Gotta get the "why can't the Mets get Campbell guys like..." jokes in while we still can.
Can the tenor of a season turn in a little more than 40 hours? The Flying Dutchmen, fresh off The Cruz Davis Game and a much-needed 93-68 rout of Delaware Thursday night, will aim to even their CAA record today at noon, when they welcome Campbell to the Arena for the first time. Get your soup puns ready now!
As will hopefully be the routine now that conference play has begun, I ran down the boilerplate material from Thursday’s big win in Friday’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that win (spoiler alert: you’re getting a lot of Cruz Davis stats) as well as a preview of the Fighting Camels as the Dutchmen close out the quick homestand. Enjoy!
LOPSIDED WIN
The Dutchmen, whose previous four games were all decided by six points or fewer, enjoyed a rare laugher Thursday night, when they recorded their most lopsided CAA win since Mar. 5, 2023, when they beat William & Mary 84-46 in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals.
BESTING THE BLUE HENS
Now we know why Delaware is leaving for Conference USA — it's tired of losing to the Flying Dutchmen in basketball! (This means I just ensured a CAA Tournament loss to the Blue Hens, way to go idiot) With Thursday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 21-3 against Delaware since the 2014-15 season, the season after the Blue Hens went 3-0 against the Dutchmen on their way to the NCAA Tournament. (Hmm, 21-3 and 3-0, those sounds like good football scores) Fourteen of those wins have been by at least 10 points and five have been by at least 20 points. Again, all this does is guarantee a loss to Delaware in March, so please accept my advance apologies.
1010101010 WINS
The Dutchmen had five players score in double figures Thursday night. Starters Cruz Davis (28 points), German Plotnikov (14 points) and Jean Aranguren (13 points) were joined in the double-digit club by reserves Khalil Farmer (11 points) and Silas Sunday (10 points). It’s the third time this season the Dutchmen have had five double-digit in a game and the first time since Davis, Aranguren, Sunday, Michael Graham and Jaquan Sanders all scored at least 10 points in the 90-76 win over Iona on Nov. 8. The Dutchmen are now 11-0 under Speedy Claxton when at least five players score in double figures.
NO LONGER STUCK IN THE SIXTIES
The streak is over! The Dutchmen not only finally broke the 70-point barrier Thursday night — and with 9:58 to spare on a 3-pointer by Khalil Farmer — they decided to shatter the 80- and 90-point barriers too. The outburst ended an eight-game streak in which the Dutchmen scored fewer than 70 points dating back to Dec. 15, when the Dutchmen fell to Temple 60-42. The eight-game stretch, during which the Dutchmen went 2-6, was the longest streak of consecutive games with fewer than 70 points for the program since a 12-game run from Jan. 16 through Feb. 20, 2013, during which the Dutchmen went 1-11. It was also tied for the second-longest active streak in the country with Abilene Christian, behind only Mississippi Valley State (nine games). Fare thee well, Wildcats and Delta Devils!
LET’S STAY TOGETHER (STUCK IN THE SIXTIES)
A ‘60s song title about shooting in the ‘60s! The Dutchmen shot a sizzling 60.3 percent (38-of-63) from the field Thursday night. It was the second-highest shooting percentage of the season for the Dutchmen, who shot 61.2 percent (41-of-67) in a 114-48 win over Division III St. Joseph’s (NY) on Dec. 6, and their best shooting performance against a Division I team since Nov. 20, 2023, when the Dutchmen shot 62.9 percent (39-of-62) in a 102-68 win over Buffalo.
HOT START, HOTTER FINISH
The Dutchmen got off to another fast start Thursday, when they led 43-36 at the half. But instead of scuffling in the second half, the Dutchmen at least temporarily vanquished their demons by scoring 50 points over the final 20 minutes. The Dutchmen scored just 37 points combined in the second half of their previous two losses to Towson (19 second-half points on Jan. 16) and Drexel (18 second-half points on Monday). The 50 second-half points Thursday night were the most for the Dutchmen against a Division I foe since Jan. 18, 2024, when they racked up 59 second-half points while overcoming an 15-point halftime deficit in an 86-77 win over Hampton.
THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN OVER THE FINAL TEN
Spinal Tap reference! As you may have surmised by now, the Dutchmen had no trouble scoring over the final 10 minutes Thursday night, when Khalil Farmer’s milestone 3-pointer with 9:58 left sparked a game-ending surge in which the Dutchmen drained 11 field goals. The stretch included a run of seven field goals in as many attempts by the Dutchmen during a nearly five-minute stretch that ended with Farmer sinking another 3-pointer with 3:48 left. The Dutchmen entered Thursday with just 19 field goals in the final 10 minutes of their previous four games combined.
LUCKY THIRTEEN FROM THREE
The Dutchmen were prolific from 3-point land Thursday night, when they shot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from beyond the arc. The 13 made 3-pointers were as many as the Dutchmen had in their previous two games combined and their most since Dec. 6, when they were 19-of-37 (51.4 percent) in the 114-48 win over Division III St. Joseph’s (NY). The success rate from beyond the arc Thursday night was the Dutchmen’s second-best of the season against a Division I foe behind their 11-of-22 (that’s 50 percent, you know) effort in the 80-67 win over Norfolk State on Dec. 9. In addition, the 13 made 3-pointers were the Dutchmen’s most against a Division I foe since last Feb. 4, when they were 13-of-35 in a 87-64 win over Not Twitter Guy.
STUCK IN THE SIXTIES (in a good way)
The Dutchmen held their opponent to under 70 points for the sixth straight game Thursday. It’s the second such six-game streak this season for the Dutchmen, who also kept a sextet of opponents below 70 points from Nov. 29 through Dec. 15. The Dutchmen last held opponents under 70 points in at least six straight games twice in the same season in 2022-23, when they had seven- and eight-game streaks.
CRUZ-IN’
All right, that was fun but now we can get to the really good stuff. Cruz Davis snapped a four-game slump in resounding fashion Thursday night, when he finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while committing no turnovers in 38 minutes. Davis had just 30 points, 15 rebounds and 19 assists in his previous four games. But on Thursday, he easily surpassed his previous single-game bests of 24 points (set in a 68-66 win over Arkansas State on Dec. 1) and eight rebounds (set in a 68-63 overtime win or Rice on Nov. 29) while finishing one assist shy of his career-high established in the 89-62 win over Division III Old Westbury on Nov. 4. But this doesn’t really tell the story of how impressive Davis was Thursday. What does, you ask?
THE 25/10/7/0 CLUB
This might do it! By one measure, Cruz Davis might have enjoyed one of the best games by any Division I player in almost 10 years Thursday night, when he finished (as you know by now) with 28 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers. Per Stathead, Davis is the first player with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers since Joe Young had 29 points, 10 rebonds, eight assists and no turnovers for Oregon in a 95-72 win over Washington State way back on Feb. 8, 2015. Per Stathead, Davis is just the eighth player to finish with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers in a single game since 2004-05, which is as far back as their database goes. Awfully impressive.
CRUZ VS. SPEEDY
One of the cool things about having an iconic player coaching the Flying Dutchmen is the opportunity to compare Speedy Claxton’s feats as a player to the feats of players he’s coached. And Cruz Davis got to join some really select company Thursday night, when he became the first player to finish with at least 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists since…you guessed it, Speedy Claxton, who had 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in an 84-45 win over Northeastern way back on Jan. 4, 2000. That was the second home game at Hofstra Arena! But Claxton had four turnovers in his 29/10/7 game, so for one night, at least, Davis outdid his coach.
MESSED AROUND AND NEARLY GOT A TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Among other things Thursday night, Cruz Davis flirted with the second triple-double in program history by finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. It marked the fourth time since Dec. 28, 2014 — when Juan’ya Green (15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) made history with his triple-double in an 88-66 win over Long Island University at Barclays Center — that a Hofstra player has come within three rebounds or assists of a triple-double. Actually, all four instances have come since Feb. 8, 2023 — and two have happened this season.
Cruz Davis: 28 points/10 rebounds/7 assists vs. Delaware, 1/23/25
Jean Aranguren: 19 points/11 rebounds/7 assists vs. Charleston, 1/9/25
Jaquan Carlos: 11 points/9 rebounds/10 assists vs. Stony Brook, 2/1/24
Jaquan Carlos: 10 points/9 rebounds/9 assists vs. Northeastern, 2/8/23
JEAN FITS
Jean Aranguren had the type of game that usually warrants a player some first star of the game consideration Thursday night, when he had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting while adding six rebounds and three rebounds in 34 minutes. Aranguren shot at least 50 percent or better from the field for the first time since Dec. 29, when he was 7-of-14 from the field and finished with 23 points in the 75-69 overtime loss to Quinnipiac. Aranguren has scored in double figures in 10 straight games and 17 times in 20 games overall after reaching double figures just nine times in 33 games last season with Iona.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, also had a first star-worthy night Thursday, when he scored a season-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting — including 2-of-2 from 3-point land — while tying his season-high with seven rebounds. Plotnikov finished with his most points since last Feb. 17, when he matched his career-high with 20 points against Northeastern. His seven rebounds were his most since he had seven boards against Charleston on Jan. 9 while the two 3-pointers tied a season-high set three times previously. Plotnikov has started each of the last eight games in which he’s played. He has scored in each of the last 12 games in which he’s played after scoring just once in the first six games.
FARMER AID
Is Khalil Farmer starting to usurp KiJan Robinson as the Dutchmen’s sixth man? (You heard me! Usurper!) Farmer had 11 points, two rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes Thursday night and has collected has 16 points in 67 minutes off the bench over the last three games following his start against UNC Wilmington on Jan. 11. Overall this season, Farmer has played at last 20 minutes seven times in 17 games after reaching the 20-minute mark just three times as a freshman last season.
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
Michael Graham had another solid game Thursday night, when he finished with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting while adding six rebounds in 20 minutes. Graham who also had eight points on 4-of-6 shooting in Monday’s loss to Drexel, has 60 points on 29-of-44 shooting to go along with 58 rebounds in six games since he was benched for the second half of the CAA opener against William & Mary on Jan. 2. The win Thursday also improved the Dutchmen to 8-4 this season when Graham plays at least 20 minutes.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday was impressively effective Thursday night, when he scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting while adding four rebounds, one block and one assist in 14 minutes. It was the second double-digit scoring effort of the season for Sunday, who scored a career-high 14 points in the 90-76 win over Iona on Nov. 8. Sunday has scored in 15 of the 20 games in which he’s played this season after scoring 15 times in 32 games last season.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden’s hot-and-cold season turned another notch to the right (sink analogy!) Thursday night, when he had three points on 1-of-6 shooting while adding four rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes. Gadsden entered Thursday with at least six points in four of his previous six games but has scored in double figures just twice this season after scoring at least 10 points in 11 of 25 games last season for Canisius.
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, MR. ROBINSON?
Same song headline, different vibes! KiJan Robinson may have continued slipping in the rotation Thursday night, when he scored three points in a season-low six minutes. Robinson scored his only basket on a 3-pointer for the Dutchmen’s final points with 36 seconds left. Jim Larranaga and Ryan Pearson wonder why a starter didn’t chuck that shot. Anyway! Robinson has played just 14 minutes over the last two games after playing at least 10 minutes in 16 of the first 18 games this season.
A SPLASH FOR SANDERS
Jaquan Sanders continued to see limited playing time Thursday night, when he scored three points in seven minutes. Sanders scored his only basket on a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to account for the Dutchmen’s penultimate field goal (basically just wanted an excuse to type the word penultimate). The points were the first for Sanders since Jan. 2, when he finished with 15 points in the 74-56 loss to William & Mary. Sanders has played just 13 minutes over four games since, a stretch that includes a two-game absence due to personal reasons.
DECADY AND PARNELL JOIN CLUB TRILLION
Can’t imagine you see this a lot! Neither Joshua DeCady (six minutes) nor Eric Parnell (two minutes) recorded a statistic during their brief cameos Thursday night. DeCady returned after drawing a DNP against Drexel while Parnell played for the first time since a getting on the court for a few seconds in the 66-63 win over UNC Wilmington on Jan. 11.
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’s game is slated to be carried live on CBS Sports Network, which is channel 215 in the Optimum/Altice Are Our Overlords Universe, at least until our Optimum/Altice overlords decide to drop CBSSN in a carriage dispute. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING CAMPBELL
The Fighting Camels, under 12th-year head coach Kevin McGeehan, are 9-11 overall and 4-3 in the CAA after beating Stony Brook, 79-54, on Thursday night Two teams coming off 25-point wins opposing each other, that’s quirky! It was the second straight decisive victory for Campbell, which defeated Monmouth 81-58 last Saturday.
The Dutchmen and Fighting Camels had no common opponents in non-league play. In CAA play, both teams have lost to Charleston. Hofstra beat UNC Wilmington, which defeated Campbell, and fell to Drexel, whom the Camels beat.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 166th at KenPom.com. That’s 33 spots lower than their peak position heading into play Nov. 19 but 37 spots higher than their season-low ranking entering the Northeastern game Jan. 4. Roller coaster ride! The Fighting Camels, who were picked to finish 13th, are ranked 227th, their highest ranking since joining the CAA and a whopping 79-spot improvement from their preseason ranking as well as a 60-spot improvement since CAA play began.
With the league season now more than one-third complete (time flies), we’ll start using the KenPom.com conference-only efficiency numbers. According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank 13th in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (98.7 points per 100 possessions) and first in defensive efficiency (96.1 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 64.5 possessions per 40 minutes, the 11th-most in the league. The outburst against Delaware raised the Dutchmen’s offensive efficiency by more than seven points and vaulted them out of last place I the league.
The Fighting Camels rank seventh in the CAA in offensive efficiency (104.8 points per 100 possessions) and second in defensive efficiency (97.1 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.6 possessions per 40 minutes, the eighth-most in the league. Bet the under, if that’s your thing!
The Fighting Camels return seven players from last year’s team. True sophomore Colby Duggan is averaging 13.8 points per game while senior Jasin Sinani, who is in his third season at Campbell after opening his career at Milwaukee, ranks second with 12.9 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game while leading the team with 2.7 assists per game. Graduate student Terren Frank, who began his career with one season apiece at TCU and Vanderbilt before playing two season at Idaho, is averaging 8.8 points per game and 2.3 assists per game but hasn’t played since Dec. 18 due to a dislocated finger. Graduate student Nolan Dorsey, who began his career with one season at New Mexico and two seasons at Holy Cross but did not play last year, leads Campbell with 6.0 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 64-59 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 5 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 9-9 against the spread this season.
FIRST-TIME VISITORS
Campbell, which joined the CAA last season, visits the Arena for the first time this afternoon. The Dutchmen are 12-7 all-time against new conference foes making their first visit to Hempstead since 1994-95, which was Hofstra’s first season in the North Atlantic Conference. (For purposes of this exercise, I didn’t count the first NAC games against Delaware, Drexel and Towson, since the Dutchmen previously opposed them in the ECC)
ALL-TIME VS. CAMPBELL
Hofstra is *carries the one, drops the remainder* 0-1 against Campbell in a series that began last season. The Fighting Camels won the initial clash between the teams on Jan. 13, 2024, when Campbell scored the final six points to earn a 69-68 win. Not nice. The late comeback undid the Dutchmen’s own comeback from a 15-point first-half deficit. Just realized the Dutchmen will play their least common foe (or at least the foe in a many-way tie for their least common foe) right after playing their most common foe. Quirky!
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Why can’t the Mets get guys like newest Yankees player Allan Winans bias! (Winans, a 17th-round pick of the Mets in 2018, was claimed off waivers by the Yankees this week)
Your town isn’t named after Desure Buie bias! (Campbell is located in Buies Creek, N.C.)
You used to be a junior college bias! (And as a JUCO graduate before attending Hofstra, I’m perfectly fine with that)
Still not the soup bias! (We don’t have a ton to work with here and Campbell is slated to play the Dutchmen again next weekend, so…)
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