win in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals on Mar. 6, 2022.
TERRIBLE THIRTIES
If my research is correct, Thursday marked the eighth time since 2005-06 that the Dutchmen have trailed a CAA opponent by at least 30 points. Prior to Thursday, the Dutchmen hadn’t trailed by 30 points in a CAA games since Feb. 24, 2022, when Not Twitter Guy led 79-48 with 2:43 left in an 81-55 win. Because I’m a masochist, here’s the list of the biggest deficits the Dutchmen have faced in CAA play since 2005-06!
1/2/24: William & Mary 48-18, 2:17 left 1H
2/24/22: Not Twitter Guy 79-48, 2:43 left 2H
1/2/20: William & Mary 88-54, 1:54 left 2H
2/20/13: George Mason (of course) 70-38, 7:12 left 2H
3/2/12: Georgia State 85-50, final score
1/23/10: Drexel 63-33, 12:51 left 2H
2/3/09: George Mason (of course) 77-43, 3:36 left 2H
12/7/05: VCU 87-56, 3:36 left (of course) 2H
ONE OFFENSIVE REBOUND? THAT’S ALL WE GOT WAS ONE (TV edit) OFFENSIVE REBOUND?
The Dutchmen’s offensive rebounding woes continued Thursday, when Jaquan Sanders recorded their lone offensive rebound with 4:25 left. The one offensive rebound was the fewest for the Dutchmen since Jan. 7, 2023, when they had one offensive rebound in a 75-62 win over William & Mary (of course). But wait! It gets worse!
FOUR IS A GREAT ALBUM BY FOREIGNER, BUT…
…a really discouraging total for offensive rebounds over a two-game span. The Dutchmen, as you may have gathered by now, finished with three offensive rebounds in Sunday’s 75-69 overtime loss to Quinnipiac. This is the worst two-game offensive rebounding stretch for the Dutchmen since at least 1993-94, the start of the Defiantly Dutch era and as far back as Hofstra listed the previous season’s single-game highs and lows in the media guide! So that’s good. The previous low total for offensive rebounds over a two-game span was set from Nov 27 through Dec. 1, 2021, when the Dutchmen had five offensive rebounds in wins over Detroit Mercy (three) and Princeton (two).
SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY
With Thursday’s decisive loss, the Dutchmen continued their impersonation of a one-time hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 (ask your elders) as they slipped from 178th to 203rd in the KenPom.com rankings. This represents a drop of 70 spots from the Dutchmen’s peak this season — and, more importantly, ensures today will be the first time they play a game outside the top 200 since way back on Feb. 11, 2017, when they were ranked 203rd prior to beating Northeastern, 74-64. Hey, I’ll take that as an omen. Not only were the Dutchmen the only CAA team to remain in the top 200 over the last 2,882 days, they were the only CAA team, past or present, to never FINISH a season ranked lower than 200th over the last eight seasons. That’s an impressive run. Maybe a new one can start today?
SANDERS SNAPS SLUMP
OK enough of that. It’s hard to believe, but for a couple minutes Thursday night, it looked like the Dutchmen might be the team to author a blowout win after Jaquan Sanders scored the final eight points of a game-opening 10-2 run. Alas. But the early flurry sparked a bit of a revival for Sanders, who finished with a team-high 15 points while going 5-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-13 from 3-point land. The 15 points were the most for Sanders since Nov. 8, when he scored a career-high 24 points in a 90-76 win over Iona. Sanders entered Thursday with just 10 points in his previous four games dating back to Dec. 1 and with one 3-pointer or fewer in each of his last six games dating back to Nov. 29. Even with the mini-breakout Thursday, Sanders has 47 points over his last eight games, a span in which he is 17-of-74 from the field, including 10-of-48 from beyond the arc. He opened the season by scoring 73 points while going 24-of-54 from the field, including 17-of-40 from beyond the arc, in his first five games. Sanders drained at least two 3-pointers in each of the first five games.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, made his fourth straight start Thursday, when he finished with eight points and three assists while setting season-highs with six rebounds and three steals and tying a season-high by playing 34 minutes. Plotnikov did most of his offensive damage at the end of the first half, when he came off the bench to hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Dutchmen began narrowing the deficit into something respectable. Plotnikov, who has started over TJ Gadsden in each of the last three games, has scored in each of the last eight games after scoring just once in the first six games.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden might have saved himself from falling into the land of Tony Dennison and Ty Greer (trust us) Thursday night, when he came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points over 20 minutes. The 12 points were the most for Gadsden since he scored 16 points for Canisius in a 65-61 loss to Rider on Mar. 3. Entering Thursday, Gadsden had just 13 points in his previous five games dating back to Nov. 30. The 20 minutes were also the most for Gadsden since he played 28 minutes against Houston on Nov. 22.
SEVEN/TEN SPLIT
Bowling reference! Jean Aranguren finished with 10 points and seven assists Thursday night. It’s the second time this season he’s had at least 10 points and seven assists and the first time since Nov. 8, when Aranguren flirted with a triple-double by collecting 18 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in a 90-76 win over Iona.
BLUE JEAN
However, Jean Aranguren’s 10 points came on an evening in which he was just 4-of-16 from the field, including 1-of-12 from 3-point land. Aranguren is the first Hofstra player to make one 3-pointer or fewer in 12 or more attempts since Tyler Thomas was also 1-of-12 from beyond the arc last Jan. 25 in a 64-55 win over William & Mary (who else?).
DAVIS’ DIFFICULTIES
Cruz Davis struggled for a second straight game Thursday, when he scored five points while going 2-of-10 from the field, including 0-for-4 from 3-point land. The five points tied a season-low for Davis, who was also limited to five points in the 61-59 loss to Tarleton State on Nov. 30. Davis had 14 points in the 75-69 loss to Quinnipiac on Sunday, when he was 4-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc.
DECADY DANCE
Freshman Joshua DeCady provided a jolt Thursday night, when he scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting while pulling down four rebounds and setting a career-high with three blocks over a career-high 22 minutes. The six points were the most for DeCady against a Division I foe this season. DeCady played all but 2:02 of the final 22:16 in place of Michael Graham, who didn’t appear at all in that span. Speaking of which…
MICHAEL’S MISSING
…Michael Graham became the first Hofstra starter in memory to sit out the entire second half without a known injury. Graham flirted with a Club Trillion line by finishing with one rebound, one block, one turnover and one foul while not attempting a field goal in 11 minutes. The Dutchmen fell to 3-4 this season when Graham plays fewer than 20 minutes.
QUIET ROBINSON
KiJan Robinson, who has established himself as the Dutchmen’s sixth man this season, was scoreless while going 0-for-2 from 3-point land over eight minutes Thursday, It was the second scoreless effort of the season for Robinson, who was also 0-for-2 from beyond the arc in eight minutes in a 90-76 win over Iona on Nov. 8. Robinson has scored at least six points in 11 of his 14 games this season after scoring at least six points seven times in 32 games as a freshman last season.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
With Joshua DeCady manning the middle for most of the second half, Silas Sunday also flirted with a Club Trillion line Thursday, when he recorded one foul while playing just five minutes. The five minutes tied a season-low for Sunday, who was limited to five minutes in the season opener against Division III Old Westbury on Nov. 4. The scoreless effort Thursday was Sunday’s first since he was blanked against Houston on Dec. 22. Sunday failed to come down with a rebound for the first time since Feb. 3, when he played 15 minutes in a 59-56 win over Towson.
KHALIL’S CAMEO
Khalil Farmer played just one minute Thursday, when he picked up one foul. Farmer played at least 10 minutes in each of the eight games.
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required, click here for options). Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
The Huskies, under 19th-year head coach Bill Coen, are 9-5 overall and 1-0 in the CAA after edging Delaware 80-77 in the CAA opener Thursday night (obvs). Northeastern squandered a 16-point first-half lead before overcoming a late one-point deficit. The Huskies were probably helped by pulling down 22 offensive rebounds. Super big gulp.
(This means the Dutchmen will play the CAA’s most tenured coach ever — ha ha Jim Larranaga, you lost again — in between facing the league’s two newest coaches. Quirky!)
The Dutchmen and Huskies had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen beat UMass 75-71 in overtime Nov. 16, a little more than a month before the Minutemen nipped Northeastern 77-72 Dec. 18 to get some Bay State bragging rights.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 203rd at KenPom.com. As noted earlier, this marks the first time the Dutchmen have been outside of the top 200 in almost eight years! The Huskies, who was picked to finish sixth, are ranked 172nd, a gain of 38 spots from their preseason ranking.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank 13th in the CAA in offensive efficiency (99.2 points per 100 possessions) and first in defensive efficiency (102.6 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.4 possessions per 40 minutes, the 12th-most in the league. Strange numbers, especially on offense. The Huskies rank sixth in the CAA in offensive efficiency (104.0 points per 100 possessions) and fourth in defensive efficiency (104.8 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 69.4 possessions per 40 minutes, the fifth-most in the league.
The Huskies’ top three scorers — Rashad King, Masai Troutman and Harold Woods — are all juniors who have played their entire careers at Northeastern. Who do they think they are, Matt Janning? King leads the Huskies with 17.6 points per game and 3.5 assists per game while ranking second with 6.9 rebounds per game. Troutman, a second-team preseason all-CAA selection, is averaging 14.2 points per game while Woods is averaging 12.7 points per game and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game. Junior LA Pratt, who played his first two seasons at Not Twitter Guy, is averaging 9.8 points per game while sophomore William Kermoury, one of six returnees from last year’s team is averaging 9.6 points per game. One of the Huskies’ newcomers is Junior Youri Fritz, whose brother, Jacco, played for the Flying Dutchmen last season. Youri Fritz played his first two seasons at Canisius, where Jacco played his first four seasons.
KenPom.com predicts a 68-64 loss for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 3 1/2-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 6-6 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. NORTHEASTERN
Hofstra is 31-26 against Northeastern in a series that began during the 1949-50 season. All but three of the meetings have come in conference play since the 1994-95 season, when Hofstra joined the North Atlantic Conference. Northeastern is the only school the Dutchmen have played twice per regular season since 2005-06, the Huskies’ first season in the CAA.
The teams split last season’s series, with each squad winning at home. Northeastern earned a 71-68 victory on Jan. 11, when the Huskies raced out to a 21-point first-half lead before overcoming a pair of one-point second-half deficits. The Dutchmen led nearly wire-to-wire in an 82-62 win on Feb. 17, when Jaquan Carlos set a school and CAA single-game record with 19 assists.
THE BARONE BOWL
The Barone Bowl was established by me and Northeastern graduate Mike Brodsky during the 2009-10 season, after Northeastern and Hofstra dropped football within two weeks of one another (Hofstra’s decision, of course, was reached after a multi-year study, wink wink nudge nudge).
The Barone Bowl pays homage to the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond in which a Hofstra kicker boots a 68-yard field goal against Northeastern but Frank Barone catches the ball and refuses to give it up. Apparently that wasn’t the type of publicity either school liked. Anyway.
Hofstra’s 82-62 win on Feb. 17 gave the Dutchmen a 17-16 series lead. The Dutchmen, who ended the season with the all-time series lead for just the third time ever, have won 14 of the last 20 clashes between the teams since Northeastern’s eight-game winning streak from the 2011-12 through the 2014-15 season.
This, unfortunately, is a purely symbolic trophy, one which you will not find displayed by either school. But you can find me and Brodsky talking about it on Twitter! Along with Immaculate Grid, which he’s much better at than me.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
There is no way Matt Janning is old enough to be an assistant coach bias! (The all-time great CAA player is in his first season as an assistant to Bill Coen)
Jacco Fritz’s brother bias! (Duh)
Jane you ignorant slut bias! (We’d also take Kate & Allie bias in honor of Northeastern alum Jane Curtin)
Nobody is sad to see the Patriots stink bias! (It’s true)
