Getting kind of tired of being the old man insisting everything is fine because we banned the haunted lemon tree before hoisting a glass of turnip juice.
From fantastic four to fabulous five? The Flying Dutchmen will look to continue their best CAA start of the decade and FINALLY get some local revenge tonight, when they visit our good pals at Stony Brook.
As will hopefully become the routine once again the rest of the season, I ran down the boilerplate material from Saturday afternoon’s overtime win over Monmouth in last night’s Keep It Perky. Today will be about the individual news and notes from that victory as well as a preview of the Seawolves. Enjoy!
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
The Dutchmen mostly monopolized the CAA awards last week, when Cruz Davis was named co-Player of the Week with Campbell’s DJ Smith while Preston Edmead was named the CAA Rookie of the Week. (Sharing stinks, why do we have to share?)
The Player of the Week award was the CAA-leading third of the season for Davis, who scored 51 points while collecting 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals in wins over Towson and Monmouth. Davis is the first Hofstra player to win at least a share of the Player of the Week three times in a season since Tyler Thomas earned three solo honors during the 2023-24 season
Edmead earned his CAA-leading sixth Rookie of the Week after racking up 42 points, 13 rebounds and four assist against Towson and Monmouth. The six Rookie of the Week honors match the total earned by last year’s leader Izaiah Pasha, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year for Delaware, and are the most by a Hofstra player since Antoine Agudio collected a CAA-record eight Rookie of the Week awards in 2004-05, when he, duh, won the Rookie of the Year.
Davis and Edmead are the first set of teammates to at least share the Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week awards in the same week since Delaware’s Pasha won the Rookie of the Week and teammate John Camden shared Player of the Week honors with Charleston’s Deywilk Tavarez for the week ending last Jan. 19. And Davis and Edmead are the first set of Hofstra teammates to at least share the Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week award in the same week since the week ending Nov. 20, 2022, when Aaron Estrada shared Player of the Week honors with Charleston’s Ryan Larson and Amar’e Marshall won Rookie of the Week.
GO FOURTH, YOUNG MEN
The Dutchmen are 4-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2018-19, when they enjoyed a program-best 9-0 start, and the fifth time since joining the CAA in 2001-02. The Dutchmen, who are joined in the unbeaten ranks by UNC Wilmington (5-0) and Charleston (4-0), are amongst multiple teams starting 4-0 for just the third time. The Dutchmen raced out to a 5-0 start in 2006-07, when Drexel opened 4-0 and VCU surged to an 11-0 start. In addition, this is the first time three teams have started 4-0 or better in CAA play since 2016-17, when eventual champion UNC Wilmington opened 9-0 while Charleston got off to a 6-0 start and Northeastern started 5-0.
EIGHT IS NOT ENOUGH
Seventies TV reference! The Dutchmen earned their eighth straight win Saturday as they extended the program’s longest winning streak since a 12-game run from Jan. 19 through Mar. 5, 2023. Per Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov, this is also the 23rd winning streak of eight games or longer in program history.
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE
The Dutchmen won last Saturday despite shooting a season-worst 27.1 percent from the field (16-of-59). That’s the lowest shooting percentage in a win for the Dutchmen since way back on Nov. 15, 2008, when they shot 28.6 percent (20-of-70) in a 71-68 overtime win over Western Michigan in the second game of the Charleston Classic. That was 567 games ago! Not surprisingly, the Dutchmen were able to eke out the win Saturday thanks largely to limiting Monmouth to 33.3 percent shooting (19-of-57). The Dutchmen are 5-0 this season when holding opponents to 34 percent or lower from the field, including 4-0 against Division I foes.
COLLECTING THEIR FREEBIES
The Dutchmen also escaped Saturday afternoon thanks to a prolific performance at the free throw line, where they were 29-of-33 (87.9 percent). The 29 free throws were the most for the Dutchmen since Dec. 15, 2020, when they were 29-of-32 (90.6 percent against…who else but Monmouth in a 96-88 win. That’s quirky! And that was also the previous time the Dutchmen shot at least 87 percent from the line while attempting at least 30 free throws. The 33 attempts Saturday were the most for the Dutchmen since Jan. 3, 2021, when they hoisted 37 free throws in an 82-73 win over William & Mary. And the
GET TO THE WORKIN’ OVERTIME PART
The Dutchmen played their first overtime game of the season Saturday, when they *checks notes again just to be sure* edged Monmouth, 67-64. The overtime game was the first for the Dutchmen since last Jan. 25, when they blew an 18-point lead and fell to Campbell, 69-67. The Dutchmen are 6-5 in overtime games under Speedy Claxton.
PRESTO!
Preston Edmead continued the most impressive freshman season by a Hofstra player this decade Saturday afternoon, when he scored a career-high 24 points while adding six rebounds and two assists. The 24 points for Edmead were the most by a Hofstra freshman since Amar’e Marshall scored a career-high 24 points in an 85-66 loss to then-no. 4 Purdue on Dec. 7, 2022. Edmead has scored in double figures in 14 games this season, the most double-figure scoring efforts by a Hofstra freshman since Eli Pemberton scored in double figures 21 times in 31 games in 2016-17. Edmead’s 255 points (15.0 ppg) through 17 games are six more than Antoine Agudio had through 17 games during his freshman season in 2004-05 and the 10 more than Speedy Claxton had through 17 games during his freshman season in 1996-97. Pretty good company.
PRESTON VS. SPEEDY
Speaking of which…Preston Edmead’s first 17 games as a true freshman point guard have been just as impressive as Speedy Claxton’s first 17 games as a true freshman point guard way back in 1996-97.
Speedy Claxton: 14.4 points per game/2.9 assists per game/4.5 rebounds per game
Preston Edmead: 15.0 ppg/4.2 apg/2.5 rpg
Pretty quirky and neat!
PRESTON CASHES IN AT THE LINE
Preston Edmead was particularly prolific at the free throw line Saturday, when he finished 13-of-15 (86.7 percent). The 13 free throws were the most for a Hofstra player since…well, just two days earlier, when Cruz Davis went 13-of-14 from the line in a 78-67 win over Towson. Edmead’s free throw percentage was the best for a Hofstra player with at least 15 attempts since Tareq Coburn finished 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) in a 96-88 win over, that’s right, Monmouth on Dec. 15, 2020. Isn’t it ironic? No. It’s coincidence.
PRESTON ON THE REBOUND
Preston Edmead recorded six rebounds Saturday afternoon, two days after he pulled down a career-high seven rebounds. Edmead has at least six rebounds in each of the last three games after collecting six rebounds in a game just once in his first 14 games.
CRUZ-IN
Cruz Davis continued his impressive season Saturday afternoon, when he finished with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Davis has scored in double figures in all 17 games this season — a career-long streak and the longest streak by a Hofstra player since Tyler Thomas ended his collegiate career by scoring in double figures in 25 straight games from Dec. 9, 2023 through Mar. 11, 2024. Davis has scored in double figures in 38 of the 49 games in which he’s played for Hofstra after reaching double figures just five times over 28 games in his first two seasons at Iona and St. John’s. The Dutchmen are 25-13 when Davis scores in double figures.
CRUZ CAN’T MISS
Like Preston Edmead, Cruz Davis fared well at the free throw line Saturday, when he went 8-for-8. The eight makes without a miss are the most by a Hofstra player since way back on Dec. 29, when Davis was 9-of-9 in an 86-72 win over Campbell. He is the first player to enjoy two perfect games from the free throw line (minimum eight attempts) in a single season since Tyler Thomas did so during the 2023-24 campaign. Thomas’ perfect games actually came on consecutive nights during the Gulf Coast Showcase, when he was 8-for-8 in an 85-76 win over Wright State on Nov. 21, 2023 before going 10-for-19 in a 97-92 overtime win over High Point the next night.
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!
With Victory Onuetu dealing with foul trouble, Silas Sunday had his best game of the year Saturday, when he finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 29 minutes. The 11 rebounds and 29 minutes each tied career highs set previously in a 60-42 loss to Temple on Dec. 15, 2024. Sunday was also 4-of-4 from the free throw line and has drained his last nine free throw attempts dating back to a 72-70 loss to Columbia on Dec. 3. Wow! Spanning two years! Sunday has scored in all 17 games this season, six more than his previous career-long streak set from Jan. 9-Feb. 8, 2025.
WHERE THERE’S A WILLS THERE’S A WAY
A.J. Wills came up with another much-needed clutch late-game performance Saturday off the bench when he collected the Keith Hernandez by putting the Dutchmen ahead for good with a 3-pointer to open overtime. Wills, who didn’t enter Saturday until there was 6:17 left in regulation, finished with five points and was in line for the Keith Hernandez when his jumper put the Dutchmen ahead 56-54 with 3:31 left in the second half. Wills has played in just two of the Dutchmen’s last six games but has 10 points over 19 minutes in a pair of narrow wins. He had five late points, including the game-clinching free throws, over 10 minutes in the 70-67 victory over Drexel on Jan. 3.
DECADY WORKING 9 TO 5
While playing almost 45 minutes! Math is fun! Joshua DeCady had a solid all-around game Saturday, when he finished with five points and a career-high nine rebounds while adding two assists and one steal over a career-high 44 minutes. DeCady, who surged past his previous career high of seven rebounds set in the 74-66 win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 21, also played his usual stingy defense and forced Monmouth star Jason Rivera-Torres to step out of bounds with the Dutchmen clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds of overtime. He also matched or exceeded his previous career-high for minutes for the third straight game. If these trends continue, the Dutchmen will play A LOT of overtime games. The Dutchmen are 8-0 since DeCady moved into the starting lineup Dec. 7. He has also scored in 14 of 17 games this season after scoring in 14 of 25 games last season.
GERMAN FOR STARTERS
German Plotnikov was limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble Saturday, when he finished with three points while shooting 1-of-7 from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point land. Plotnikov, who drew four fouls, added one assist and two blocks while logging his third-fewest minutes of the season and his second-fewest against a Division I foe. He played 16 minutes in an 81-73 loss to Iona on Nov. 7. He has scored in all 17 games this season after scoring in 25 of the 31 games in which he played last season.
VICTORY!
Junior newcomer Victory Onuetu also played through foul trouble Saturday, when he had one point, nine rebounds and one block before fouling out in 16 minutes — his fewest minutes since playing a season-low 15 minutes in a 78-58 win over Merrimack on Nov. 29. Despite the relatively limited playing time, Onuetu pulled down at least nine rebounds for the fifth time in the last seven games and the 10th time in 17 games overall this season.
JAEDEN JUMPS INTO ACTION
Freshman Jaeden Roberts had an eventful game Saturday afternoon, when he saw the court for the eighth straight time and finished with two points and two rebounds in 14 minutes. Roberts landed face-first on the floor in the final seconds of the first half and was helped off the court before he played fewer than three minutes in the second half and none in overtime. Yet Roberts came within a friendly roll of draining a dramatic game-winning 40-footer at the regulation buzzer. Like I said, eventful. Roberts has 55 points while averaging 11.9 minutes per game over the last eight games — all Hofstra wins — after scoring just five points in three appearances spanning 11 minutes over the first nine games of the season.
BANGED-UP BIGGIE
Senior Biggie Patterson missed his second straight game Saturday after suffering what appeared to be a knee injury Jan 3, when he collided with Jaeden Roberts underneath the basket in the first half of the 70-67 win over Drexel. Patterson is averaging 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in six games as a reserve — all wins for the Dutchmen — after averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds over the first nine games, all as a starter.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game is slated to be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required, click here for options) as well as on SNY if you are in the New York area. For reasons I don’t entirely understand, SNY is also available on the MLB app if you are looking to stream the game. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK
The Seawolves, under seventh-year head coach Geno Ford, are 9-9 overall and 1-4 in CAA play after squandering a 24-point second-half lead in a 75-71 loss to UNC Wilmington on Saturday night. The comeback by UNC Wilmington was the biggest in Division I this season while the loss was the sixth in the last seven games for Stony Brook.
The Dutchmen and Seawolves had one common opponent during non-league play. Hofstra fell to Columbia 72-70 on Dec. 3, six days before the Seawolves ended the Lions’ eight-game winning streak with a 77-73 overtime win at Stony Brook. In CAA play, the Dutchmen beat Drexel, who defeated the Seawolves.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish tied for eighth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked a CAA-best 99th at KenPom.com. That’s 63 spots higher than they were to open the season but two spots lower than their season-high entering Saturday. Ken could have been fairer to us, just saying. The Seawolves, who were picked to finish 11th, are ranked 278th, 11 spots higher than their preseason ranking but a whopping 81 spots lower than their season-high entering their game against Albany on Dec. 17.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank second in the CAA in offensive efficiency (113.1 points per 100 possessions) and first in defensive efficiency (105.2 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.3 possessions per 40 minutes, the eighth-most in the league. The Seawolves rank 13th and last in the CAA in offensive efficiency (101.3 points per 100 possessions) and ninth in defensive efficiency (111.0 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.1 possessions per 40 minutes, the 11th-most in the league.
The Seawolves return three players from last year’s team. Graduate student Erik Pratt, who opened his career with two seasons at Seward County Community College, one season at Texas A&M and two seasons at Milwaukee, leads the Stony Brook with 18.6 points and 2.8 assists per game. Fellow graduate student Rob Brown III, who played one season apiece at Niagara andButler Community College before spending two years at Nicholls State, is averaging 10.9 points per game. Sophomore Richard Goods, who played last season at CAA rival Hampton, leads the Seawolves with 6.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore Collin O’Connor, a preseason all-CAA second team selection and a member of the CAA’s all-rookie team last season, is averaging 7.5 points per game but has missed the last 10 games with a foot injury.
KenPom.com predicts a 73-64 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 7 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 11-4 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. STONY BROOK
Hofstra is 28-9 all-time against Stony Brook, including 10-5 since the series resumed in 2014. However, the Dutchmen have lost the last three games between the rivals in painful fashion. After ending the Dutchmen’s 2023-24 season with a 63-59 upset victory in the CAA Tournament semifinals on Mar. 11, 2024, Stony Brook swept the season series last year by overcoming an eight-point deficit in the final 6:52 of an 80-75 win at Hofstra’s winter homecoming Feb. 8 before they scored the final eight points in a 59-56 win out east on Feb. 27. Those wins accounted for half of Stony Brook’s CAA victories last year. Good times, they were not.
Hofstra is 61-60-3 in all sports against Stony Brook since the two schools began scheduling each other again in the spring of 2014, including 57-49-3 since the 2016-17 school year began. The Dutchmen went 5-2 against the Seawolves in fall sports to climb back over .500, though the two losses were suffered by the men’s and women’s soccer teams in the CAA Tournament.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER (OR BLUESKY) IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
You ended our women’s soccer team’s season bias! (Sad but true)
You couldn’t end Richard Nuttall’s career bias! (We got to the Sweet 16 in men’s soccer so take that)
Intraconference transfers going both ways bias! (The Seawolves got Richard Goods from Hampton but lost leading scorer CJ Luster to UNC Wilmington, though Luster is redshirting this season due to injury)
We are so sick of drinking turnip juice bias! (Man I really hope we finally take the lemon tree back tonight)
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