I'll Be Quirky: Northeastern

Molly: Daddy won't let me go to school today.

Maybe the fourth time will be the charm? The Flying Dutchmen advanced to the CAA championship game for the second straight season, the third time in five years and the fourth time overall last night, when they withstood a furious second half surge by Delaware to earn a 75-61 victory. And maybe the second time against Northeastern will be the charm tonight, when the Dutchmen face the defending champion Huskies in a rematch of last year’s title tilt. You remember how that one went. Let’s hope for a different result tonight, shall we? Been up writing all day and night so this’ll be a quick look back at the win over the Blue Hens and a look ahead to Barone Bowl For The Marbles 2: Electric Boogaloo.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Eli Pemberton (a game-high 24 points) had another big game for the Dutchmen, who led by 12 points at the half and by as many as 22 in the second half before withstanding a frantic last-minute dash by Delaware and its swarming defense. Pemberton scored 14 points in the first half on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point land in the first half, when the Dutchmen shot a sizzling 9-of-15 from beyond the arc. Tareq Coburn (13 points, 12 rebounds) posted a double-double despite battling early foul trouble for the second straight game. Jalen Ray drained all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with 19 points. Desure Buie had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds while Isaac Kante had seven points and 11 rebounds. The Dutchmen played suffocating outside defense for a second straight game as they limited the Blue Hens to a 5-of-23 performance from 3-point land.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Delaware 3/9)

3: Eli Pemberton

2: Tareq Coburn

1: Jalen Ray

SEASON STANDINGS

Desure Buie 60

Eli Pemberton 49

Isaac Kante 35

Tareq Coburn 31

Jalen Ray 18

Stafford Trueheart 3

Omar Silverio 2

COACHSPEAK: “I say it all the time: This league is such a great basketball league. And tonight was exactly what I’m talking about. Just two teams battling it out. Nobody quitting. Tough, tough win. Hard-earned win. And we beat a very good team, so we’re proud of it. We’re ecstatic to be one of the two teams left. But man, and we’re proud that we earned it. Nobody gave us a path to the finals, that’s for sure.”

THIS IS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRIENDS’ FIRST SEASON, WHAT WOULD THIS GAME BE TITLED IF IT WAS AN EPISODE OF FRIENDS?

The One Where We Got Back To The Title Game

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

No! The Dutchmen most recently earned a 75-61 win on Feb. 23, 1995, when they beat Fordham by that very score. That has to be a good sign, right? The Dutchmen have 13 unicorn score victories this season, three more than last year. Is that good luck? 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 THIRTY-THREE GAMES

With the win over Delaware, the Dutchmen improved to 25-8. This ties the 2019-20 team for the third-best record through 33 games among the eight teams that played at least 33 games. The 2015-16 team was also 25-8 through 33 games. All the seasons that have lasted at least 33 games have been played since 2005-06. We’re at the point where it’s just easier to show you the teams that did play at least 32 games so here you go!

2018-19: 27-6 (beat Delaware in CAA semifinals)

2015-16: 24-9 (lost to UNC Wilmington in CAA championship game)

2014-15: 20-13 (lost to Willam & Mary in CAA semifinals)

2013-14: 10-23 (season ended with loss to Delaware in CAA quarterfinals)

2010-11: 21-12 (season ended with loss to Evansville in the CBI, bleeech)

2009-10: 19-14 (lost to Northeastern in CAA semifinals)

2005-06: 26-7 (season ended with loss to Old Dominion in NIT quarterfinals)

THE DEFENSE ISN’T RESTING

The Dutchmen played a second straight strong game on defense last night, when Delaware shot 42 percent from the field but just 21.7 percent from 3-point land while scoring 61 points, its fewest since Jan. 3. The Dutchmen have allowed 75 points or fewer 15 times in their last 17 games. They are 22-3 when allowing 75 points or fewer this season and a whopping 105-25 when allowing 75 points or fewer under Joe Mihalich.

SO WHO HAS A DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING STREAK NOW?

Justin Wright-Foreman, as you may or may not recall, ended his Hofstra career by scoring in double figures in each of his last 88 games. With Desure Buie’s streak ending last Saturday, the longest such streak now belongs to Eli Pemberton, who has 13 straight double-digit efforts.

WILL THE THIRD TIME ALSO BE THE CHARM?

The Dutchmen, who swept Northeastern in the regular season but won the two games by a combined total of just six points, are 12-3 all-time when facing in a conference tournament an opponent they swept in the regular season. Here is the list of Hofstra’s re-rematches in conference tournament play against an opponent it swept in the regular season.

2020: Beat Drexel

2019: Beat Delaware

2017: Lost to Delaware

2016: Beat Drexel

2016: Beat William & Mary

2014: Beat UNC Wilmington

2011: Beat William & Mary

2009: Beat UNC Wilmington

2001: Beat Vermont (America East)

2001: Beat Maine (America East)

2000: Beat Boston U. (America East)

2000: Beat Drexel (America East)

1992: Beat UMBC (East Coast Conference)

In addition, the team that swept the regular season series is 54-21 in a CAA Tournament re-rematch since 2002, though those teams are just 2-2 this season. Elon beat James Madison and the Dutchmen beat Drexel while Charleston lost to Delaware and William & Mary fell to Elon.

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will be aired live on CBS Sports Network. That’s channel 214 if you have Cablevision or Optimum or Altice or whatever the hell our local overlords are called now. Hofstra will also provide audio here while the CAA will provide live stats here.

HOW MANY STRAIGHT TIMES HAS THE NUMBER ONE SEED MADE THE FINALS?

Hofstra’s win last night ensured the no. 1 seed would reach the CAA championship game for the ninth straight season. The top seed is 3-5 in the previous eight title games. GULP.

The nine straight appearances by the no. 1 seed is the longest streak in league history.Overall, the no. 1 seed has reached the title game 32 times in 38 seasons. The no. 1 seed is 20-11 in the championship game.

THE DUTCHMEN PULL THE EDGARDO ALFONZO

The Dutchmen have now reached a conference championship game all six times they have entered as the no. 1 seed. The Dutchmen fell to UMBC in the ECC title game in 1992, beat Delaware in the America East title game in 2000 and 2001 lost to UNC Wilmington in the 2016 CAA title game and fell to Northeastern last year.

(Google Edgardo Alfonzo 6-for-6, kids)

THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN

The Dutchmen will be playing in their 11th conference championship game as a Division I school. They are 5-5 thus far, with wins in the 1976, 1977 and 1994 ECC title games as well as wins in the 2000 and 2001 America East title games.

HUNTING THE HUSKIES

The Dutchmen will face Northeastern in a conference tournament for the fourth time and will be seeking their first win. In addition to last year’s 82-74 win in the CAA title game, the Huskies earned a 71-61 victory in a North Atlantic Conference outbracket game in 1996 (it was the last Hofstra basketball game I covered as a collegian) and outlasted the Dutchmen, 74-71, in double overtime in a CAA quarterfinal in 2010. Damn are we ever due.

A TITLE GAME REMATCH

Tonight marks just the third time the same two teams have played for the CAA title in consecutive seasons. The team that lost the first game is 2-0 in the rematch *fingers crossed* with Navy beating Richmond in 1985 and Old Dominion vanquishing James Madison in 1995.

A SECOND CHANCE

The Dutchmen are the 12th team to make it back to the CAA title game after losing in the championship the previous year. The team that lost in year one is 9-2 the second (or third) time around. James Madison lost in the title game in 1992 and 1993 before winning it all in 1994.

SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN

The Huskies, under 14th-year head coach Bill Coen, advanced to the CAA championship game for the third straight season with a wire-to-wire 68-60 win over Elon in the second semifinal Monday night. Northeastern is 17-15 and earned the sixth seed by going 9-9 in the regular season, when it lost eight league games by five points or fewer. The Huskies are the lowest seed to reach the championship game since sixth-seeded William & Mary did so in 2008.

The Dutchmen and Huskies had one common foe in non-league play. Hofstra beat Holy Cross, 91-69, on Dec. 1 while Northeastern handed the Crusaders a 101-44 drubbing on Nov. 19.

In CAA play, both teams swept James Madison and Drexel and split with Towson. Hofstra swept Elon and UNC Wilmington, both of whom split with Northeastern. The Dutchmen split with William & Mary, Delaware and Charleston, all of whom swept the Huskies.

The Dutchmen, who were picked first in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 109th at KenPom.com. The Huskies, who were picked third, are ranked 140th at KenPom.com.

According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in league-only offensive efficiency (114.5) and third in defensive efficiency (103.5). The Huskies are tied for sixth in the CAA in league-only offensive efficiency (106.2) and first in defensive efficiency (99.1).

Senior guard Jordan Roland leads the Huskies — and the CAA — with 22.2 points per game. Another senior guard, Bolden Brace, is pulling down a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game while adding 10.5 points per game. Freshman Tyson Walker leads Northeastern with 3.4 assists per game and ranks second with 10.6 points per game. Junior forward Tomas Murphy has missed the last 28 games with an injury.

KenPom.com predicts a 72-70 win for the Dutchmen. That doesn’t sound stressful at all. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 1-point favorites as of this morning. The Dutchmen are 22-9-1 against the spread this season.

ALL-TIME VS. NORTHEASTERN

Hofstra is 25-23 against Northeastern in a series that began during the 1949-50 season. All but three of the meetings have come in conference play since the 1994-95 season, when Hofstra joined the North Atlantic Conference. The Dutchmen earned their first regular season sweep since 2016-17 in eventful fashion this season, when Eli Pemberton hit a layup just before the buzzer to lift Hofstra to a 74-72 win in Boston on Jan. 9 before Hofstra came back from a 16-point first half deficit to earn a 75-71 victory on Feb. 8. Of course, the Huskies have won the most important game between the two teams over the five years — the CAA title game last Mar. 12, when Northeastern pulled away in the second half for an 82-74 victory.

THE BARONE BOWL

The Barone Bowl was established by me and Northeastern graduate Mike Brodsky during the 2009-10 season, after Northeastern and Hofstra dropped football within two weeks of one another (Hofstra’s decision, of course, was reached after a multi-year study, wink wink nudge nudge). Did you know? Hofstra hosted Northeastern this season in our first Winter Homecoming!

The Barone Bowl pays homage to the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond in which a Hofstra kicker boots a 68-yard field goal against Northeastern but Frank Barone catches the ball and refuses to give it up. Apparently that wasn’t the type of publicity either school liked. Anyway.

Northeastern leads the Barone Bowl series, 13-11, and won possession of the trophy for the first time since the 2014-15 season last spring. Grumble grumble. A regular season sweep normally wrests the trophy back, but whomever wins tonight will get it. This, unfortunately, is a purely symbolic trophy, one which you will not find displayed by either school. But you can find me and Brodsky talking about it on Twitter!

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

Matt Janning bias! (Dude beat us in the CAA quarterfinals 10 years ago)

Vasa Pusica bias! (Dude beat us in the CAA title game last year)

You guys have won multiple CAA titles and Beanpot hockey tournaments, let us have this we need it so damn badly! (duh)

Please let me play my favorite Extreme song tonight bias! (Hopefully you’ll get to see/hear it for yourself)

Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young

Justin Wright-Foreman. Jacquil Taylor. Dan Dwyer. Kenny Wormley.

Did you know it’s perfectly possible to go to college, get a terrific degree, meet your future spouse and set upon a course for adulthood, all without completely obsessing over its men’s basketball team?

My parents went to Central Connecticut State University (it was a college back then), and the only time my late Mom mentioned anything about their men’s basketball team was when the Blue Devils made the NCAA Tournament in the early 2000s and she got nervous watching with my Dad.

Juan’ya Green. Ameen Tanksley. Rokas Gustys. Brian Bernardi. Denton Koon. Malik Nichols. Andre Walker.

All these years later, my Dad probably knows little about the program other than Donyell Marshall, the former UConn star, is the head coach. He didn’t grind his teeth over their 4-27 record this year, or spend any time immersed in self-pity over their 13-year NCAA Tournament drought, or hear songs from his childhood that he would associate with the opportunity to play for an NCAA Tournament berth decades later, because that would be weird.

Me? I’m a little different, even now at the supposedly grown age of 46 years old. But I make no apologies for it. I grew up a huge sports fan and wanted to go to a college where I could get the experience of writing about and rooting for a Division I program.

Charles Jenkins. Greg Washington. Nathaniel Lester. Mike Moore. Brad Kelleher. David Imes. Mo Cassara.

Back in the fall of 1992, when I was figuring out where to go after graduating junior college, there were still a bunch of independent schools playing D-I hoops, and one of them was Notre Dame, so if Hofstra was in the same non-league as Notre Dame, well, that had to be pretty good, right?

Then I got there in the fall of 1993, I got there and the Flying Dutchmen were playing in something called the East Coast Conference, which I swear was a real thing even though they were playing schools named Troy State and Chicago State (those aren’t states) and Northeastern Illinois (what, four directions weren’t enough?) and Buffalo and, I kid you not, Central Connecticut State.

Osei Millar. Kenny Adeleke. Wendell Gibson. Michael Radziejewski. Woody Souffrant. Yogev Berdugo. Chris McRae.

Like Hofstra itself, the athletic program wasn’t perfect, but like Hofstra itself, it was perfect for me. And the athletic program became as big a part of my experience as everything else, as a campus became a home, as “we” became a pronoun and synonym for Hofstra, as strangers morphed from roommates and cohorts at the campus newspaper into some of the most trusted and loyal friends I’ll ever make and people with whom I walked that imperfect path into adulthood…and as that cute girl became a girlfriend and eventually my wife, and the mother of our daughter.

For us, Hofstra basketball keeps us connected to the university in a way no annual donations ever could. It reminds us of where we have been, how we got here, and the people and the lessons we will rely upon as we continue moving forward.

Justin Jones. Omar Alston. Brian Sisti. Jorge Lebron. Chris Gadley. Anthony Noble. Sal Patricio. Sam Cherilus. Kevin Nee. David Vallins.

The bonds to Hofstra grow stronger every year, as does the emotional investment in Hofstra basketball and accompanying illogical insanity. Thirty-plus times a year, we are young and invincible again, uttering “we” about the Flying Dutchmen even though everyone on the team was born after we graduated and were in preschool when the NCAA Tournament drought that consumes our every waking sporting thoughts began.

It sounded crazy four years ago, it sounded crazy last year, it still sounds crazy. It seems crazy just to type how much this means — so bleeping much — to a small but fervent group of us. 

Dane Johnson. Greg Johnson. Darren Townes. Miklos Szabo. Cornelius Vines. Yves Jules. Tony Dennison. Chaz Williams. Halil Kanacevic.

But this is who I am. This is who we are. And just like four years ago and just like last year, we will never feel as young as we do tonight. We will live vicariously through those on the floor and equalize the potential realization of our dreams with the potential realization of theirs, understanding how it’s not supposed to make sense, but it does.

While they prepare for the game of their lives, we will savor the buildup. We are no longer too young to appreciate this opportunity, as we were in 2000 and 2001 and we thought things would always be this easy and carefree, and even in 2006, when we were too naive to understand how we were going to get screwed six days after the conference title game loss.

Arminas Urbutis. Gibran Washington. Kenny Harris. Ryan Johnson. Mantas Leonavicius. Zygis Sestakos. Mike Davis-Sabb.

We will relish this third chance to finally experience the ultimate euphoria, remembering all the championship Mondays and Tuesdays in which someone else got to enjoy the torturous build up of anticipation as well as the day spent along the Inner Harbor in Baltimore in 2016 and the watching of the clock at home last March.

We’ll also remember the quiet drive home up I-95 following the overtime loss to UNC Wilmington and the silent house following the loss to Northeastern, because we know what this would mean, and how it would feel.

Paul Bilbo. Roland Brown. Dwan McMillan. Stevie Mejia. Daquan Brown. Taran Buie. Matt Grogan. Jereme Good. Tevin Smikle.

We understand it will be over before it’s begun, and that whatever happens over the two hours we’ve been waiting to experience for exactly 19 years will need to be cherished, even if it doesn’t yield the result we want. We don’t know if the dream will become reality, but this is all we’ve got tonight, and we need to remember how it feels, for however long it lasts and however long we need it to last. 

And if exactly 19 years and 6,939 days between conference championships isn’t enough, we’ll hold out hope that 20 years and 7,304 days will be enough, or however many years and however many days will one day be enough.

Jody Card. George Davis. Jordan Allen. Stephen Nwaukoni. Darren Payen. Chris Jenkins. Shemiye McLendon.

We will do so comforted by the knowledge this is a team filled with players and coaches who embody the very best of Hofstra — and will do so win or lose — and GET the Hofstra experience, and how so much is rewarding when nothing is easy.  We know they have navigated their own imperfect paths, at the perfect place to do so, and that Hofstra will remain their anchor long after they have left campus.

Adam Savion. Dan Steinberg. Jamall Robinson. Daryl Fowlkes. Eliel Gonzalez. Moussa Kone. Dion Nesmith. Ty Greer. Hunter Sabety. Tommy Ros. Joel Angus III.

We know it’s unfair to expect them to share our burden, but we know they understand it. They know it’s been 19 years since 2001. They know why Craig Claxton is Speedy, and why that 2000 NCAA Tournament banner overshadows everything he did in the NBA.

Tom Pecora. Antoine Agudio. Carlos Rivera. Adrian Uter. Aurimas Kieza. Loren Stokes.

Tonight Desure Buie and Eli Pemberton and Connor Klementowicz and Tareq Coburn and Jalen Ray and Stafford Trueheart and Isaac Kante and Kevin Schutte and Caleb Burgess and Omar Silverio and Jermaine Miranda and Hal Hughes and Carl Gibson and Joe Mihalich will try to dance for themselves, and to enjoy what happens when talent intersects with a little bit of good fortune, and to grasp the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of the sport they play and coach. Tonight is about them, and their chance to ensure they are remembered for as long as sports are played at Hofstra University.

Zeke Upshaw.

But when they take the court tonight, they will also be doing so for everyone who ever wore the uniform before them, especially the 86 players, two head coaches and eight assistant coaches who came before them that never got to dance. They will be taking the court for those that never wore the uniform but for whom Hofstra, and Hofstra basketball, has been a constant companion through all the ups and downs and twists and turns that basketball and life have offered ever since they first stepped on campus and especially over the last 19 seasons.

Tonight, once again, they will try to dance for the desperate and the broken-hearted.

I'll Be Quirky: Delaware

This guy was a helluva player. 

The Flying Dutchmen traveled back in time to the #CAAHoops rock fight days Sunday afternoon, when they overcame a slow start and rode a dominant defensive performance in pulling away from Drexel and earning a 61-43 win in the CAA semifinals. The Dutchmen will look to get to the CAA title game for a second straight year in familiar fashion tonight, when they face fifth-seeded Delaware. Here’s a look back at the win over the Dragons and a look ahead to the Blue Hens as well as some odds and ends regarding the CAA Tournament.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Eli Pemberton went into takeover mode in the second half, when he scored 15 of his game-high 19 points as the Dutchmen turned a nail-biter into their most lopsided CAA Tournament win in 18 years. The Dutchmen trailed for much of the first half and led 25-22 at intermission before Pemberton scored the first seven points of the second half and had 11 points in a 14-3 run that gave Hofstra a double-digit lead for good. Pemberton also tied a career-high with 12 rebounds. Desure Buie had 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Jalen Ray came up big in the first half, when he scored nine of his 14 points. Isaac Kante added 13 points and six rebounds. Dutchmen limited Drexel to 2-of-22 shooting from 3-point range while allowing the program’s fewest points ever in a conference tournament game. 

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Drexel 3/8)

3: Eli Pemberton

2: Desure Buie

1: Jalen Ray

SEASON STANDINGS

Desure Buie 60

Eli Pemberton 46

Isaac Kante 35

Tareq Coburn 29

Jalen Ray 17

Stafford Trueheart 3

Omar Silverio 2

COACHSPEAK: “Credit to (Drexel) for the way they played in the first half. But our guys had great poise and great composure, two qualities that I think championship teams have. We’ve had it all year long. We knew what we had to do at halftime. That doesn’t mean it was going to be easy, but number four and number five just weren’t going to let us lose.”

THIS IS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRIENDS’ FIRST SEASON, WHAT WOULD THIS GAME BE TITLED IF IT WAS AN EPISODE OF FRIENDS?

The One Where We Won A Rock Fight

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

Yes! You would have thought there would be a few 61-43 wins back in the pre-shot clock days. But while the Dutchmen beat Georgia Tech 61-42 in the first round of the Holiday Festival on Dec. 26, 1998, knocked off Scranton by the same score during the 1952-53 season and beat Princeton 61-44 on Jan. 15, 1979, they’d never won 61-43 before Sunday. That’s three straight unicorn score victories for the Dutchmen and 13 overall this season, three more than last year. Is that good luck? 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. 

11/9/19: 94-74 over Monmouth

11/15/19: 111-69 over New York Tech

11/21/19: 88-78 over UCLA

12/1/19: 91-69 over Holy Cross

12/2/19: 64-57 over Canisius

12/10/19: 71-63 over SUNY-Stony Brook

1/4/20: 102-75 over Elon

1/30/20: 86-63 over Elon

2/1/20: 83-60 over William & Mary

2/15/20: 78-64 over UNC Wilmington

2/22/20: 78-62 over Delaware

2/29/20: 97-81 over James Madison

3/8/20: 61-43 over Drexel

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER THIRTY-TWO GAMES

With the win over Drexel, the Dutchmen improved to 24-8. This ties the 2019-20 team for the second-best record through 32 games among the 14 teams that played at least 32 games. The 2015-16 team was also 24-8 through 32 games. All the seasons that have lasted at least 32 games have been played since 1998-99. We’re at the point where it’s just easier to show you the teams that did play at least 32 games, so here you go!

2018-19: 26-6 (beat James Madison in CAA quarterfinals)

2016-17: 15-17 (season ended with loss to Delaware in CAA first round)

2015-16: 24-8 (beat William & Mary in CAA semifinals)

2014-15: 20-12 (beat James Madison in CAA quarterfinals)

2013-14: 10-22 (beat UNC Wilmington in CAA first round)

2012-13: 7-25 (season ended with loss to Delaware in CAA quarterfinals)

2011-12: 10-22 (season ended with loss to Georgia State in CAA first round)

2010-11: 21-11 (lost to Old Dominion in CAA semifinals)

2009-10: 19-13 (beat Georgia State in CAA first round)

2008-09: 21-11 (season ended with loss to Old Dominion in CAA quarterfinals)

2006-07: 22-10 (season ended with loss to DePaul in NIT first round)

2005-06: 26-6 (beat Saint Joseph’s in NIT second round)

2001-02: 12-20 (season ended with loss to VCU in CAA semifinals)

1998-99: 22-10 (season ended with loss to Rutgers in NIT first round)

A RARE LOPSIDED TOURNAMENT WIN

The 18-point margin of victory for the Dutchmen was their largest in a CAA Tournament game since the program’s very first CAA Tournament win on Mar. 1, 2002, when Hofstra cruised to a 72-52 victory over Towson in a first-round game.

THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST

The Dutchmen recorded perhaps the most notable defensive effort of the Joe Mihalich era Sunday afternoon. The 43 points allowed were the second-fewest a Hofstra team has surrendered under Mihalich (behind only the 40 points given up in a 73-40 win over Charleston on Feb. 25, 2015) as well as just the fourth time the Dutchmen have allowed fewer than 50 points under Mihalich. It was only the 10th time in Mihalich’s head coaching career — spanning 22 seasons and 699 games — that his team has allowed fewer than 50 points.

3/8/20: Hofstra 61, Drexel 43

12/28/18: Hofstra 91, Delaware 46

2/8/18: Hofstra 67, Elon 48

2/25/15: Hofstra 73, Charleston 40

11/21/09: Niagara 63, Central Florida 46

2/12/09: Niagara 57, Canisius 41

1/31/09: Niagara 68, Manhattan 49

11/28/08: Niagara 71, Monmouth 48

2/13/02: Niagara 65, Loyola (MD) 42

1/12/99: Niagara 51, Manhattan 49

In addition, the 43 points allowed were the fewest Hofstra’s even given up in a conference tournament and the fewest a CAA team has allowed in a conference tournament game since 2009, when Georgia State beat Delaware, 61-41, in a first-round game.

CLAMPING DOWN FROM OUTSIDE

Drexel was just 2-of-22 (.091) from 3-point land on Sunday — the worst shooting percentage for a Hofstra opponent from beyond the arc in the 168 games in which an opponent has lofted at least 20 3-point attempts since 2010-11, the first season of the Play Index era at CollegeBasketballReference.com. The previous low was set a mere few weeks ago by Delaware, which was 3-of-20 (15%) from 3-point land in a 73-71 win over the Dutchmen on Jan. 23.

SO WHO HAS A DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING STREAK NOW?

Justin Wright-Foreman, as you may or may not recall, ended his Hofstra career by scoring in double figures in each of his last 88 games. With Desure Buie’s streak ending last Saturday, the longest such streak now belongs to Eli Pemberton, who has 12 straight double-digit efforts.

A PRETTY GOOD TWO-YEAR SPAN

The win Sunday was the 51st in the last two seasons for the Dutchmen, breaking the school record for most wins over a two-season period set by Jay Wright’s final two teams, which reached the NCAA Tournament by going 24-7 in 1999-2000 and 26-5 in 2000-01.

THE NUMBER ONES KEEP STREAKING

The win by the Dutchmen marked the 29th straight season in which the CAA’s no. 1 seed won its first tournament game. The no. 1 seed in the CAA is 37-1 in its opener, with the only loss happening when James Madison fell to Navy, 85-82, in 1991. I was still in high school then!

In addition, the no. 1 seed in Hofstra’s conference tournament has now won its opener 26 straight times. The only no. 1 seed to fall in its opener in the Defiantly Dutch era was the very first no. 1 seed. Troy State, which was never a state even though the East Coast Conference was definitely a league, received a bye to the 1994 ECC semifinals and fell to the Flying Dutchmen, 90-89, in overtime.

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will be aired live on CBS Sports Network. That’s channel 214 if you have Cablevision or Optimum or Altice or whatever the hell our local overlords are called now. Hofstra will also provide audio and live stats at the Pride Productions hub.

BACK IN THE SEMIS

The Dutchmen are in the CAA semifinals for the second straight season and the eighth time since joining the league prior to the 2001-02 season. Hofstra fell in the semifinals in 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2015 and reached the title game before losing in 2006, 2016 and 2019.

This is the Dutchmen’s 13th trip to the conference semifinals dating back to 1994. Hofstra fell in the America East semifinals in 1998 and 1999 and won it all in the ECC in 1994 and in the America East in 2000 and 2001.

MIDNIGHT HASN’T STRUCK YET FOR CINDERELLA

The CAA Tournament was finally thrown into chaos Sunday night, when seventh-seeded Elon stunned William & Mary, 68-63, and sixth-seeded Northeastern beat third-seeded Towson, 72-62. Elon is the first team seeded lower than sixth to reach the semifinals since Towson did so as an 11 seed in 2009. This is the first time the CAA semifinals have included the first, fifth, sixth and seventh seeds. The sum of the seeds (19) is the highest since 2002, when the first, third, fifth and 10th seeds reached the semifinals.

HELLO OUR FRIENDS WE MEET AGAIN

The Dutchmen will be facing Delaware in conference tournament play for the ninth time — all since 1994-95, when the Dutchmen joined the North Atlantic Conference. The nine conference tournament games are the most for Hofstra against any opponent in the NAC/America East/CAA era. 

The Dutchmen are 3-5 in conference tournament games against Delaware. Last year’s 78-74 overtime win in the CAA semifinals snapped a three-game tournament losing streak against the Blue Hens and marked the Dutchmen’s first postseason win over Delaware since the 2001 America East championship game — the second of the back-to-back victories over the Blue Hens in the America East title game.

1997 America East QFs: Delaware 86-73

1998 America East SFs: Delaware 60-51

2000 America East championship: Hofstra 76-69***

2001 America East championship: Hofstra 68-54***

2013 CAA QFs: Delaware 62-57

2014 CAA QFs: Delaware 87-76

2017 CAA PFF: Delaware 81-76

2019 CAA SFs: Hofstra 78-74 (overtime)

SCOUTING DELAWARE

The Blue Hens, under fourth-year head coach Martin Ingelsby, advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year by beating fourth-seeded Charleston, 79-67. The win was the 10th in the last 13 games for Delaware, which improved to 22-10.

The Dutchmen and Blue Hens had one common foe in non-league play. Hofstra beat SUNY-Stony Brook, 71-63, on Dec. 10 while Delaware handed the Patriots a 75-61 loss on Nov. 27. (Insert Nelson Muntz laugh here)

Both teams swept Elon, Northeastern, James Madison and UNC Wilmington in regular season play and split with Towson. The Dutchmen swept Drexel, which split with Delaware, and split with Charleston and William & Mary, each of whom swept the Blue Hens in the regular season.

The Dutchmen, who were picked first in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 115th at KenPom.com. The Blue Hens, who were picked fifth, are ranked 176th at KenPom.com.

According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in league-only offensive efficiency (114.4) and third in defensive efficiency (103.5). The Blue Hens rank third in the CAA in league-only offensive efficiency (108.1) and seventh in defensive efficiency (107.1).

Redshirt junior guard Nate Darling, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, leads the Blue Hens with 21.3 ppg and ranks second with 2.8 assists per game. Junior guard Ryan Allen is averaging 12.2 ppg while junior forward Justyn Mutts is averaging 12.1 ppg and pulling down a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Kevin Anderson is averaging 11.5 ppg and leads Delaware with 3.7 assists per game. Redshirt sophomore Dylan Painter, a transfer from Villanova, is averaging 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game since becoming eligible Dec. 16.

KenPom.com predicts a 77-73 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 4-point favorites as of this morning. The Dutchmen are 21-9-1 against the spread this season.

ALL-TIME VS. DELAWARE

Hofstra is 60-33 against Delaware in a series that began during the 1954-55 season.    The Blue Hens are Hofstra’s most common foe. The Dutchmen and Delaware were rivals in the East Coast Conference and the North Atlantic Conference/America East before heading to the CAA, along with Drexel and Towson, for the 2001-02 season.

The teams split two games this season, with each winning on the road. Kevin Anderson drove the length of the court and hit the tie-breaking layup just before time expired to give Delaware a 73-71 win on Long Island on Jan. 23 before the Dutchmen pulled away in the second half of a 78-62 win in New-ARK on Feb. 22.

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

Bob Greene bias! (The fitness guru went to Delaware)

Mike Pegues bias! (Nothing wrong with going old-school on a day like this)

Mike Koplove bias! (The former sidearming reliever went to Delaware)

41-41 tie bias! (They could use this one for us, too)