I'll Be Quirky: Molloy

Not that Molloy.

The Flying Dutchmen once again flirted with toppling a giant Monday night, when they raced out to a 14-point first half lead before running out of gas and falling to Richmond 81-68. The Dutchmen will finally return home tonight for the first home game of the Speedy Claxton era — and the first home game in front of fans since, well, you know — when they are scheduled to host Division II Molloy at the Arena. Here’s a look back at the loss to Richmond and a look ahead to the *calls up I’ll Be Quirky doc from the last time we played Molloy to find the school’s nickname* Lions.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

The Dutchmen, once again utilizing a small lineup without center Abraham Iyiola, sank their first six shots from the field and led by as many as 14 with under six minutes left in the first half before Richmond began crawling back. The Spiders took the lead with a 15-2 run spanning the halves and never trailed thereafter, though the Dutchmen tied the score at 61-61 on a layup by Zach Cooks with 9:51 left and missed a chance to take the lead on their next possession, when Aaron Estrada missed a layup. A free throw by Kvonn Cramer pulled the Dutchmen within 65-64 with 7:26 left before Richmond ended the game on a 17-4 run. Darlinstone Dubar and Zach Cooks each scored 18 points as they got into double figures for the fifth straight time. Dubar added six rebounds while Cramer posted season highs with 15 points and eight rebounds. Cramer dodged an injury scare when he appeared to jam his neck against Richmond’s Grant Golden late in the first half. Jalen Ray scored just three points and endured an injury scare of his own in the second, when he fell on his left side and remained on the ground for a few minutes. 

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Richmond, 11/22)

3: Darlinstone Dubar

2: Kvonn Cramer

1: Zach Cooks

SEASON STANDINGS

Darlinstone Dubar 9

Zach Cooks 7

Jalen Ray 6

Aaron Estrada 5

Kvonn Cramer 2

Abayomi Iyiola 1

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER FIVE GAMES

With their third straight loss, the Dutchmen fell to 1-4, which is tied for the 76th-best start in franchise history…or, if you’re a negative Nellie, tied for the third-worst start in program history! Eight other teams began 1-4, most recently the 2007-08 squad. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through five games.

NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 2-3

1976-77: 4-1

1999-2000: 3-2

2000-01: 4-1

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 3-2

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 2-3

2004-05: 5-0 (most recent 5-0 start)

2005-06: 4-1

2006-07: 2-3

2015-16: 3-2

2018-19: 3-2

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 3-2

1961-62: 4-1

1962-63: 3-2 (over .500 for good)

1963-64: 4-1

Other notable five-game starts:

2020-21: 3-2 (most recent 3-2 start)

2016-17: 2-3 (most recent 2-3 start)

2013-14: 2-3 (Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2012-13: 3-2 (last time over .500 that season because…well, you know)

2010-11: 2-3 (last time under .500)

2008-09: 4-1 (most recent 4-1 start)

1994-95: 1-4 (Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 1-4 (VBK’s last team)

1982-83: 5-0

1978-79: 3-2 (last time over .500)

1974-75: 2-3 (last time under .500)

1973-74: 0-5 (most recent 0-5 start)

1972-73: 2-3 (under .500 for good)

1969-70: 0-5 (first 0-5 start)

1960-61: 5-0

1969-60: 5-0

1955-56: 5-0

1954-55: 5-0

1952-53: 5-0

1951-52: 5-0

1948-49: 5-0

1947-48: 5-0

1950-51: 3-2 (over .500 for good)

1944-45: 2-3 (under .500 for good)

1937-38: 3-2 (over .500 for good)

Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1948-49, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1957-58.

This feature is inspired by Mets superfan and blogger Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.

FIVE FOR SPEEDY

This comes with quite the asterisk — you’ve seen the schedule the Dutchmen have played, right? — but Speedy Claxton is the first head coach in program history to start 1-4 in his first five games. Six coaches have started 2-3: Jack Smith (1943-44), Roger Gaeckler (1972-73), Joe Harrington (1979-80), Dick Berg (1980-81), Mo Cassara (2010-11) and Joe Mihalich (2013-14).

DOUBLE DIGITS NOT ENOUGH

The Dutchmen, who led by 14 points in the first half Monday squandered a double-digit lead in a loss for the second time this season. The Dutchmen led Houston by 13 points in the second half of the 83-75 overtime loss in the season opener. The 14-point lead and 13-point final margin of defeat represents the biggest swing in a loss for the Dutchmen since at least the 2009-10 season, which is as far back as my comebacks/blown leads document goes. The previous biggest swings were 23-point changes against Northeastern on Jan. 25, 2014 (up 10 in a 70-57 loss) and against Old Dominion on Jan. 15, 2011 (up 12 in a 75-64 loss).

NO HARM, NO FOULS

The Dutchmen were whistled for just four fouls Monday, which is almost surely the program’s lowest single-game total in the CAA era (2001-present). I can’t seem to find my game-by-game figures from the 2002-03 season (anyone want to come here and help me clean?) but I’m pretty confident declaring it’s the fewest in at least the last 20-plus years considering there were just two games from 2003-04 through last Friday in which the Dutchmen committed fewer than eight fouls — seven apiece against Elon on Feb. 7, 2019 and Northeastern in the CAA championship game on Mar. 10, 2020.

I’m doubly comfortable about that given that just 14 teams have been whistled for four or fewer fouls since 2010-11, the start of the Play Index Era at College Basketball Reference. The Dutchmen were just the eighth Division I team to be called for four or fewer fouls against a fellow D-I foe and the second this season, joining Cinderella’s darlings, UMBC, which committed four fouls against Longwood on Saturday.

In addition, Richmond committed just nine fouls Monday, meaning the two teams combined for just (I was told there’d be no math) 13 fouls. That’s almost certainly the most whistle-free game in the CAA era. At the least, it marked just the third time in the Play Index Era that a Dutchmen opponent committed fewer than 10 fouls. Charleston committed nine fouls in a 76-72 win over the Dutchmen on Feb. 16, 2017, as did Drexel in the Dutchmen’s 61-43 win in the CAA quarterfinals on Mar. 8, 2020. The Dutchmen committed 13 fouls against Charleston and eight against Drexel.

FIVE WITH AT LEAST TEN

Darlinstone Dubar and Zach Cooks continued their fast starts in their first (and in Cooks’ case, surely only) season with the Dutchmen Monday, when both players scored 18 points. Dubar and Cooks have scored in double figures in each of their first five games with the Dutchmen, making them just the sixth and seventh players  to author such a streak in the last 30 years and the second teammate tandem to do so. (Fellow transfer Aaron Estrada scored in double figures in his first four games before being limited to four points Monday)

The previous player to open his Hofstra career with at least five straight double-digit scoring efforts was Eli Pemberton, who became the second freshman in the last 30 years to achieve the feat in 2016-17. The previous teammate tandem to begin their Dutchmen careers with at least five straight double-digit scoring efforts was the 1-2 punch of Juan’ya Green (43 games from the start of the 2014-15 season through Dec. 9, 2015) and Ameen Tanksley (19 games in 2014-15).

The only other players to open their careers with at least five straight double-digit scoring efforts over the last 30 years Seth Meyers (eight games in 1995-96) and freshman Antoine Agudio (seven games in 2004-05). Speedy Claxton’s career-opening double-digit scoring streak lasted three games in 1996-97, while the late great Demetrius Dudley’s streak spanned four games in 1991-92.

ROUGH NIGHT FOR RAY

Graduate student Jalen Ray, who missed time in the second half Monday night after landing hard on his left side, was limited to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting. It marked just the 13th time he’s scored in single digits since becoming a full-time starter at the beginning of the 2019-20 season.

BLOWOUTS ARE BORING

While the never-two-games-under-.500 streak ended last Friday, at least one more quirky streak is intact for the Dutchmen, who played their 38th straight game decided by fewer than 20 points Monday night. That’s the longest active streak in the country and the longest since South Florida’s streak of 38 straight games decided by fewer than 20 points ended with a 98-52 loss to Houston on Feb. 28, 2021. That means we’re 28 points better than South Florida — whose streak, it should be noted, began immediately after an 81-61 win over Drexel on Dec. 15, 2019. Everything’s connected to the CAA!

(I decided to get this note in here because let’s face it, the streak will be decidedly imperiled if things go as planned this afternoon)

MAKE THE BIG BOYS SWEAT

Not gonna lie, it’d be more fun to have a win or two, but this is pretty neat nonetheless: The Dutchmen are the only mid-major program in the nation this season with two losses to Top 25 foes, both of which came either in overtime or by three points or fewer. The Dutchmen are likely to face a third top 25 opponent on Dec. 18, when they are slated to visit Arkansas, which entered this week ranked 13th in the AP poll and 12th in the coaches’ poll.

OVER THE AIR

Today’s game will be aired on FloHoops.com (subscription required). Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.

WELCOME HOME

The Dutchmen will play their first home game of the season this afternoon, which marks the end of the program’s longest season-opening road trip since the 2006-07 squad began the season with six straight games away from Hempstead (including three at the Great Alaska Shootout, which is about as far away from Hempstead as possible). It will also be the first home game in front of fans in 633 days — since Feb. 29, 2020, when the Dutchmen locked up the regular season CAA title and the top seed in the conference tournament by beating James Madison 97-81. 

MOLLOY COLLEGE AND HOFSTRA VS. NON-DIVISION I FOES

Molloy College is a Division II school located in Rockville Centre, a mere three or so miles down Hempstead Turnpike so from Hofstra. The Lions play in the East Coast Conference, which, again, I’ve been telling you all is a real thing for like 25 years now.

Molloy is 0-3 after an 80-59 loss to New Haven Nov. 17. William Muller leads the Lions with 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Darren Fergus (13.3 points per game) and Kendell Ogilive (10.7 points per game) are also averaging in double figures.

Molloy was picked to finish fourth in the 10-team ECC.

The Dutchmen are 2-0 all-time against Molloy and recorded a 107-72 win in the most recent meeting between the schools on Nov. 30, 2017.

The Flying Dutchmen have won their last 20 games against non-Division I foes dating back to a 70-54 loss to Florida Southern during the 1988-89 seasons. This marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons the Dutchmen have faced a non-Division I foe. There were no non-Division I games last season due to the pandemic. The Dutchmen last played a non-DI foe on Nov, 15, 2019, when they beat New York Tech, 111-69.

There is no line on this game, because even degenerate gamblers do not bet on Division I vs. non-Division I games. The Dutchmen are 3-2 against the spread this season.

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

Not my daughter’s school bias! (That’s Molly)

Tyler Botte bias! (Tyler, the son of our friend and longtime New York sportswriter Peter Botte, starred in men’s soccer at Hofstra and is now the head men’s soccer coach at Molloy)

Not the home improvement company bias! (This might be a very uniquely Farmingdale thing to yell)

Let's not make this so difficult bias! (Duh)

I'll Be Quirky: Richmond

Can the Dutchmen burst Richmond's bubble for the second time in 11 months?

If you thought the Houston game was an agonizing near-miss, boy, do we have something for you! The undermanned Flying Dutchmen — employing a seven-man rotation with no one taller than 6-foot-7 — nearly pulled off one of the most impressive wins in program history Friday night before no. 20 Maryland scored the game’s final six points to escape with a 69-67 win. That’s two almost wins over top 20 programs in 10 days, rats. The Dutchmen will complete the arduous road trip tonight, when they’re slated to visit Richmond. Here’s a look back at the loss to Maryland and a look ahead to the creepy crawly Spiders.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

The Dutchmen, playing without center Abraham Iyiola, managed to hang tight in a remarkably closely contested game and went ahead 67-63 with 1:26 left on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jalen Ray. Even after Maryland’s Julian Reese and Eric Ayala sandwiched jumpers around an errant 3-pointer by Ray, the Dutchmen had the ball with the shot clock off, but Ayala blocked Omar Silverio’s ill-advised 3-pointer with four seconds left and Silverio promptly fouled Ian Martinez on the “rebound.” Martinez hit both free throws and then burned a foul on Zack Cooks before Fatts Russell stole Aaron Estrada’s in-bounds pass at halfcourt. Ray finished with a game-high 18 points and was 5-of-12 from 3-point land for the Dutchmen, who never trailed by more than seven and never led by more than four. Estrada (12 points, nine rebounds) and Darlinstone Dubar (10 points, seven rebounds) each flirted with double-doubles while Cooks had 13 points. Dubar, the tallest player for the Dutchmen at 6-foot-7, split time at center with Kvonn Cramer, who had six points and four rebounds.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Maryland, 11/19)

3: Jalen Ray

2: Darlinstone Dubar

1: Aaron Estrada

SEASON STANDINGS

Jalen Ray 6

Darlinstone Dubar 6

Zach Cooks 6

Aaron Estrada 5

Abayomi Iyiola 1

Now that’s close!

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER FOUR GAMES

With the loss to Maryland, the Dutchmen fell to 1-3, which is especially noteworthy beyond the fact it is tied for the 65th-best start in program history…or, if you’re a negative Nellie, tied for the fourth-worst start in program history! Eighteen other teams began 1-3, most recently the 2013-14 squad in Joe Mihalich’s first year. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through four games.

NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 2-2

1976-77: 3-1

1999-2000: 2-2

2000-01: 4-0

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 2-2

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 1-3

2004-05: 4-0 (most recent 4-0 start)

2005-06: 2-1

2006-07: 1-3

2015-16: 3-1

2018-19: 2-2

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 2-2

1961-62: 3-1

1962-63: 2-2

1963-64: 3-1

Other notable four-game starts:

2020-21: 2-2 (most recent 2-2 start)

2017-18: 3-1 (most recent 3-1 start)

2010-11: 1-3 (Mo Cassara’s first team)

1994-95: 1-3 (Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 0-4 (VBK’s last team, most recent 0-4 start)

1982-83: 4-0

1973-74: 0-4

1969-70: 0-4

1960-61: 4-0

1959-60: 4-0

1955-56: 4-0

1954-55: 4-0

1952-53: 4-0

1951-52: 4-0

1948-49: 4-0

1947-48: 4-0

This feature is inspired by Mets superfan and blogger Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.

FOUR FOR SPEEDY

With the loss Friday, Speedy Claxton became the third Hofstra coach — all this century — to open 1-3. As noted above, Mo Cassara and Joe Mihalich each did so in 2010-11 and 2013-14, respectively. Frank Reilly (1947-48) and Butch van Breda Kolff (first stint in 1955-56) each began 4-0 while Jack McDonald began his second stint at 3-1 in 1946-47. Tom Pecora (2001-02) was the lone coach to open 3-1 while eight others have opened 2-2: McDonald (1936-37), Jack Smith (1943-44), Paul Lynner (1962-63), Roger Gaeckler (1972-73), Joe Harrington (1979-80) Dick Berg (1980-81), van Breda Kolff in his second stint (1988-89) and Mike Farrelly (2020-21).

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

The narrow loss Friday dropped the Dutchmen to 1-3 and ended one of the most remarkable streaks in Hofstra history. The Dutchmen are two games under .500 for the first time since finishing the 2016-17 season at 15-17 — a span of 126 games and 1,470 days dating back to a 77-74 win over Army in the 2017-18 opener on Nov. 10, 2017.

It’s believed to be the longest span in which Hofstra did not fall two games under .500 since a seven-season plus span from the start of the 1957-58 campaign through the third game of the 1964-65 season — a stretch of 189 games encompassing the final five seasons of Butch van Breda Kolff’s first tenure and the first two-plus seasons of Paul Lynner’s reign. I write believed to be because official records have Hofstra at 15-8 in 1957-58, when they had four victories vacated due to eligibility issues. Apparently the NCAA was so mad at CCNY, they put Hofstra on probation. Anyway, I haven’t been able to figure out if any of those wins were turned into losses that dropped the Dutchmen to two under at any point. Regardless, even if that streak were to start at some point during the 1957-58 season or with the start of the 1958-59 season, it is the most recent longest stretch in which the Flying Dutchmen never fell two games under .500.

As the buzzer sounded Friday night, just 51 Division I programs had gone as long or longer without falling two games under .500 than Hofstra, including 44 programs whose streak predates the 2016-17 finale and seven others who were last two games under .500 as of the end of their ’16-17 season. Virginia, tipping off at 7 PM, stayed on the list with a 68-52 win over Coppin State while Western Kentucky, tipping off at 8 PM, joined Hofstra in falling off by losing to Memphis, 74-62.

tl;dr these are the good ol’ days, enjoy them.

UNDERSIZED BUT NOT OVERMATCHED

With 6-foot-10 Abraham Iyiola unavailable Friday night and 6-foot-8 Jarrod Simmons still recovering from the knee injury he suffered in the season opener against Houston, the Dutchmen played the entire game against Maryland with no one taller than 6-foot-7 — Darlinstone Dubar — on the court. It is believed to be the first time the Dutchmen have played an entire game without someone taller than 6-foot-7 since Nov. 24, 2012, when a pair of 6-foot-7 players — Moussa Kone and one of the He Who Shall Not Be Nameds — were the tallest players in the lineup for Hofstra in an 80-56 loss to George Washington. (This was the last game before the bottom fell out and resulted in four players no longer being referred to by their names here)

I write believed to be because per both the Hofstra site and KenPom.com, Kone was measured at 6-foot-8 during his junior and senior years at Hofstra. Now that’s a growth spurt! Regardless, playing an entire game without anyone taller than 6-foot-7 is some kind of unusual feat…one we might see again tonight.

CLOSELY CONTESTED

The Dutchmen and Maryland were never separated by more than seven points Friday night. It marked the first time the Dutchmen played an entire game in which neither team led by more than seven points since Dec. 5, 2018, when the Dutchmen edged then-winless Monmouth, 75-73, for the third win in the 16-game winning streak. The Dutchmen’s biggest lead in that game was six points while Monmouth’s biggest lead was two points.

RAY MOVIN’ ON UP (part one)

Graduate student Jalen Ray continued climbing a pair of all-time Hofstra lists Friday night. With 18 points, Ray moved past Ken Rood into 15th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,372 points. His climb could slow tonight, when he needs 51 points — three more than the single-game school record — to surpass Rick Apodaca for 14th place. 

14.) Rick Apodaca 1,422

15.) JALEN RAY 1,372

16.) Ken Rood 1,354

17.) Barry White 1,344

18.) Dave Bell 1,330

We suppose we can give Ray a break tonight if he doesn’t catch or at least tie Apodaca tonight. Ray has gained at least a half-spot on the all-time scoring list in every game but one since joining the 1,000-point club against Richmond on Dec. 22, 2020.

Dec. 22, 2020: Tied for 38th place

Jan. 2: 38th place

Jan. 3: 37th place

Jan. 7: 36th place

Jan. 9: 35th place

Jan. 15: 34th place

Jan. 17: 33rd place

Jan. 23: 29th place

Jan. 24: Tied for 28th place

Jan. 30: 28th place

Jan. 31: 25th place

Feb. 6: 23rd place

Feb. 7: 22nd place

Feb. 13: 21st place

Feb. 14: 21st place

Mar. 7: 18th place

Mar. 8: 17th place

Nov. 16: 16th place

Nov. 19: 15th place

RAY MOVIN’ ON UP (part two)

And by taking the court for his 125th career game Friday, Ray moved into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list, one game ahead of Roberto Gittens, Loren Stokes and Greg Johnson. Ray is four games away from tying Charles Jenkins and Nathaniel Lester for third place and 16 games behind the all-time leader, Desure Buie.

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will be carried on SNY, which is channel 70 on Optimum or Cablevision or whatever it’s called nowadays. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.

RICHMOND AND THE ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE

Richmond, under 17th-year head coach Chris Mooney, is 2-2 this season after alternating wins and losses against North Carolina Central, Utah State, Georgia State and Drake, the latter of whom edged the Spiders, 73-70, on Saturday.

Richmond was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 behind unanimous no. 1 pick St. Bonaventure. Graduate student guard Jacob Gilyard and graduate student forward Grant Golden were named to the preseason all-A10 team while junior Tyler Burton was selected to the preseason all-A10 second team.

Golden leads the Spiders with 19.3 points per game and ranks second with 60 rebounds per game. Burton is second in scoring at 15.7 points per game and is pulling down at team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. Gilyard is averaging 10.7 points per game.

The Dutchmen and Richmond have two common opponents. The Spiders are slated to play Maryland in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship on Thursday (not a bad way to spend Thanksgiving) and are scheduled to visit Duquesne in an A-10 game on Feb. 1. Hofstra beat Duquesne, 73-63, on Nov. 13.

The Dutchmen are 1-3 all-time against Richmond, but the lone win came in the most recent meeting between the schools last Dec. 22, when Jalen Ray scored 23 points in his homecoming as Hofstra overcame a nine-point second-half deficit to beat the no. 23 Spiders, 76-71. It was just the second win over a ranked opponent for the Dutchmen in the DD era (1993-pres).

This marks the ninth straight season in which Hofstra has faced at least one A-10 school. Hofstra is 38-106 all-time against current Atlantic 10 schools, a membership that includes former Dutchmen conference foes George Mason (CAA), La Salle (ECC) and VCU (CAA). With the win over Duquesne on Nov. 13, the Dutchmen have won their last two games against A-10 foes. Hofstra hasn’t beaten two A-10 teams in the same season since the 2015-16 campaign, when the Dutchmen beat St. Bonaventure 89-83 and La Salle 84-80 in back-to-back games on Nov. 28 and Dec. 2.

At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 144th while Richmond is ranked 68th. KenPom.com predicts a 78-69 loss for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 10.5-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 3-1 against the spread this season.

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

T.J. Cline wouldn’t come to Hofstra bias! (Cline played his freshman season at Niagara under Joe Mihalich in 2012-13 but transferred to Richmond instead of accompanying Juan’ya Green and Ameen Tanksley to Hofstra)

Nancy Lieberman bias! (T.J.’s her son)

First 15 over 2 bias! (No matter how tonight turns out, we’ll still love Richmond for knocking off Jim Boeheim and Syracuse in 1991)

The Mayor bias! (Richmond alum Sean Casey hit .302 over 12 big league seasons, back when hitting .302 was valued by teams)

I'll Be Quirky: Maryland

Wouldn't bet against this guy mounting a historic comeback for someone, even at almost 60 years old.

A slow start was too much to overcome Tuesday night for the Flying Dutchmen, who spotted Iona a 12-point first half lead and tied the game three times in the second half before falling to the Gaels, 82-74. If that scores sounds familiar, it should! The Dutchmen will get their second chance to try and pull off an upset against a top 25 foe tonight, when they are scheduled to visit Maryland, who just lost to oh come on are you kidding me really George Mason? Here’s a look back at the loss to Iona and a look ahead to the Terrapins. 

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Jalen Ray (20 points) seamlessly returned from injury, but Zach Cooks (11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 1-of-7 from 3-point land) was contained by Rick Pitino & Co. as the Dutchmen couldn’t get over the hump. Iona raced out to a leads of 14-2, 16-4 and 19-7 as the Dutchmen opened up by shooting 4-of-13 with three turnovers. The Dutchmen pulled within three points three times in the first half and trailed 39-32 at intermission before falling behind by 11 with 16 minutes left. Ray then scored 11 points in a 17-6 run that ended with Darlinstone Dubar hitting a jumper to tie the game 55-55 with 10:45 left. The Dutchmen were down 65-64 and had a chance to go ahead with 5:08 left, but Caleb Burgess missed two free throws and Iona ended the game on a 17-10 run. Ray (6-10 from 3-point land) hit six 3-pointers for the third time in his career while Dubar finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Aaron Estrada had 11 points while Iyiola had six points and 10 rebounds.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Iona, 11/16)

3: Jalen Ray

2: Darlinstone Dubar

1: Abayomi Iyiola

SEASON STANDINGS

Zach Cooks 6

Darlinstone Dubar 4

Aaron Estrada 4

Jalen Ray 3

Abayomi Iyiola 1

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER THREE GAMES

As you have probably gathered by now, the Dutchmen are 1-3, which is tied for the 45th-best start in program history. Thirty-three other teams began 1-2, most recently last year’s squad. The Dutchmen last began 1-2 in back-to-back-to-back seasons from 1997-98 through 1999-2000. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through three games.

NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 2-1

1976-77: 2-1

1999-2000: 1-2

2000-01: 3-0

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 1-2

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 1-2

2005-06: 2-1

2006-07: 0-3

2015-16: 3-0

2018-19: 2-1

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 1-2

1961-62: 2-1

1962-63: 1-2

1963-64: 3-0

This feature is inspired by Mets superfan and blogger Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.

THIRD GAME NOT USUALLY THE CHARM

Speedy Claxton is the fourth straight Hofstra coach to open his first season 1-2 and the 11th all-time. Tom Pecora (2-1 in 2001-02, with the loss coming in his third game) was the most recent first-year head coach to open better than 1-2. The others: Dick Berg (2-1 in 1980-81, with the loss coming in his third game), Butch van Breda Kolff I (3-0 in 1955-56), Frank Reilly (3-0 in 1947-48) and Jack McDonald (2-1 in 1946-47).

No Hofstra head coach has ever lost his first three games. The only first-year Hofstra head coaches to earn their first win in the third game are Roger Gaeckler (1972-73), Jack Smith (1944-45) and McDonald in his first stint in 1936-37, when he directed the Dutchmen to the first win in program history with a 42-40 overtime win over Staten Island.

A FAMILIAR RESULT

Not only did the Dutchmen lose to Iona 82-74 for the second straight season, they fell by that score in the third game of the season for the second straight year. I have no idea if something like that’s ever happened before, but I tend to doubt it! (And if you watched the game and/or were interested for entertainment purposes only after getting a line where Hofstra was a 6 1/2-point underdog, you know the Dutchmen seemed to score on a putback just before the buzzer but it didn’t count for some weird reason)

FIT TO BE TIED IN A WIRE-TO-WIRE LOSS

The Dutchmen didn’t lead in a loss for the first time since Rutgers led the entire way in a 70-56 win on Nov. 29, 2020. But the Dutchmen managed to tie the game in the second half of a loss in which they never led for the first time since Feb. 22, 2015, when the Dutchmen tied William & Mary twice in the second half of an 80-78 loss at the Arena.

RAY MOVIN’ ON UP (part one)

Graduate student Jalen Ray continued climbing a pair of all-time Hofstra lists in his season debut Tuesday. With 20 points, Ray moved past Barry White into 16th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,354 points. He enters tonight needing 11 points so surpass Ken Rood for 15th place.

14.) Rick Apodaca 1,422

15.) Ken Rood 1,354

16.) JALEN RAY 1,354

17.) Barry White 1,344

18.) Dave Bell 1,330

RAY MOVIN’ ON UP (part two)

And by taking the court for his 124th career game Tuesday, Ray moved into a tie for fifth place on the all-time games played list with Roberto Gittens, Loren Stokes and Greg Johnson. Ray is four games away from tying Charles Jenkins and Nathaniel Lester for third pace and 17 games behind the all-time leader, Desure Buie.

ZACH STILL COOKING

Fellow graduate student Zach Cooks’ red-hot start slowed a bit Tuesday, when he scored 11 points. But his 66 points through three games are still the most by a Hofstra player in his first three games for the school since, and we are not kidding here, Speedy Claxton scored 63 points in his first three games in 1996-97. 

In addition to Claxton and Cooks, the only players to score at least 60 points in their first three games for Hofstra in the last 30 years are almost certainly Lawrence Thomas (64 points in 1995-96) and the late great Demetrius Dudley (95 points in 1991-92). I say almost certainly because I seem to have misplaced my 1992-93 stats, but I’m pretty sure no newcomers scored at least 60 points in their first three games that season.

ALL OR NOTHING

Loyal reader EvanJ checks in with a fascinating stat for Caleb Burgess, who had six assists, no points and no turnovers before fouling out Tuesday. Per Evan and the Play Index at College Basketball Reference, that’s the sixth time a player has had no points, at least six assists and no turnovers while fouling out since 2010-11, the start of the Play Index era.

DON’T FALL TWO UNDER .500!

The Dutchmen’s loss Tuesday imperils one of the neatest streaks we’ve discovered here at DD HQ. The Dutchmen haven’t been two games under .500 since ending the 2016-17 season at 15-17. Only 51 other Division I teams — including tonight’s opponent, Maryland — have gone as long or longer without falling two games under .500, including 44 programs whose streak predates the 2016-17 finale and seven others who were last two games under .500 as of the end of their ’16-17 season. The number shrunk by two last night, when Nevada and Oregon State fell to 1-3 with losses to San Francisco and Samford, respectively.

In addition to Hofstra, two other schools with 1-2 records are putting their streaks on the line tonight. Virginia is hosting Coppin State while Western Kentucky is visiting Memphis.

Among true mid-majors (defined by me as schools outside the Power 6, AAC, A-10, West Coast and Mountain West), Hofstra’s streak is exceeded by just 11 schools and matched by two more.

(Once again, dear Dutchmen: Please win tonight so this stat remains current, thank you in advance)

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will be carried on FS1, which is channel 69 on Optimum or Cablevision or whatever it’s called nowadays. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.

HOFSTRA VS. TOP 25 TEAMS

Maryland is ranked no. 20 in the AP poll and no. 21 in the coaches’ poll, though the Terrapins’ ranking may be endangered after Wednesday’s loss to George Mason (really, are you kidding us).

This will be the 22nd time Hofstra faces a top 25 team in the DD Era (1993-present). The Dutchmen are 2-19 in the previous 21 games after the 83-75 overtime loss to then-no. 15 Houston on Nov. 9.

This will also be the second straight season in which Hofstra faces two top 25 foes. The Dutchmen lost to Rutgers in last year’s opener.

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

MARYLAND AND THE ACC, ERR, BIG TEN

Maryland, under 11th-year head coach Mark Turgeon, is 3-1 this season with wins over Quinnipiac, George Washington and Vermont before Wednesday’s 71-66 loss to George Mason, which continues stealing our thunder even 15 years later.

Maryland was picked to finish fifth in the Big 10, which of course has 14 teams, in a poll conducted by The Athletic and The Columbus Dispatch, because the Big 14 does not actually conduct a preseason poll.

Senior Eric Ayala, who received four votes in the all-conference poll, leads Maryland with 15.8 points per game. Graduate student Fatts Russell (12.8 ppg), junior Qudus Wahub (12.3 ppg) and junior Donta Scott (10.5 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. Wahub and Scott are each averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. Simon Wright, an Elon transfer, has scored three points.

The Dutchmen and Maryland have one common opponent — their next one. Hofstra visits Richmond on Monday before the Spiders play Maryland on Thanksgiving.

Hofstra is 0-5 all-time against Maryland, which will always be an ACC school to me. The teams last faced each other on Nov. 16, 2018, when the Terrapins overcame an eight-point deficit early in the second half to record an 80-69 win. 

The Dutchmen are 4-11 all-time against current Big 10 foes, though none of those wins was recorded against a team actually in the Big 10 at the time. All three of the Dutchmen’s wins against Rutgers came before Rutgers, which will always be an A-10 school to me, joined the Big Ten in 2014. The Dutchmen beat Nebraska, which will always be a Big 8/Big 12 school to me, in the opening round of the NIT in 2006.

At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 153rd while Maryland is ranked 36th. KenPom.com predicts a 77-63 for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 12-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 2-1 against the spread this season.

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

Gary Williams bias! (The court at Maryland is named after the coach who directed the Terrapins to the 2002 national title)

Buck Williams bias! (The longtime Nets star played at Maryland)

Walt Williams bias! (Walt played for six NBA teams after starring at Maryland)

Frank Reich bias! (Need a non-Williams and who is better than the guy responsible for engineering both the greatest pro and college football comebacks of all-time?)

I'll Be Quirky: Iona

I'll be annoyed if tonight's the night Rick Pitino finally gets Tim Duncan.

Now we know why the Atlantic 10 doesn’t want to invite Hofstra. The Flying Dutchmen ran their winning streak over A-10 foes to two Saturday night, when Zach Cooks continued his red-hot start and the Dutchmen led almost wire-to-wire in a 73-63 win over Duquesne. The Dutchmen will look to maintain their winning ways much closer to home tonight, when they’re slated to visit Iona and some little-known second-year coach named Rick Pitino. Here’s a look back at the win over the Dukes and a look ahead to the Gaels.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Zach Cooks (29 points) moved into some rarefied Hofstra air as the Dutchmen led for the final 38:17. Cooks, who is the first Hofstra player to score at least 25 points in each of his first two games since Demetrius Dudley in 1991, scored 20 first-half points as the Dutchmen raced out to a 41-23 lead and then drained a jumper to end Duquesne’s 11-0 run to open the second half. The Dukes got as close as 47-44 with 12 minutes left, but Primo Spears missed a 3-pointer and Darlinstone Dubar answered with a 3-pointer for the Dutchmen, who led by multiple possessions the rest of the way. Cooks scored his final four points during a decisive 9-2 run by the Dutchmen that extended the lead to 71-62 and was fueled by three nifty assists from Caleb Burgess. Cooks also shared the team lead with seven rebounds. Dubar and Aaron Estrada each had 14 points and six rebounds. Estrada added four assists. Abayomi Iyiola had 12 points and seven rebounds while Burgess finished with seven assists.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Duquesne, 11/13)

3: Zach Cooks

2: Aaron Estrada

1: Darlinstone Dubar

SEASON STANDINGS

Zach Cooks 6

Aaron Estrada 4

Darlinstone Dubar 2

(Pretty sure the same top three opening the season as the 3 Stars of the Game in back-to-back games has never happened)

COACHSPEAK: “It is absolutely everything — everything, everything, everything. I mean, I have dreamt of this moment for years. And to finally have it be here, I mean, I’m living a dream, man. I am living a dream that I don’t ever want to wake up from.”—Speedy Claxton

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

Sigh, no, but at least it took a while to find the most recent 76-63 win, which the Dutchmen recorded over St. Francis (NY) on Feb. 6, 1971. That was one day shy of my parents’ second MONTH wedding anniversary! 

The Dutchmen have recorded 23 unicorn scores since we first started tracking them in 2018-19 — 10 in ’18-19 and then 13 in 2019-20. The term unicorn score was coined by Mets superfan, historian and blogger Greg Prince to describe a score by which the Mets had never previously won. 

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWO GAMES

As you have probably gathered by now, the Dutchmen are 1-1, which is tied for the 28th-best start in program history. Forty-two other teams began 1-1, most recently last year’s squad. This is the Dutchmen’s fourth straight 1-1 start, their longest streak of 1-1 starts since opening 1-1 in five straight seasons from 2007-08 through 2011-12. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through two games.

NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 1-1

1976-77: 2-0

1999-2000: 1-1

2000-01: 2-0

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 1-1

NIT TEAMS

2005-06: 1-1

2006-07: 0-2

2015-16: 2-0

2018-19: 1-1

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 1-1

1961-62: 1-1

1962-63: 1-1

1963-64: 2-0

This feature is inspired by Mets superfan and blogger Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.

WINS THE SECOND TIME AROUND

Five previous head coaches earned their first Hofstra win in the second game of their debut seasons:

Mike Farrelly 2020-21

Joe Mihalich 2013-14

Jay Wright 1994-95

Joe Harrington 1979-80

Jack Smith 1943-44

We mention this because…

FIRST WIN FOR SPEEDY

The win Saturday was the first for Speedy Claxton, who also becomes the first person in the history of the program to both score a point as a player and earn a win as a head coach. #Facts #Science Claxton is believed to be the 16th coach to record a win for the Flying Dutchmen, though Joseph Kershaw (1937-38) and Joe Dunleavy (1993-94) each have their win/loss totals included with those of Jack McDonald and Butch van Breda Kolff, respectively.

STILL NOT TWO UNDER .500

With the win Saturday, the Dutchmen avoided falling two games under .500 for the first time since ending the 2016-17 season at 15-17. Only 53 other Division I teams have gone as long or longer without falling two games under .500, including 45 programs whose streak predates the 2016-17 finale and eight others who were last two games under .500 as of the end of their ’16-17 season. Two programs are 1-2 heading into games later this week — Oregon State against Samford on Thursday and Western Kentucky against Memphis on Friday).

Among true mid-majors (defined by me as schools outside the Power 6, AAC, A-10, West Coast and Mountain West), Hofstra’s streak is exceeded by just 11 schools and matched by two more.

(Once again, dear Dutchmen: Please win tonight to ensure this stat remains current this week, thank you in advance)

AN AWARD-WINNING COOKS

Zach Cooks earned CAA Player of the Week honors after collecting 55 points in the games against Houston and Duquesne. Cooks is the 11th Hofstra player to earn at least a share of Player of the Week honors since the 2013-14 season, Joe Mihalich’s first at the helm. No other CAA school has more than nine award-winners in that span.

ZACH’S REALLY COOKING

With his 29 points Saturday night. Zach Cooks became just the fourth Hofstra player since the 1991-92 season to score at least 20 points in each of his first two games and only the second to score at least 25 points in each of his first two games. The late great Demetrius Dudley, who was also a transfer from a New Jersey school, scored 33 points against Navy on Nov. 23, 1991 and 32 points against Lehigh on Nov. 27, 1991. The only others to open their careers at Hofstra with consecutive 20-point efforts over the last 30 years are Lawrence Thomas (20 points against Villanova on Dec. 28, 1995 and 32 points against Army on Jan. 3, 1996) and Eli Pemberton (20 points against Coppin State on Nov. 11, 2016 and 23 points against Sacred Heart on Nov. 15, 2016).

Looking ahead to tonight, Cooks is aiming to join Dudley as the only player in the last 30 years to open his Hofstra career with three straight 20-point efforts. Dudley actually made it three straight 30-point performances by collecting 30 points against Manhattan on Nov. 30, 1991. Thomas had 12 points against Drexel on Jan. 6, 1996 and Pemberton scored 15 points against Manhattan on Nov. 18, 2016.

TEN WITH SEVEN

Caleb Burgess’ late surge allowed him to finish with seven assists for the 10th time in his career. Only two other Hofstra players have collected at least seven assists 10 times or more since the 2010-11 season, the first of the Play Index era at College Basketball Reference. Juan’ya Green had 36 10-assists games from 2014-16 while Desure Buie had 22 10-assist games from 2015-20.

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will be carried on ESPN3, which you have if you have the Disney Bundle, which you have if you have a child under the age of 18. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.

IONA AND THE MAAC

Iona, under this random second-year head coach Rick Pitino, is 2-0 this season with a 65-53 win over Appalachian State Nov. 9 and a 90-87 overtime win over Harvard on Saturday.

Iona, which has earned the MAAC’s last five NCAA Tournament bids (the Gaels were knocked out in the MAAC quarterfinals on Mar. 11, 2020, which, well, you know what happened after that) and gave second-seeded Alabama all it could handle in a first-round game in March, was the unanimous pick to win the MAAC this season. Sophomore Nelly Junior Joseph, the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year, was selected to the All-MAAC first team.

Joseph leads Iona with 20.0 points per game this season and ranks second with 5.5 rebounds per game. Graduate student Tyson Jolly is averaging 17.5 points per game while fellow graduate student Dylan van Eyck ranks third in scoring at 16.5 points per game while pulling down a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.

The Dutchmen and Gaels have one common opponent. Iona is slated to play the CAA’s Delaware at UBS Arena on Dec. 21.

Tonight marks the second game of a three-game home-and-home series that began last year, when Iona earned an 82-74 win at Hofstra Arena on Dec. 5. That gave Iona a 21-20 lead in the all-time series between the schools, though perhaps it’s actually tied because Willie bested Killian the Gael in a game of rock/paper/scissors to determine last year’s host. Iona is Hofstra’s third-most frequent non-conference opponent behind only Wagner (53 games) and Manhattan (46 games).

Hofstra is 103-119 all-time against current MAAC schools. Iona is the only MAAC foe on the Dutchmen’s schedule this season, which marks just the second time in the last 16 seasons the Dutchmen haven’t played at least two MAAC schools (the 2014-15 schedule had no MAAC teams).

At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 149th while Iona is ranked 159th. That’s pretty close! KenPom.com predicts a 72-69 loss for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 4-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 2-0 against the spread this season after once again shutting up the doubters Saturday night. 

I helped preview tonight’s game in podcast form with my good friend, Iona superfan Guy Falotico. Check it out here! 

A FAMILIAR FACE

By directing Iona to a win over Hofstra last season, Rick Pitino became just the fourth coach to oppose the Flying Dutchmen with three different schools. Pitino first faced the then-actual Flying Dutchmen way back on Dec. 29, 1986, when Providence cruised to a 97-61 win in Rhode Island. Future national champion head coach Billy Donovan was one of five Providence players to score in double figures. Almost exactly three months later, the Friars were in the Final Four. Gerald King scored 24 points for the Dutchmen.

And Pitino’s second game following his second national championship LUKE HANCOCK BIAS was against Hofstra on Nov. 12, 2013, when Louisville beat the Dutchmen, 97-69, in Joe Mihalich’s third game at the helm. Dion Nesmith led the Dutchmen with 24 points while Zeke Upshaw had 17 points.

The only other coaches to oppose Hofstra with three different schools are Jim Lynam (Fairfield, American and Saint Joseph’s between the 1969-70 and 1980-81 seasons), Nick Macarchuk (Canisius, Fordham and Stony Brook between the 1977-78 and 1999-2000 seasons) and Jim Baron (St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and Canisius between the 1992-93 and 2015-16 seasons).

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

Tim Duncan butterfly effect bias! (Who knows how Pitino’s career as an NBA head coach/general manager turns out if the Celtics win the 1997 lottery instead of the Spurs)

Mariano Rivera bias! (The all-time saves king lives in New Rochelle and his son pitched for Iona)

You always have too many transfers bias! (Hey, now that we’re doing it too, all is good!)

The Mets are never going to make Casey Stanley happy bias! (Our good friend’s lone non-basketball interest is the Mets)