Not pictured: Anyone in the band Extreme on a summer day in 1991. Nor the very nice woman who took this picture and had no idea what I was talking about when I explained why I was posing at 551 Tremont Street.
The first-ever #Redundant battle of Long Island in CAA play went decidedly in favor of the 516 area code Saturday afternoon, when the Aaron Estrada-less Flying Dutchmen extended their winning streak to five games with a 79-58 victory over Stony Brook. The Dutchmen will look to maintain their share of first place tonight, when they visit Northeastern to take on the Huskies for the first time this season. Barone Bowl, Brodsky! #Alliteration Here’s a look back at the win over the Seawolves and a look ahead to the Huskies.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
With Aaron Estrada (stomach illness) sidelined, Tyler Thomas seamlessly slid into the Batman role as he posted a double-double with a season-high 29 points and 11 rebounds as the Dutchmen never trailed in beating Stony Brook. Thomas scored 12 points in a game-opening 14-6 run before the Seawolves inched back and tied the score twice, the last time at 22-22. Stony Brook got within one point twice more before German Plotnikov scored seven straight points to start a half-ending 13-2 run that extended the Dutchmen’s lead to 41-29. The Dutchmen opened the second half by missing their first four shots while Stony Brook went on an 8-0 run, but Plotnikov hit a jumper out of a timeout to start a 7-0 run for the Dutchmen, who led by at least seven the rest of the way and outscored the Seawolves 27-13 NICE FOOTBALL SCORE over the final 12 minutes. Thomas finished 13-of-17 from the field and added three assists and one steal. Jaquan Carlos made it two double-doubles with one of the quirkiest double-doubles ever — a 10-assist, 10-rebound performance in which he scored four points and went 0-for-8 from the field. Plotnikov, Bryce Washington and Warren Williams all added 14 points apiece
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Stony Brook, 2/4)
3: Tyler Thomas
2: German Plotnikov
1: Jaquan Carlos
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 48
Tyler Thomas 34
Darlinstone Dubar 24
Jaquan Carlos 17
Warren Williams 10
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 7
Amar’e Marshall 6
German Plotnikov 2
Bryce Washington 1
Griffin Barrouk 1
German Plotnikov makes his 3 Stars of the Game debut and that’s a record 10 players with at least one star in the I’ll Be Quirky era!
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
No! Bummer. The streak of three straight unicorn score victories ends for the Dutchmen, who most recently earned a 79-58 win by beating Towson on Feb. 1, 2001.
The Dutchmen have recorded eight unicorn score victories this season after recording 11 unicorn score victories last season, no unicorn scores in 2020-21, 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. You may also know it as a “Scorigami,” a term popularized in the NFL.
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Tyler Thomas did it again and extended his all-time lead in Keith Hernandezes by hitting the tie-breaking jumper with 6:54 left in the first half that put the Dutchmen ahead for good at 24-22. It’s the second straight Keith Hernandez for Thomas, who also had consecutive Keith Hernandezes against Old Westbury and Delaware on Dec. 22-29. The first-half Keith Hernandez ended a streak of four straight second-half Keith Hernandezes for the Dutchmen.
Jaquan Carlos tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Princeton, 11/7/22 (1:11 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Iona, 11/11/22 (:35.2 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead layup vs. George Washington, 11/14/22 (5:09 left 2H)
German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. San Jose State. 11/17/22 (6:32 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. UNC Greensboro, 11/26/22 (14:56 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada go-ahead jumper vs. Quinnipiac, 11/27/22 (17:28 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Old Westbury, 12/22/22 (19:02 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Delaware, 12/29/22 (19:42 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Hampton, 1/5/23 (19:27 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking jumper vs. William & Mary, 1/7/23 (8:37 left 1H)
German Plotnikov tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Monmouth, 1/11/23 (7:50 left 1H)
Warren Williams tie-breaking nostalgic 3-pointer vs. Delaware 1/14/23 (14:28 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking jumper vs. UNC Wilmington, 1/19/23 (19:02 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Not Twitter Guy, 1/26/23 (14:03 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking jumper vs. Charleston, 1/28/23 (15:24 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Towson, 2/2/23 (:58.6 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Stony Brook, 2/4/23 (6:54 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas 7
Aaron Estrada 4
Darlinstone Dubar 2
German Plotnikov 2
Warren Williams 1
Jaquan Carlos 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-FIVE GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 17-8. This ties the 2022-23 team for the 18th-best record in school history through 25 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have been 17-8 through 25 games since 2015-16 and just the fourth time they’ve opened 16-8 in program history. Fun fact: The Dutchmen have been 16-8 and 17-8 in the same four seasons — 2022-23 as well as 1970-71, 1991-92 and 2015-16. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 25 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 14-11 (win in 25th game marked second win of six-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1976-77: 19-6 (win in 25th game marked fifth win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 19-6
2000-01: 21-4 (win in 25th game marked 13th win in program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 18-7 (most recent 18-7 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 18-7
2004-05: 18-7
2005-06: 20-5 (most recent 20-5 start)
2006-07: 19-6 (most recent 19-6 start)
2015-16: 17-8
2018-19: 21-4 (most recent 21-4 start)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 19-6
1961-62: 22-3 (best 25-game record in school history)
1962-63: 19-6 (eighth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 20-5
Some other notable 25-game records:
2021-22: 16-9 (most recent 16-9 start)
2017-18: 15-10 (most recent 15-10 start)
2016-17: 12-13 (most recent 12-13 start)
2013-14: 8-17 (most recent 8-17 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 6-19 (most recent 6-19 start, tied for worst 25-game record in school history)
2009-10: 12-13 (under .500 for the last time)
2007-08: 9-16 (most recent 9-16 start)
2001-02: 10-15 (only 10-15 start, loss in 25th game marked fourth loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1996-97: 11-14 (most recent 11-14 start)
1994-95: 8-17 (Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 6-19 (loss to ECC foe Chicago State started two-game losing streak heading into ECC Tournament, VBK’s last year)
1992-93: 8-17 (win over ECC foe Central Connecticut in 25th game gave Hofstra a sweep of the season series and the “ECC title”)
1991-92: 17-8 (win in 25th game was sixth in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 13-12 (most recent 13-12 start)
1987-88: 6-19 (final win of the season and of Dick Berg’s tenure)
1985-86: 14-11 (most recent 14-11 start)
1982-83: 18-7 (final win of season)
1981-82: 11-14 (loss in 25th game was final loss of eight-game losing streak)
1978-79: 8-17 (third loss of season-ending five-game losing streak)
1971-72: 11-14 (lost season finale and Paul Lynner’s final game as coach)
1970-71: 17-8 (win in 25th game was fourth win of season-ending five-game winning streak)
1969-70: 12-13 (under .500 for the last time)
1968-69: 12-13 (won season finale)
1967-68: 13-12 (won season finale)
1966-67: 12-13 (won season finale)
1960-61: 21-4 (lost season finale)
1956-57: 11-14 (final win of season)
1955-56: 21-4 (final win of season)
1952-53: 20-5 (final win of season)
1950-51: 15-10 (third win of six-game winning streak)
Hofstra has never been 25-0, 24-1, 23-2, 7-18, 5-20, 4-21, 3-22, 2-23, 1-24 or 0-25 through 25 games.
Eighteen seasons were completed in fewer than 25 games:
1936-37 (10-7)
1937-38 (10-4)
1938-39 (10-8)
1939-40 (12-9)
1940-41 (13-7)
1941-42 (15-6)
1942-43 (15-6)
1943-44 (7-12)
1944-45 (8-13)
1945-46 (12-7)
1947-48 (13-6)
1953-54 (15-9)
1957-58 (15-8)
1959-60 (23-1)
1972-73 (8-16)
1973-74 (8-16)
1974-75 (11-13)
2020-21 (13-10)
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55.
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 FIFTY-SEVEN
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 38-19 (.667) as head coach. That’s the second-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 57 games at the helm. These last four games mark the highest Claxton has been in the all-time game-to-game standings since he became head coach last season.
Paul Lynner 45-12 (.789, 57th game was the 27th game of his second season in 1963-64)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 38-19 (.667, 57th game was the 24th game of his second season in 2022-23)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 36-21 (.632, 57th game was the fifth game of his third season in 1957-58)
Mo Cassara 29-28 (.509, 57th game was the 24th game of his second season in 2011-12)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 27-30 (.474, 57th game was the 28th and final game of his second season in 1989-90)
Dick Berg 26-31 (.456, 57th game was the second game of his third season in 1982-83)
Joe Mihalich 25-32 (.439, 57th game was the 24th game of his second season in 2014-15)
Jay Wright 21-36 (.368, 57th game was the second game of his third season in 1996-97)
Roger Gaeckler 19-38 (.333, 57th game was the ninth game of his third season in 1974-75)
Tom Pecora 18-39 (.316, 57th game was the 25th game of his second season in 2002-03)
No movement after game no. 57, though this marks the last time Mo Cassara will have a record of better than .500. And once again Tom Pecora remains in last, probably never to emerge.
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 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.
WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
The Dutchmen never trailed last Saturday. It was their fifth wire-to-wire win of the season, all of which have happened in CAA play. The Dutchmen earned an 87-73 win over Delaware on Dec. 29 before leading wire-to-wire in a 67-51 win over Hampton on Jan. 5, an 86-62 win over Delaware on Jan. 14 and a 70-46 win over UNC Wilmington on Jan. 19.
WIRE-TO-WIRE WINS
The five wire-to-wire wins this season are the most for the Dutchmen since they had five wire-to-wire wins during the 2018-19 season.
FIRST STRIKE
With the win Saturday afternoon over new CAA member Stony Brook, the Dutchmen are now — depending on how you count Northeastern’s CAA debut — either 11-11 or 11-12 in their first game against a new league foe in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-present).
The Dutchmen fell to all three of their one-year-only East Coast Conference foes — Troy State, Chicago State and Northeastern Illinois — in 1993-94. I very likely came up with this stat just to mention the ECC. The Dutchmen were 2-4 in their first games new North Atlantic Conference opponents in 1994-95, with wins over Maine and Boston University and losses to New Hampshire, Northeastern, Vermont and Hartford.
The Dutchmen are now 9-4 in their first games against new league foes in the CAA. The Dutchmen went 3-3 in their first games against the CAA’s old guard in 2001-02 — with wins over Old Dominion, VCU and William & Mary and losses to UNC Wilmington, James Madison and George Mason — before earning a win over Georgia State and falling to new/old league foe Northeastern in 2005-06. The Dutchmen then beat Charleston in 2013-14 and Elon in 2014-15. That winning streak, however you define it, ended with the last-second loss to North Carolina A&T on Dec. 31. The Dutchmen bounced back with wins over Hampton on Jan. 5 and over Monmouth on Jan. 11 before beating Stony Brook.
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST
The Dutchmen improved to 6-0 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points and have won 38 straight games when surrendering fewer than 60 points. The Dutchmen last lost when giving up fewer than 60 points on Feb. 10, 2014, when they fell to James Madison, 59-53.
FANTASTIC FIVE TIMES FIVE
The Dutchmen extended a pair of impressive streaks by earning their fifth straight win on Saturday. This is the fifth straight season in which the Dutchmen have posted at least one winning streak of five games or longer in CAA play, which is by far the longest streak in the league. Only Towson has two a five-game CAA winning streak in each of the last two seasons, though UNC Wilmington, which had a nine-game winning streak and a five-game winning streak in league play last season, enters tonight’s game against Charleston with a four-game winning streak.
In addition, the Dutchmen have posted six CAA winning streaks of at least five games since the 2013-14 season, the first in the Joe Mihalich/Mike Farrelly/Speedy Claxton era. That’s tied with Charleston for the second-most such streaks over the last 10 seasons behind only Towson (seven).
TYLER THOMAS’ DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Alliteration! Tyler Thomas recorded his first double-double for the Dutchmen on Saturday, when he finished with a team-high 29 points and 11 rebounds. It was the third double-double this season by a Dutchmen player — though Thomas would have company soon, as you’ll read shortly! — and the first since Warren Williams had 11 points and 14 rebounds against Division III Old Westbury on Dec. 22. The double-double was the second of Thomas’ career and his first since he collected 24 points and 11 rebounds for Sacred Heart against La Salle on Nov. 9, 2021.
TYLER THOMAS’ TORRID START
Almost alliteration! With Aaron Estrada sidelined by a stomach illness, Tyler Thomas opened the game red-hot Saturday, when he scored 12 of the Dutchmen’s first 14 points over the first 5:34. It was the fastest a Hofstra player has reached double figures since Estrada scored 11 points in the first 4:30 of a 78-66 loss to Towson on Jan. 11, 2022.
JAQUAN’S QUIRKY DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Have you ever seen an assists-rebounds double-double? You have now! Jaquan Carlos posted a unique double-double by finishing with 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a game in which he scored four points — all from the free throw line — and went 0-for-8 from the field. As far as I can tell, it’s only the second time since 1988-89 — as far back as my game-by-game records go at home — that a Hofstra player had at least 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a game. Juan’ya Green, of course, did that in the only triple-double in program history on Dec. 28, 2014, when he finished with 15 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds n an 88-62 win over Long Island University. Per Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov, Carlos is the first player this season to have an assists-rebounds double-double against a Division I foe and just the sixth to do so since the start of last season. One of the other five: Towson’s Cam Holden, who had 10 assists, 11 rebounds and seven points against Kent State on Dec. 6, 2021.
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE FUN
Tyler Thomas and Jaquan Carlos became the first pair of teammates to record double-doubles in the same game for the Dutchmen since Dec. 18, 2021, when Aaron Estrada (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Abayomi Iyiola (18 points, 14 rebounds) combined to achieve the feat in the milestone 89-81 win over then-no. 19 Arkansas.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas’ strong season continued Saturday, when, as you know by now, he finished with 29 points and went 3-of-5 from 3-point land. It was the second straight 20-point game for Thomas and the seventh time this season he’s scored at least 20 points. He has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 CAA games and 19 of 25 games overall. In addition, he has at least three 3-pointers in 11 games this season.
CARLOS CAN-DO
Not surprisingly, Jaquan Carlos set a career-high with his 10 rebounds Saturday, easily surpassing the seven rebounds he pulled down against Delaware on Dec. 29 and against Hampton on Jan. 5. The 10 assists were the second-most Carlos has collected in a game and his most against a Division I opponent. He had 13 assists against Division III Old Westbury on Dec. 22.
PLOTNIKOV ON POINT
German Plotnikov, who’d been limited to three points over 25 minutes in his previous three games combined, had his best game of the season Saturday, when he scored a career-high 14 points and keyed the decisive runs in each half. Plotnikov collected the first seven points of a 13-2 run to end the first half and hit the jumper that opened a 7-0 run after Stony Brook pulled within four points early in the second half. The double-digit scoring effort was the third of the season for Plotnikov and his first since he scored 12 points against San Jose State on Nov. 17.
WARREN OFF THE BENCH
Warren Williams continued emerging as the Dutchmen/s most-used big man Saturday, when he scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds while finishing with three assists and two blocks for the second straight game. Williams went 6-of-7 from the field as he tied a season-high for field goals made, set three times previously. He has scored in double figures six times in 12 CAA games and eight times in 20 games overall. In addition, Williams has played 20 or more minutes six times in CAA action and eight times overall.
BENCH BRIGADE
German Plotnikov (14 points) and Warren Williams (14 points) became the second consecutive set of reserves to score in double figures. Williams (10 points) and Bryce Washington (12 points) did so in the 76-72 win over Towson last Thursday. This is the first time since way back on Dec. 23-28, 2013 — Joe Mihalich’s 10th and 11th games at the helm! — that the Dutchmen have had two players score in double figures off the bench in consecutive games. Chris Jenkins and Dion Nesmith had 11 points apiece against Siena while Nesmith scored 17 points and Darren Payen added 10 points against George Washington. The Dutchmen have had two reserves score in double figures in three games this season — Williams (12 points) and Griffin Barrouk (11 points) did so in a 71-56 loss to Massachusetts on Dec. 11 — which is tied with the 2021-22 season and the 2013-14 season for the most such games over the last 10 seasons.
BRYCE’S BUCKETS BACK-TO-BACK
Bryce Washington, pressed into the starting lineup with Aaron Estrada sidelined, set season-highs by scoring 14 points in 35 minutes. Washington, who started for the first time since the season opener against Princeton on Nov. 7, last scored double figures in back-to-back games way on Feb. 26-Mar. 5, 2022, when he had 13 points for Pennsylvania against Dartmouth and 10 points against Princeton. The 35 minutes Washington played Saturday were his most since he played 37 minutes against Princeton on Mar. 5. And the 14 points Saturday were the most for Washington since Feb. 8, 2019 — four years ago today! — when he had 20 points for Pennsylvania against Brown.
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
Tyler Thomas joined a pretty good club of Hofstra players Monday when he was named the CAA’s Player of the Week after scoring 49 points and pulling down 13 points in a pair of wins over Towson and Stony Brook. Thomas is the 13th different Hofstra player to win Player of the Week honors since the start of the 2013-14 season, the beginning of the Joe Mihalich/Mike Farrelly/Speedy Claxton era. That breaks a tie with Delaware for the most such honorees over the last 10 years. In addition, Thomas’ award marks the 43rd time a Hofstra player has earned Player of the Week honors since 2013-14. That’s by far the most in the league and almost double the number of honors earned by Charleston and Northeastern (23 apiece). Here’s the list of Hofstra honorees and the number of Player of the Week honors earned:
Justin Wright-Foreman (12)
Aaron Estrada (8)
Juan’ya Green (6)
Desure Buie (4)
Eli Pemberton (3)
Ameen Tanksley (2)
Rokas Gustys (2)
Jalen Ray (2)
Zeke Upshaw (1)
Brian Bernardi (1)
Isaac Kante (1)
Tareq Coburn (1)
Zach Cooks (1)
Tyler Thomas (1)
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game will be carried live on CBS Sports Network, which is channel 215 in the Optimum/Altice Are Our Overlords Universe. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
The Huskies, under 17th-year head coach Bill Coen, are 8-14 overall and 4-7 in the CAA after falling to Elon, 74-73, on Saturday. The loss was the fourth straight for Northeastern, which has lost its last two games by a combined four points.
The Dutchmen and Huskies had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen beat Princeton, 83-77, in the season opener Nov. 7 while the Huskies fell to the Tigers, 56-54, on Nov. 26. In CAA play, both teams beat Hampton. The Dutchmen beat Stony Brook and swept Delaware, both of whom split with Northeastern, and also beat William & Mary, Charleston and Elon while splitting with Towson, all of whom defeated Northeastern. The Huskies beat North Carolina A&T, who beat Hofstra.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish second in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 99th at KenPom.com. The Huskies, who were picked to finish sixth, are ranked 282nd.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (113.9 points per 100 possessions) and third in conference-only defensive efficiency (97.2 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.6 possessions per 40 minutes, the sixth-most in the league. An Iron Maiden reference should go here. The Huskies rank sixth in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (103.2 points per 100 possessions) and ninth in defensive efficiency (106.6 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 67.1 possessions per 40 minutes, fourth-most in the league.
Junior guard Jahmyl Telfort, who was named to the preseason all-CAA second team, leads the Huskies with 16.0 points per game while ranking second in both rebounding (4.6 rebounds per game) and assists (2.3 assist per game). Junior forward Coleman Stucke ranks second on the Huskies with 10.0 points per game while redshirt senior forward Chris Doherty, a Notre Dame transfer who was a preseason all-CAA honorable mention selection, ranks third in scoring at 9.8 points per game and leads Northeastern with 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Redshirt junior guard Joe Pridgen, who played the 2020-21 season at UNC Wilmington before sitting out last season because he transferred within the league, is averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game but has missed two of the last four games.
KenPom.com predicts a 75-68 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 6 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 13-9-2 against the spread this season after covering for the fifth straight game Saturday afternoon. They’re winning everywhere!
THE CAA RACE
While there’s still two-and-a-half weeks left in the regular season, tonight could be a pivotal evening in the race for the regular season championship. An hour after Hofstra (10-2 CAA) tips off with Northeastern, Charleston (10-2 CAA) and UNC Wilmington (9-3 CAA) begin battling in their rematch in South Carolina. Hofstra holds the tiebreaker over both Charleston and UNC Wilmington via a pair of head-to-head wins (viva la unbalanced schedule!) while Charleston has the tiebreaker over UNC Wilmington at the moment by virtue of its 71-69 win at Trask Coliseum on Jan. 11. Fourth-place Towson (8-3 CAA), the only other team with a realistic chance at the regular season title, is slated to host Hampton tonight.
ALL-TIME VS. NORTHEASTERN
Hofstra is 28-25 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 swept the season series for the second time in three years last season, when they cruised to a 72-50 win over Northeastern in Boston on Jan. 22 and then scored the final 11 points to stun the Huskies 76-73 on Joe Mihalich Day at the Arena on Feb. 19.
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).
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, 15-14, though Hofstra regained possession of the trophy with last year’s sweep. It was the first time Hofstra grabbed the trophy back since the Dutchmen swept the 2019-20 regular season series and beat the Huskies in the CAA championship game to begin their march to the Final Four. What? 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!
THE BARONE BOWL, SPONSORED BY BARBASOL
Not really, but Brodsky and I are always open to talking sponsorship deals! Twenty of the 37 games Hofstra and Northeastern have played since 2005-06 — when the Huskies joined the CAA — have been decided by six points or fewer or in overtime, including six of the last 12. And two of the six recent games that were decided by a wider margin were the last two CAA title games, both of which were tight contests well into the second half. Included in this current stretch of close finishes are a pair of buzzer-beating wins for the Dutchmen, who beat Northeastern 75-72 on Justin Wright-Foreman’s running 35-footer on Jan. 5, 2019 and 74-72 on Eli Pemberton’s layup on Jan. 9, 2020.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
You have the Beanpot, let us have this bias! (The Northeastern men’s hockey team advanced to the Beanpot finals with a win over Boston University on Monday and will be seeking their fourth title since 2018 next Monday, when the Huskies oppose Harvard)
Matthews Arena is sort of close to where Extreme shot the “Hole Hearted” video bias! (As I found out during my day trip to Northeastern for the Charleston game)
How could you trade Mookie Betts and let Xander Bogaerts walk for nothing bias? (The Red Sox are not a well-run team)
Snowy may have forgiven you by now Maxime Boursiquot bias! (Fond last moments before the pandemic memories)
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