Seriously, what are you doing, Delaware?
It may be getting late early for the Flying Dutchmen, who will begin trying to steer themselves out of the bottom third of the CAA tonight when they host Delaware for the last time as league rivals. *sniff* Unless Delaware comes to its senses and realizes it shouldn’t be jetting to El Paso, TX or Las Cruces, New Mexico to play conference games all in the name of not getting a seat at the cool football kids table. But what are the odds of that?
Anyway, as will hopefully be the routine now that conference play has begun, I ran down the boilerplate material from Monday’s loss to Drexel in Wednesday’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that defeat as well as a preview of the Blue Hens as the Dutchmen begin a pivotal two-game homestand. Enjoy!
THE DUTCHMEN ON INAUGURATION DAY
With Monday’s 60-55 loss to Drexel, the Dutchmen, I believe, fell to 0-3 when playing on Inauguration Day. I was told things would be getting better! The Dutchmen previously lost to Monmouth 58-56 on Jan. 21, 1985, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated for a second time, and fell to South Alabama (!!!) 83-69 on Jan. 20, 1993, when Bill Clinton was inaugurated for the first time. I could not fully confirm whether or not the Dutchmen played on Inauguration Day in 1937 or 1945, as news coverage of Hofstra was sparse in the New York Times and then Newsday. Oh well, I’m sure we’ll have a chance to improve on this record at some point in the future!
DOUBLE DIGITS NOT ENOUGH (again)
The Dutchmen, who led by 12 points early in the second half, squandered a double-digit lead in a loss for the second straight game, the second time this season and the 11th time since Speedy Claxton became head coach for the 2021-22 season. The Dutchmen last blew double-digit leads in consecutive losses from Feb. 4-7, 2016, when they led UNC Wilmington by 20 points in the first half of a 70-67 loss before they led James Madison by 14 points in the first half of a 98-95 overtime loss. I don’t have any evidence of the Dutchmen blowing double-digit leads in three straight losses, so please don’t blow a double-digit lead tonight, Dutchmen!
STUCK IN THE SIXTIES (part one)
The Dutchmen scored fewer than 70 points Monday for the eighth straight game, a span in which they are 2-6. It’s the longest streak of consecutive games with fewer than 70 points since a 12-game run from Jan. 16 through Feb. 20, 2013, during which the Dutchmen went 1-11. However, the Dutchmen didn’t score more than 70 points in any of their last 22 games during that miserable season. They went 4-18 from Dec. 15, 2012 through Mar. 9, 2013 while reaching exactly 70 points in wins over William & Mary and Old Dominion. So this note might have a sequel of sorts brewing! (Or, once again, the Dutchmen could put up 100 points today and win, which would result in me updating the much cooler note about winning in factors of 10)
STUCK IN THE SIXTIES (part two)
The Dutchmen’s eight consecutive games with fewer than 70 points is tied for the second-longest active streak in Division I following Green Bay’s 86-77 loss to IU Indy (which you may remember as IUPUI, which you may remember from such CBIs as the 2010 debacle) Wednesday night. That snapped the Fighting Gottliebs streak at 11 straight games with fewer than 70 points.
Mississippi Valley State 9 (through Saturday)
Abilene Christian 8 (through Saturday)
HOFSTRA 8 (through Monday)
HOT START, FIZZLING FINISH (again)
The Dutchmen once again appeared ready to snap their streak of games with fewer than 70 points Monday afternoon, when they led 37-26 at the half. But the Dutchmen scored just (carries the one, drops the remainder) 18 points in the second half. It’s the second straight game in which the Dutchmen have scored fewer than 20 points in the second half. Hey that sounds like a note!
NOT SO TERRIFIC TEENS
The Dutchmen, who scored 18 points in the second half Monday after scoring 19 points in the second half of last Thursday’s 65-60 loss to Towson, have scored fewer than 20 points in a half of consecutive games for the first time since way back on Feb. 13-16, 2013, when they were limited to 19 points in the first half of a 61-43 loss to Georgia State before they again scored 19 points in the first half of a 57-50 loss to Towson. This current stretch of consecutive sub-20 point second halves is the first time the Dutchmen have scored fewer than 20 points in the second half of back-to-back games since at least the 2002-03 season, which is as far back as I have boxscores at home. So there’s that?
TOUGH SLEDDING IN THE LAST TEN
There’s still snow on the ground, so…snow pun! The Dutchmen had just four field goals in the final 10 minutes Monday afternoon, the last of which was Jean Aranguren’s 3-pointer with 5:37 left. The struggles down the stretch continued a discouraging trend for the Dutchmen, who have just 19 field goals in the final 10 minutes of their last four games combined.
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
OK, enough of that stuff. Michael Graham had another solid game Monday afternoon, when he finished with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting while adding 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. Graham has 52 points on 25-of-38 shooting to go along with 52 rebounds in five games since he was benched for the second half of the CAA opener against William & Mary on Jan. 2. He has recorded at least 10 rebounds in six games this season after pulling down at least 10 boards just seven times the previous two seasons combined at Loyola Marymount. However, Monday’s loss dropped the Dutchmen to 7-4 this season when Graham plays at least 20 minutes.
JEAN FITS
Jean Aranguren led the Dutchmen in scoring for the fourth straight game and the 10th time overall Monday, when he had 14 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Aranguren has scored in double figures in nine straight games and 16 times in 19 games overall after reaching double figures just nine times in 33 games last season with Iona.
THE 10/5/5 CLUB
Jean Aranguren filled up the stat sheet in familiar fashion Monday afternoon, when he (double checks) finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. It’s the sixth time this season Aranguren has collected at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in the same game. Jaquan Carlos led the Dutchmen with six 10/5/5 games last season, The last Hofstra player to record more than six 10/5/5 games in a single season was Aaron Estrada, who had eight such efforts during the 2022-23 campaign.
0-FER FROM TWO
Jean Aranguren scored 14 points Monday despite going 0-for-6 from inside the 3-point line. He’s the first player to miss at least six traditional field goal attempts without making one since Jaquan Carlos was 0-for-6 in a 69-68 loss to Campbell on Jan. 13, 2024.
CRUZ-IN
Cruz Davis had a solid all-around game Monday afternoon, when he finished with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. The double-digit scoring effort was the first for Davis since Jan. 4, when he had 22 points in the 55-37 win over Northeastern. Davis has scored at least 10 points in 10 games this season after reaching double figures just five times in 27 games over his first two seasons with Iona and St. John’s.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden continued to stir Monday afternoon, when he had seven points, three assists, two steals and one rebound in 32 minutes. Gadsden has at least six points in four of the last six games after reaching six points just three times in his first 12 games. The three assists were one shy of Gadsden’s season-high, which he set in a 90-76 win over Iona on Nov. 8, while the two steals tied his season-high, set in the 49-48 win over Seton Hall on Nov. 13. The 32 minutes were the most for Gadsden since he played a season-high 39 minutes in the 75-71 overtime win over UMass on Nov. 16.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, finished with six points and one rebound in 23 minutes Monday afternoon. 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.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday continued serving as the second option in the Dutchmen’s center rotation Monday afternoon, when he scored six points and pulled down two rebounds in 11 minutes. Sunday scored all his points in the first half before going 0-for-3 from the field in the second half. The limited playing time continued a recent trend for Sunday, who has played 12 minutes or fewer in six of his last seven games after playing at least 13 minutes in nine of the first 12 games.
FARMER AID
Khalil Farmer continued to see plenty of action in a reserve role Monday afternoon, when he had four points and one rebound in 21 minutes. Farmer has played at least 20 minutes in each of the last three games and six times in 16 games overall this season.
NOT-SO-CRAZY EIGHTS
KiJan Robinson had one of his quietest games of the year Monday afternoon, when he was scoreless while hoisting two shots in eight minutes. Robinson also stepped out of bounds a moment before he was fouled while lofting an errant 3-pointer with four seconds left and the Dutchmen down 58-55. It was the third time this season Robinson has been scoreless over eight minutes. He’s played at least 12 minutes and scored at least two points in every other game he’s played this season.
SANDERS’ CAMEO
Jaquan Sanders played seven minutes Monday afternoon, all in the second half, and missed his lone shot while finishing with one assist. Sanders, who missed the games against Charleston and UNC Wilmington on Jan 9-11 due to personal reasons, has played 10 scoreless minutes in the last three games in which he’s played dating back to Jan. 4.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required, click here for options) as well as on MSG Networks if you are in the New York area and/or somehow paid one billion dollars (approx) for the Gotham Sports app. Of course, if you live in New York and/or paid one billion dollars (approx) for the Gotham Sports app you are totally out of luck at the moment. Hooray for more carriage disputes! Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING DELAWARE
The Blue Hens, under ninth-year head coach Martin Ingelsby, are 11-8 overall and 4-2 in CAA play following a 79-77 win over Not Twitter Guy last Saturday. Delaware never trailed in the victory but nearly squandered all of a 19-point lead in the final 10-plus minutes against the Phoenix, which missed two potential game-tying or go-ahead shots in the last seven seconds.
The Dutchmen and Blue Hens had one common opponent in non-league play. Hofstra beat Iona 90-76 on Nov. 8, four days before Delaware edged the Gaels 64-58. In CAA play, the Dutchmen have beaten Northeastern, who defeated the Blue Hens.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 181st at KenPom.com. The Blue Hens, who were picked to finish fifth, are ranked 207th. It’s the highest ranking of the season for Delaware and a 39-spot improvement from its preseason ranking.
With the league season now one-third complete (time flies), we’ll start using the KenPom.com conference-only efficiency numbers. And they are something! According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank last in the CAA in offensive efficiency (91.5 points per 100 possessions) but first in defensive efficiency (94.9 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 64.3 possessions per 40 minutes, the 10th-most in the league. The last team to finish with an offensive efficiency figure of 91.5 or lower in league play was…Hofstra, which was last in the league at 89.6 during the nightmarish 2012-13 season. But only three teams — Charleston in 2015-16 and Hofstra and Charleston in 2022-23 — have posted a better defensive efficiency rating over the last 13 seasons.
The Blue Hens rank first in the CAA in offensive efficiency (115.9 points per 100 possessions) and 10th in defensive efficiency (108.2 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 71.8 possessions per 40 minutes, the most in the league. I believe that’s what the kids call a contrast in styles.
The Blue Hens return four players from last year’s team. Senior John Camden, who began his career with one season at Memphis and two seasons at Virginia Tech, leads Delaware with 17.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. Senior Niels Lane, who is in his second season at Delaware after three seasons at Florida, ranks second on the team with 14.1 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game. True junior Cavan Reilly is averaging 12.4 points per game. Graduate student Erik Timko, who began his career with three seasons at Division II Jefferson University, is averaging 11.9 points per game while freshman Izaiah Pasha is averaging 11.2 points per game and a team-high 2.9 assists per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 72-68 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 8-9 against the spread this season.
NICE TO ECC YOU
With tonight’s game, the Dutchmen will conclude a three-game stretch against East Coast Conference foes (hi Litos). The Dutchmen, as you may have read by now, fell to Towson 65-60 last Thursday and lost to Drexel 60-55 on Monday afternoon. This is the first time the Dutchmen have played three straight ECC foes since Jan. 11-17, 2022, when they fell to Towson before beating Delaware and Drexel. And since we’re all dealing with the blasted unbalanced schedule, this flurry of ECC games is going to go a long way towards deciding…
THE ECC RACE
…actually, I think the losses to Towson and Drexel probably knock Hofstra out of the ECC race. I don’t believe there’s a combination of Delaware wins against Towson and Drexel that can allow the Flying Dutchmen to back into the title. Too bad, because this is very real thing, Litos!
Towson 2-0
Drexel 1-1
Delaware 0-0
HOFSTRA 0-2
The Dutchmen won the last two ECC titles. Que sera sera.
ALL-TIME VS. DELAWARE
Hofstra is 69-34 against Delaware in a series that began during the 1954-55 season. The Dutchmen won both games between the teams last season, when Tyler Thomas had 22 points in a 76-71 win victory Jan. 6 before Darlinstone Dubar (23 points, 11 rebounds) posted a double-double Mar. 10 in a 73-58 win in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals.
The Blue Hens are Hofstra’s most common foe. The Dutchmen and Delaware were rivals in the East Coast Conference and the North Atlantic Conference/America East before heading to the CAA, along with Drexel and Towson, for the 2001-02 season. Last season marked the only time since 1982-83, when I believe the ECC schedule consisted of just a single round-robin, that Hofstra and Delaware were in the same conference and played each other just once in the regular season. At least we’ll always be in the same league though! Right?
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
You lost a starter to Syracuse too bias! (Jyare Davis joined Jaquan Carlos in transferring to Syracuse after last season, sigh)
Lame duck bias! (Sorta surprised Delaware is riding this out)
Seriously why are you going to Conference USA bias! (Football, blah blah blah)
Bicycling bias! (Per Wikipedia, which is never wrong, bicycling is the official sport of Delaware. OK, I guess?)
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