Game 5 - @Richmond, 11/22/21 7 PM EST

[Hof_Judge99]

We have consecutive games on TV, and three consecutive road games on TV including at Stony Brook.

Good to know, is Stony game also on SNY? As for tonight this is clearly a revenge game for Richmond, I think we can hang with them but the less Silverio the better, guy is such a negative.

[EvanJ]

I started a topic saying how many games Stony Brook will have on SNY including hosting us.

I can watch it https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 1afa79fa08 and it is listed at the unusual start time of 5:59 P.M. (Central for me), rather than 6:00 P.M. I think I would have noticed it listed originally even with the time, but I can't be sure.

Our lead peaked at 37-23 and is down to 44-40. Richmond shot better, but we had 5 more field goal attempts and 4 more free throw attempts. Ray shot 1-4 with all of the attempts being threes, had our only foul, and Richmond did not attempt a free throw. We're shooting threes 6-15 (.400), and Richmond is shooting threes 6-13 (.462). We're shooting twos 12-18 (.667), and Richmond is shooting twos 11-15 (.733). Showing how good the offense has been, each team has a player with at least 4 assists, but nobody with at least 4 rebounds. Richmond has 15 assists, and it's extremely hard to trail at halftime with 15 assists. They're on pace to lose by 8 with 30 assists, and our team record 30 assists came when we beat New York Tech by 42, so they're on pace for 30 assists with a margin 50 points worse than when we had 30 assists. The CAA lists the top seven teams in assists in a game, which requires 32, and four of the seven were against non-Division I teams.

The teams are tied in their points leader, rebounds leader, and assists leader. Darlinstone Dubar and Tyler Burton scored 14. Dubar shot 6-9. Dubar, Kvonn Cramer, Jacob Gilyard, and Grant Golden had 3 rebounds. Aaron Estrada and and Golden had 4 assists. Cramer shot 5-8 and scored 10. Cooks shot 3-5 and scored 9. Silverio shots 2-5 and scored 5. Ray shot 1-4 and scored 3. Estrada shot 1-2 and scored 2. Burgess shot 0-0 and free throws 1-2 to score 1.

[Pride97]

Whatever defense we were seeing prior to this game is invisible tonight. Total breakdown. They are not rotating and leaving a wide open three every time. Absolutely blew this game. I was giving them a pass against the P5 teams but this loss hurts and now the losses are piling on. Starting to wonder if these games will help in CAA play or if piling on losses will start to hurt them. The only l consistency is blowing lead after lead.


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[Wags]

Oddmakers predicting Richmond to win, 78-68.

Line: Richmond -10
O/U: 146

If not for Richmond making it's last 3-point attempt in the final minute, this would have been exactly correct. Instead, Spiders win 81-68.

Pride was right there, at 65-64, even with Ray banged up and a non-factor. But once again, issues with closing time. Something they really to work on. They need to play the final eight minutes of games as if they're down 10, even if they're a lot closer or have the lead. They went ice cold down the stretch and just too many Richmond players left with wide open looks after Hofstra tried to help on other guys and left too many shooters wide open. Spiders took advantage of that and that was it. They're 1-0 in real wins and 4-0 in moral victories, but unfortunately, those don't count. Speedy and his staff need to drive home the need to play a full 40 minutes. Other teams are stepping up their games late. At least Houston and Richmond did. And Iona kind of did too. The Maryland game was just given away. They've got to match the focus and intensity down the stretch. Won't be able to win in the CAA either by playing only 32 minutes. But they also haven't been home yet either. Let's see how they perform there (not against Molloy or John Jay, but in the real home games) once they can finally stop being travel weary, can sleep in their own beds and can get their legs under them with some more practice time in between games, at home.

[cactus]

Richmond put on a ball movement clinic. Started to hit their shots back end of the first half and continued to shoot well the rest of the way. Hofstra was able to get to the rim more than usual, with dubar and Cramer the beneficiaries, but they got away from that in the second half. Richmond picked up the defensive intensity as well.

Hope Ray has no lingering issues, they were checking him for a busted hip when he was down on the floor

[Wags]

Richmond put on a ball movement clinic. Started to hit their shots back end of the first half and continued to shoot well the rest of the way.

Because Mooney is a seasoned coach who demands it.

That's something Speedy, as he learns, will have to do too. Because the question there is: if Richmond can move the ball and find the open shooter like that, why shouldn't Hofstra, with as many shooting threats as it has, do the same thing instead of sometimes dribbling too much and not moving the ball?

[Jojogunne]

I thought the team played very hard tonight. Started off on fire, then ran out of gas at the end. Looking forward to seeing them play in person.

[Polito]

Sigh... hate being right. Richmond went to town on this team in the 2nd. The first thing in my mind at half wasn't heck yes we got this, it was welp I wonder if they'll even be able to actually hold it. Once again we can make all the excuses you want, but the end of the day HU just got housed after leading at the half. That's garbage.

Starting to see a bad trend here guys. Can't close games, and ever since Ray returned all I see is losing. Not good.

And if anyone thinks this nonsense is going to somehow magically help this team win the CAA, you are setting yourself up for a letdown. Will do nothing of the sort. All this is doing is creating a failing aura and a rep for bombing when it matters. That's not good for any aspiring champion in any sport at any level.

Thank God they've got some D2's in there because these guys are going to struggle to win games at this rate. And people were wondering here why no one is talking about HU? I mean, why should they? Because of woulda coulda shoulda? No one gives a crap about that, nor should they. HU wants to play at a higher level, then you have to actually play at a higher level. This isn't participation trophy league. Speedy and Co. need to fix this junk we are seeing.

I see a lot of talent on this team not producing wins when it should.

It was nice to see Dubar showing up, Cooks performing again, and Cramer playing well. But I care about wins. And championships. And I see neither coming from this group right now. People can chalk it up to whatever they want, but that's all that matters. This isn't a group of freshman. This isn't JM's year 1 recovering from scandal. No ones giving mulligans in the landscape. There are *2* potential CPOY on this team for goodness sake. Expectations are higher, as they should be, and so far HU is not living up to it one iota.

Another L coming against Arkansas. And likely more after that. Not the right kind of momentum. Color me concerned...and it's growing with each game.

[Wags]

There are a lot of twists and turns to the season, and in the CAA, Hofstra won't be the only one going through what they're going through in some of these early games.

Northeastern led Colorado State 36-20 at halftime tonight. Got outscored 51-25 in the second half and lost by 10.

Some early red flags for HU, including an inability to close games, the Ray-Cooks-Estrada trio not yet meshing well, and problems with communication and doubling players when they shouldn't, leaving others for wide-open 3s. But we all too well, the season takes a lot of turns, and that's often in CAA play alone, which at this early juncture, seems a long way away right now. Gotta let this play out. Haven't even played a home game yet.

[daHUPride]

Closing out games is a major concern – for me. (Someone else said it – this is becoming a Hofstra “thing” – not just this year’s team- and trend needs to start improving).

Last night did not see the entire game – but what I did see – we were in the game – didn’t see us ever in control but again – CONCENRING not getting over the hump/to close another one out. Richmond looked good to me – nice passing team; found the open man; back door cuts – impressed with their skilled passing big – Golden (again did not see the entire game).

Do I think with a healthy team Simmons/Iyolia/Ray; having a Vasquez not transferring – would make a difference in a game or two this year – I do! Deeper bench/fresh legs/different looks – yeah big BIG difference.

Do I think being on road – for all of these games hurts – yeah a bit.

The thought of looking forward to beating up DII’s – Molloy and John Jay – to prove we can win and/or get some wins – is ludicrous to me – any athlete with a drop of competitive blood in their veins would rather lose BUT battle and be in games against better, tougher competition (Houston; Iona; Maryland; Richmond) then beat up on a lesser, weaker foe (Molloy; John Jay). If it WINS you want – play Molloy, John Jay, Pace and Adelphi – but I’ll give up my tickets if we went that route.

What I wanted to see in these early games is that we have the (new) talent to compete in the CAA – I believe we do. We may not win out in the CAA – but we can play and win games – I think more wins than loses in the CAA are in our future. Are we now in a “prove it “ situation – YES – but give me the guys/team that want to fight out of the foxhole as opposed to the players/team that run in the foxhole. We will see.

When we play Detroit/Princeton/Bucknell at home; Stony Brook and Monmouth away – I will expect better play and more wins – and that is where I’ll be VERY disappointed if we are not on the winning side of those games.

I do have some question –

Beathea – Hurt? Doghouse? With our lack of depth – even if you’re in the doghouse – dressed and traveling – you’d have to get a minute or two? NO? Has to be hurt.

Carlos – I know a rookie but him too – Id think he’d get more minutes with our limited bench.

Not closing out – just 1 game against either Houston or Maryland is tough – and tells me we are not learning. Not battling to the end (although these 2 games were closer then the score – in my opinion) against Iona and Richmond – has more to do with our depth.

[Cards]

Last night did not see the entire game – but what I did see – we were in the game – didn’t see us ever in control but again – CONCENRING not getting over the hump/to close another one out. Richmond looked good to me – nice passing team; found the open man; back door cuts – impressed with their skilled passing big – Golden (again did not see the entire game).

With their talented bigs, solid outside shooting, and good team work/passing, Richmond clearly was the better team. Given HU injuries, you had to be honest and know that this game was going to be an uphill battle. Hot shooting kept us in the first half, but you had to know that would not continue for the entire 40 minutes.

The thought of looking forward to beating up DII’s – Molloy and John Jay – to prove we can win and/or get some wins – is ludicrous to me – any athlete with a drop of competitive blood in their veins would rather lose BUT battle and be in games against better, tougher competition (Houston; Iona; Maryland; Richmond) then beat up on a lesser, weaker foe (Molloy; John Jay). If it WINS you want – play Molloy, John Jay, Pace and Adelphi – but I’ll give up my tickets if we went that route.

100% agree. This year's OOC schedule is the best I can recall. If you want to build a high level mid major, you must have a good tough OOC. If not, just switch to the America East. I's give up my tickets as well.

When we play Detroit/Princeton/Bucknell at home; Stony Brook and Monmouth away – I will expect better play and more wins – and that is where I’ll be VERY disappointed if we are not on the winning side of those games.

100% agree. If these games are not all W's, it will be a long season.

[HUSID74]

Oddmakers predicting Richmond to win, 78-68.

Line: Richmond -10
O/U: 146

If not for Richmond making it's last 3-point attempt in the final minute, this would have been exactly correct. Instead, Spiders win 81-68.

Pride was right there, at 65-64, even with Ray banged up and a non-factor. But once again, issues with closing time. Something they really to work on. They need to play the final eight minutes of games as if they're down 10, even if they're a lot closer or have the lead. They went ice cold down the stretch and just too many Richmond players left with wide open looks after Hofstra tried to help on other guys and left too many shooters wide open. Spiders took advantage of that and that was it. They're 1-0 in real wins and 4-0 in moral victories, but unfortunately, those don't count. Speedy and his staff need to drive home the need to play a full 40 minutes. Other teams are stepping up their games late. At least Houston and Richmond did. And Iona kind of did too. The Maryland game was just given away. They've got to match the focus and intensity down the stretch. Won't be able to win in the CAA either by playing only 32 minutes. But they also haven't been home yet either. Let's see how they perform there (not against Molloy or John Jay, but in the real home games) once they can finally stop being travel weary, can sleep in their own beds and can get their legs under them with some more practice time in between games, at home.

WE were gassed and once again under manned. Ray had a poor game and then got hurt, sat out for awhile and same with Cramer who I thought had his best game ever at Hofstra. When were forced to play with Silverio and Burgess as our top subs we're in trouble.

[Jojogunne]

SNY is replaying the Richmond game now and again tomorrow at 2 pm.

[triplec2195]

SNY is replaying the Richmond game now and again tomorrow at 2 pm.

TY JoJo IDK if I could watch it again. I get it when people continue to complain about Omar and for sure there's plenty to complain about but when you look at him statistically he's shooting three's better then Estrada and is averaging almost 8 points a game playing 18+ minutes. I'm fully aware of the big mistakes he has made but he's playing with confidence and not going crazy as a chucker with the exception being the Houston game. IDK where we would be getting those 8 points from without him. We haven't seen some players yet and you have to wonder why Bethea hasn't seen any minutes. Would Carlos give us 8 points a game playing 18 minutes? He hasn't scored yet in limited minutes but has had a few open shots. Considering we have lost two close games those 8 points are important.

While we wonder why we play Molloy and John Jay it's not to give any of our players any kind of false illusions but we will be able to give minutes to some of our kids who aren't going to see much playing time. If for nothing else this IMO becomes compelling. What does it mean to us if we beat these teams by 40 points? Nothing we're supposed to beat up on them but if the game is close then a lot of red flags will go up. I personally don't like playing these games but if we can get some kids on the floor so be it.

[Polito]

Omar should only be used in certain spots for certain amounts of time. And he should be sitting the pine a lot more after what he did. He is either a very selfish player, or an extremely foolish one with zero understanding of the game and his own. Got no interest whatsoever in either. I'm not letting that one go - he lost me completely with that garbage.

What I wanted to see in these early games is that we have the (new) talent to compete in the CAA

daHUPride, pls forgive me here in advance, absolutely no disrespect meant, but I need to take issue - this right here is the problem with this program and this university. This is NOT the goal, NOT what we want to see. The need is to WIN championships. Repeatedly. THAT is what we need to start expecting. We've been 'competing' for decades. Produced jack squat except a bunch of disappointment. And HU quite frankly has been perfectly fine with it - only standard is no arrests. It's so lowly.

I have absolutely zero interest in just 'competing' in a watered down very mediocre high-parity CAA with no national respect. This isn't the ACC. HU needs to be expecting to win it all, building the program to do that, coaching like it, talking like it, acting like it, playing like it. EDGE. DOG. CONFIDENCE.

Being satisfied with competing is infuriating and the epitome of HU hoops. And that kind of low standard has put HU sitting on its rears on the couch watching winners every NCAAT with higher demands and expectations. It's been the mantra of this athletic department, it was perpetuated by JM, and has permeated this fanbase. And it has GOT to go.

I am hoping, praying really, that Speedy has much bigger aspirations, much greater firm expectations, and the stones to claim it and demand it.

[cactus]

Think the CAA is going to be much improved this year. Has been down big time due to defections the last few years but the new transfer rule initially seems to have opened a pipeline of guys not getting playing time going to smaller schools and playing lots of minutes right away

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[HUSID74]

Think the CAA is going to be much improved this year. Has been down big time due to defections the last few years but the new transfer rule initially seems to have opened a pipeline of guys not getting playing time going to smaller schools and playing lots of minutes right away

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Think I saw last night's scores and every CAA team lost...will check again to confirm.

[Polito]

The CAA is a weak mid conf. Has ZERO shine and NO respect. Hasn't earned it, so doesn't get it. It's just evenly stinky. This parity is trickery lol. That doesn't mean it's any good.

This conf quite frankly has literally become like the AE. Maybe a hair above. Vermont would come in here and be top 3 instantly every year. Heck even SBU would 'compete' - which is why that should not be HU's goal.

[HUSID74]

The CAA is the 15th rated conference according to Sagarin. The MAAC is the 21st rated conference and the American East is ranked 22 ONLY due to Vermont.

I would take Vermont in a heartbeat into the CAA.

[Polito]

I wonder if anyone in the country could say the difference between 15 and 22 - meaningless IMO, but noted that the CAA is essentially 'average', and that is better than awful, which is still how I see it lol. The CAA is nothing in the landscape, and has not an ounce of chatter about it - for years. I suppose the CAA gets decent mid major seeding most of the time? I can give that too if it's true... which I think it is for the most part. It just hasn't done anything with it.

That 'lofty' 15 ranking which is where it's been for a lont time hasn't lead to multiple bids. VCU and Mason did it together in 2011, but this group has never and likely never will. You can really forget it if they expand to 12 and add more lowly teams with no respect / history / name. If they do that, I predict this conf will actually fall in ranking.

Overall my stance remains, the CAA largely is a poor league with a ton of very equal not great teams, and is very winnable. And HU should be winning it every 3-4 years if they actually treated it like the flagship.

Frankly I have no clue why UNCG would want to come to the CAA. They are in a great conf for themselves, and it has more respect and national attention than the CAA does. Chattanooga, Furman, and Wofford are all 'better' in the eyes of many, get way more attention / respect, and UNCG was right there too for awhile. They should stay.

The only program that comes close is Northeastern. NO ONE has any clue who HU is - nor should they. The CAA has not helped HU one bit. And HU hasn't helped itself either.