Up your nose with a rubber hose, TP. (But not too far and for today only)
Well, I can guarantee you if the Dutchmen win today, I won’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the win over Syracuse eight days ago. The Dutchmen will complete non-conference play this afternoon by hosting Quinnipiac and old friend Tom Pecora in a battle of teams who have enjoyed a fruitful pre-league schedule so far. Can’t there be a tie?
As will hopefully remain the routine following all games this year, I ran down the boilerplate material from last Saturday’s statement win in last night’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that win as well as a preview of the Fighting Pecoras. Enjoy!
QUITE AN ACC-OMPLISHMENT
The Dutchmen, as you may have heard by now, completed their sweep of the ACC last Saturday with a 70-69 upset win over Syracuse. The victory happened just six days after the Dutchmen beat Pittsburgh, 80-73. Per Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov, the Dutchmen are the first CAA team to beat two ACC foes in the same season since VCU (remember them?) beat Wake Forest and UCLA during the 2010-11 campaign. That also marks the last time a CAA school beat two power conference foes in the same season, though that deserves a partial asterisk because Northeastern beat UConn (as a member of the American) and Michigan State in 2016-17. Just invite us, ACC. At least we’re actually ON the Atlantic coast.
WE’VE STILL GOT THE POWER
The Dutchmen remain the only CAA team this season to beat a power conference foe, though Not Twitter Guy came agonizingly close Saturday, when the Phoenix squandered a 19-point lead in an 82-81 overtime loss to Virginia Tech (from, where else, the ACC). The victory over Syracuse was also the Dutchmen’s seventh against a power conference opponent over the last 11 seasons — a span in which no other CAA team has more than two wins over power conference foes.
HOFSTRA 7 (Florida State 11/20/15, UCLA 11/21/19, Arkansas 12/18/21, Rutgers 3/14/23***, Seton Hall 11/13/24, Pittsburgh 12/7/25, Syracuse 12/13/25)
Charleston 2 (Providence 11/29/19, Virginia Tech 11/20/22)
Monmouth 2 (West Virginia 11/10/23, Seton Hall 11/30/24)
Northeastern 2 (UConn 11/14/16, Alabama 11/15/18)
Drexel 1 (Villanova 12/2/23)
Not Twitter Guy 1 (Notre Dame 11/22/24)
UNC Wilmington 1 (Kentucky 12/2/23)
William & Mary 1 (North Carolina State 11/13/15)
Campbell 0
Delaware 0
Hampton 0
James Madison 0
North Carolina A&T 0
Towson 0
***NIT
These figures only count wins achieved WHILE the school was a member of the CAA. So Monmouth’s wins over UCLA, Drexel and Southern Cal during the 2015-16 season aren’t counted here because the Hawks were a member of the MAAC back then. But we can take this opportunity to declare, once again, how screwed they got by the idiots on the selection committee who decided they weren’t worthy of an at-large bid.
LAST-MINUTE WIN
The Dutchmen, who trailed 68-67 (heh six seven) before German Plotnikov’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left, won a game in which they trailed in the final minute since Jan. 11, when Jean Aranguren converted a nostalgic 3-point play to put the Dutchmen ahead for good in a 66-63 victory over UNC Wilmington. Speaking of that game…
DOUBLE-DIGIT DISASTER AVERTED
The Dutchmen came back to beat Syracuse after squandering a 10-point second half lead. It was the first time they’d won a game in which they fell behind after leading by double figures since, that’s right, Jan. 11 when the Dutchmen led UNC Wilmington by 11 points in the second half before falling behind in the final minute.
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
As Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov noted, the Dutchmen’s win over Syracuse marked just the seventh time this century the Orange have lost a home game to a fellow New York school. The previous New York school to upset Syracuse at the Carrier Dome (yeah, I’m not calling it by its new name) was Colgate, which earned an 80-68 win on Nov. 15, 2022. Syracuse still somehow hosted Colgate the next two years. Wanna bet that doesn’t happen to Hofstra?
OH YEAH THE THREES ARE FALLING
The Dutchmen shot a robust 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from 3-point land last Saturday, It was their best performance from beyond the arc since way back on Jan. 27, 2010, when they also shot 66.7 percent (6-of-9) in a 93-54 win over UNC Wilmington. The Dutchmen hadn’t shot at least 66.7 percent from 3-point land while hoisting at least 10 shots from distance since Dec. 12, 2009, when they shot, again, 66.7 percent (10-of-15) in a 75-58 win over New Hampshire.
DOUBLE TROUBLE FROM THREE
Preston Edmead (12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point land) and German Plotnikov (nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point land) scored all their points from beyond the arc last Saturday. They’re the first Dutchmen duo #Alliteration to score all their points on 3-pointers since at least the 2004-05 season, which is as far back as player game logs go at College Basketball Reference. Quirky!
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
Cruz Davis earned a share of his second straight CAA Player of the Week award last week, when he split the honors with Stony Brook’s Erik Platt (we’re allowed to share things?). Davis was the sole honoree for the week ending Dec. 7 before he collected 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and two blocks in the wins over Old Westbury and Syracuse. He is the first player to win at least a share of CAA Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks since Northeastern’s Rashad King shared the award with Charleston’s Ante Brzovic and Campbell’s Colby Duggan, respectively, from Feb. 10-17. In addition, Hofstra is the only CAA team this season with players who have earned both Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors. Preston Edmead has been named th Rookie of the Week three times, most recently for the week ending Nov. 30.
CRUZ-IN
As you may have gathered by now, Cruz Davis continued his impressive season last Saturday, when he finished with 22 points and a career-high nine assists to go along with three reboudns and one block. Davis has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season, the longest streak by a Hofstra player since Jean Aranguren scored in double figures in 15 straight games from Dec. 9, 2024 through Feb. 8, 2025. The 12 straight double-figure scoring efforts are a career-high for Davis, who previously scored in double figures in eight straight games from Jan. 20 through Feb. 13. Davis has scored in double figures in 33 of the 44 games in which he’s played for Hofstra after reaching double figures just five times over 28 games in his first two seasons at Iona and St. John’s. The Dutchmen are 20-13 when Davis scores in double figures.
DAVIS DROPPING DIMES
Cruz Davis’ nine assists last Saturday broke his previous career-high of eight assists, set five times previously, most recently in a 78-58 win over Merrimack on Nov. 29. The nine assists were also the most by a Hofstra player since Feb. 8, when Jean Aranguren had nine assists in an 80-75 loss to Stony Brook. The last Hofstra player to record at least 10 assists was Jaquan Carlos, who had a school-record 19 assists in an 82-62 win over Northeastern on Feb. 17, 2024.
PRESTO!
Preston Edmead continued his impressive freshman season last Saturday, when he scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point land while adding one assist over 28 minutes. The 12 points were the most for Edmead since Dec. 3, when he had 16 points in a 72-70 loss to Columbia, and marked the ninth time he’s reached double figures in 12 games this season, Edmead’s 163 points (13.6 ppg) through 12 games are just 11 fewer than Antoine Agudio during his freshman season in 2004-05 and four fewer than Speedy Claxton during his freshman season in 1996-97. Pretty good company.
PRESTON VS. SPEEDY
Speaking of which…Preston Edmead’s first 12 games as a true freshman point guard have been just as impressive as Speedy Claxton’s first 12 games as a true freshman point guard way back in 1996-97.
Speedy Claxton: 13.9 points per game/2.3 assists per game/4.3 rebounds per game
Preston Edmead: 13.6 ppg/4.9 apg/1.7 rpg
Pretty quirky and neat!
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov had another solid glue game last Saturday, when he hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left and finished with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting form beyond the arc to go along with three steals and two rebounds over 40 minutes. The 40-minute effort was the second of the season for Plotnikov, who also never left the floor in a 72-70 loss to Columbia on Dec. 3, while the three steals were one shy of his season-high set in a 82-78 loss to Central Florida on Nov. 3. Plotnikov has scored at least eight points in nine of 12 games this season after doing so just 10 times in 31 games last season.
VICTORY!
Junior newcomer Victory Onuetu continued to offer intrigue last Saturday, when he had six points, 11 rebounds and a season-high four blocks in a season-high 34 minutes. Onuetu easily broke his previous high of 29 minutes, which he logged in an 83-77 win over Bucknell on Nov. 14. The 11 rebounds were one shy of his season-high, set in a 95-61 win over Molloy on Nov. 10 and matched against Bucknell. The four blocks were the most by a Hofstra player since Michael Graham racked up four blocks in an 80-67 win over Norfolk State on Dec. 9, 2024.
JAEDEN JUMPS INTO ACTION
Freshman Jaeden Roberts continued his emergence last Saturday, when he had 11 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal over just 12 minutes. Roberts entered last Saturday with just 10 points in three games against Division I foes this season. The 11 points were the most by a Hofstra player who logged 12 minutes or fewer since Jacquil Taylor had 18 points in just 12 minutes in a 107-54 win over Division III Rosemont on Dec, 22, 2018. The previous Hofstra player to reach double figures in 12 minutes or fewer against a Division I foe was Kenny Wormley, who had 10 points in 12 minutes in an 86-85 loss to Charleston on Feb. 3, 2018.
BIGGIE BUSY OFF THE BENCH
Biggie Patterson played a reserve role for a third straight game last Saturday, when he had four points, three rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes. Patterson played a pivotal role in the chaotic final sequences, when he nearly turned the ball over on an in-bound pass and then and turned the ball over on a five-second call on consecutive plays with 15.7 seconds left before he might have gotten away with fouling Kiyan Anthony when the latter’s shot was blocked by Victory Onuetu with under five seconds remaining. Patterson then inbounded the ball to Cruz Davis, who got fouled with 1.7 seconds left, and to Preston Edmead, who dribbled out the clock. Patterson has played at least 16 minutes, scored at least four points and recorded at least three rebounds in each of the last three games.
DECADY DANCE
Joshua DeCady made his third career start last Saturday, when he again replaced Biggie Patterson in the lineup and finished with four points, two rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes. DeCady has played 19 minutes or fewer in all three games as a starter after logging at least 20 minutes four times in the first nine games. He has scored in 10 of 12 games this season after scoring in 14 of the 25 games in which he played last season.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!
With Victory Onuetu faring so well, Silas Sunday was limited to two points while adding three rebounds and one steal over a season-low six minutes last Saturday. The six minutes were the fewest for Sunday since Feb. 13, when he played one minute in a 61-60 loss to William & Mary. Sunday has scored in all 12 games this season, two more than his previous career-long streak set from Jan. 9 through Feb. 8.
OVER THE AIR
Today'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. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
QUINNIPIAC AND THE MAAC
Quinnipiac, under some third-year head coach named Tom Pecora ONCE AGAIN NEVER HEARD OF THIS GUY, is 9-3 this season and 2-0 in the MAAC after beating Monmouth, 85-75, on Wednesday night. That’s a non-conference game for Quinnipiac and a conference game for Hofstra, but it would have been vice versa four years ago. Ahh realignment.
Quinnipiac, the two-time defending regular season champions, was picked to finish first in the 13-team MAAC. The Bobcats return five players from last year’s team, including senior Amarri Monroe, the preseason MAAC Player of the Year as well as the reigning MAAC Player of the Year, and sophomore Jaden Zimmerman, a preseason all-MAAC second team selection. That’ll do.
Zimmerman leads the Bobcats with 17.0 points per game, though he’s missed the last two games due to injury. Monroe, who opened his career with one season at Wofford, is averaging 15.8 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game. Freshman Keith McKnight is averaging 10.8 points per game. Senior Asim Jones, who began his career with two seasons at th college of Southern Idaho and one season at Florida International, is averaging 10.4 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game. Sophomore Grant Russell, another returnee from last year, is averaging 10.1 points per game and ranks second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Per KenPom.com, Quinnipiac ranks 191st nationally in offensive efficiency (106.4 points per 100 possessions) and 124th in defensive efficiency (105.7 points per 100 possessions) while ranking 35th in tempo (72.4 possessions per 40 minutes).
The Dutchmen and Bobcats have three common opponents this season. Both teams earned road upsets of Pittsburgh (Nelson Muntz GIF goes here), with Quinnipiac recording an 83-75 win on Nov, 23, two weeks before the Dutchmen notched an 80-73 victory. Quinnipiac opened MAAC play Dec. 5 with am 89-68 win over Iona, which beat the Dutchmen 81-73 on Nov. 7. The Dutchmen are slated to play two CAA games against Monmouth, which of course fell to Quinnipiac on Wednesday.
The Dutchmen are 1-2 all-time against Quinnipiac, which earned a 75-69 overtime in Hamden last Dec. 29. Quinnipiac opened the series with a 71-68 win over the Dutchmen in the championship game of the Hofstra Holiday Tournament on Dec. 1, 2002 before the Dutchmen edged the Bobcats, 72-70, in the Northern Classic on Nov. 27, 2022. If these trends continue…
Hofstra is 108-120 all-time against current MAAC schools. The Dutchmen are playing at least two MAAC foes this season for the 17th time in the last 20 seasons.
At KenPom.com, Hofstra is ranked 109th while Quinnipiac is ranked 154th. Both teams are the top KenPom.com squads in their respective conference. KenPom.com predicts a 78-72 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 6 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 8-2 against the spread this season.
WELCOME BACK, TP
Former Flying Dutchmen head coach Tom Pecora, one of our all-time favorite humans, will become just the second former Hofstra head coach to oppose the Dutchmen on the Hofstra campus and the first since Butch van Breda Kolff directed Lafayette to a 72-52 win at the Physical Fitness Center way back on Feb. 10, 1988. I was a freshman in high school and Pecora was…I don’t know, I’ll have to ask him that today. Van Breda Kolff was 2-2 at Hofstra as Lafayette’s head coach before he left the Leopards to return for his second stint leading the Dutchmen.
Pecora is the fourth former Hofstra head coach to oppose the Flying Dutchmen. The quartet improved to 11-3 all-time against the Dutchmen with Quinnipiac’s win last Dec. 29. Van Breda Kolff went 8-3 against Hofstra while Joe Harrington (89-69 win for Long Beach State on Dec. 28, 1989) and Jay Wright (95-71 win for Villanova on Dec. 22, 2017) won their lone games against their former school.
Pecora returns to Hofstra a mere 5,469 days after his final game as the Dutchmen’s head coach, which was that miserable 74-60 loss to IUPUI in the CBI. At least we made friends with Ron Hunter! A quirky fact: That’s almost as much time as the time between Pecora’s first game as an assistant coach with the Flying Dutchmen and his last game as head coach (5,589 days). tl;dr we’re all very, very old.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Your head coach discovered Speedy Claxton and made all this possible! (It’s true)
Devon Toews bias! (The defenseman whose trade to the Avalanche probably cost the Islanders the 2021 Stanley Cup played at Quinnipiac)
You used to be a college bias! (Quinnipiac became a university in 2000)
You copied our school newspaper name bias! (It’s also named The Chronicle so I just assume this is true)
Vinny Simone bias! (Our friend and Daly Dose Of Hoops contributor went to Quinnipiac, because he wasn’t cool enough for Hofstra, or so I have been told)
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