LL Cool J beef bias!
Probably hexed things with that factoid about the Flying Dutchmen being in select company among those who haven’t suffered four-game losing streaks since January 2017. That factoid went poof Monday night, when South Florida pulled away in the final minutes to earn a 77-70 win over the skidding Dutchmen. The losing streak really better not hit five this morning (morning?!), when the Dutchmen are slated to play their annual game against a non-Division I foe by hosting Old Westbury. Here’s a look back at the loss to the Bulls and a look ahead to *races to Wikipedia* Panthers.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Aaron Estrada (a game-high 21 points) showed little rust in his return from an ankle injury, but the Dutchmen allowed South Florida to dominate the boards — the Bulls had 18 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second-chance points — and were outscored 13-3 over the final four minutes THAT USED TO BE A GOOD NFL SEASON BIAS. The Dutchmen trailed by as many as eight in the first half before inching back and heading into the locker room tied 39-39 (oh no, not another tie at the half). A dunk to open the second half by Darlinstone Dubar started a 12-plus minute stretch in which the Dutchmen never trailed, but Jamir Chaplin’s basket with 7:45 left put South Florida ahead 62-61 and began a sequence in which the teams traded the lead four times in a span of fewer than two minutes. Estrada’s jumper with 4:18 left extended the Dutchmen’s lead to 67-64, but the Dutchmen went 1-for-5 with three turnovers the rest of the way. Tyler Thomas hit a jumper to cut South Florida’s lead to 71-70 with 47 seconds remaining before 7-footer Russel Tchewa converted a layup. Thomas missed a 3-pointer and the Bulls iced the win by hitting their final four free throws. Estrada added five rebounds and three assists but also had five turnovers. Dubar and Thomas scored 17 points apiece, with Dubar setting a career-high with three 3-pointers and Thomas contributing eight points during the second-half stretch in which the Dutchmen never trailed. Nelson Boachie-Yiadom pulled down a team-high six rebounds while Jaquan Carlos had five assists.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. South Florida, 12/19)
3: Aaron Estrada
2: Darlinstone Dubar
1: Tyler Thomas
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 24
Darlinstone Dubar 15
Tyler Thomas 12
Amar’e Marshall 6
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 5
Jaquan Carlos 5
Warren Williams 4
Griffin Barrouk 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWELVE GAMES
With Monday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 6-6. This ties the 2022-23 team for the 45th-best record in school history through 12 games. Ten other teams began 6-6, most notably the 2020-21 squad. 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:
2021-22: 7-5 (most recent 7-5 start)
2013-14: 4-8 (most recent 4-8 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
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 FORTY-FOUR
With Monday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 27-17 (.614) as head coach. That’s the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 44 games at the helm.
Paul Lynner 35-9 (.795, 44th game was the 14th game of his second season in 1963-64)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 31-13 (.705, 44th game was the 18th game of his second season in 1956-57)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 27-17 (.614, 44th game was the 12th game of his second season in 2022-23)
Mo Cassara 25-19 (.568, 44th game was the 11th game of his second season in 2011-12)
Dick Berg 22-22 (.500, 44th game was the 17th game of his second season in 1981-82)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 20-24 (.455, 44th game was the 15th game of his second season in 1989-90)
Jay Wright 17-27 (.386, 44th game was the 16th game of his second season in 1995-96)
Joe Mihalich 17-27 (.386, 44th game was the 11th game of his second season in 2013-14)
Tom Pecora 14-30 (.318, 43rd game was the 11th game of his second season in 2002-03)
Roger Gaeckler 13-31 (.295, 44th game was the 20th game of his second season in 1973-74)
The records are incomplete for Jack McDonald’s first stint from 1936 through 1943 as well as the tenures of Jack Smith (1943-46) and Frank Reilly (1947-55).
Three coaches had one-season tenures lasting fewer than 33 games at Hofstra. McDonald went 18-6 in the lone season of his second stint in 1946-47 while Joe Harrington went 14-14 in 1979-80 and Mike Farrelly went 13-10 in 2020-21.
THEY WENT FOURTH
The loss Monday was the fourth straight for the Dutchmen, which is not only the longest under Speedy Claxton but also the longest for the program since a six-game losing streak from Jan. 2 through Jan. 19, 2017. As noted Monday, that put the Dutchmen in some pretty good company, as only 16 other Division I programs had gone longer between four-game losing streaks, If they can win today, I’ll try to figure out how many other programs have gone longer than the Dutchmen between five-game losing streaks. And if they don’t…
The Dutchmen went 168 games in between four-game losing streaks — their longest such stretch since going 203 games between four-game losing streaks from late in the 1956-57 season until late in the 1964-65 seasons. Those bookending losing streaks lasted at least five games.
THESE EIGHT ARE ENOUGH
With Monday’s loss, the Dutchmen dropped to 2-6 since their 4-0 start. Not surprisingly, that’s the Dutchmen’s worst eight-game stretch since they went 1-7 from Jan. 5 through Jan. 28, 2017. That stretch included the final five losses in the six-game losing streak, a win over Northeastern and then back-to-back losses to Drexel and Elon.
FIT TO BE TIED (again)
The Dutchmen were tied at the half for the second straight game Monday, when they headed into the locker room knotted at 39-39. They were tied 30-30 with UMass at halftime of a 71-56 loss on Dec. 11. The Dutchmen lost just two games in which they were tied at the half in the previous six seasons combined. Of course, they were only tied at the half five times in that span, going 2-0 in such games in 2021-22, 0-1 in 2020-21 and 1-1 in 2016-17.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE
The Dutchmen allowed South Florida to collect 18 offensive rebounds Monday night. It was the eight straight game in which an opponent had at least 10 offensive rebounds — the longest such streak since eight straight opponents had at least 10 offensive rebounds against the Dutchmen from Nov. 18-Dec. 12, 2006. The Dutchmen were 6-2 in those eight games.
WELCOME BACK
Aaron Estrada returned from his two-game injury absence and promptly led all players in scoring with 21 points. It was the sixth 20-point game of the season for Estrada and his 22nd game with at least 20 points since arriving at Hofstra last year. That already ties Estrada with Jalen Ray the fifth-most 20-point games by a Hofstra player since the start of the 2010-11 season.
D-STONE’S FAST START
Darlinstone Dubar scored 12 points in the first half Monday. It was his largest first-half output since he scored all 12 of his points in the first half of a 78-72 loss to UNC Wilmington on Jan. 29.
D-STONE FROM DEEP
Darlinstone Dubar tied a career high Monday by draining three 3-pointers. It was the fifth time Dubar has hit three 3-pointers in a game. He also had a trio of 3-pointers against Iona on Nov. 11 as well as last season against James Madison on Jan, 9, against Monmouth last Dec. 22 (that’s a year ago today!) and against Duquesne on Nov. 13, 2021.
FIVE DIMES FOR CARLOS
Jaquan Carlos finished with five assists Monday night. It was the fourth time this season and the fifth time in his career he’s finished with at least five assists. Carlos had a career-high seven assists against Iona on Nov. 11, collected six assists apiece against George Washington on Nov. 14 and against Purdue on Dec. 7 and five assists against Molloy on Nov. 24, 2021.
FIVE FOULS FOR WILLIAMS
Warren Williams fouled out in just 13 minutes Monday, when he finished with two points and four rebounds. He was the second player this season to foul out in 15 minutes or fewer. Fellow big man Nelson Boachie-Yiadom fouled out in 10 minutes against Princeton on Nov. 7.
OVER THE AIR
This morning’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required). Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
OLD WESTBURY AND HOFSTRA VS. NON-DIVISION I FOES
Old Westbury (which some of you might now as SUNY College at Old Westbury or just SUNY Old Westbury) is a Division III school located in, well, Old Westbury. The Panthers play their home games at Farmingdale State College and compete in the Skyline Conference.
Their head coach is Hofstra alum Bernard Tomlin, a 1976 graduate who capped his career by leading the Flying Dutchmen (who really were the Flying Dutchmen back then!) to their first NCAA Tournament as a Division I program. Tomlin also coached Stony Brook from the 1991-92 through 1998-99 seasons, back during Stony Brook’s Division II and Division III days, and was among the finalists for the job following the 1993-94 season, when some guy named Jay Wright emerged from the pack.
Old Westbury is 1-7 after an 83-61 non-league loss to The City College of New York on Monday night. The Panthers are 1-1 in Skyline Conference play. Zachary Cummings is averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game but hasn’t played sine Dec. 4 while Carl Damour is averaging 10.1 points per game. Jordan Johnson-Rader leads Old Westbury with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Old Westbury was picked to finish seventh in the 12-team Skyline Conference.
The Flying Dutchmen have won their last 22 games against non-Division I foes dating back to a 70-54 loss to Florida Southern during the 1988-89 seasons. This marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons the Dutchmen have played at least one non-Division I foe. There were no non-Division I games in 2020-21 due to the pandemic.
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 4-7-1 against the spread this season.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Dutchmen are playing at home today for the first time since beating George Washington 85-80 on Nov. 14. The 37-day gap between home games is the longest for the Dutchmen since 1996-97, when a team led by freshman Speedy Claxton went 40 days between beating Stony Brook (and head coach Bernard Tomlin!) 55-42 in the season opener on Nov. 22 and defeating Vermont 80-66 on Jan. 2. The Dutchmen played nine games in between home contests then, just like they did now.
EARLY BIRDS
With hundreds of local students expected to be in attendance, the Dutchmen are tipping off at 11:30 AM today. It’s the earliest start for the Dutchmen since an 11 AM tipoff against Delaware in a CAA tournament quarterfinal game on Mar. 7, 2021, when quarterfinal Sunday started an hour earlier to allow for extra time to clear the arena in between games. The Dutchmen last played a regular season game in the morning on Nov. 21, 2010, when they opposed Nebraska at 10:30 AM in the final game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Bernard Tomlin also went to Hofstra bias! (See above)
Kool Moe Dee bias! (The rapper graduated from Old Westbury)
Predator bias! (Old Westbury graduate John McTiernan directed the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic)
This shouldn’t be this hard bias! (Please, for the love of all that is holy)
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