A once-promising season continued to go sideways for the Flying Dutchmen on Saturday afternoon, when they followed a familiar plot — fall behind by double digits in the first half, take a second-half lead and go ice-cold down the stretch — in a 69-68 loss to Campbell. Not nice, not nice at all. The Dutchmen, mired in their worst four-game CAA start and under .500 after December for the first time since 2017, will again attempt to begin climbing out of the hole tonight, when they host Hampton in the HU vs. HU battle. Here’s a look back at the loss to the Fighting Camels (still a cool nickname) and a look ahead to the Pirates.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Darlinstone Dubar (21 points, 14 rebounds) posted another double-double and Tyler Thomas scored 23 points, but they combined to miss five shots in a game-ending 0-for-8 drought for the gassed Dutchmen, Campbell, which entered the game ranked no. 321 at KenPom.com, scored 10 unanswered points to begin a 18-7 run that ended with Laurynas Vaistaras sinking a 3-pointer to put the Fighting Camels ahead 35-20 with 3:20 left. The Dutchmen scored the last eight points of the half to begin a 39-19 run in which Thomas had 14 points, including a 3-pointer that capped the surge and extended the lead to 59-54 with 10:30 remaining. Campbell answered with an 8-3 run before Dubar and Thomas combined for a 6-1 run, but Thomas’ layup with 3:58 provided the final points for the Dutchmen, who clung to a 69-68 lead when the teams combined for five empty trips over a span of more than two minutes. Anthony Dell’Orso scored the game-winning points on a layup with 54 seconds for Campbell and Thomas sandwiched three missed shots around a turnovers by the Fighting Camels. Dell’Orso missed the front end of a one-and-one with 11 seconds left and the Dutchmen called timeout with 3.6 seconds left. Jaquan Carlos in-bounded the ball to Jacco Fritz, who handed it off to the slumping Carlos, who missed an off-balance floater at the buzzer. Carlos finished 1-of-12 from the field, including 0-for-6 inside the 3-point line. Dubar posted his fifth double-double of the season while Thomas added a team-high five assists and finished with four rebounds. With Carlos struggling, KiJan Robinson played 23 minutes and scored nine points. Fritz had nine points and five rebounds.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Campbell, 1/13)
3: Darlinstone Dubar
2: Tyler Thomas
1: KiJan Robinson
SEASON STANDINGS
Tyler Thomas 36
Darlinstone Dubar 35
Jaquan Carlos 17
Jacco Fritz 8
Bryce Washington 3
KiJan Robinson 2
Silas Sunday 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER SEVENTEEN GAMES
With Saturday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 8-9. This ties the 2023-24 team for the 48th-best record in school history through 17 games. Or, if you were a negative Nelly, you could also say it’s tied for the 27th-worst record in school history through 17 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 8-9 since 1990-91 — once again, my senior year of high school, can we please stop conjuring up those memories! — and the ninth time overall in school history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 17 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 9-8
1976-77: 12-5
1999-2000: 12-5
2000-01: 13-4 (marked fifth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 12-5 (most recent 12-5 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 11-6
2004-05: 11-6
2005-06: 13-4
2006-07: 12-5
2015-16: 12-5
2018-19: 14-3 (most recent 14-3 start, win in 17th game marked 11th win in the 16-game winning streak)
2022-23: 10-7 (most recent 10-7 start)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 12-5
1961-62: 15-2 (loss in 17th game snapped 14-game winning streak, most recent 15-2 start)
1962-63: 11-6
1963-64: 14-3
Some other notable 17-game starts:
2020-21: 11-6 (most recent 11-6 start)
2016-17: 9-8 (most recent 9-8 start, last time over .500)
2014-15: 13-4 (most recent 13-4 start)
2013-14: 6-11 (most recent 6-11 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-12 (most recent 5-12 start)
2008-09: 10-6 (most recent 10-6 start)
2007-08: 4-13 (most recent 4-13 start)
2003-04: 7-10 (most recent 7-10 start)
1994-95: 3-14 (most recent 3-14 start, Jay Wright’s first team)
1993-94: 2-15 (only 2-15 start, worst 17-game start in school history, VBK’s last team)
1987-88: 4-13 (loss in 17th game was seventh loss of program-record 13-game losing streak)
1985-86: 8-9 (last time under .500)
1964-65: 9-8 (last time over .500)
1959-60: 16-1 (most recent 16-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 17th game was sixth win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1957-58: 13-4 (loss in 17th game snapped 10-game winning streak)
1939-40: 9-8 (over .500 for good)
1936-37: 7-10 (season complete)
Hofstra has never been 17-0, 1-16 or 0-17 through 17 games.
Quirky quirkiness: With 8-9 now having been achieved, the only other 17-game record combinations the Dutchmen haven’t experienced this century aside from the above-mentioned records are are 3-14 and 2-15. See? Things can be worse!
One season was completed in fewer than 17 games:
1937-38 (10-4)
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43.
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 EIGHTY-FOUR
With Saturday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 54-30 (.643) as head coach. That’s the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 83 games at the helm.
Paul Lynner 57-27 (.679, 84th game was the 25th and final game of his third season in 1964-65)
Frank Reilly 56-28 (.667, 84th game was the 13th game of his fourth season in 1950-51)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 54-30 (.643, 84th game was the 17th game of his third season in 2023-24)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 53-31 (.631, 84th game was the ninth game of his fourth season in 1957-58)
Dick Berg 44-40 (.524, 84th game was the second game of his fourth season in 1982-83)
Joe Mihalich 42-42 (.500, 84th game was the 17th game of his third season in 2015-16)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 41-43 (.488, 84th game was the 27th game of his third season in 1990-91)
Mo Cassara 36-48 (.429, 84th game was the 19th game of his third season in 2012-13)
Roger Gaeckler 33-51 (.393, 84th game was the 12th game of his fourth season in 1975-76)
Jay Wright 32-52 (.381, 84th game was the second game of his fourth season in 1996-97)
Tom Pecora 30-54 (.357, 84th game was the 23rd game of his third season in 2003-04)
This was a double milestone game for Joe Mihalich, who moved to .500 for the first time since he was 1-1 and moves ahead of Butch van Breda Kolff, almost surely for good.
The records are incomplete for Jack McDonald’s first stint from 1936 through 1943 as well as the tenure of Jack Smith (1943-46). But not Frank Reilly (1947-55) anymore!
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.
1-3 IS GOOD IN BASEBALL, BUT…
Good news: It’s been seven years since the Dutchmen were in the position they’re in now. Bad news: The Dutchmen are in the position they’re in now.
With Saturday’s loss to Campbell, the Dutchmen fell to 1-3 in the CAA and 8-9 overall. The 1-3 CAA start is the worst for the Dutchmen since 2016-17, which was also the previous season in which they slipped under .500 after December 31. That team was 9-8 after the 1-3 CAA start, which turned into a 1-6 CAA start and (does the math) an overall record of 9-11. The Dutchmen got within one game of .500 four times but never climbed back to the break-even mark. Of course, that team was figuring out what it had in Justin Wright-Foreman in the post-Juan’ya Green era rand what it didn’t have in Rokas Gustys in the post-Juan’ya Green era. This team…not so much.
Anyway, entering this season, the Dutchmen and Delaware were the only CAA teams to start 2-2 or better in each of the last six seasons. The Blue Hens lost their first six league games in Martin Inglesby’s first season but ended the Dutchmen’s season in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament. Yeah well the Dutchmen’s only win this season is against Delaware so take that you future Conference USA jerks!
The stretch of six straight seasons in which the Dutchmen never slipped under .500 after Dec. 31 is the program’s longest streak since Buch van Breda Kolff and Paul Lynner combined for seven straight such seasons #alliteration from the 1957-58 through the 1963-64 campaigns. Well it would have been nice to match that feat.
THE DUTCHMEN AND 1-3 STARTS IN THE CAA
The 1-3 start marks just the fifth time the Dutchmen have opened 1-3 or worse through four games since joining the CAA in 2001-02. The precedent…isn’t good.
2002-03: finished 6-12 and ninth in a 10-team CAA after opening 1-3
2007-08: finished 8-10 and eighth in a 12-team CAA after opening 1-3
2011-12: finished 3-15 and 11th in a 12-team CAA after opening 0-4
2016-17: finished 7-11 and eighth in a 10-team CAA after opening 1-3
The only season in which the Dutchmen opened 1-3 or worse in CAA play and won a tournament game was 2002-03, when they beat William & Mary 74-64 in a first-round game. To be fair, it should be noted that was the season in which Rick Apodaca and Wendell Gibson were each suspended for the first 14 games.
8-9 IS SOMETIMES GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN THE NFC SOUTH, BUT…
With Saturday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell out of a pretty select club. Entering this season, the Dutchmen were one of just 12 true mid-majors — defined by me as anyone outside the power six conference, the American Athletic Conference and Gonzaga — to not fall under .500 after Dec. 31 in any of the preceding six seasons This was a pretty good list!
HOFSTRA
Alabama-Birmingham
Belmont
Brigham Young
Drake
Furman
Hawaii
Liberty
Saint Mary’s
San Diego State
UNC Greensboro
VCU
There’s last year’s NCAA and NIT runner-ups in there! Plus our pals at VCU. Good company. Oh well. This list now numbers just 10 schools, by the way, because Furman entered January at 6-7 and fell to 6-9 with a pair of losses to open Southern Conference play. Speaking of sixes and nines…
NOT A NICE SIX- OR NINE-GAME STRETCH
The Dutchmen have lost five of their last six games and are 2-7 since opening the season 6-2. Not surprisingly, these are the worst six- and nine-game stretches since the 2016-17 season, when they lost six straight games from Jan. 2-19 — the longest losing streak of the Joe Mihalich Era — and went 1-8 from Jan. 2-28. All of this is to say it’s been pretty good lately, but this still isn’t a whole lot of fun.
THE 300s ARE GOOD IF YOU’RE A MAJOR LEAGUE HITTER, BUT…
The loss to Campbell marked just the eighth time since the 2011-12 season — the furthest back individual boxscores can be accessed at KenPom.com — that the Dutchmen have fallen to a team that entered the game ranked no. 300 or lower at KenPom.com. The Fighting Camels were ranked no. 321 entering Saturday. Here’s the full list, in case you’re a sicko like me.
11/8/13: Monmouth (no. 339) 88-84
1/2/14: Tulane (no. 304) 61-58
1/5/14: Fairleigh Dickinson (no. 315) 86-67
11/15/16: Sacred Heart (no. 328) 90-86
3/3/17: Delaware (no. 303) 81-76
11/6/19: San Jose State (no. 332) 79-71
12/29/21: William & Mary (no. 342) 63-62
1/13/24: Campbell (no. 321) 69-68
Well, the season turned out pretty good after the San Jose State loss. Until, well, you know.
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK (because it wasn’t)
The Dutchmen overcame a double-digit deficit to take a second half lead only to eventually lose for the second straight game Saturday. Last Thursday, the Dutchmen trailed Northeastern by 21 points in the first half and came back to take a trio of one-point leads in the second half before falling to the Huskies 71-68.
This marks the first time the Dutchmen have overcome double-digit deficits to take the lead in consecutive losses since — and this probably won’t surprise you! — Jan. 26-28, 2017. The Dutchmen, in order, trailed Drexel by 15 points and later led by three points in an eventual 81-80 overtime loss before trailing Elon by 11 points and later taking a four-point lead in an 84-70 defeat. I have no idea how far back I’d have to look to find three straight such games so let’s try not to find that out.
TEAM BARBASOL (is cutting itself shaving?)
As noted above, the Dutchmen lost a second straight game by three points or fewer Saturday. This marks the first time the Dutchmen have dropped two consecutive games by three points or fewer since Jan. 18-23, 2020, when they fell to Charleston 69-67 before losing to Delaware 73-71. Again, that season turned out pretty good after that, until, of course, you know.
A LOST FIRST IMPRESSION
With the loss Saturday to new CAA member Campbell, the Dutchmen are now — depending on how you count Northeastern’s CAA debut — either 11-12 or 11-13 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 9-5 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 before the Dutchmen bounced back with wins in their first league clashes with Hampton, Monmouth and Stony Brook.
OPENING WITH ONE
I’d probably note this anyway because I’m quirky like that, but this reminds me of when the Dutchmen used to shoot free throws. The Dutchmen rank next-to-last in the nation in free throw rate at KenPom.com after ranking last in free throw rate last season. I guess they’ll lead the nation by 2384?
Anyway, Darlinstone Dubar opened the scoring Saturday by splitting a pair of free throws 24 seconds into the game. It’s the second time this season Dubar has hit a free throw for the Dutchmen’s first point — he also did so after Wright State scored the first six points in an eventual 85-76 win for the Dutchmen on Nov. 21 — and the first time the Dutchmen have scored the game’s first point via a free throw since Feb. 26, 2022, when Jalen Ray hit three free throws to begin an 83-67 win over William & Mary.
D-STONE DEALING
Darlinstone Dubar continued his impressive season Saturday, when he finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Dubar has scored in double figures in all 17 games this season, which is his longest single-season stretch of consecutive double-figure efforts, and in 19 straight games overall dating back to the 88-86 overtime win over Rutgers in the first round of the NIT on Mar. 14.
DUBAR MOVIN’ ON UP
Darlinstone Dubar moved into 39th place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list Thursday, when his 21 points increased his career total to 1,039 points and snapped a tie with John Irving while lifting him past James Shaffer. Dubar is seven points shy of moving past Percy Johnson into 39th place, 22 points away from surpassing Darius Burton for 1,045 points and 31 points away from moving ahead of Derrick Flowers.
35.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090
36.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
37.) Darius Burton 1,060
38.) Percy Johnson 1,045
39.) DARLINSTONE DUBAR 1,039
40.) James Shaffer 1,022
41.) John Irving 1,018
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR D-STONE
As you may have surmised by now, Darlinstone Dubar posted a double-double Saturday. The double-double is the fifth this season for Dubar and his first since he had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the 73-61 loss to Charleston on Jan. 4. All five of Dubar’s double-doubles this season have come in his last 11 games after he had just two double-doubles in his first 73 games at Hofstra.
TWENTY AGAIN IN TWENTY-FOUR FOR THOMAS
Tyler Thomas produced another 20-point game Saturday, when he finished with a team-high 23 points. Thomas has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games and in 25 of his his 52 games with the Dutchmen dating back to last season. He has scored in double figures in 40 of his last 42 games and 45 times overall in the last two seasons.
TYLER 1K?
With his 23 points on Saturday, the countdown to Tyler Thomas potentially recording his 1,000th point for Hofstra can officially begin. Thomas has 965 points at Hofstra, which means he needs *does the math, drops the remainder* 35 points to become the 42nd player in school history to score 1,000 points. He has scored at least 35 points twice in his college career, so you never know, tonight could be the night. Thomas scored 36 points for Sacred Heart against Merrimack on Jan. 7, 2021 and collected 40 points for the Dutchmen in the 97-92 overtime win over High Point on Nov. 22.
KIJAN CAN
With Jaquan Carlos struggling, KiJan Robinson saw 23 minutes at point guard Saturday and finished with nine points. The nine points are the most Robinson’s scored since he had a career-high 13 points in the 102-68 win over Buffalo on Nov. 14 while the 23 minutes mark his third-heaviest workload of his freshman season behind the 27 minutes he played in an 84-79 loss to St. John’s on Dec. 30 and the 24 minutes he played in a 71-69 loss to George Washington on Nov. 14.
FRITZ SHOPS AT THE FIVE-AND-DIME
Jacco Fritz finished with nine points and five rebounds while adding a team-high two steals Saturday. The Dutchmen fell to 5-2 this season when Fritz scores at least seven points.
PUTTIN’ ON THE FRITZ
Jacco Fritz scored his nine points while going 4-of-4 from the field. It was the third time this season Fritz has been perfect from the field. He was 4-of-4 in a 74-58 win over Norfolk State on Dec. 16 and 6-of-6 in a 76-71 win over Delaware on Jan. 6.
SEVEN WISHES
The idea of as Bryce Washington goes, so go the Dutchmen gained some traction Saturday, when Washington was held scoreless while collecting just one assist in 12 minutes. It marked the third time this season Washington hasn’t scored a point. The Dutchmen fell to 0-8 this season when Washington doesn’t score at least seven points.
COLD CARLOS
Is it time to worry about Jaquan Carlos? The Dutchmen’s point guard had a borderline historically cold shooting afternoon Saturday, when he was 1-of-12 from the field and finished with three points. Carlos is just the third Hofstra player since the 2010-11 season — the first season of the Play Index era at College Basketball Reference — to hit one field goal or fewer while taking at least 12 shots. Nathaniel Lester was 1-of-13 in a 62-60 loss to Florida Atlantic on Nov. 22, 2011 and Aaron Estrada finished 1-of-12 in a 68-65 win over Stony Brook on Feb. 18, 2023.
COUNTING DOWN?
Jaquan Carlos, who leads the CAA with 6.4 assists per game, set a season-low in assists for the second straight game Saturday, when he had two assists two days after finishing with three assists in a 71-68 loss to Northeastern. The two assists Saturday were the fewest for Carlos since he had two assists in a 79-73 overtime loss to UNC Wilmington in the CAA semifinals on Mar. 6, 2023.
GERMAN THE GLUE GUY?
German Plotnikov continued serving as the Dutchmen’s sixth man Saturday, when he had three points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in a season-high 28 minutes. Prior to Saturday, Plotnikov hadn’t played at least 28 minutes in a game since Nov. 30, 2022, when he played 32 minutes in the 81-77 overtime loss to George Mason (grrr).
OVER THE AIR
Today’s game will be carried live on Flo Hoops. For subscription options, click here. Hofstra will also provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING HAMPTON
The Pirates, under 15th-year head coach Edward Joyner Jr., are 4-13 overall and 0-5 in the CAA after falling to North Carolina A&T, 81-80. Camian Shell hit a runner with 1.2 seconds left to hand Hampton its eighth straight loss.
The Dutchmen and Pirates had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen beat Norfolk State 74-58 on Dec. 16 while Hampton fell to the Spartans 75-68 on Nov. 13. In CAA play, both teams have lost to Campbell while the Dutchmen beat Delaware, which defeated Hampton.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 124th at KenPom.com. The Pirates, who were picked to finish 13th, are ranked 347th.
With two weeks of league play in the books, we’ll start using the conference-only efficiency rankings at KenPom.com. According to said metrics, the Dutchmen rank 10th in the CAA in offensive efficiency (99.8 points per 100 possessions) and eighth in defensive efficiency (103.9 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 68.4 possessions per 40 minutes, the fifth-most in the league. There’s nothing fluky about this 1-3 start, kids. The Pirates rank last in the CAA in both offensive efficiency (94.7 points per 100 possessions) and defensive efficiency (119.3 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 69.3 possessions per 40 minutes, the second-most in the league.
Sophomore Kyrese Mullen leads the Pirates with 14.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Graduate student Tedrick Wilcox, who opened his career at Dominican College and played the previous two seasons at St. Francis (NY) before the school dropped sports, is averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Junior Jordan Nesbitt, a preseason all-CAA honorable mention selection who opened his career with a season apiece at Memphis and Saint Louis before transferring last season 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in nine games after missing the first eight games due to eligibility issues.
KenPom.com predicts an 83-64 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 18 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 6-10 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. HAMPTON
The Dutchmen are 2-0 all-time against Hampton after sweeping the season series in the Pirates’ CAA debut last season, when the Dutchmen led wire-to-wire in both a 67-51 win in Hampton and in a 73-43 victory at the Arena.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Oldest museum in Virginia bias! (Per Wikipedia, which is never wrong, that honor goes to Hampton University Museum)
Jerome Mathis bias! (The former All-Pro kick returner played at Hampton)
Not that Rashida Jones bias! (This Rashida Jones is the president of MSNBC)
Deron Powers is also an alumni of your school bias! (When someone has played for both the Dutchmen and their opponent, he gets used more than once here)
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