Extreme and Aerosmith! You can't get any better or any more Boston than that.
Well, the hopes of a second perfect February in three years went out the window pretty quickly for the Flying Dutchmen last Saturday, when scorching Campbell rolled to a 75-52 win that was far more lopsided than the final score indicated. BUT, the Dutchmen will take the court tonight, when they open a two-game homestand by hosting our old friends from Northeastern, having scored 12 unanswered points! So there is that!
As will hopefully be the routine now that conference play has begun, I ran down the boilerplate material from Saturday’s loss in Wednesday’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that loss (they might be rated NC-17 GOOGLE IT CRAIN) as well as a preview of the Huskies. Enjoy!
LOPSIDED LOSS
The Dutchmen saved more than a little face with their 12-0 game-ending run last Saturday, which ensured they’d avoid just their third CAA loss ever by 30 points or more. As it was, the 23-point defeat was the most lopsided loss in CAA play for the Dutchmen since an 81-55 loss to Not Twitter Guy on Feb. 24, 2022 and just the 11th time the Dutchmen have lost a CAA game by at least 23 points. And since I’m a masochist, here’s the list in order of margin of defeat!
35 (Georgia State 85-50, 3/2/12)***
31 (Old Dominion 77-46, 3/1/03)
29 (George Mason 79-50, 2/20/13)
27 (William & Mary 88-61, 1/2/20)
24 (UNC Wilmington 78-54, 2/2/02)
24 (UNC Wilmington 71-47, 1/4/03)
24 (George Mason 78-54, 2/3/09)
23 (Drexel 92-69, 2/11/04)
23 (VCU 87-64, 12/7/05)
23 (Northeastern 73-50, 1/5/09)
23 (Campbell 75-52, 2/1/25)
***CAA Tournament first-round game
HALFWAY WHERE?
The Dutchmen also barely avoided making some halftime deficit history Saturday, when they entered the locker room trailing 43-20 thanks to Colby Duggan’s banked, buzzer-beating half-courter. The halftime deficit was the largest for the Dutchmen since way back on Mar. 1, 2003, when they trailed Old Dominion by 25 points in what eventually became a 77-46 loss and the Dutchmen’s lone regular season CAA defeat by 30 points or more.
TERRIBLE THIRTIES
The 35-point deficit the Dutchmen faced Saturday marked just the ninth time since 2005-06, which is as far back as the boxscores go at the Hofstra site, that the Dutchmen have trailed by at least 30 points in a CAA game. This is the first season since at least 2005-06 that the Dutchmen have trailed by 30 points in two CAA games. So we’ve got that going for us! And again, because I’m a masochist, here’s the list of the biggest deficits the Dutchmen have faced in CAA play since 2005-06!
2/1/25: Campbell 75-40, 4:42 left 2H
1/2/25: William & Mary 48-18, 2:17 left 1H
2/24/22: Not Twitter Guy 79-48, 2:43 left 2H
1/2/20: William & Mary 88-54, 1:54 left 2H
2/20/13: George Mason (of course) 70-38, 7:12 left 2H
3/2/12: Georgia State 85-48, 0:35 left 2H
1/23/10: Drexel 63-33, 12:51 left 2H
2/3/09: George Mason (of course) 77-43, 3:36 left 2H
12/7/05: VCU 87-56, 3:36 left (of course) 2H
ONE POSSESSION OBSESSION
The Dutchmen led just once last Saturday, when Cruz Davis opened the game with a jumper to put the visitors ahead 2-0. It’s the first time the Dutchmen’s biggest lead was three points or fewer since an 87-76 loss to Charleston last Mar. 2, when the Dutchmen led 3-0 before the Cougars mounted their comeback. In addition, it was the first time since since Jan. 11, 2024, when the Dutchmen fell to Northeastern 71-68, that their biggest lead was established at 2-0. However, the Dutchmen eventually took a trio of one-point leads in the second half of that game, which means Saturday marks the first time since Jan. 5, 2017 — when the Dutchmen fell to James Madison 62-54 — that their lone lead was enjoyed at 2-0. Ty Greer (!!!) hit a pair of free throws to stake the Dutchmen to the early lead in a game in which Justin Wright-Foreman came off the bench (!!!) to score a game-high 25 points. Long time ago!
NO LONGER STUCK IN THE SIXTIES
As you may have gathered by now, Campbell scored 75 points last Saturday, which ended the Dutchmen’s streak of holding opponents under 70 points at eight games. The Dutchmen were just 4-4 during the streak, which was their longest such streak since the Dutchmen held opponents under 70 points in eight straight games from Feb. 4 through Mar. 5, 2023, a span in which they went 8-0.
CRUISING CAMPBELL
Sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap to an opponent. Campbell continued its remarkable resurgence with Saturday’s 75-52 win. The Camels have won five straight games, including four by at least 23 points and the last two by a COMBINED 65 points. Another way to put it: Since falling behind the Dutchmen 34-16 with 1:37 left in the first half on Jan. 25, Campbell has outscored William & Mary and Hofstra by a whopping 224-140 over 106-plus minutes. The Camels are just the 15th team to win at least four CAA regular season games by at least 20 points in the last 15 seasons and the first with four such wins in a five-game span since George Mason (of course) won five straight games, including four by at least 20 points, from Jan. 8-20, 2007.
THIRD TIME NOT THE CHARM
With Saturday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 0-3 all-time against Campbell. This is the first time the Dutchmen have lost their first three games against a new conference foe since UNC Wilmington won the first eight games between the schools from Jan. 5, 2002 through Jan. 12, 2005. The Dutchmen also dropped their first eight CAA games against Drexel, but the Dragons of course were a familiar face from the ECC and the NAC/America East.
TEN TIMES THREE
Now this is quirky. Cruz Davis, Silas Sunday and Jean Aranguren all shared the team lead in scoring Saturday afternoon with 10 points apiece. It’s the first time three players have shared the team lead in scoring for the Dutchmen since way back on Feb. 28, 2004, when Aurimas Kieza, Woody Souffrant and Loren Stokes all had 13 points apiece in a 64-56 loss to UNC Wilmington. That was 668 games ago! But in a truly quirky thing, it was the second time in six games three players shared the team lead in scoring. Kieza, Stokes and Gibran Washington all had 18 points each in a 92-69 loss to Drexel on Feb. 11, 2004. Bet you didn’t expect Woody Souffrant and Gibran Washington references today! In addition, last Saturday marked the first time the Dutchmen’s leading scorer finished with exactly 10 points since Jan. 16, 2023, when Aaron Estrada had 10 points in a 68-47 loss to Towson.
CRUZ-IN
Cruz Davis had a solid game in defeat Saturday afternoon, when he finished with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block. Davis has scored in double figures in a season- and career-high five straight games. Alas, the lopsided loss dropped the Dutchmen to 9-5 when Davis scores in double figures and 7-2 when he leads or shares the team lead in scoring.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Silas Sunday reached double figures in scoring for the third time this season and in his career Saturday, when he finished with 10 points while adding two rebounds, one assist and one block in 17 minutes. Sunday scored eight of his points in the second half, including four points on consecutive trips to start the game-ending 12-0 run. He previously scored a career-high 14 points in the 90-76 win over Iona on Nov. 8 before collecting 10 points in the 93-68 win over Delaware on Jan. 23. Sunday has scored in 18 of the 23 games in which he’s played this season after scoring 15 times in 32 games last season. The 17 minutes Sunday played Saturday were his most since he played 19 minutes in a 66-63 win over UNC Wilmington on Jan. 11.
TJ TO THE EXTREME
TJ Gadsden had five points and five rebounds Saturday afternoon, including all five points and four rebounds when the game was still reasonably competitive in the first half. The five total rebounds were the most for Gadsden since he pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds Nov. 16 in the 75-71 overtime win over UMass. Gadsden has scored seven points or fewer in each of his last five games and has scored in double figures just twice this season after scoring at least 10 points in 11 of 25 games last season for Canisius.
JEAN FITS
Jean Aranguren extended his streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 13 straight games Saturday, when he finished with 10 points while going 4-of-10 from the field. Aranguren scored eight of his 10 points in the second half. He has scored in double figures 20 times in 23 games overall after reaching double figures just nine times in 33 games last season with Iona.
GRAHAM CRACKIN’
Michael Graham’s resurgence slowed a bit Saturday, when he finished with seven points and three rebounds in 19 minutes. The seven points were the fewest for Graham since he had five points in the 55-37 win over Northeastern on Jan. 4 while the three rebounds were his fewest since he pulled down one rebound in the 74-56 loss to William & Mary on Jan. 2. The 19 minutes Saturday were the fewest for Graham since he logged 11 minutes against William & Mary. Speaking of that William & Mary game, Graham has 94 points on 45-of-67 shooting to go along with 95 rebounds in nine games since he was benched for the second half against the Tribe.
FARMER AID
Khalil Farmer made his second straight start Saturday afternoon, when he was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting in 29 minutes. Farmer has three points on 1-for-5 shooting in his last two starts. He has scored in 15 of the last 18 games in which he’s played after he didn’t score in his first two games of the season. The 29 scoreless minutes for Farmer were the most for a Hofstra player since Jaquan Carlos was scoreless over 35 minutes in an 84-52 win over Northeastern on Feb. 25, 2023.
GERMAN OFF THE BENCH
German Plotnikov, the lone returning player who made a start last season for the Dutchmen, came off the bench following a one-game absence last Saturday and finished with two points, one rebound, one assist and one block in 16 minutes. Plotnikov started the previous 10 games in which he’d played dating back to Dec. 9. He has also scored in each of the last 14 games in which he’s played after scoring just once in the first six games.
HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON
Same song headline, different vibes! KiJan Robinson had his most productive games in more than two weeks Saturday afternoon, when he finished with six points, one rebound and one steal in 14 minutes. Robinson entered Saturday with just five points and no rebounds over his previous four games, a span in which he was held scoreless twice and played a total of 30 minutes. He 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.
STRUGGLING SANDERS
Jaquan Sanders’ up-and-down season took another downward turn Saturday afternoon, when he was scoreless while going 0-for-3 from 3-point land in nine minutes. Sanders has just 26 points on 9-of-44 shooting, including 7-of-36 from 3-point land, in the last 10 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.
PARNELL’S CAMEO
Eric Parnell played the final eight-plus minutes Saturday afternoon, when he finished with two points while setting career-highs with four rebounds and two assists. It was just the third time Parnell has played in 10 CAA games. The eight minutes were the most for Parnell since he played 18 minutes in the 60-42 loss to Temple on Dec. 15.
DECADY GETS THE THUMB
Baseball ejection reference! Joshua DeCady may have set some quirky history with 13:41 left Saturday afternoon, when he was ejected after nearly fighting with Campbell’s Nolan Dorsey. As far as I can tell, DeCady is the first Hofstra player ejected from a game in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-pres). That’s kinda quirky! DeCady had one turnover and picked up three fouls, counting his two technicals, in four minutes of action.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required, click here for options), though it will be the free game of the night on the FloHoops YouTube page. The game will also be carried live on MSG Networks if you are in the New York area and/or somehow paid one billion dollars (approx) for the Gotham Sports app. Of course, if you live in New York and/or paid one billion dollars (approx) for the Gotham Sports app you are totally out of luck at the moment. Hooray for more carriage disputes! Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
The Huskies, under 19th-year head coach Bill Coen, are also 12-11 overall and 4-6 in the CAA after falling to Not Twitter Guy, 71-60, on Saturday night.
The Dutchmen and Huskies had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen beat UMass 75-71 in overtime Nov. 16, a little more than a month before the Minutemen nipped Northeastern 77-72 Dec. 18 to get some Bay State bragging rights. In CAA action, both teams have beaten Delaware and lost to Drexel. The Dutchmen lost to Towson, who swept Northeastern, and beat UNC Wilmington and Not Twitter Guy, each of whom defeated the Huskies.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 180th at KenPom.com. The Huskies, who was picked to finish sixth, are ranked 208th, their lowest ranking since they opened the season at no. 210.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank last in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (98.8 points per 100 possessions) and second in defensive efficiency (99.1 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 63.9 possessions per 40 minutes, the 12th-most in the league. The Huskies rank ninth in the CAA in offensive efficiency (104.0 points per 100 possessions) and are in a virtual tie with Monmouth for ninth in defensive efficiency (108.7 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.3 possessions per 40 minutes, the seventh-most in the league.
The Huskies’ top three scorers — Rashad King, Masai Troutman and Harold Woods — are all juniors who have played their entire careers at Northeastern. Who do they think they are, Matt Janning? King leads the Huskies with 16.7 points per game and 3.7 assists per game while ranking second with 6.6 rebounds per game. Troutman, a second-team preseason all-CAA selection, is averaging 13.5 points per game, though he hasn’t played since Jan. 18. Woods is averaging 11.7 points per game and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. Junior LA Pratt, who played his first two seasons at Not Twitter Guy, is averaging 10.9 points per game while sophomore William Kermoury, one of six returnees from last year’s team, is averaging 9.7 points per game, though he missed 10 straight games before returning last Thursday. One of the Huskies’ newcomers is Junior Youri Fritz, whose brother, Jacco, played for the Flying Dutchmen last season. Youri Fritz played his first two seasons at Canisius, where Jacco played his first four seasons.
KenPom.com predicts a 66-62 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 3 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 10-11 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. NORTHEASTERN
Hofstra is 32-26 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. Northeastern is the only school the Dutchmen have played twice per regular season since 2005-06, the Huskies’ first season in the CAA.
The Dutchmen won the first meeting this season between the teams on Jan. 4, when Cruz Davis scored 22 points as the Dutchmen pulled away in the second half for a 55-37 win. The 37 points allowed were the fewest surrendered by the Dutchmen since a 48-34 win over Rider on Jan. 18, 1989. Long time ago! The Dutchmen are seeking their second season sweep of the Huskies in the last three years and their third season sweep in the last four years.
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.
Hofstra’s 55-37 win on Jan. 4 gave the Dutchmen a 18-16 series lead. The Dutchmen, who ended last season with the all-time series lead for just the third time ever, have won 15 of the last 21 clashes between the teams since Northeastern’s eight-game winning streak from the 2011-12 through the 2014-15 season. The Dutchmen retained the trophy via last season’s split and are thus guaranteed to retain the trophy regardless of tonight’s result, barring a rematch in the CAA Tournament. But what are the odds of that?
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! Along with Immaculate Grid, which he’s much better at than me.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Nuno Bettencourt might have gotten Steven Tyler back behind a microphone bias! (Aerosmith retired due to Tyler’s chronic throat problems, but the Extreme guitarist performed with a singing Tyler at a party Sunday night hmmm)
We’ll miss Matthews Arena bias! (The venerable building and institution of city architecture is scheduled to be razed as soon as this year to make room for a new multipurpose facility, progress sucks sometimes)
Keep…something that chicken bias! (Ernie Anastos, author of the greatest broadcasting goof this side of boom goes the dynamite, graduated from Northeastern)
Pete Alonso stayed here and didn’t go to Boston bias! (A bit of a stretch but the Red Sox were supposedly one of the teams interested in Alonso)
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