I'll Be Quirky: Hofstra at William & Mary

It's The Unicorn!

The Flying Dutchmen ended non-league play (at least until the NCAA Tournament) on a winning note last Wednesday, when they raced out to an 18-point lead and held off a second half rally by Monmouth to earn a 77-71 victory. The real season begins tonight (hopefully, probably), when the Dutchmen open their CAA slate by visiting William & Mary. Here’s a look back at the win over the Hawks and a look ahead at the Tribe.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Jalen Ray (5-for-9 from 3-point land) continued his resurgence with a team-high 19 points and five assists as the Dutchmen led for the final 35-plus minutes in West Long Branch. Monmouth raced out to a quick 6-0 lead, but Ray drained his first two 3-point attempts to start a 14-3 run that put the Dutchmen ahead for good. Another 3-pointer by Ray gave the Dutchmen their first double-digit lead at 24-14 fewer than eight minutes into the game. The Dutchmen maintained a lead of at least 10 points for the next 24-plus minutes before Monmouth completed an 18-4 run to pull within 71-68 with 2:53 left. But Marcus McClary missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer following a turnover by Aaron Estrada and Kvonn Cramer, pressed into duty when Abayomi Iyiola fouled out, hit a layup on the other end. Darlinstone Dubar sealed the win by hitting all four of his free throws in the final minute. Dubar finished with 15 points and five rebounds while Omar Silverio had 15 points and four assists. Iyiola (nine points, 11 rebounds) flirted with another double-double and added a pair of steals.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Monmouth, 12/22)

3: Jalen Ray

2: Darlinstone Dubar

1: Abayomi Iyiola

SEASON STANDINGS

Darlinstone Dubar 20

Aaron Estrada 15

Jalen Ray 14

Zach Cooks 13

Abayomi Iyiola 7

Omar Silverio 5

Kvonn Cramer 4

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

Yes! We’ve gone from being unable to secure a unicorn score to racking them up every game. No complaints there. The Dutchmen posted a trio of 78-71 wins from 1988-89 through 1992-93 and earned a pair of 76-71 wins — including the upset of Richmond exactly a year to the day of the Monmouth win — but never recorded a 77-71 victory before beating the Hawks. 

The Dutchmen have recorded seven straight unicorn score victories and (checks notes) seven unicorn score victories this season.

The Dutchmen recorded no unicorn scores last season after recording 13 unicorn scores in 2019-20 and 10 unicorn scores in 2018-19. 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. 

11/24/21: 87-49 over Molloy

11/27/21: 98-84 over Detroit Mercy

12/1/21: 81-77 over Princeton

12/4/21: 88-69 over Bucknell

12/12/21: 102-52 over John Jay

12/18/21: 89-81 over Arkansas

12/22/21: 77-71 over Monmouth

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER THIRTEEN GAMES

With last Wednesday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 8-5, which is tied for the 29th-best start in program history. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened 8-5 since the 2016-17 season and the 14th time overall in program history. The 8-5 record is the Dutchmen’s most common record through 13 games. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 13 games.

NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 6-7

1976-77: 9-4

1999-2000: 8-5

2000-01: 9-4

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 9-4 (most recent 9-4 start)

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 8-5

2004-05: 10-3

2005-06: 10-3

2006-07: 9-4

2015-16: 9-4 

2018-19: 10-3 (most recent 10-3 start, win in 13th game marked seventh win in the 16-game winning streak)

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 9-4

1961-62: 12-1

1962-63: 9-4

1963-64: 12-1 (most recent 12-1 start)

Some other notable 13-game starts:

2020-21: 7-6 (most recent 7-6 start)

2013-14: 4-9 (most recent 4-9 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2012-13: 3-10 (most recent 3-10 start, final loss in eight-game losing streak)

2011-12: 6-7 (most recent 6-7 start)

2002-03: 2-11 (most recent 2-11 start)

2001-02: 6-7 (Tom Pecora’s first team, under .500 for good)

1996-97: 5-8 (most recent 5-8 start)

1994-95: 2-11 (Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 1-12 (VBK’s last team, most recent 1-12 start)

1991-92: 7-6 (over .500 for good)

1986-87: 7-6 (last time over .500)

1966-67: 7-6 (last time over .500)

1959-60: 12-1 (Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 13th game was second win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)

1955-56: 12-1 (suffered first loss in 13th game)

Hofstra has never been 13-0, 11-2 or 0-13 through 13 games.

Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1957-58.

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

NUMBER TEN THROUGH THIRTEEN

With Wednesday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 8-5 as head coach. Only Claxton and Mo Cassara have opened 8-5 at Hofstra. Six other coaches had winning records through 13 games in their first season (or the first season of their second stints). Jack McDonald steered the Dutchmen to a 10-3 start in the first (and only) season of his second stint while Frank Reilly (1947-48) began 10-3 and Butch van Breda Kolff began 12-1 in his first stint (1955-56). Paul Lynner opened 9-4 in 1962-63 while Joe Harrington began 7-6 in his lone season with the Dutchmen in 1980-81.

FIVE IS FINE

Jalen Ray hit five 3-pointers last Wednesday, the fourth time this season he’s drained at least five 3-pointers and the 15th time he's done so in his career. Among Hofstra players, only Justin Wright-Foreman (17 games with at least five 3-pointers) has more games with at least five 3-pointers since 2010-11, the first season in which player game logs are available at College Basketball Reference.

ONE AWAY FROM A NICE ROUND NUMBER

Jalen Ray enters tonight with 1,499 points, leaving him (does the math) one point shy of becoming the 12th player in school history to reach 1,500 points. Ray is 179 points away from surpassing Norman Richardson for 11th place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list.

FIFTEEN AND FIVE IS ALSO FINE

Darlinstone Dubar finished with 15 points and five rebounds last Wednesday, which marked the team-high fourth time this season he’s had at least 15 points and five rebounds in a single game. Isaac Kante led the Dutchmen last season with 11 games in which he had at least 15 points and five rebounds.

WINNING THE NON-CONFERENCE SEASON

With their three straight wins to close out non-league play, the Dutchmen improved to 8-5 and ensured they’ll once again enter the CAA schedule with a winning record. This marks the eighth straight season in which the Dutchmen hit the CAA schedule with a winning record and the 14th time they’ve done so in 21 seasons in the CAA. (League games that were played in the middle of the non-conference schedule were not counted but are listed separately)

2004-05: 8-1 (.889) 1-0 CAA

2018-19: 10-3 (.769)

2005-06: 6-2 (.750) 2-0 CAA

2008-09: 8-3 (.727) 1-0 CAA

2019-20: 9-4 (.692)

2014-15: 9-4 (.692)

2015-16: 8-4 (.667)

2006-07: 7-4 (.636) 1-0 CAA

2021-22: 8-5 (.615)

2016-17: 8-5 (.615)

2017-18: 7-5 (.583)

2009-10: 7-5 (.583) 1-0 CAA

2020-21: 4-3 (.571)

2010-11: 6-5 (.545) 1-0 CAA

OVER THE AIR

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

HOFSTRA AND THE CAA

As noted in the above, err, note. this is Hofstra’s 21st season in the CAA. Remarkably, the 21-year tenure in the CAA is the longest Hofstra has been in one league in Division I. The Flying Dutchmen spent 20 years in the ECC counting the 1992-93 season, when Hofstra played an independent schedule but was still considered a member of the ECC along with Central Connecticut State. In between exiting the ECC and joining the CAA, the Flying Dutchmen spent seven years in the North Atlantic Conference/America East.

THE DUTCHMEN IN CAA OPENERS

The Dutchmen are 12-8 in the first game of league play since joining the CAA in 2001-02 and have won their last four CAA openers — including last season, of course, when they edged William & Mary 61-56 in Hempstead. First-year Hofstra head coaches are 2-2 in their CAA opener, with Mo Cassara and Mike Farrelly earning wins and Tom Pecora and Joe Mihalich absorbing losses.

The Dutchmen are playing William & Mary in the CAA opener for the third time. The Tribe earned a 90-87 win on Dec. 30, 2017. 

SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY

The Tribe, under third-year head coach Dane Fischer, are 1-12 this season following an 88-66 loss to Valparaiso last Wednesday. William & Mary’s lone win came over non-Division I Mary Baldwin on Nov 27. Only two of the Tribe’s 12 losses have been by fewer than 10 points.

The Dutchmen and Tribe had no common opponents in non-league play.

The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 117th at KenPom.com. The Tribe, which was picked to finish 10th, is ranked 342nd.

According to KenPom.com. the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in offensive efficiency (108.3) and sixth in defensive efficiency (103.0). The Tribe rank last in both offensive efficiency (89.8) and defensive efficiency (108.4).

Sophomore guard Connor Kochera, who was named to the preseason all-CAA second team, leads the Tribe with 11.8 points per game and ranks second with 5.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Ben Wight ranks second in scoring (11.2 points per game) and first in rebounds (6.0 rebounds per game). Senior forward Quinn Blair is third in both scoring (10.1 points per game) and rebounding (4.2 rebounds per game).

KenPom.com predicts a 79-66 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 13-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 7-4 against the spread this season.

ALL-TIME VS. WILLIAM & MARY

Hofstra is 25-14 against William & Mary in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Dutchmen swept last season’s series, which consisted of back-to-back games at the Arena due to the pandemic. The Dutchmen earned a 61-56 win on Jan. 2 before beating the Tribe, 82-73, the next day. It was the second sweep in the last three seasons for the Dutchmen.

The Hofstra-William & Mary series has lately been one of the CAA’s most exciting and competitive rivalries. Eleven of the last 19 games between the teams have been decided by six points or fewer or in overtime, including back-to-back barnburners in the CAA Tournament in 2015 (shudders) and 2016.

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

Nathan Knight is the new Kevin Garnett bias! (He did have a double-double in his first NBA start Tuesday night)

Joe Smith bias! (Missed a chance to use this for the Maryland game, but we’ll reference the former no. 1 overall pick by the Timberwolves here)

Ted Lasso bias! (A chance to mention Bill Lawrence without mentioning Scrubs again!)

Tony Shaver’s marvelous mustache bias! (The classics never go out of style)

I'll Be Quirky: Hofstra at Monmouth

Jon is now 59 and Cindy is now 55. Try to enjoy the rest of your nights, old farts.

The 1,301st win in program history was unlike any before it. The Flying Dutchmen, playing without leading scorer Zach Cooks and after a chaotic trip that had them arriving in Arkansas the afternoon of the game, made the third time against a ranked opponent the charm by leading almost wire-to-wire in an 89-81 upset of previously no. 24/19 Arkansas. Would have been neat to see it on TV! The Dutchmen will look to maintain their winning ways tonight, when they are slated to visit Monmouth in their final game before CAA play starts. Here’s a look back at the big win over the Razorbacks and a look ahead to the Hawks.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Aaron Estrada (22 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) nearly posted the second triple-double in program history and Abayomi Iyiola (18 points, 14 rebounds) made a forceful return to Arkansas for the Dutchmen, who were missing leading scorer Zach Cooks but trailed just twice on their way to recording the historic upset of the Razorbacks. A 3-pointer by Caleb Burgess with 11:08 left in the first put the Dutchmen ahead for good at 18-15. The Dutchmen led by as many as 10 in the first half, led 40-32 at intermission and extended their advantage to 14 points at 64-50 on a layup by Iyiola with 8:26 left. Arkansas scored the next 11 points and capped a 14-2 run when Davonte Davis completed a nostalgic 3-point play with 4:53 remaining, but the Dutchmen, who squandered a 13-point lead in the final eight minutes, scored eight unanswered points to begin a game-ending 23-17 run. Jalen Ray finished with 22 points, including yet another dagger 3-pointer with 1:32 left. Darlinstone Dubar had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Arkansas, 12/18)

3: Aaron Estrada

2: Abayomi Iyiola

1: Jalen Ray

SEASON STANDINGS

Darlinstone Dubar 18

Aaron Estrada 15

Zach Cooks 13

Jalen Ray 11

Abayomi Iyiola 6

Omar Silverio 5

Kvonn Cramer 4

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

Yes! As was the case against UCLA on Nov. 21, 2019, a singular win comes with a singular score. Somewhat surprisingly, the Dutchmen came within one point of an 89-81 final just twice previously — an 89-80 win over U.S.M.M.A. during the 1965-66 season and an 88-81 overtime victory over UNC Wilmington on Feb. 28, 2009.

The Dutchmen have recorded six straight unicorn score victories and (checks notes) six unicorn score victories this season.

The Dutchmen recorded no unicorn scores last season after recording 13 unicorn scores in 2019-20 and 10 unicorn scores in 2018-19. 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. 

11/24/21: 87-49 over Molloy

11/27/21: 98-84 over Detroit Mercy

12/1/21: 81-77 over Princeton

12/4/21: 88-69 over Bucknell

12/12/21: 102-52 over John Jay

12/18/21: 89-81 over Arkansas

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWELVE GAMES

With Saturday night’s big win, the Dutchmen improved to 7-5, which is tied for the 32nd-best start in program history. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened -5 since the 2017-18 season and the 13th time overall in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 12 games.

NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 6-6

1976-77: 9-3

1999-2000: 8-4 

2000-01: 8-4

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 8-4 (most recent 8-4 start)

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 8-4

2004-05: 10-2

2005-06: 10-2 (most recent 10-2 start)

2006-07: 8-4

2015-16: 8-4 

2018-19: 9-3 (most recent 9-3 start, marked sixth win in the 16-game winning streak)

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 8-4

1961-62: 11-1

1962-63: 8-4

1963-64: 11-1 (most recent 11-1 start)

Some other notable 12-game starts:

2020-21: 6-6 (most recent 6-6 start)

2013-14: 4-8 (most recent 4-8 start)

2012-13: 3-9 (most recent 3-9 start)

2011-12: 5-7 (most recent 5-7 start)

2002-03: 2-10 (most recent 2-10 start)

1994-95: 2-10 (Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 1-11 (VBK’s last team, most recent 1-11 start)

1959-60: 11-1 (win in 12th game marked first win in season-ending 13-game winning streak)

1955-56: 12-0 (only 12-0 start in school history)

The Dutchmen have never opened a season 0-12.

Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1957-58.

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

NUMBER TEN THROUGH TWELVE

With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 7-5 as head coach. Only Claxton and Mo Cassara have opened 7-5 at Hofstra. Four other coaches had winning records through 12 games in their first season (or the first season of their second stints). Jack McDonald steered the Dutchmen to a 10-2 start in the first (and only) season of his second stint while Frank Reilly (1947-48) began 10-2 and Butch van Breda Kolff began 12-0 in his first stint (1955-56). Paul Lynner opened 8-4 in 1962-63.

THIS ONE RANKS PRETTY HIGH

Where to start with just how big a win this was for the Dutchmen? While it marked the third time the Dutchmen beat a ranked opponent in the DD Era (1993-present) — following a 77-68 win over no. 25 George Mason on Feb. 23, 2006 and a 76-71 victory over no. 23 Richmond one year ago today — both those wins came over teams ranked only in the USA Today coaches poll. The win over Arkansas was the first victory over a program ranked in the Associated Press poll since Dec. 11, 1976, when the Flying Dutchmen — who really were nicknamed the Flying Dutchmen back then! — beat no. 18 Southern Illinois, 67-66, in the championship game of the Pittsburgh Classic. The team Hofstra beat in the Pittsburgh Classic opener? Duquesne, whom the Dutchmen beat for their first win this season. You know where the 1976-77 season ended, right?

The win on Saturday also marked the first time a CAA school beat a school ranked in the AP top 25 since Nov. 27, 2015, when Northeastern beat no. 15 Miami (FL), 78-77. I love when a good fact comes together. And with Arkansas ranked 34th at KenPom.com prior to Saturday, the victory was also the first time the CAA earned a win over a top-40 KenPom.com opponent since the Huskies’ win over then-no. 10 Miami. Hee hee.

Lastly, the win was the 11th for Hofstra over a power conference foe in the DD Era, the program’s first since the 88-78 win over UCLA on Nov 21, 2019 and the second of the month for the CAA. James Madison beat Virginia, 52-49, on Dec. 7. We can still count that as a win for the CAA, right?

TRIPLE-DOUBLE FLIRTATION

Aaron Estrada almost posted the second triple-double in program history Saturday night, when he collected 22 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists in the win over Arkansas. No player since Juan’ya Green posted his triple-double (15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) against Long Island University Dec. 28, 2014 has come closer to recording a triple-double in the midst of a double-double. Prior to Estrada’s effort Saturday night, Caleb Burgess had the closest flirtation with a triple-double when he had 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the 83-75 win over Delaware in the CAA tournament on Mar. 7, 2021.

DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE FUN

Abayomi Iyiola (18 points, 14 rebounds) joined Estrada in posting a double-double. It was the first time two players have recorded double-doubles in the same game for the Dutchmen since Dec. 2, 2019, when Tareq Coburn (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Eli Pemberton (16 points, 10 rebounds) combined to achieve the feat against Canisius.

REUNITED AND IT FELT SO GOOD

Abayomi Iyiola saved perhaps his best game as a collegian for his first one against his former program. Iyiola, who sat out the 2019-20 season after transferring from Stetson and played just one game last season due to a knee injury, scored 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, the latter of which tied a career-high and was the most boards Iyiola has recorded against a Division I foe. The 18 points were the most for Iyiola since he scored 22 points for Stetson against Western Illinois on Dec. 5, 2018.

RAY VS. THE BIG BOYS

It’s a pretty good sign for the Dutchmen that Jalen Ray, a preseason all-CAA first-teamer, was the third option Saturday night, when he scored 22 points and went 4-of-8 from 3-point land. It was the latest impressive effort against a top-tier foe by Ray, who has five 20-point games against power conference teams or Atlantic 10 opponents has scored in double digits in eight of his last 10 games against such teams dating back to the 69-67 overtime loss to VCU on Nov. 24, 2018.

12/18/21: 22 pts vs. Arkansas

11/22/21: 3 pts vs. Richmond

11/19/21: 18 pts vs. Maryland

12/22/20: 23 pts vs. Richmond

12/19/20: 28 pts vs. St. Bonaventure

11/29/20: 22 pts vs. Rutgers

12/7/19: 2 pts vs. St. Bonaventure

11/21/19: 27 pts vs. UCLA***

3/19/19: 10 pts vs. North Carolina State^^^

11/24/18: 14 pts vs. VCU^^^

***established a then-career high 

^^^did not start the game

AT THE FIVE AND FIVE AND DIME

Darlinstone Dubar had an impressively solid all-around game Saturday, when he finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five steals. He’s the second Hofstra player this season to have at least 10 points, five rebounds and five steals in a game — Zach Cooks finished with 20 points, five rebounds and five steals against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 27 — and the fourth Hofstra player to do so since 2010-11,  the first season in which player game logs are available at College Basketball Reference. Desure Buie had three such games while Ameen Tanksley did it once.

THE GOOD KIND OF THIEVERY

With his five steals Saturday, Darlinstone Dubar became the third Hofstra player this season to record at least five steals in a game. In addition to Cooks, Aaron Estrada had five steals against John Jay on Dec. 12. This is the first time the Dutchmen have had three players record at least one five-steal game since 2010-11, when Charles Jenkins, Dwan McMillan and Brad Kelleher all had one five-steal game apiece.

AWARDS FOR AARON

Aaron Estrada was named the CAA’s Player of the Week after his big game against Arkansas. Estrada, who also earned the award for the week ending Dec. 6, is the first two-time Player of the Week honoree this season. Twelve Hofstra players have won CAA Player of the Week honors since 2013-14, which was Joe Mihalich’s first season as head coach. No other CAA school has more than 10 Player of the Week honorees in that span. In addition, Estrada also won the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week for the second time this season — and, again, for the second time in three weeks.

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will be carried live on ESPN3. Seriously. You can watch this game, unlike the last one. (Gonna kinda miss being snarky about that) Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.

MONMOUTH AND THE MAAC

Monmouth, under 11th-year head coach King Rice, is 10-2 this season after beating Colgate, 77-66, on Sunday. The Hawks’ only two losses were narrow defeats to Charlotte (68-66 on Nov. 9) and St. John’s (88-83 on Dec. 9).

Monmouth was picked to finish fourth in the MAAC. Graduate student guard George Papas was named to the preseason all-MAAC first team while fellow graduate student guard Shavar Reynolds Jr. was named to the preseason all-MAAC third team. Papas (17.0 points per game) and Reynolds (15.8 points per game) are the Hawks’ leading scorers, with graduate student forward Walker Miller (14.0 points per game) and graduate student guard Marcus McClary (10.9 points per game) also averaging in double figures. Miller leads Monmouth with 6.8 rebounds per game while Papas is pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game.

The Dutchmen and Hawks have two common opponents. Monmouth beat the CAA’s Towson 79-71 on Nov. 13 and knocked off Princeton, 76-64, on Nov. 24. The Dutchmen beat Princeton, 81-77, on Dec. 1.

This is the fifth straight season in which Hofstra and Monmouth have opposed each other. The Dutchmen are 5-6 all-time against Monmouth but have won the last four games, including last season, when Hofstra earned a 96-88 victory in West Long Branch.

At KenPom.com this afternoon, Hofstra is ranked 122nd while Monmouth is ranked 113th. Close! KenPom.com predicts a 74-69 loss for the Dutchmen. Guess he wasn’t able to see Saturday’s game either. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 4-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 6-4 against the spread this season.

Hofstra is 103-120 all-time against current MAAC schools. The Dutchmen, who fell to Iona 82-73 on Nov. 16, are playing at least two MAAC schools for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons (the 2014-15 schedule had no MAAC teams). My apologies, I had Iona as the only MAAC team on this year’s schedule in the Iona I’ll Be Quirky (we’re all about accountability here).

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

Jon Bon Jovi canoodled with Cindy Crawford in a Christmas video because he could bias! (Jon grew up about half an hour from Monmouth)

King Rice is just mad because Hofstra already beat his son’s team this year bias! (Xander Rice scored two points in Hofstra’s 88-69 win over Bucknell on Dec. 4)

Charlie wants to swim to Europe bias! (He still would have had a better experience at the Jersey shore than Dee or Dennis)

You scored your first-ever football points on a returned two-point conversion bias! (It’s true, according to Wikipedia. That’d be a neat way to get publicity for a I-AA football program)

I'll Be Quirky: Hofstra at Arkansas

Phil Hartman: The true SNL GOAT. 

The Flying Dutchmen took advantage of a get-right spot last Sunday by winning the only local rivalry game that really matters by leading wire-to-wire and doubling up John Jay in a 102-51 victory. The Dutchmen will take one more shot at a Goliath tonight, when they’re scheduled to oppose no. 24 Arkansas in Little Rock, which is officially a neutral site game. I don’t know much but I do know that Little Rock is decidedly IN ARKANSAS. Anyway, here’s a look back at the win over the Bloodhounds and a look ahead to the fighting Bill Clintons. Or Razorbacks. One or the other.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

The Dutchmen scored the first 12 points of the game and were only threatened briefly by John Jay, which twice closed within eight points late in the first half before the Dutchmen went into the locker room on a 19-4 run. The Dutchmen then opened the second half on a 12-0 run, removing all suspense except for whether or not they’d hit 100 points…which they did on Jaquan Carlos’ 3-pointer that extended the lead to a game-high 55 points at 102-47 with 2:12 left. Darlinstone Dubar scored a game-high 24 points — and added seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks — to lead a trio of 20-point scorers for the Dutchmen. Jalen Ray (22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 6-of-7 from 3-point land) snapped out of a slump while Omar Silverio added 20 points off the bench. Abayomi Iyiola (12 points, 14 rebounds) posted a double-double while Zach Cooks had 14 points, five assists and four steals. Aaron Estrada flirted with his own double-double by finishing with seven points and 10 assists.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. John Jay, 12/12)

3: Darlinstone Dubar

2: Abayomi Iyiola

1: Jalen Ray

SEASON STANDINGS

Darlinstone Dubar 18

Zach Cooks 13

Aaron Estrada 12

Jalen Ray 10

Omar Silverio 5

Abayomi Iyiola 4

Kvonn Cramer 4

MILESTONE WIN

The victory was the 1,300th in program history. That’s a lot of wins! Alas, it’s hard to measure just how that measures up to the rest of the teams in Division I. College Basketball Reference has Hofstra with a mere 846 wins. Where are those missing 454 wins?! Anyway, 1,300 is a cool round number worth observing and commemorating.

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

Yes! No surprise, since the Dutchmen reached 100 points for just the 38th time in program history. The Dutchmen have recorded five straight unicorn score victories and (checks notes) five unicorn score victories this season.

The Dutchmen recorded no unicorn scores last season after recording 13 unicorn scores in 2019-20 and 10 unicorn scores in 2018-19. 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. 

11/24/21: 87-49 over Molloy

11/27/21: 98-84 over Detroit Mercy

12/1/21: 81-77 over Princeton

12/4/21: 88-69 over Bucknell

12/12/21: 102-52 over John Jay

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER ELEVEN GAMES

With Sunday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 6-5, which is tied for the 38th-best start in program history. It’s the second straight 6-5 start for the Dutchmen and the 10th 6-5 start in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 11 games.

NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 5-6

1976-77: 8-3

1999-2000: 7-4 

2000-01: 8-3

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 7-4 (most recent 7-4 start)

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 7-4

2004-05: 10-1 (most recent 10-1 start)

2005-06: 9-2 (most recent 9-2 start)

2006-07: 7-4

2015-16: 7-4 

2018-19: 8-3 (most recent 8-3 start, victory marked fifth win in the 16-game winning streak)

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 7-4

1961-62: 10-1

1962-63: 8-3

1963-64: 10-1

Some other notable 11-game starts:

2013-14: 3-8 (most recent 3-8 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2011-12: 4-7 (most recent 4-7 start)

2007-08: 2-9 (most recent 2-9 start)

2002-03: 1-10 (most recent 1-10 start)

2001-02: 5-6 (Tom Pecora’s first team, most recent 5-6 start, never got back to .500 again)

1994-95: 2-9 (Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 2-9 (VBK’s last team)

1979-80: 5-6 (Joe Harrington’s only season, under .500 for the last time)

1965-66: 6-5 (over .500 for good)

1959-60: 10-1 (Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise)

1955-56: 11-0 (most recent 11-0 start)

1951-52: 11-0 (first 11-0 start)

1940-41: 6-5 (over .500 for good)

The Dutchmen have never opened a season 0-11.

Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1957-58.

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

NUMBER TEN THROUGH ELEVEN

With Sunday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 6-5 as head coach. Only Claxton and Mike Farrelly have opened 6-5 at Hofstra. Five other coaches had winning records through 11 games in their first season (or the first season of their second stints). Jack McDonald steered the Dutchmen to an 8-1 start in the first (and only) season of his second stint while Frank Reilly (1947-48) began 9-2 and Butch van Breda Kolff began 11-0 in his first stint (1955-56). Paul Lynner opened 8-3 in 1962-63 and Mo Cassara started 7-4 in 2010-11.

WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN

The Dutchmen never trailed Sunday. It was their second wire-to-wire win of the season and first since a 98-84 win over Detroit Mercy on Nov. 27.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK

The Dutchmen scored at least 100 points Sunday for the 38th time in program history and the first time a 102-75 win over Elon on Jan, 4, 2020. Ahh, simpler times.

FAST START

The Dutchmen raced out to a 12-0 lead Sunday, which was their biggest game-opening run since they scored the first 13 points of a 68-67 win over Delaware on Jan. 17.

TRIPLE THE 20-POINT FUN

The Dutchmen had three players score 20 points Sunday, when Darlinstone Dubar had 24 points, Jalen Ray finished with 22 points and Omar Silverio added 20 points off the bench. It was the first time the Dutchmen had a trio of 20-point scorers sine Jan. 21, 2016, when Juan’ya Green (23 points), Rokas Gustys (23 points) and Denton Koon (22 points) all exceeded 20 points in that bonkers 96-92 triple-overtime win over Northeastern.

1010101010 WINS

The Dutchmen had at least five players score in double digits Sunday for the third time this season. Five players scored in double figures in the 87-49 win over Molloy on Nov. 24 while six players did so against Detroit Mercy Nov. 27. 

OPEN 24/7

Darlinstone Dubar finished with a career-high 24 points and added seven rebounds Sunday. He is the second Hofstra player to score at least 24 points and finish with at least seven rebounds this season — following in the footsteps of Zach Cooks, who had 29 points and seven rebounds in the 73-63 win over Duquesne on Nov. 13 — and the 12th player to do so since the 2010-11 season (the first season in which player game logs are available at College Basketball Reference).

SHOPPING AT THE FIVE (AND FIVE AND FIVE) AND DIME

Aaron Estrada had an all-around impressive game Sunday, when he finished with 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals. He’s just the fourth Hofstra player to have at least 10 points, five assists, five rebounds and five steals in a game since 2010-11 but the second to do so this season. Zach Cooks had 20 points, five assists, five rebounds and five steals against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 27. The only other players with a 10-5-5-5 game since 2010-11 are Brad Kelleher, who had nine points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals against William & Mary on Feb. 15, 2011 and Desure Buie, who had 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and six steals against Towson on Jan. 26, 2019.

NUMBER ONE AND A LUCKY 13 FOR IYIOLA

Abayomi Iyiola posted his first double-double with the Dutchmen Sunday, when he finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Iyiola is the third Hofstra player to post a double-double this season. Kvonn Cramer (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Darlinstone Dubar (11 points. 12 rebounds) each posted double-doubles against Molloy on Nov. 24. It was the 13th double-double overall for Iyiola, who had 12 double-doubles in his two seasons at Stetson.

ZACH STILL COOKIN’

Zach Cooks scored 14 points Sunday as he extended his career-opening (well, at Hofstra, at least) streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 11 games. Cooks is just the third player in the last 30 years to begin his Hofstra career by scoring in double figures in at least 11 straight games and the first since 2014-15, when Juan’ya Green scored in double figures in every game on his way to building a 43-game streak and Ameen Tanksley scored in double figures in his first 19 games.

Juan’ya Green 43 games (start of 2014-15 season through Dec. 9, 2015)

Ameen Tanksley 19 games (2014-15 season)

ZACH COOKS 11 games (2021-22 season)

Seth Meyers 8 games (1995-96 season)

Antoine Agudio 7 games (2004-05 season)***

***freshman

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.

OMAR OFF THE BENCH

Omar Silverio scored 20 points off the bench Sunday, which marked the sixth time this season he’s scored in double digits off the bench and the second time he’s scored 20 points. Silverio’s six double-digit efforts as a reserve are the most in a single season by a Hofstra player since Jalen Ray scored at least 10 points 10 times in 2018-19. In addition, Silverio is the first Hofstra player with multiple 20-point games off the bench since Justin Wright-Foreman scored at least 20 points three times in 2016-17.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

Some order to the universe was restored Sunday, when Jalen Ray scored 22 points and DIDN’T lead the Dutchmen in rebounding (he had two boards). That snapped a streak of three straight games in which Ray led the Dutchmen in rebounding, which came immediately after he didn’t even hold a share of the team lead in rebounds in any of his first 128 games with the Dutchmen.

(Because it’s sort of tradition to do this now…if the Dutchmen win the CAA championship and advance to the national championship game, they would play 29 more games. Ray would need to average 33.4 rebounds over those 30 games in order to break Rokas Gustys’ Division I-era record of 1,305 rebounds)

RAY MOVIN’ ON UP

Jalen Ray snapped out of a slump Sunday, when he scored 22 points — four fewer than he had in his previous three games combined. But all Ray needed to move up the all-time Hofstra scoring list was his first basket, which vaulted him past Frank Walker into 12th place (on 12/12, neat!).

11.) Norman Richardson 1,677

12.) JALEN RAY 1,458

13.) Frank Walker 1,437

14.) Leroy Allen 1,435

15.) Rick Apodaca 1,422

Ray has gained at least a half-spot on the all-time Hofstra scoring list in 21 of the 26 games he’s played since joining the 1,000-point club last Dec. 22. Of course, that pace is likely to slow considerably, given that Ray is 220 points away from moving past Richardson. Better get going, Jalen.

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

Nov. 22: 15th place

Nov. 24: 15th place

Nov. 27: 15th place

Dec. 1: 15th place

Dec. 4: 14th place

Dec. 8: 13th place

Dec. 12: 12th place

OVER THE AIR

Tonight’s game will not be televised or streamed. Honest to goodness, a basketball game not being televised or streamed in the year 2021. To be fair, it’s not like Arkansas is a major school ranked in the national polls or anything. Maybe people will stop complaining about FloHoops.com now. In lieu of actually watching the game, you can call TeamLine for updates (this is a joke only a certain old demo will get). Arkansas will provide a radio feed here, though that may require a subscription. SiriusXM will carry the game at channel 111 on Sirius radios, channel 190 on XM radios and channel 953 online. Live stats will be available at the Pride Productions hub. (The over the air graph should never take this long to write, I really can’t believe this game isn’t airing anywhere)

HOFSTRA VS. TOP 25 TEAMS

Arkansas is ranked no. 24 in the AP poll and no. 19 in the coaches’ poll. This marks 23rd time the Dutchmen have faced a top 25 team in the DD Era. The Dutchmen are 2-20 in the previous 22 games after the 69-67 loss to then-no. 20/21 Maryland on Nov. 19. 

This marks the first time in the DD Era the Dutchmen have faced three top 25 foes. 

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

ARKANSAS AND THE SEC

Arkansas, under third-year head coach Eric Musselman, is 9-1 this season after falling to Oklahoma, 88-66, last Saturday. The Razorbacks reached the Elite Eight last season, when they fell to Baylor, who then beat another Flying Dutchmen non-conference foe, Houston, in the Final Four. (And in the Sweet 16, Baylor beat Villanova) For Arkansas, the Elite Eight trip was the farthest the school has advanced in the NCAA Tournament since Nolan Richardson coached the then-defending national champions to the title game in 1995.

Arkansas was picked third in the SEC preseason poll. 

Senior guard JD Notae leads the Razorbacks in scoring at 18.1 points per game. Senior guard Au’Diese Toney (12.4 points per game), graduate senior guard Chris Lykes (11.8 points per game) and sophomore guard Davonte Davis (11.4 points per game) are also averaging in double figures. Sophomore forward Jaylin Williams leads Arkansas with 8.5 rebounds per game.

The Dutchmen and Arkansas have one common opponent. The Razorbacks are scheduled to complete a back-to-back set against CAA teams on Tuesday, when they are slated to welcome Elon.

Hofstra is 0-2 all-time against Arkansas, which beat the Flying Dutchmen — who really were nicknamed the Flying Dutchmen back then! — 63-58 on Dec. 12, 1974 and 95-70 on Jan. 4, 1978. Arkansas, led by future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief, reached the Final Four in 1978.

This marks just the sixth all-time meeting between the schools in any sport. The Flying Dutchwomen softball team is 2-1 against Arkansas, with a loss in 1997 and a pair of wins in 2013.

The Dutchmen are 2-12 all-time against current Southeastern Conference schools. Hofstra edged Florida 68-67 during the 1977-78 season and beat Mississippi 78-73 during the 1990-91 season. The Dutchmen last faced an SEC foe on Nov. 19, 2017, when they fell to Auburn 89-78.

More importantly, the Dutchmen are 0-6 all-time against schools I associate with Arkansas’ classic old home, the Southwest Conference. Hofstra, of course, fell to fellow SWC old-timer Houston, 83-75, in overtime in the season opener Nov. 9.

At KenPom.com this morning, Hofstra is ranked 142nd while Arkansas is ranked 34th. KenPom.com predicts an 83-71 loss for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 9.5-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 5-4 against the spread this season.

REUNITED, PART ONE

Starting center Abayomi Iyiola returns to Arkansas, where he played one game for the Razorbacks last season. The last Flying Dutchmen player to oppose his former school was Tareq Coburn, who began his career at St. Bonaventure and scored four points against the Bonnies in Hofstra’s 73-45 loss on Dec. 7, 2019.

REUNITED, PART TWO

Of course, the big reunion will take place on the sidelines, where Speedy Claxton will oppose Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, who coached Claxton with the Golden State Warriors during the 2003-04 season. Claxton had an amusing Tweet about how he and Musselman might have come up with the idea meeting might have come about, but I think he just Tweeted so we could all get a look at these glorious early 2000s Warriors uniforms and shorts.

Tonight marks the first coaching reunion involving a Hofstra head coach and a former co-worker since Dec. 21, 2009, when the Flying Dutchmen fell to Davidson, 61-52, at Madison Square Garden. Hey! Another neutral site game! Then-Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora was an assistant coach to then- and now-Davidson head coach Bob McKillop at Long Island Lutheran from 1984-87.

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

40 Minutes of Hell bias! (Every fast-paced team of the last quarter-century couldn’t hold a candle to Nolan Richardson’s teams)

Bill Clinton bias! (He taught law there, might have added to his resume after that, not sure)

Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones couldn’t get along so that’s why the Cowboys didn’t win four straight Super Bowls bias! (It’s a mouthful but it’s fine)

Kevin McReynolds bias! (The two-time Mets outfielder played at Arkansas)