Can't tell you how many times since 2020 I've heard this song and thought it would be appropriate if the Dutchmen made the NCAA Tournament again. So cut it out, warmongering dictators.
The 1,263rd post at Defiantly Dutch is the first one on the day of an NCAA Tournament game. The 13th-seeded Flying Dutchmen (hopefully!) end the drought this afternoon, when they face fourth-seeded Alabama in a Midwest Regional game in Tampa. Incredible.
As will hopefully become the routine once again the rest of the season (let’s keep going after today!), I ran down the boilerplate material from last Tuesday’s CAA championship game win in Wednesday night's Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from the win over the Tigers as well as all the news and notes you can handle about about the NCAA TOURNAMENT!!!! and a preview of the Crimson Tide.
Savor every minute of today, just as you’ve savored every minute of the last nine days. Thank you to everyone who has followed along here at any point over the last 18 seasons and who has dreamed of this day for the last 25 years. This time, we know it’s for real (probably, hopefully, cut it out, warmongering dictators).
MOP (MOST OUTSTANDING PRESTON)
That’s not what MOP stands for? Well it kinda is! Preston Edmead was the no-doubt winner of the Most Outstanding Player award at the CAA Tournament, where he scored 61 points — including a career-high 26 in the 75-69 title game win over Monmouth — while recording nine assists and eight rebounds with just four turnovers in 115 minutes. Oh and he also hit perhaps the greatest shot in program history, the off-balance banked 3-pointer with :0.3 left in overtime that lifted the Dutchmen to a 68-65 win over Towson in the semifinals.
Edmead is the first freshman to win MOP honors in the CAA Tournament since Delaware redshirt freshman Jyare Davis did so in 2022 and the first true freshman to win the award since UNC Wilmington’s Brett Blizzard in 2000. In addition, Edmead is the fourth Hofstra player to win MOP honors in a conference tournament following in the footsteps of Speedy Claxton (2000 America East), Roberto Gittens (2001 America East) and Desure Buie (2020 CAA).
Cruz Davis also joined Edmead on the all-tournament team.
THIRD SEED THE CHARM
It was this time! The Dutchmen became the first no, 3 seed to win the CAA Tournament title since 2015, when Northeastern did so, and the fifth overall in league history. Richmond (1998), George Mason (2008) and James Madison (2013) also won it all as the no. 3 seed.
THIRD TIME THE CHARM
The Dutchmen also continued a lengthy trend by beating Monmouth in the championship game after sweeping the two-game regular season series. Since 2002, a team that swept an opponent in the regular season is 9-0 when facing that opponent again in the CAA Tournament title game.
2026: Hofstra over Monmouth
2025: UNC Wilmington over Delaware
2020: Hofstra over Northeastern
2018: Charleston over Northeastern
2014: Delaware over William & Mary
2010: Old Dominion over William & Mary
2007: VCU over George Mason
2003: UNC Wilmington over Drexel
STAYING (within) SINGLE (digits)
Since the Dutchmen beat Monmouth in the CAA championship game, they have (obvs) still yet to lose a game this season by more than eight points. They are one of five Division I schools nationwide without a double-digit loss this season — and one of just two mid-majors.
HOFSTRA (24-10)
Miami Ohio (32-1)
And I guess here are the other teams yet to suffer a double-digit loss:
Arizona (32-2)
Duke (33-2)
Michigan (32-3)
Pretty good company.
Stephen F. Austin fell off this list with a 76-59 loss to McNeese in the Southland Conference championship game Mar. 11 while Florida exited following a 91-74 loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinals last Saturday, a few hours before Connecticut dropped off the list following the 72-52 loss to St. John’s in the Big East title game last Saturday night. And Michigan (an 80-72 loss to Purdue in the Big 10 championship game) barely avoided the same fate. Pretty wild Hofstra’s on a list this select.
CRUZ CLIMBING THE LIST
Cruz Davis, the newest member of the Hofstra 1,000-point club, continued climbing the all-time scoring list last Tuesday night, when he finished with 12 points to increase his career total to 1,150 points and leapfrogged Nathaniel Lester into 33rd place. Davis enters this afternoon 10 points away from moving past Ted Jackson into 32nd place and 35 points shy of surging past Rokas Gustys into 31st place.
29t.) Brian Bernardi 1,186
29t.) Juan’ya Green 1,186
31.) Rokas Gustys 1,184
32.) Ted Jackson 1,159
33.) CRUZ DAVIS 1,150
34.) Nathaniel Lester 1,139
35.) Wandy Williams 1,131
36.) Mike Moore 1,128
37.) Richie Swartz 1,107
38.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090
39.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
40.) Darius Burton 1,060
41.) Percy Johnson 1,045
42.) James Shaffer 1,022
43.) John Irving 1,018
PRESTO!
What else is there to say about Preston Edmead, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today? Edmead continued the most impressive freshman season by a Hofstra player this decade — or maybe a lot longer — last Tuesday night, when he scored a career-high 26 points while adding four assists, four rebounds and two steals over 40 minutes. The 26 points were the most by a Hofstra freshman since Eli Pemberton had 26 points in an 86-80 loss to Towson on Jan. 19, 2017. Edmead has scored in double figures in 28 games this season, the most double-figure scoring efforts by a Hofstra freshman in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-pres). That’s…that’s pretty good. Edmead also had more points through 30 games than Antoine Agudio did during his 30-game freshman season in 2004-05, more points through 29 games than Jenkins had in his freshman season and more points through 27 games than Speedy Claxton did during his 27-game freshman season in 1996-97.
PRESTON VS. SPEEDY
Speaking of pretty good company and something very quirky and cool: Speedy Claxton, whose freshman season lasted 27 games in 1996-97, played the seventh game of his sophomore season on Dec. 6, 1997, when he scored 23 points in a 77-75 loss to Delaware. So that means Edmead (539 points) has ONE MORE point than Claxton (538 points) through the first 34 games of their Hofstra careers. This after they were separated by two points (Claxton 515, Edmead 513) through 33 games and ONE point (Claxton 501, Edmead 500) through 32 games. What’d I tell you? Quirky and cool! Not surprisingly, their stats through 34 games are remarkably similar.
Speedy Claxton: 15.8 points per game/3.7 assists per game/4.5 rebounds per game
Preston Edmead: 15.9 ppg/4.4 apg/3.5 rpg
One point apart and Claxton had 33 more rebounds while Edmead has 24 more assists. Wild.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!
Seriously, can’t we get Silas Sunday — who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today — another year of eligibility? Sunday continued his senior season surge #Alliteration last Tuesday night, when he finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, one block and one steal in 25 minutes, He also posted his first Keith Hernandez of the season by hitting the tie-breaking layup to give the Dutchmen the lead for good at 47-45 with 14:29 left in the game. Now THAT is playing the long game. The eight points were the most for Sunday since he had 12 points in a 79-43 win over Hampton on Feb. 19. Sunday had at least 11 rebounds in all three CAA Tournament games and 35 boards overall. He has at least 10 rebounds in four of his last six games after pulling down at least 10 boards just three times in the first 28 games this season and four times in his first 93 games at Hofstra. Sunday also logged at least 20 minutes in a game for the 21st time this season after he did so just seven times over the previous three seasons.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, collected some of the biggest points of his career last Tuesday night, when he finished with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting — including 2-of-6 from 3-point land — while adding three rebounds in 36 minutes. Plotnikov had just five points in the first 39 minutes before he drained the 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to extend the Dutchmen’s lead to 69-65. He has 84 points on 28-of-54 shooting, including 16-of-38 from 3-point land, over the last seven games after he had 48 points on 17-of-44 shooting, including 9-of-28 from 3-point land, in his previous six games from Jan. 29 through Feb. 14. Most of that production came in a 66-62 win over Charleston on Feb. 12, in which Plotnikov scored 20 while going 6-of-13 from beyond the arc. Plotnikov has scored in double figures in a game 14 times this season after doing so 17 times in his first 95 games over the previous three seasons.
CRUZ-IN
Cruz Davis, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, warmed up after a cold start again last Tuesday night when he scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. Davis finished 3-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-5 from 3-point land, while adding five assists, four rebounds and one steal over 31 minutes. He finished the CAA Tournament with 60 points on 18-of-45 shooting, including 8-of-19 from 3-point land. Davis scored 30 points in the final two games, including 26 in the second half. He has scored in double figures in 52 of the 65 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 34-18 when Davis scores in double figures.
VICTORY!
Junior newcomer Victory Onuetu, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, had his best game in weeks at the most opportune time last Tuesday night, when he finished with eight points, six rebounds and one steal while drawing four fouls over 12 minutes. The eight points were one fewer than Onuetu had in the previous four games combined while the six rebounds were one fewer than he had in the previous three games combined. The eight points were also the most for Onuetu since he finished with eight points in a 71-49 win over Towson on Feb. 7. He has scored eight points three times in his last 24 games games after finishing with at least eight points six times in the first 10 games of the season. In addition, Onuetu has either fouled out, drawn at least three fouls or been ejected 18 times in 21 CAA games. Onuetu has also come off the bench in each of the last 13 games after starting 19 of the first 21 games.
BIGGIE OFF THE BENCH
Biggie Patterson, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, had another solid all-around game in limited action last Tuesday night, when he scored six points and pulled down seven rebounds while adding two steals over 18 minutes. Patterson has at least seven rebounds in four of his last five games after pulling down at least seven boards just five times in his first 25 games. The six-point effort continued a quirky season-long statistical trend for Patterson, who has played in 30 games and has 15 double-digit scoring efforts while scoring six points or fewer 14 other times. Speaking of season-long trends, the Dutchmen are now 15-1 when Patterson comes off the bench and 7-7 when he starts.
DECADY DANCE
Joshua DeCady, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, finished with two points, five rebounds and one assist last Tuesday night. The two points were the fewest for DeCady since he had two points in a 66-62 win over Charleston on Feb. 12. The five rebounds were one fewer than DeCady had in the 68-65 semifinal win over Towson on Mar. 9 and marked the first time in his career he’s pulled down at least five rebounds in consecutive games. The Dutchmen are 17-5 this season when DeCady starts and 6-4 when he comes off the bench.
JUST JOSH-IN
Graduate student Joshua Aaron Reaves, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, extended his consecutive games streak last Tuesday night, when he scored three points and pulled down a rebound in seven minutes. Reaves, whose 3-pointer snapped a 24-24 tie with 6:17 left in the first half, has scored in three of the last four games after scoring in four of the previous 10 games from Jan. 24 through Feb. 28. Reaves has 45 points and 28 rebounds over the last 14 games after recording just 10 points — all against non-Division I foes — over 71 minutes in his first 12 appearances of the season. Reaves played in each of the Dutchmen’s first five games this season before sitting out 10 of the next 15 games from Nov. 28 through Jan. 22. The 14 consecutive appearances for Reaves marks his longest streak since he played in all 32 games for Mount St. Mary’s during the 2023-24 season.
WHERE THERE’S A WILLS THERE’S A WAY
AJ Wills, who is going to play in an NCAA Tournament game today, posted a Club Trillion linescore but handled a pair of key in-bounds situations in the final 15 seconds last Tuesday night. Wills has played just three times in the last 14 games and has six points over 16-plus minutes in the last four games he’s played dating back to Jan. 22 after scoring 23 points over 59 minutes in the four games he played from Jan. 3-17.
SPEEDY’S SELECT COMPANY
Speedy Claxton, who is going to coach in an NCAA Tournament game today, joined a trio of exclusive clubs by coaching the Flying Dutchmen to the NCAA Tournament this season, He is one of seven coaches directing their alma maters in the NCAA Tournament.
SPEEDY CLAXTON, Hofstra
Hubert Davis, North Carolina
Jamie Dixon, TCU
Fran McCaffrey, Penn
Matt Painter, Purdue
David Richman, North Dakota State
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Claxton is also one of seven former NBA players coaching an NCAA Tournament team this season.
SPEEDY CLAXTON, Hofstra
Hubert Davis, North Carolina
Johnny Dawkins, Central Florida
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
Mark Pope, Kentucky
Nolan Smith, Tennessee State
Rod Strickland, Long Island University
And lastly, Claxton is one of five coaches hired prior to the 2021-22 season who is coaching the school that hired him in the NCAA Tournament this year.
SPEEDY CLAXTON, Hofstra
Hubert Davis, North Carolina (fourth trip)
Jim Ferry, UMBC
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona (fifth trip)
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State (fifth trip)
HOFSTRA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
I can’t believe I am actually writing this. So surreal. The Flying Dutchmen are 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I program.
Mar. 13, 1976 (East Regional): Connecticut 80, Hofstra 78 (OT)
Mar. 12, 1977 (East Regional): Notre Dame 90, Hofstra 83
Mar. 17, 2000 (East Regional): Oklahoma State 86, Hofstra 66
Mar. 15, 2001 (East Regional): UCLA 61, Hofstra 48
The Dutchmen also went 3-4 in the NCAA Tournament as a Division II program.
Mar. 6, 1959: Hofstra 67, Wesleyan 48
Mar. 7, 1959: American 66, Hofstra 55
Mar. 9, 1962: Hofstra 56, C.W. Post 55
Mar. 10, 1962: Mount St. Mary’s 66, Hofstra 51
Mar. 8, 1963: Philadelphia Textile 60, Hofstra 55
Mar. 9, 1963: Hofstra 78, Mount St. Mary’s 71
Mar. 11, 1964: Akron 77, Hofstra 58
Hmm. An NCAA Tournament game against Akron, eh?
THE CAA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The CAA is 27-47 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. But league representatives have lost their last 12 games and have has not won a game in the big dance since Mar, 20, 2013, when James Madison beat Long Island University 68-55 in a First Four game. A CAA school has not won a main bracket game since Mar. 15, 2012, when 12th-seeded VCU edged fifth-seeded Wichita State, 62-59. The overall NCAA Tournament losing streak is the second-longest active drought behind only the Big Sky, which hasn’t won a game since 2006. The Big Sky, Big South and Southwestern Athletic conferences are the only leagues that have gone longer without a win in the main bracket. Like the CAA, the Patriot League and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference earned their most recent main bracket wins in 2012.
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME (part one)
Today marks the Flying Dutchmen’s first NCAA Tournament game since Mar. 15, 2001, when they fell to UCLA 61-48 in an East Regional first-round game. That was a mere 9,135 days ago! For funsies, here’s some slices of American life from March 2001:
Price of gas, March 2001: $1.41 (LOL good luck ever seeing that again)
No. 1 movie, weekend of Mar. 9-11: The Mexican
No. 1 song, week ending Mar. 10: “Stutter,” Joe featuring Mystikal
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME (part two)
Friend of the blog Larry Fleisher figured this one out: One hundred and forty-nine players (that’s 149) played in at least one game for the Flying Dutchmen in between NCAA Tournament appearances. That total includes the four players whom we will not name, whom we only begrudgingly count here.
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME (part three)
Two hundred and seventy-eight Division I teams (that’s 278) officially danced in between the Flying Dutchmen’s NCAA Tournament appearances. That group includes 259 schools who were in Division I in 2001-02 as well as 19 schools who moved up over the subsequent 24 seasons. In addition, five schools
The Dutchmen are one of four teams this season to end a tournament drought dating back to at least 2002, along with Idaho, Santa Clara and Tennessee State. That leaves 59 teams who have not made an NCAA Tournament appearance since at least 2001. Here is the list by conference, along with the five schools that dropped out of Division I since 2001-02.
CAA: William & Mary, Towson, ELO, Campbell
America East: Maine, New Hampshire
American: Tulane, East Carolina, Rice
Atlantic Sun: Jacksonville
Atlantic 10: Fordham
Big Sky: Northern Arizona, Idaho State, Sacramento State
Big South: Charleston Southern
Big West: UC Riverside, Loyola Marymount
Conference USA: Louisiana Tech, Missouri State, Florida International
Horizon: Youngstown State, Purdue Fort Wayne
Ivy: Brown, Columbia
MAC: Ball State, Bowling Green, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan
MAAC: Marist, Fairfield, Canisius, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart
MEAC: Maryland-Eastern Shore
Missouri Valley: Illinois State, Evansville
Mountain West: San Jose State
NEC: Chicago State
Ohio Valley: Tennessee Tech, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin, Western Illinois
Patriot: Navy, Army
Southern: The Citadel, Western Carolina, VMI
Southland: UT Rio Grande Valley, Nicholls State
Summit: Kansas City, Denver
Sun Belt: Georgia Southern, Arkansas State, Louisiana Monroe, Texas State
SWAC: Bethune Cookman
WAC: Southern Utah
West Coast: Portland
No longer in Division I: Birmingham Southern, Centenary, Morris Brown, St. Francis (NY), Savannah State
HOFSTRA VS. TOP 25 TEAMS
Alabama is ranked no. 18 in both the AP and coaches’ polls. This marks the 28th time the Dutchmen have faced a team ranked in the top 25 in at least one of the polls in the DD Era (1993-pres). The Dutchmen are 4-23 in the previous 27 games but 2-3 in the last five games following an 80-44 loss to no. 7/7 Houston on Nov. 22, 2024.
This is the sixth straight season in which the Dutchmen are playing a ranked opponent.
11/22/24: No. 7/7 Houston 80-44 L
12/12/23: No. 21/19 Duke 89-68 L
1/28/23: No. 18/18 Charleston 85-81 W
12/7/22: No. 4/4 Purdue 85-66 L
12/18/21: No. 24/19 Arkansas 89-81 W
11/19/21: no. 20 Maryland 69-67 L
11/9/21: no. 15 Houston 83-75 L (OT)
12/22/20: no. 23 Richmond 76-71 W
11/29/20: no. 24 Rutgers 70-56 L
12/22/17: no. 1 Villanova 95-71 L
12/11/16: no. 6 Kentucky 96-73 L
11/12/13: no. 3 Louisville 97-69 L
11/18/10: no. 8 North Carolina 107-63 L
11/13/09 no. 1 Kansas 101-65 L
11/17/09 no. 12 UConn 76-67 L
12/22/06 no. 23 Syracuse 85-60 L
2/23/06 no. 25 George Mason 77-68 W
12/30/04 no. 7 Syracuse 80-75 L
11/22/02 no. 21 Gonzaga 69-61 L
12/4/01 no. 9 Syracuse 91-65 L
3/15/01 no. 15 UCLA 61-48 L***
3/17/00 no. 14 Oklahoma State 86-66 L***
11/20/98 no. 6 Maryland 89-59 L
12/2/98 no. 25 St. John’s 70-49 L
11/27/97 no. 19 Louisville 75-66 L
12/14/96 no. 19 Xavier 79-43 L
12/28/95 no. 8 Villanova 91-57 L
***NCAA Tournament
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’s game is slated to be carried live on TruTV, which is channel 58 in the Optimum/Altice Are Our Overlords Universe. Or, as my Dad knows it, the Impractical Jokers station. Hofstra will provide a radio feed (shout out to WRHU’s Dylan Brett, Calvin Wille and Eric Leaf on living the dream the past couple weeks) and the NCAA will provide live stats here.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
The Crimson Tide, under seventh-year head coach Nate Oats, earned the fourth seed in the Midwest Region after going 23-9 (13-5 SEC). Alabama, which is ranked no. 18 in the AP poll, last played Mar. 11, when the Crimson Tide fell to Mississippi, 80-79, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Yeah, you can lose well before the title game of your conference tournament and still make it to the NCAA Tournament as a power 5 school.
This is Alabama’s sixth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide have reached the Sweet Sixteen twice, the Elite Eight once and the Final Four once (you’re welcome for Aaron Estrada) under Oats.
The Dutchmen and Crimson Tide had no common opponents.
The Dutchmen are ranked 85th at KenPom.com, which is 77 spots higher than they were to open the season, one spot lower than their season-high entering the CAA semifinals against Towson on Mar. 9 and two spots higher than they were prior to the CAA title game win over Monmouth. The Crimson Tide is ranked 18th, which is five spots higher than it was to open the season, five spots lower than its season-high entering a game against Arizona on Dec. 13 and three spots lower than it was prior to the loss to Mississippi.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank 84th nationally in offensive efficiency (114.6 points per 100 possessions), 94th in defensive efficiency (105.0 points per 100 possessions) and 317th in tempo (64.8 possessions per 40 minutes). The Crimson Tide ranks third nationally in offensive efficiency (129.0 points per 100 possessions), 69th in defensive efficiency (103.4 points per 100 possessions) and fourth in tempo (73.1 possessions per 40 minutes). Interesting contrast in styles!
The Crimson Tide has five players averaging in double figures, though it will be without Aden Holloway, who ranks second on the team in both scoring (16.8 points per game) and assists (3.8 per game) but is suspended (for now, anyway) after being arrested on felony drug charges Sunday night.
Sophomore Labaron Philon Jr. leads Alabama with 21.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. Graduate student Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who is in his third season with the Crimson Tide after opening his career with two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, is averaging 12.8 points per game. True freshman Amari Allen averages 11.2 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game while ranking third with 3.1 assists per game. Sophomore Aiden Sherrell is averaging 11.2 points per game and ranks second on the Tide with 6.2 rebounds per game. Graduate student Houston Mallette, who in his second season with Alabama after three seasons at Pepperdine, is third on the team with 4.4 rebonds per game.
KenPom.com predicts an 87-76 loss for the Dutchmen. What does he know anyway? Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 11 1/2-point underdogs. What do they know anyway? The Dutchmen are 20-12 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME AGAINST ALABAMA AND THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Hofstra and Alabama have never faced each other in men’s basketball.
This marks just the fourth all-time meeting between the schools in any sport. The Flying Dutchwomen volleyball team is 0-2 against Alabama with a 3-1 loss on Sept, 10, 1993 (my second week on campus) in the Miami (OH) days Inn Invitational (hmm, is that a sign?) and a 3-0 loss on Sept. 8, 2017 in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash. The Flying Dutchwomen softball team was eliminated from the 2005 NCAA Tournament with a 6-0 loss to Alabama on May 22, 2025.
The Dutchmen are 3-12 all-time against current Southeastern Conference schools, though they re on a one-game winning streak after beating no, 24 Arkansas, 89-81, on Dec. 18, 2021. Hofstra also edged Florida 68-67 during the 1977-78 season and beat Mississippi 78-73 during the 1990-91 season.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Aaron Estrada doesn’t love you like he loves us bias! (Truth)
Joe Namath bias! (Should we guarantee a win?)
Junction Boys bias! (If you know, you know)
Nate Oats wears Wimp Sanderson-like jackets bias! (Probably the best thing we can say about him)
You’ve won 18 national championships in football bias! (So let us have this game)
