I'd like to post the whole clip but it's profane and angry even by Sunny standards. Which one of us will be Dennis tonight, Crain?
How was your Saturday? It probably didn’t go as well as it did for the Flying Dutchmen, who rode Jaquan Carlos’ historic afternoon to an 82-62 win over Northeastern before their bid for a double bye was aided by the unexpected duo of Hampton and Elon. The Dutchmen, again in control of their own destiny for the aforementioned double bye, will attempt to remain in the driver’s seat tonight, when the final homestand of the season continues with a pivotal rematch against Drexel. Here’s a look back at the win over the Huskies and a look ahead to the Dragons.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Jaquan Carlos shattered the school and CAA single-game record by racking up a whopping 19 assists as the Dutchmen rolled past Northeastern. The Dutchmen trailed just once — at 2-0 — and Carlos keyed the first-half rallies that quelled any hopes of a comeback by the Huskies. Carlos assisted on three straight 3-pointers during a 9-2 run in the middle of the half before doing it all in the final minute, when he fed Bryce Washington for a dunk off a steal before draining a desperation 30-foot 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with eight seconds left to give the Dutchmen a 41-30 lead at intermission. Northeastern pulled within eight points three times in the first 90 seconds of the second half before Carlos collected seven assists in a 23-11 run that extended the lead to 68-48 with 8:29 left. Carlos’ assist on Tyler Thomas’ 3-pointer ended the surge and gave him his 17th assist, breaking the school record set by Robbie Weingard on Jan. 19, 1984. He broke the record with almost 10 minutes left in the game! Carlos picked up his 18th assists just 67 seconds later to break the CAA record previously held by VCU’s Joey Rodriguez. The Dutchmen expanded the lead to as many as 29 before the teams emptied their benches. Carlos also led the Dutchmen with eight rebounds and added five points. Darlinstone Dubar scored 24 points while German Plotnikov tied a career-high with 20 points while going 7-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point land. Tyler Thomas added 18 points. Pretty good day when one of the nation’s leading scorers is adding 18 points.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Northeastern, 2/17)
3: Jaquan Carlos
2: German Plotnikov
1: Darlinstone Dubar
SEASON STANDINGS
Tyler Thomas 54
Darlinstone Dubar 48
Jaquan Carlos 28
Jacco Fritz 12
German Plotnikov 10
Bryce Washington 6
Silas Sunday 2
KiJan Robinson 2
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
No! And it didn’t take too long to find the previous 82-62 win, a lopsided victory over Binghamton on Dec. 17, 2011. Of course, that’s still 12-plus years ago, even if it feels like yesterday.
The Dutchmen have earned six unicorn score victories this season after recording 13 unicorn score victories last season, 11 unicorn score victories in 2021-22, no unicorn score victories in 2020-21, 13 unicorn score victories in 2019-20 and 10 unicorn score victories 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, whose previous Keith Hernandez was the latest Keith Hernandez on record, provided an appropriate bookend Saturday by hitting the layup that put the Dutchmen ahead for good at 4-2 with 18:08 left in the first half, It’s the earliest Keith Hernandez of the season for Thomas and the fourth-earliest Keith Hernandez of the season for the Dutchmen.
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead layup vs. St. Joseph’s (NY), 11/6/23 (14:30 left 1H)
Jaquan Carlos tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Buffalo, 11/20/23 (19:33 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking free throw vs. Wright State, 11/21/23 (4:16 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking jumper vs. High Point, 11/22/23 (4:47 left OT)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. South Florida, 11/30/23 (19:42 left 1H)
Jacco Fritz tie-breaking jumper vs. Iona, 12/6/23 (12:37 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Norfolk State, 12/16/23 (13:45 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Delaware, 1/6/24 (17:46 left 1H)
Bryce Washington go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Hampton, 1/18/24 (5:24 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead jumper vs. Stony Brook, 1/22/24 (6:52 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. William & Mary, 1/25/24 (19:47 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead jumper vs. Stony Brook, 2/1/24 (:0.4 left 2H)
Jacco Fritz tie-breaking layup vs. Towson, 2/3/24 (2:16 left 2H)
Silas Sunday tie-breaking layup vs. Hampton, 2/8/24 (3:48 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. North Carolina A&T, 2/10/24 (17:16 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking layup vs. Northeastern, 2/17/24 (18:08 left 1H)
SEASON STANDINGS
Darlinstone Dubar 6
Tyler Thomas 5
Jacco Fritz 2
Silas Sunday 1
Bryce Washington 1
Jaquan Carlos 1
ALL-TIME STANDINGS (or at least since last season)
Tyler Thomas 15
Darlinstone Dubar 11
Aaron Estrada 4
Warren Williams 3
Jacco Fritz 2
Jaquan Carlos 2
German Plotnikov 2
Silas Sunday 1
Bryce Washington 1
The Keith Hernandez is bestowed upon the player who scores the points that put the Dutchmen ahead for good in a victory. The stat pays homage to Hernandez, the World Series-winning Cardinals and Mets first baseman who had a record 129 game-winning RBIs when the stat was inexplicably discontinued after the 1988 season.
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-SEVEN GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 16-11. This ties the 2023-24 team for the 24th-best record in school history through 27 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 16-11 since 2017-18 and just the fourth time overall in school history. The Dutchmen were also 14-10 after 24 games, 15-10 after 25 games and 15-11 after 26 games for the fourth time overall and the first time since 2017-18. That’s pretty quirky! Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 27 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 16-11 (win in 27th game came in ECC Tournament opener and marked fourth win of six-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1976-77: 21-6 (win in 27th game came in ECC Tournament opener and marked seventh win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 21-6 (the 66-57 win over Drexel in 27th game gave the Dutchmen the outright America East regular season championship, most recent 21-6 start)
2000-01: 23-4 (win in 27th game capped regular season and marked 15th win in program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak, tied for best 27-game record)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 20-7 (most recent 20-7 start, win in 27th game was sixth win of eight-game winning streak)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 19-8 (first 19-8 start)
2004-05: 20-7 (win in 27th game came in regular season finale and was sixth win of seven-game winning streak)
2005-06: 22-5 (win in 27th game came in regular season finale)
2006-07: 19-8
2015-16: 19-8
2018-19: 22-5 (most recent 22-5 start)
2022-23: 19-8 (most recent 19-8 start, win in 27th game marked seventh win of 12-game winning streak that continued into the CAA Tournament)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 20-7 (season ended with third-round loss in NCAAs)
1961-62: 23-4 (won first-round NCAA game for final win of VBK’s first stint, tied for best 27-game record)
1962-63: 21-6 (win in NCAA opener was 10th win of 11-game winning streak, first 21-6 start)
1963-64: 22-5 (won NCAA opener, first 22-5 start)
Some other notable 27-game records:
2021-22: 18-9 (most recent 18-9 start)
2016-17: 13-14 (most recent 13-14 start)
2014-15: 17-10 (most recent 17-10 start)
2013-14: 8-19 (most recent 8-19 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 6-21 (most recent 6-21 start, tied for worst 27-game record in school history)
2009-10: 14-13 (most recent 14-13 start, over .500 for good)
2007-08: 11-16 (only 11-16 start)
2002-03: 7-20 (most recent 7-20 start, lost regular season finale)
2001-02: 10-17 (most recent 10-17 start, loss in 27th game marked sixth loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1996-97: 12-15 (most recent 12-15 start, season ended w/loss in NAC quarterfinals)
1995-96: 9-18 (most recent 9-18 start, season ended w/loss in NAC outbracket game)
1994-95: 10-17 (beat Maine in NAC outbracket game for final win, Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 7-20 (beat Chicago State to begin ECC Tournament run, VBK’s last year)
1992-93: 9-18 (lost season finale)
1991-92: 19-8 (103-87 win over UMBC in 27th game ended regular season, locked up no. 1 seed in ECC title game & was eighth win in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game, also the final 100-point game for Hofstra until 2010-11)
1990-91: 14-13 (lost regular season finale)
1989-90: 13-14 (won regular season finale)
1988-89: 13-14 (won regular season finale)
1987-88: 6-21 (season ended w/loss in ECC first round, tied for worst 27-game record in school history, final game for Dick Berg)
1986-87: 10-17 (lost regular season finale)
1985-86: 15-12 (only 15-12 start, won regular season finale)
1983-84: 14-13 (won regular season finale)
1982-83: 18-9 (season ended w/loss in ECC first round)
1980-81: 12-15 (season ended w/loss in ECC first round)
1979-80: 14-13 (final win of season, final win for Joe Harrington)
1978-79: 8-19 (lost season finale, final game for Roger Gaeckler)
1977-78: 8-19 (lost season finale)
1952-53: 20-7 (lost season finale, first 20-7 start)
Hofstra has never been 27-0, 26-1, 25-2, 24-3, 5-22, 4-23, 3-24, 2-25, 1-26 or 0-27 through 27 games.
Thirty-two seasons were completed in fewer than 27 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)
1948-49 (18-8)
1949-50 (17-9)
1953-54 (15-9)
1954-55 (19-7)
1955-56 (22-4)
1956-57 (11-15)
1957-58 (15-8)
1959-60 (23-1)
1960-61 (21-4)
1964-65 (11-14)
1965-66 (16-10)
1966-67 (12-13)
1967-68 (13-12)
1968-69 (12-13)
1969-70 (13-13)
1970-71 (18-8)
1971-72 (11-14)
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.
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 NINETY-FOUR
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 62-32 (.660) as head coach. That’s tied for the best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 93 games at the helm.
Paul Lynner 62-32 (.663, 94th game was the 10th game of his fourth season in 1965-66)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 62-32 (.652, 94th game was the 19th game of his fourth season in 1958-59)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 62-32 (.660, 94th game was the 27th game of his third season in 2023-24)
Frank Reilly 61-33 (.652, 94th game was the 23rd game of his fourth season in 1950-51)
Joe Mihalich 49-45 (.511, 94th game was the 27th game of his third season in 2015-16)
Dick Berg 47-47 (.511, 94th game was the 12th game of his fourth season in 1983-84)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 45-49 (.478, 94th game was the ninth game of his fourth season in 1991-92)
Roger Gaeckler 39-55 (.402, 94th game was the 22nd game of his fourth season in 1975-76)
Jay Wright 38-56 (.402, 94th game was the 12th game of his fourth season in 1997-98)
Tom Pecora 38-56 (.391, 94th game was the fourth game of his fourth season in 2004-05)
Mo Cassara 38-56 (.402, 94th game was the 29th game of his third season in 2012-13)
Speedy Claxton moves into a three-way tie through ‘X’ games for the second time in a five-game span, though the previous one was with Paul Lynner and Frank Reilly, the latter of whom lurks one game back here. Mo Cassara earns his final win with the Dutchmen to create a three-way tie for ninth/last place.
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!
Smith finished 27-32 in his three seasons. 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.
ALMOST A WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
The Dutchmen trailed just once last Saturday — at 2-0. It was the first win of the season in which the Dutchmen trailed after just one opponent’s basket*** and their first such victory since an 84-52 win over Northeastern last Feb. 25. The Huskies held a 21-20 lead with 6:36 left in the first half of that game.
***When the Dutchmen beat Delaware 76-71 on Jan. 6, they overcame a 3-0 deficit, but that comeback began with consecutive two-point baskets, so the Dutchmen trailed twice
SECOND HALF, JUST LIKE THE FIRST HALF (part one)
The Dutchmen, a famously second half team this season, scored 41 points in both halves Saturday. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have scored the same number of points in each half since Nov. 27, 2022, when they edged Quinnipiac 72-70 after a pair of *carries the two, drops the remainder* 36-point halves.
SECOND HALF, JUST LIKE THE FIRST HALF (part two)
In addition, Northeastern followed up a 30-point first half with a 32-point second half. That’s the closest the Dutchmen and an opponent have come to mirror halves (an expression I just made up!) since Jan. 7, 2023, when the Dutchmen beat William & Mary 75-62. In that game, the Dutchmen outscored the Tribe 37-31 in the first half and 38-31 in the second half. Quirky!
STILL A SECOND HALF TEAM
The even split between the first and second half Saturday marked just the fifth time in CAA play and the eighth time overall this season the Dutchmen haven’t scored more points in the second half than in the first half. The Dutchmen are averaging 40.0 points (technically 39.97) per second half (1,079 points overall) as opposed to averaging 34.4 points per first half (928 points overall). I’d have to imagine that’s one of the biggest discrepancies in Division I. (These figures don’t include the nine points the Dutchmen scored in overtime of the 97-92 win over High Point on Nov. 22)
DUBAR HOLDS STEADY
Darlinstone Dubar may have begun a new streak of double-digit scoring efforts Saturday, when he collected a team-high 24 points, but he remained in 27th place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list. This comes after Dubar scored nine points last Thursday but still gained two-and-a-half spots. It all evens out! Dubar has 1,217 points and is well-positioned to continue climbing tonight. He is three points shy of surpassing his former teammate Aaron Estrada for 26th place and four points away from moving past Demetrius Dudley and John Mills — who are tied for 24th place — as well as nine points away from leapfrogging Carlos Rivera for 23rd place and 24 points away from surging past Roberto Gittens for 22nd place.
22.) Roberto Gittens 1,240
23.) Carlos Rivera 1,225
24t.) Demetrius Dudley 1,220
24t.) John Mills 1,220
26.) Aaron Estrada 1,219
27.) DARLINSTONE DUBAR 1,217
28t.) Brian Bernardi 1,186
28t.) Juan’ya Green 1,186
This marks just the second game since Dubar joined the 1,000-point club on Jan. 6 that he hasn’t gained at least a half-spot on the all-time list.
THOMAS MOVIN’ ON UP TOO
Tyler Thomas, who joined Dubar in the 1,000-point club on Jan. 25, moved up the all-time Hofstra scoring list Saturday, when his 18 points increased his career total to 1,175 points and lifted him past Ted Jackson into 31st place. Thomas enters tonight 10 points away from moving past Rokas Gustys for 30th place and 12 points away from surging past Brian Bernardi and Juan’ya Green, who are tied for 28th place.
28t.) Brian Bernardi 1,186
28t.) Juan’ya Green 1,186
30.) Rokas Gustys 1,184
31.) TYLER THOMAS 1,175
32.) Ted Jackson 1,159
33.) Nathaniel Lester 1,139
34.) Wandy Williams 1,132
35.) Mike Moore 1,128
(This is the first time I’ve been tracking two 1,000-point scorers playing at the same time, which is sorta neat but also sorta depressing because in the NIL era the first time may be the last time, eat Arby’s)
GIVE CARLOS A HAND
Time to marvel at Jaquan Carlos’ historic game Saturday afternoon, when the Dutchmen’s point guard racked up a school- and CAA-record 19 assists. Carlos broke the school record held by Robbie Weingard, who had 16 assists in an 84-72 win over Bloomfield on Jan, 19, 1984. That was 1,233 games ago! The previous single-game high for a CAA in-conference game was also 16 assists, set by Richmond’s Greg Beckwith in an 85-72 loss to Navy on Feb. 25, 1986. The overall CAA single-game record was held by VCU’s Joey Rodriguez, who had 17 assists in a 101-86 win over UNC Greensboro on Nov. 12, 2010. The only CAA player to have more than 14 assists in a game in between Rodriguez and Carlos was…Hofstra’s Dwan McMillan, who had 15 assists in a 93-64 win over UNC Wilmington on Feb. 25, 2012.
HEY NINETEEN
The 19 assists for Jaquan Carlos were tied for the most in a Division I game this season (Morehead State’s Drew Thelwell had 19 assists against non-NCAA foe Alice Lloyd on Dec. 21) and the most by a player against a Division I foe since Markquis Nowell had 19 assists for Kansas State in a 98-93 overtime win over Michigan State in an East Regional semifinal last Mar. 23. Alas, none of those were to Carlos’ former teammate Abayomi Iyiola, who was scoreless for Kansas State in that game. Carlos’ 19 assists are tied for the fifth-most in a Division I game since the 2010-11 season, the start of the Play Index Era at College Basketball Reference.
SEVEN WISHES…
We all started to get an idea Jaquan Carlos was on his way to a special game when he had seven assists in the first half Saturday. As impressive as that was, it was the second game this month in which he had seven assists in a single half. Carlos collected seven assists in the second half of the 72-71 win over Stony Brook on Feb. 1. However…
…DOZEN DIMES
Jaquan Carlos got even hotter in the second half Saturday, when he (carries the one, drops the remainder) racked up 12 assists. Prior to Saturday, just eight Hofstra players since the 1994-95 season — as far back as my assists records go at home — had as many as 12 assists in a single game.
Dwan McMillan 15 assists vs. UNC Wilmington, 2/25/12
Juan’ya Green 14 assists vs. Northeastern (3 OT), 1/21/16
Jaquan Carlos 13 assists vs. Old Westbury, 12/22/22
Charles Jenkins 13 assists vs. James Madison (2 OT), 2/18/09
Speedy Claxton 13 assists vs Stony Brook, 11/27/99
Speedy Claxton 13 assists vs. New Hampshire, 2/20/98
Desure Buie 12 assists vs James Madison (OT), 2/23/19
Juan’ya Green 12 assists vs. Delaware, 2/13/16
Juan’ya Green 12 assists vs. William & Mary, 2/11/16
Gibran Washington 12 assists vs. St. John’s, 12/2/03
Speedy Claxton 12 assists vs, Northeastern, 1/28/00
Speedy Claxton 12 assists vs. Stony Brook, 12/20/97
Darius Burton 12 assists vs. Northeastern, 3/1/96
Darius Burton 12 assists vs. New Hampshire, 1/6/95
SEVEN-TEN SPLIT
Bowling reference! The big game Saturday marked the seventh time Jaquan Carlos has collected at least 10 assists in a game. That leaves him just three shy of Speedy Claxton’s total from 1996-2000 (and nine shy of Juan’ya Green’s two-year total from 2014-16).
CARLOS CRACKS HIS SLUMP
The 19-assist game for Jaquan Carlos served as an emphatic end to a slump for the point guard, who had just 11 assists in his previous four games combined following a 10-assist game against Stony Brook on Feb. 1.
HANDS AND BOARDS
Jaquan Carlos also led the Dutchmen with eight rebounds Saturday. He is the first Hofstra player to lead the team in assists and rebounds — but not scoring — since way back on Feb. 1, when Carlos had 10 assists and nine rebounds in a 72-71 win over Stony Brook.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov followed up a quiet game against Drexel by tying his career high with 20 points and four 3-pointers Saturday. It was the third time this month Plotnikov has broken or matched his career-high in scoring and 3-pointers. Plotnikov opened the month by scoring 17 points and going 4-of-5 from 3-point land in a 71-71 win over Stony Brook before he scored 20 points and went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the 81-49 win over North Carolina A&T on Feb. 10. Ironically, in that it’s coincidence, Plotnikov was also 4-of-5 from 3-point land on Saturday. The Dutchmen are now 8-2 with Plotnikov in the starting lineup.
ALL OR NOTHING
German Plotnikov continued his hot-and-cold season Saturday, when he was (checks notes again) 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Plotnikov, obviously, has 12 3-pointers in the three games in which he’s hit four 3-pointers — but just 13 3-pointers in his other 20 games combined. He missed four games from Nov. 30-Dec. 12 due to injury.
D-STONE’S BACK
Darlinstone Dubar, whose streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts ended at 27 games when he scored nine points in last Thursday’s 79-77 loss to Drexel, may have started a new streak Saturday, when he scored a game-high 24 points. The 20-point outing was the first for dubar since he had 21 points in an 81-78 loss to Monmouth on Jan. 27 and his 10th of the season. Dubar entered this season with just four 20-point games in the previous two years.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Once again, you know a game went well for the Dutchmen when an 18-point scorer doesn’t even earn one of the 3 Stars of the Game. Tyler Thomas continued his resurgence by scoring 18 points Saturday while going 6-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-8 from 3-point land, Thomas is 26-of-59 from beyond the arc over his last seven games after going just 18-of-78 from 3-point land in seven games from Jan. 4-25. He has scored in double figures in 49 of his last 51 games and 57 times overall in the last two seasons.
PUTTIN’ ON THE FRITZ
Jacco Fritz had his briefest stint of the CAA season Saturday, when he scored six points while playing just 12 minutes due to foul trouble. Fritz has scored at least six points in four straight games and 10 times in 14 CAA games overall. The 12 minutes were the fewest Fritz has played since he was limited to 10 minutes in the 97-92 overtime win over High Point on Nov. 22.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday continued his emergence Saturday, when he had had four points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. He has eight points and 22 rebounds in the last four games after recording just two points seven rebounds in the first 10 games of the CAA season.
BRYCE THE GLUE GUY
Bryce Washington continued chipping in off the bench Saturday, when he scored five points and hit both of his field goal attempts in 15 minutes. Washington has scored in all but one of the games he’s played since swapping roles with German Plotnikov. The Dutchmen are now 4-9 when Washington scores fewer than seven points and 10-2 when he scores at least seven points.
THE KID IS BACK TONIGHT
Griffin Barrouk isn’t wearing the Mike Reno headband anymore (boooo!) but I’ll still make Mike Reno references about him. Barrouk took the court Saturday for the first time since Dec. 21 and missed his lone shot while playing the final three minutes of the victory.
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 DREXEL
The Dragons, under eighth-year head coach Zach Spiker, are 17-10 overall and 10-4 in CAA play following an 81-66 win over Campbell on Saturday. It was the second straight win following a 1-4 stretch for Drexel, which is alone in third place in the CAA and one game ahead of the trio of Hofstra, Delaware and Towson. Hey! That’s the entire ECC!
The Dutchmen and Dragons had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen fell to Princeton 74-67 on Nov. 10 while the Dragons lost to the Tigers, 81-70, on Dec. 5. In CAA play, both teams have beaten William & Mary and Delaware and lost to Charleston. The Dutchmen swept Hampton, whom Drexel beat in the lone meeting between the schools, and won their only game against North Carolina A&T, whom the Dragons swept. The Dutchmen beat Towson, which defeated Drexel, and lost to Monmouth, which split with Drexel, and Campbell, whom the Dragons beat,
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 136th at KenPom.com. The Dragons, who were picked to finish third, are ranked 121st. The Dutchmen moved up four spots in the KenPom.com rankings following Saturday’s win and have gained ground in three straight games for the first time since — the first time this season they’ve gained ground following three consecutive games.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank fourth in the CAA in offensive efficiency (109.6 points per 100 possessions) and third in defensive efficiency (102.2 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.2 possessions per 40 minutes, the eighth-most in the league. The Dragons rank third in the CAA in offensive efficiency (115.4 points per 100 possessions) and fourth in defensive efficiency (103.0 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.0 possessions per 40 minutes, 11th-most in the league.
Sophomore guard Justin Moore, a preseason all-CAA honorable mention selection, leads the Dragons with 12.4 points and 3.4 assists per game. Senior forward Amari Williams the preseason CAA player of the year, is averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game. Graduate student Lucas Monroe, who opened his career by playing three seasons at Pennsylvania, ranks second on the Dragons with 5.0 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 68-66 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 2 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 10-16 against the spread this season but have covered two straight to improve to 4-10 against the spread in CAA play.
THE ECC RACE
What has always only been a thing to me (and maybe Litos) might actually have an impact on the secondary thing that is the CAA race this season! None of the four ECC teams are playing a round-robin against each other due to the dreadful unbalanced schedule, but with Drexel tied for second place at 10-4 and Hofstra, Delaware and Towson all tied for third at 9-5 with two weekends to go, the four-way competition might very well decide at least two of the double byes.
In more important matters, tonight’s game will determine the ECC winner, since a victory by the Dutchmen will put them a game ahead of Drexel with only the Dragons’ game against Delaware remaining on the league schedule. So a win here would be a win-win!
Drexel 2-1
HOFSTRA 2-1
Towson 2-2
Delaware 1-3
The Flying Dutchmen won the ECC title last season after Towson took home the very real hardware in 2021-22.
THE CAA RACE
I guess we should talk about this too. As noted above, the ECC four are occupying the third through sixth spots in the CAA and are all vying for a top-four seed and a double bye in the conference tournament, scheduled for Mar. 8-12 in Washington, D.C.
1.) Charleston 11-3
2.) UNC Wilmington 10-4
3.) Drexel 10-4
4.) HOFSTRA 9-5
5.)Towson 9-5
6.) Delaware 9-5
7.) Monmouth 8-6
The race got much more interesting Saturday, when Hampton earned its first CAA win by shocking Towson hours before Elon upset UNC Wilmington during the latter’s homecoming.
UNC Wilmington is the current no. 2 seed by virtue of sweeping Charleston, which beat Drexel in the lone meeting between the schools. Hofstra is the current no. 4 seed by virtue of going 2-0 against Towson and Delaware while Towson is the current no. 5 seed by virtue of beating UNC Wilmington, which beat Delaware.
Whomever wins tonight’s Hofstra-Drexel game will end the evening in no worse than third place. Big game!
ALL-TIME VS. DREXEL
Hofstra is 50-48 against Drexel in a series that began during the 1958-59 season. The Dragons earned a 79-77 win last Thursday, when they overcame a 13-point first-half deficit and withstood a furious Dutchmen rally in the final minutes before Tyler Thomas missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. It was just the third win in the last 20 games between the schools for Drexel, which is seeking its first regular season sweep since the 2013-14 campaign.
The Dutchmen and Dragons have opposed one another as members of the East Coast Conference, the North Atlantic Conference/America East and the CAA. The only opponent Hofstra has faced more than Drexel is Delaware, whom the Dutchmen have played 99 times.
HELLO OUR FRIENDS WE MEET AGAIN
As noted earlier, the Dutchmen and Drexel are playing each other for the second time in seven days. This is the first time in the CAA era (2001-pres) the Dutchmen have played the same team in a seven-day span during the regular season. Great unbalanced schedule we’ve got here!
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Luke House looks like he should be teammates with Samme Givens bias! (A true #IYKYK)
Seize the gap bias! (As always, know your classic Always Sunny, kids)
Why can’t Hall & Oates work it out bias! (Seriously)
You have an actual Dutchman bias? (Guard Jamie Bergens is from the Netherlands)
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