Not that Newby (or Newbie).
Neither we nor the Flying Dutchmen had much time to stare at the ceiling and wonder about the butterfly effect of Deywilk Tavarez’s halftime buzzer-beater Thursday, which cut the Dutchmen’s lead to four and helped spark Charleston to a 67-61 win. Nor did anyone have a whole lot of time to ponder that we may already at the halfway point of the season! Today is game no. 17 for the Dutchmen, who are slated to play at least 32 games with one CAA Tournament game.
Whether the season is at the halfway point or not may be determined in some part today, when the Dutchmen oppose yet another CAA contender for the only time as UNC Wilmington visits. Oh good, nothing bad ever happens against the Seahawks!
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 win as well as a preview of the Seahawks as the Dutchmen look to even their CAA record. Enjoy!
ONLY HALFWAY THERE
The Dutchmen, who led Charleston 31-27 (sigh, should have been 31-24) at the half Thursday, lost when leading at intermission for the first time since last Feb. 15, when they led Drexel 42-32 before falling 79-77. The Dutchmen are now 52-11 when leading at the half under Speedy Claxton.
STUCK IN THE SIXTIES
The Dutchmen scored fewer than 70 points Thursday for the fifth straight game, a span in which they are 1-4. It’s the second time this season the Dutchmen have scored fewer than 70 points in five consecutive games following a stretch from Nov. 19 through Dec. 1 in which they went 2-3. The pair of five-game streaks in which the Dutchmen scored fewer than 70 points are their longest 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 70 points in wins over William & Mary and Old Dominion. So this note might have a sequel of sorts brewing! (Or 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)
OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING NO LONGER OFFENSIVE
Long but appropriate subhead! The Dutchmen collected a season-high 16 offensive rebounds Thursday night — one more offensive rebound than they had in their previous four games combined and their most offensive rebounds since Nov, 6, 2023, when the Dutchmen had 16 offensive rebounds in a 101-48 win over Division III St. Joseph’s (NY). The Dutchmen last had at least 16 offensive rebounds against a Division I foe on Nov. 9, 2021 when they finished with 16 offensive rebounds in an 83-75 overtime loss to then-no. 15 Houston in Speedy Claxton’s head coaching debut. A D-III team and a perennial national title contender, all in the same note!
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE DOUBLES
Jean Aranguren (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Michael Graham (16 points, 13 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for the Dutchmen in Thursday’s defeat. They’re the first pair of Hofstra players to have a double-double in the same game since Dec. 18, 2021, when Aaron Estrada (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Why Can’t Arkansas Get Guys Like Abayomi Iyiola (15 points, 15 rebounds) posted double-doubles in the 89-81 upset of then-no. 24 Arkansas. But a pair of double-doubles in a defeat sounds unusual. Is it?
DOUBLE DOUBLES IN DEFEAT
Glad you asked! The Dutchmen pulled off an unusual (and unfortunate) accomplishment Thursday night, when Jean Aranguren (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Michael Graham (16 points, 13 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles in a loss. It was the first time at least two Hofstra players had double-doubles in a defeat since Feb. 7, 2016, when THREE players — Denton Koon (19 points, 13 rebounds), Ameen Tanksley (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Rokas Gustys (13 points, 18 rebounds) — had double-doubles in a 98-95 overtime loss to James Madison. Another reminder that was a strangely frustrating team. Prior to Thursday, two Hofstra players hadn’t recorded double-doubles in a regulation loss since way back on Feb. 5, 2003, when Rick Apodaca (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Kenny Adeleke (15 points, 12 rebounds) performed the feat in an 82-76 loss to Drexel, Rick Apodaca and Kenny Adeleke references in 2025, what a time in our dystopia.
JEAN FITS
Jean Aranguren had another solid game Thursday night, when he finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. It was the second straight double-double ad the fourth of the season for Aranguren, who has scored in double figures in six straight games and 13 times in 16 games overall after reaching double figures just nine times in 33 games last season with Iona. He also has four games with at least 10 rebounds (obvs) after never recording more than eight rebounds in a game last season.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH
Is Jean Aranguren going to eventually post the second triple-double in program history? Aranguren again flirted with the gaudy line Thursday, when he had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. It was the closest Aranguren has come to joining Juan’ya Green in the exclusive club since Nov. 8, when Aranguren finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the 90-76 win over Iona. Green posted the lone triple-double in school history Dec. 28, 2014, when he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 88-62 win over Long Island University at Barclays Center. How is that 10 years ago already?
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
Michael Graham had perhaps his best game for the Dutchmen Thursday night, when he finished with a season-high 15 points while adding a team-high 13 rebounds in 31 minutes. The double-double was the second of the season for Graham, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the 68-66 win over Arkansas State on Dec. 1. The 15 points were the most Graham has scored since Jan. 27, 2022, when he had a career-high 20 points for Not Twitter Guy in a 61-54 win over William & Mary. The 13 rebounds were two shy of Graham’s season-high, set in the 68-63 overtime win against Rice on Nov. 29. Alas, the Dutchmen fell to 6-2 this season when Graham plays at least 20 minutes.
SEVEN UP
Michael Graham sparked the Dutchmen’s resurgence on the offensive boards Thursday night, when he had seven offensive rebounds. Graham is the first Hofstra player with seven offensive rebounds since Nelson Boachie-Yiadom had seven offensive rebounds in the 88-86 overtime win over Rutgers in the first round of the NIT on Mar. 14, 2023.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, made his sixth straight start Saturday, when he finished with eight points and seven rebounds while matching a career-high with 39 minutes. Plotnikov also played 39 minutes last Saturday in the 55-37 win over Northeastern. He has played at least 30 minutes in each of his starts after exceeding 20 minutes just three times in the first 10 games. Plotnikov has also scored in each of the last 10 games after scoring just once in the first six games.
DAVIS’ DIFFICULTIES
Cruz Davis followed up his big game against Northeastern by struggling Thursday, when he finished with five points, five rebounds, three assists and four turnovers. Davis, who had 22 points in the 55-37 win over Northeastern, was just 2-of-10 from the field Thursday, including 0-for-4 from 3-point land. It was only the sixth time in 15 games Davis has failed to score in double figures. Davis scored in single figures in 23 of his 28 games the previous two seasons with Iona and St. John’s.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden remained in the starting lineup but continued his hot-and-mostly-cold season Thursday, when he had two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes. Gadsden, who started for the second straight time after coming off the bench I his previous three games, has scored in double figures just once this season after scoring at least 10 points in 11 of 25 games last season for Canisius.
HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON
KiJan Robinson had another busy game as the Dutchman’s sixth man Thursday, when he had seven points, six rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes. Robinson has It was the ninth time this season Robinson has scored at least seven points while playing at least 20 minutes in a game.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday returned to the scoring column Thursday, when he had two points while adding two rebounds and two assists in nine minutes. The points were the first for Sunday since he had three points against Quinnipiac on Dec. 29. Wow! Spanning two years! The two assists also tied a career-high for Sunday, who had two dimes three times previously. We shall start calling him Nelson Boachie-Yiadom.
DECADY’S DANCE
Freshman Joshua DeCady, who was limited to two-plus minutes last Saturday after he was hit in the face while sinking his only field goal attempt, returned to action Thursday, when he had two points while again converting his only field goal attempt in seven minutes. DeCady has scored in each of the last six games in which he’s appeared dating back to Nov. 30 and has hit each of his last five field goal attempts dating back to Jan. 2.
KHALIL’S CAMEO
Khalil Farmer saw limited action for the third straight game Thursday, when he had one assists in two minutes. Farmer has scored just two points over nine minutes in the last three contests combined after scoring at least two points and seeing at least 10 minutes of playing time in eight straight games from Nov. 22 through Dec. 29.
SANDERS SIDELINED
Junior Jaquan Sanders missed Thursday’s game due to personal reasons. Sanders, who started the first 13 games in which he played before coming off the bench last Saturday, is expected to rejoin the Dutchmen soon.
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’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 UNC WILMINGTON
The Seahawks, under fifth-year head coach Takayo Siddle, are 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the CAA after leading wire-to-wire Thursday in a 64-55 win over Monmouth. Remarkably, Siddle is the first UNC Wilmington head coach to remain in the position for more than four years since the legendary Jerry Wainwright spent eight seasons at the school from 1994-95 through 2001-02.
The Dutchmen and Seahawks had no common opponents in non-league play.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 181st at KenPom.com. The Seahawks, who were picked to finish third, are ranked 139th, a gain of 17 spots from their preseason ranking.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank last in the CAA in offensive efficiency (97.3 points per 100 possessions) but first in defensive efficiency (98.7 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.0 possessions per 40 minutes, the 11th-most in the league. Strange numbers, especially on offense. The Seahawks rank third in the CAA in offensive efficiency (107.8 points per 100 possessions) and fifth in defensive efficiency (106.3 points per 100 possessions, which leaves them in a virtual tie with Not Twitter Guy) while averaging 67.0 possessions per 40 minutes, the eighth-most in the league.
The Seahawks return five players from last year’s team. Graduate student Donovan Newby, who is in his third season at UNC Wilmington after opening his career at Milwaukee, leads the team with 15.6 points per game and 3.3 assists per game. Redshirt junior Khamari McGriff, who has spent his entire four-year career with the Seahawks, is averaging 11.0 points per game. Junior Harlan Obioha, a 7-footer who spent the previous two seasons at Niagara, is averaging 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. True junior Noah Ross, who has spent his entire career with the Seahawks, leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game, just ahead of graduate student Sean Moore, who has 6.2 rebounds per game after opening his career with two seasons at Division II St. Thomas Aquinas and two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Graduate students Josh Corbin and Bo Montgomery, each of whom were preseason all-CAA honorable mention selections, are averaging 8.0 points per game and 7.2 points per game, respectively. Corbin played his first three seasons at Winthrop and his next two at Robert Morris while Montgomery played the previous four seasons at Holy Cross.
KenPom.com predicts a 65-64 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 1-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 7-7 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. UNC WILMINGTON
Hofstra is 27-24 against UNC Wilmington in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Dutchmen won the lone meeting between the teams last season in the penultimate game of the league schedule Feb. 29, when Darlinstone Dubar had 28 points and eight rebounds in a 69-58 victory at Trask Coliseum, our very favorite house of horrors. Thanks to the dreaded unbalanced schedule, this will mark the third straight season in which Hofstra and UNC Wilmington play just once. The Dutchmen are 9-3 in the regular season against UNC Wilmington dating back to 2017-18 but have been eliminated by the Seahawks in the CAA Tournament twice in that span.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Still one degree of separation from Kevin Keatts and/or Casey Stanley bias! (Takayo Siddle was an assistant alongside our pal Stanley under Keatts when the Seahawks won back-to-back CAA titles in 2016-17)
Final Four alumni bias! (UNC Wilmington fans had a stake in last year’s Final Four, when Keatts directed North Carolina State on a surprising run to the national semifinals)
Not that Newby bias! (Another CAA school with a potential Scrubs reference? We’ll take it)
Don’t be mad we have the real Nathan Scott bias! (An oldie but goodie in honor of Nathan Scott lookalike German Plotnikov)
No comments:
Post a Comment