Snowy has no comment on being left behind five years ago today but he joins us in feeling melancholy about Delaware being in its final months as a CAA school and traditional Hofstra rival.
From can we just not lose to Stony Brook at home to can we just not lose to Hampton for the first time to can we just not lose to Delaware in our last regular season game as CAA rivals! The good news, I suppose, is there’s obvious “can we just not…” hooks to the three more games the Dutchmen are guaranteed to play.
Anyway, as will hopefully remain the routine throughout conference play, I ran down the boilerplate material from Thursday’s loss to Monmouth in Friday’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that loss as well as a preview of the Blue Hens. As always, try and enjoy!
DOUBLE DIGITS NOT ENOUGH (again)
The Dutchmen, who held a pair of 16-point leads in the first half and led by 12 points early in the second half, squandered a double-digit lead in a loss for the fourth time this season and the 13th time since Speedy Claxton became head coach for the 2021-22 season. The four blown double-digit leads are the most for the Dutchmen since they also squandered four double-digit leads in losses during the 2022-23 season. In addition, the loss Thursday marked the third time this season the Dutchmen lost a game in which they led by at least 16 points. They squandered a lead of at least 16 points in a loss just three times in the previous eight seasons. History?
NO LONGER STREAKING
Every loss brings with it the end of another impressive streak for the Dutchmen, With Thursday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 12-16 and, with three regular season games left, thus ended their streak of seven straight winning regular seasons. That was the longest such streak by a CAA school since George Mason ended its tenure in the league with 15 straight winning regular seasons from 1998-99 through 2012-13. Wow! Spanning three decades! The longest active streaks belong to Towson, UNC Wilmington and Charleston, each of whom have locked up their fourth straight winning regular season record. Drexel (14-14) also has a chance at posting a fourth straight winning regular season record.
SIX AND SINKING
The loss Thursday was the sixth straight for the Dutchmen, which extended their longest losing streak of the Speedy Claxton Era and their longest losing streak since a six-game skid from Jan. 2-19, 2017 — the longest losing streak of the Joe Mihalich Era. The Dutchmen haven’t lost more than six straight games since they lost seven in a row from Jan. 16 through Feb. 6, 2013. I don’t need to tell you any comparisons to the 2012-13 season are not great.
The six-game losing streak is tied for the 17th-longest active skid in the country entering play today. Three teams snapped losing streaks of six games or longer Thursday, when Coastal Carolina, Sacramento State and Southern Indiana all earned much-needed wins.
CLOSE BUT NO VICTORY CIGARS
The loss Thursday night marked the Dutchmen’s sixth straight defeat in a game decided by six points or fewer or in overtime dating back to Jan. 16. Wow! Spanning two presidential administrations! That’s the longest such streak for the Dutchmen since they lost seven such games from Jan. 16 through Mar. 9, 2013. Once again, I don’t need to tell you any comparisons to the 2012-13 season are not great. Speaking of which…
THE SIXTIES AREN’T SO GROOVY
Freedom rock, man! The Dutchmen have lost three straight games in which they held their opponent to fewer than 70 points. That’s the longest such streak for the Dutchmen since a season-ending three-game losing streak from Feb. 27 through Mar. 9, 2013. The Dutchmen are 10-9 when allowing fewer than 70 points this season after going 63-9 in such contests over the previous five seasons.
FIRST HALF FADE
Well, so much for that. Monmouth kicked its comeback into high gear by outscoring the Dutchmen 5-0 over the final two minutes of the first half Thursday night, when they went 2-of-4 from the field while the Dutchmen went 0-for-2 from the field and 0-for-2 from the free throw line in addition to committing two turnovers. Overall this season in CAA play, the Dutchmen have been outscored 51-38 in the final two minutes of the first half in 15 league games, during which their opponent has shot 16-of-37 from the field (43.2 percent) in the last two minutes and scored on their final possession six times. The Dutchmen have shot 15-of-42 from the field (35.7 percent) in the last two minutes of the first half and scored on their last possession four times. But the Dutchmen have not scored on their last possession of the first half in any of their last seven games. They last scored on their last possession of the first half on Jan. 25, when Michael Graham’s dunk preceded a free throw by Campbell’s Cam Gregory.
BETTER NEVER THAN LATE
The Dutchmen didn’t trail Thursday night until Andrew Ball sank the tie-breaking 3-pointer with 22 seconds left to give Monmouth the lead for good at 65-62. Some people might call that a Keith Hernandez! It was the latest into a game in which the Dutchmen fell behind in a loss since way back on Nov. 19, 2013, when the Dutchmen didn’t trail until overtime in a 74-63 loss to Richmond. That was Joe Mihalich’s fourth game at the helm as well as the breakout game for the late great Zeke Upshaw (37 points). Prior to Thursday, the Dutchmen hadn’t suffered a regulation loss in which they didn’t trail in the final minute since Jan, 2, 2010, when Kendrix Brown converted a nostalgic 3-point play with 17 seconds left to provide the final points in William & Mary’s 48-47 win at the Arena. Halil Kanacevic missed a 3-pointer and Nathaniel Lester was mugged on the rebound but didn’t get a whistle. Sounds familiar!
WIN PROBABILITY, SCHWIN PROBABILITY
Monmouth’s win probability, per KenPom.com, bottomed out at 3.8 percent when the Dutchmen led 36-20 with 3:42 left in the first half. It’s the third time this season the Dutchmen have lost a game in which their opponent’s win percentage bottomed out at under five percent. They had just three such losses in the previous five seasons combined. Yay? The Dutchmen last lost three games in which their opponent’s win probability fell under five percent back in 2014-15, when they actually went 10-8 in the CAA and finished fifth before advancing to the CAA semifinals…where they suffered the infamous 92-91 double-overtime loss to William & Mary on Daniel Dixon’s buzzer-beater, which gave the Tribe a win in a game in which their win probability fell to 5.3 percent. Sigh. It never goes well.
CONVERTING THEIR FREEBIES
Monmouth did most of its damage at the free throw line Thursday night, when the Hawks finished 26-of-35. The attempts were the most by a Hofstra opponent since High Point went 30-of-43 form the line in the Dutchmen’s 97-92 overtime win in the Gulf Coast Showcase title game on Nov. 22, 2023 and the most by a Hofstra opponent in regulation since Manhattan finished 22-of-36 from the line in the Dutchmen’s 63-61 loss on Dec. 20, 2017. Madison Durr led the way for the Hawks by going 15-of-18 from the line. That’s the most made free throws by an opposing player since at least 2004-05, which is as far back as the game logs go at Stathead, and the most attempts since Omar Prewitt was 12-of-18 from the line for William & Mary in the Tribe’s 92-91 double overtime win over the Dutchmen on Mar. 8, 2015. Double sigh.
THE CAA RACE
Well, this isn’t what we’re accustomed to, but…the Dutchmen could be assured of a bottom-four seed and a spot in the out-outbracket games to open the CAA Tournament on Mar. 7 as soon as today. The Dutchmen are already ensured of finishing no higher than eighth but are three losses behind eighth-place Northeastern and ninth-place Hampton and two losses behind 10th-place Drexel. The Dutchmen lose any tiebreakers to Hampton and Drexel via their head-to-head losses, so one more win by Northeastern, Hampton and Drexel — or just one more loss by the Dutchmen — will ensure the Dutchmen can’t finish higher than 11th place. Cherish the contending seasons, kids!
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, had his best game of the season Thursday night, when he scored a team-high 19 points while going a nice 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line and adding three assists and one rebound over 34 minutes. It was the third time Plotnikov has led the Dutchmen in scoring in his three-year career and the first time since he scored 20 points in an 81-49 win over North Carolina A&T on Feb 10, 2024. The 19 points were the most for Plotnikov since he tied his career-high by scoring 20 points against Northeastern in an 82-62 win on Feb. 17, 2024 while the 34 minutes were the most for Plotnikov since Jan. 25, when he he logged a career-high 43 minutes in the 69-67 overtime loss to Campbell. Plotnikov, who made his fourth straight start Thursday, has scored in 19 of the last 20 games in which he’s played after scoring just once in the first six games.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday was impressively effective Thursday night, when he scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field while adding four rebounds and two steals in just 13 minutes. The 11 points were the most for Sunday since he scored a career-high 14 points in the 90-76 win over Iona on Nov. 8 as well as the fourth time he’s reached double figures in his career. Sunday’s 5-of-5 performance from the field Thursday also marked his first perfect shooting performance (minimum three attempts) since he was 5-of-5 against Iona. He has played at least 10 minutes in 22 of 28 games this season after logging 10 minutes 17 times in 32 games last season.
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
Fellow big man Michael Graham also had a solid game Thursday night, when he finished with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting while adding a game-high eight rebounds to go along with one assist, one block and one steal. Graham and Sunday are the first Hofstra teammates to each enjoy a perfect night from the field (minimum three attempts) since German Plotnikov (4-for-4) and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom (3-for-3) hit all seven of their attempts in a 72-53 win over Northeastern on Feb. 8, 2023. Graham is shooting 60.2 percent (56-for-93) in 15 CAA games, a stretch that includes two games against William & Mary in which he didn’t attempt a shot as well as a 3-of-12 game against Northeastern on Feb. 6. The Dutchmen are now 9-10 when Graham plays at least 20 minutes in a game.
NO LONGER CRUZ-IN
Cruz Davis had a second straight rough game Thursday night, when he scored six points while going 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-5 from the free throw line while adding a team-high four assists and three steals over 40 minutes. Davis has just 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting from the field over his last two games after he scored in double figures in eight straight games from Jan. 16 through Feb. 13, a span in which he averaged 17.9 points per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field, including 43.2 percent from 3-point land. He is also the first Hofstra player to sink one free throw or fewer in five or more attempts since Michael Graham was 1-of-6 from the line in a 68-63 overtime win over Rice on Nov. 29. Even with the back-to-back quiet games, Davis has scored in double figures in 17 of the Dutchmen’s 28 games this season after scoring at least 10 points just five times over the previous two seasons for Iona and St. John’s.
BLUE JEAN
Jean Aranguren also continued to struggle Thursday night, when he scored seven points on 3-of-14 shooting while adding three rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes. In a quirky twist, Aranguren is the third Hofstra player this season to endure a 3-of-14 shooting performance, following in the footsteps of Jaquan Sanders in a 68-66 win over Arkansas State on Dec. 1 and KiJan Robinson in a 60-42 loss to Temple on Dec. 15. Aranguren has scored 24 points on 9=of-35 shooting over the last three games after scoring in double figures in 15 straight games from Dec. 9 through Feb. 8, a stretch in which he averaged 16.6 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures 23 times in 29 games this season after reaching double figures just nine times in 33 games last season with Iona.
FARMER AID
Khalil Farmer bounced back from last Saturday’s Club Trillion (no stats in nine minutes) by scoring five points and adding four rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes off the bench Thursday night. Farmer has just 18 points and eight rebounds over 127 minutes in his last seven games after collecting 40 points and six rebounds in five games (one start) from Jan. 11 through Jan. 25. Overall, Farmer has scored in 19 of the last 23 games in which he’s played after he didn’t score in his first two games of the season.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden had another quiet game Thursday night, when he scored three points while adding five rebounds in 21 minutes. Gadsden opened the scoring with a 3-pointer 46 seconds after the opening tip before missing his final three shots. The five rebounds were the most for Gadsden since he had five boards in the 80-75 loss to Stony Brook on Feb. 8. He hasn’t pulled down more than five rebounds since collecting a season-high 12 rebounds in the 75-71 overtime win over UMass on Nov. 16. Gadsden has scored in double figures just twice this season after scoring at least 10 points in 11 of 25 games last season for Canisius.
STRUGGLING SANDERS
Jaquan Sanders’ resurgence hit a speed bump Thursday night, when he finished with three points on 1-of-5 shooting while adding two rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes. Sanders had 17 points in his previous two games, a span in which he played 43 minutes, after he scored just eight points over 51 minutes in an eight-game span from Jan. 4 through Feb. 8. Even with his recent return to the rotation, Sanders has just 57 points on 15-of-64 shooting, including 10-of-38 from 3-point land, in the last 15 games in which he’s played dating back to Dec. 6 after opening the season by averaging 11.3 points and shooting 34 percent from the field, including 33 percent from 3-point land, over the Dutchmen’s first nine games.
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, MR. ROBINSON?
KiJan Robinson’s quiet stretch continued Thursday night, when he didn’t record a stat while playing the final 1:05 of the first half. Robinson has played eight minutes or fewer in each of the last four games, a stretch that began with his first DNP of the season Feb. 8. He played fewer than 10 minutes just five times in the first 24 games this season. He has just 17 points over 75 minutes in the last nine games he’s played, a span in which Robinson was held scoreless three times. Robinson was held scoreless just twice in the Dutchmen’s first 18 games, a span in which he averaged 8.1 points and 21 minutes per game.
DECADY’S CAMEO
Joshua DeCady didn’t have one of his Thursday night breakouts, err, Thursday night, when he didn’t record a stat while playing the final 48 seconds of the first half. DeCady played a career-high 31 minutes against William & Mary on Feb. 13, scored a career-high 15 points against Not Twitter Guy on Jan, 30 and played 22 minutes against the Tribe on Jan. 2. The brief appearance extended DeCady’s streak of consecutive appearances to career-high nine games.
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required, click here for options) Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING DELAWARE
The Blue Hens, under ninth-year head coach Martin Ingelsby, are 12-16 overall and 5-10 in CAA play following a 78-74 loss to Drexel on Thursday night. It was the eighth loss in the last nine games for the Blue Hens. Good to see the Dutchmen, who are 2-7 in their last nine games, and Blue Hens are linked one more time before Delaware exits for Conference USA.
The Dutchmen and Blue Hens had one common opponent in non-league play. Hofstra beat Iona 90-76 on Nov. 8, four days before Delaware edged the Gaels 64-58.
In CAA play, both teams have defeated Not Twitter Guy and lost to Hampton. The Dutchmen beat UNC Wilmington, which beat Delaware, and split with Northeastern, which defeated the Blue Hens. The Dutchmen lost to Stony Brook and Monmouth and were swept by William & Mary, each of whom Delaware beat in their lone meetings of the season. Hofstra was swept by Campbell, which beat Delaware, and lost to Towson and Drexel, each of whom swept the Blue Hens.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 231st at KenPom.com, which is their lowest pregame ranking since Nov. 23, 2014. The Blue Hens, who were picked to finish fifth, are ranked 252nd, a six-spot drop from their preseason ranking but a 45-spot drop from their season high prior to Hofstra’s 93-68 win at the Arena on Jan. 23.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank 13th in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (98.6 points per 100 possessions) and third in defensive efficiency (102.9 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 63.9 possessions per 40 minutes, the 12th-most in the league. The Blue Hens rank third in the CAA in offensive efficiency (109.8 points per 100 possessions) and 13th in defensive efficiency (113.4 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 69.6 possessions per 40 minutes, the second-most in the league. Clash of styles, I guess?
The Blue Hens return four players from last year’s team. Senior John Camden, who began his career with one season at Memphis and two seasons at Virginia Tech, leads Delaware with 16.4 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. Senior Niels Lane, who is in his second season at Delaware after three seasons at Florida, ranks second on the team with 13.5 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. True junior Cavan Reilly is averaging 12.7 points per game. Graduate student Erik Timko, who began his career with three seasons at Division II Jefferson University, is averaging 11.9 points per game while freshman Izaiah Pasha is averaging 11.5 points per game and a team-high 3.5 assists per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 73-72 loss for the Dutchmen. I’m sure it’ll be painless! Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 2-point underdogs. The Dutchmen are 11-15 against the spread this season.
THE ECC RACE
Well, this race is completely over, but it’s still better than looking at the CAA race from the Dutchmen’s perspective! Today is the ECC finale but the Dutchmen, who won the previous two ECC titles (stop looking at me like that, Litos), are guaranteed to finish third behind Towson and Drexel but ahead of Delaware. So we have that going for us!
Towson 5-0
Drexel 3-2
Hofstra 1-2
Delaware 0-5
Congrats to the Tigers on this very real accomplishment.
ALL-TIME VS. DELAWARE
Hofstra is 70-34 against Delaware in a series that began during the 1954-55 season. The Dutchmen enjoyed their most resounding win over a Division I foe this season on Jan. 23, when Cruz Davis scored 28 points to lead five players in double figures in a 93-68 victory, Had I known what was coming, I would have gone to the game, flu and all. The Dutchmen have won nine straight games against Delaware dating back to Jan. 17, 2021 and are 22-3 against the Blue Hens since the start of the 2014-15 season.
The Blue Hens are Hofstra’s most common foe. The Dutchmen and Delaware were rivals in the East Coast Conference and the North Atlantic Conference/America East before heading to the CAA, along with Drexel and Towson, for the 2001-02 season. Last season marked the only time since 1982-83, when I believe the ECC schedule consisted of just a single round-robin, that Hofstra and Delaware were in the same conference and played each other just once in the regular season. At least we’ll always be in the same league though! Right?
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
You almost kidnapped Snowy bias! (Five years ago today, time flies and kids grow up in no time flat)
At least you still have football bias! (Even if it will be in Division I-A starting next season for some inexplicable reason)
Spencer Dunkley bias! (Still an all-time great name)
The Stone Balloon was the best college bar of all-time bias! (It really was)
We really are gonna miss you guys bias! (If you’re of a certain age, you can barely remember life when Delaware was not only a rival but the school to whom Hofstra aspired to be athletically)
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