MBB at Towson

[Cards]

HU looked good tonight, they basically demoralized Towson. Good to see we never backed off and let them back in the game. As well as we played, we shouldn't get too cocky as Towson really played and shot poorly. Not taking anything away from our guys, but I think we got Towson on an off night. No mater.... a big win is a big win.

Got to keep the focus on defense and hope that none of todays injuries are anything serious.

[stuball888]

Interesting stat. We outscored Towson 45-29 in first half and 45-29 in the second half. perfect storm , Towson not that bad and hofstra not that good. Still this is the blowout we have been waiting for. good to see walker get 10 minutes.

[EvanJ]

Hofstra outscored Towson 45-29 in each half to win 90-58. Hofstra's largest lead was 37 at 90-53. The margin of victory ties Hofstra's season-high, and the other time was against non-Division I Molloy. The last time Hofstra won by more than 32 was 73-40 on February 25, 2015 hosting College of Charleston. It was Hofstra's greatest margin of victory on the road since a 105-64 win on December 10, 2014 at Coppin State. It was Hofstra's largest margin of victory in a CAA game on the road, and it was Hofstra's 126th CAA game on the road. It was Hofstra's largest margin of victory in a conference game on the road since a 92-58 win on February 10, 2000 at Hartford. Towson made 2 out of 14 three-pointers, and the makes were 27:48 apart. Hofstra tied their season high three-point percentage at .500 (12 out of 24). Hofstra had more rebounds, 44 to 34. That ties the best rebounding differential for a Towson opponent this season with Ole Miss, who outrebounded Towson 34 to 24.

[Dooku25]

They finally played a complete game for 40 minutes. Outrebounded a strong rebounding team, play good D and put up 90 again. The Sacred Heart game seems like a year ago now. Glad to see they turned things up a notch for conference play.

We can't even complain about the substitutions as Walker played in both halves and Green and Bernardi were taken out up 30 with 4 minutes left for Buie and Wright Foreman. This was as near perfect a performance as you can get. Great games by all. Even Walker blocked 2 shots and made 2 free throws, JWF buried a long 3 in garbage time to show off his scoring potential and Buie had his best game yet. And of course the starting 5 all did their thing. It'll be a happy bus ride home I'm sure.

[EvanJ]

It was the second time Hofstra scored at least 90 points in consecutive games this season, but the first time included Molloy. It was the first time Hofstra scored at least 90 points in consecutive games against Division I teams since a 94-91 loss at Towson on January 12, 2006 and a 92-87 triple overtime win hosting UNC Wilmington on January 14, 2006. It was the first time Hofstra scored at least 90 points in consecutive games against Division I teams and won both games since a 92-56 win at Brooklyn on February 27, 1992 and a 103-87 win at Maryland-Baltimore County on February 29, 1992. Brooklyn is not currently in Division I but Basketball State (http://www.bbstate.com) says they were in Division I then. The last time Hofstra scored at least 90 points in consecutive games against teams currenly in Division I and won both games was late in the 1970-1971 season with a 91-80 win at Wagner and a 102-94 win hosting St. Peter's.

Edit: http://gohofstra.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=6991 is the box score. The attendance was 2,331. Hofstra's bench had played 19.6 percent of the minutes before today and played 46 minutes (23 percent) today to raise the season percentage to 19.9. It was the first time Hofstra made at least half of their field goals, at least half of their three-pointers, and at least two-thirds of their free throws in a CAA game since a 93-64 win hosting UNC Wilmington on February 25, 2012. Hofstra had a 2.25 assist/turnover ratio which was Hofstra's best since December 23, 2014 hosting La Salle which was 38 games ago. Hofstra won by 32 and the other four CAA games were decided by 25 points combined. http://gohofstra.com/news/2016/1/2/MBB_ ... ath=mbball is Hofstra's recap titled "MBB: Hofstra Cruises To Victory Over Towson, 90-58." http://www.towsontigers.com/news/2016/1 ... 60352.aspx is Towson's recap titled "Foster Collects Double-Double In Setback to Hofstra." http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400833336 is the Associated Press recap.

[stuball888]

More good news is that St bonnie just beat Davidson today. Im sure that helps our RPI and SBU beat Columbia also.

[EvanJ]

More good news is that St bonnie just beat Davidson today. Im sure that helps our RPI and SBU beat Columbia also.

Hofstra is up to 83rd in the RPI which is the fourth best in the CAA. Thursday will be a big game at College of Charleston, who leads the CAA in RPI at 51st. http://www.kingkresse.com/2016/01/brant ... pener.html says James Bourne, who averages 17.5 minutes per game, will not play for College of Charleston due to injury.

Hofstra led for 36:50, was tied for 1:01, and trailed for 2:09.

Edit: Unfortunately the American Athletic passed the CAA for eighth in the Conference RPI.

Edit Again: A Hofstra player lead the CAA in a majority (7 out of 13) of the individual statistics categories:

Green in assists per game
Gustys in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game, and field goal percentage
Bernardi in free throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and three-pointers made per game

[Wags]

Wow, did not see THIS coming!

45-29 in each half?

A game like this is exactly why I said a few games ago, when some thought the sky was falling around here, to give this team at least the first third of the CAA schedule before we can get a true sense of where things might go this season.

And based on these quotes from Mihalich after the Delaware game, let's give Mihalich, his staff and especially the players a lot of credit for this performance at Towson:

"It’s the same for everybody [in the CAA], but two games in three days is not good. It’s hard to prepare. I’ll get on that tangent some other time... I’ve always felt that one of the trademarks of Towson is how tough they are, physically tough. We better bring our hard hats for [that] one, because if we don’t, we might as well just save the travel money and just stay here.”

Obviously, the way they did prepare and the toughness they showed were exactly what they needed to bring. Well done! Hopefully the rest of this road trip can be successful too.

[HUSID80]

This was a huge statement win for us to put the rest of the CAA on notice that we are the top guys in town... You need to get through us to win this thing... Very pleased for Joe and the team that we really showed our stuff tonight...come get us if you can.

[daHUPride]

Great win - from start to finish played really well.
Buie and Green are great passers - Gustys is a good passer too.
Everyone scored - JFW added a bomb to get on the stat sheet.
Walker did enough rebound/block shots to warrant a few minutes a game.
Not sure what is more painful to watch - Gustys on the full line or Bernardi taking a layup - but if they play an overall game like they did last night I will learn to be OK with those flaws.
Great win guys - was a bit worried about this game - attach offensively all 40 minutes

[garyg]

AW in 10 minutes had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 points, and zero turnovers. Hope JAM continues to give him minutes

DB should be top PG in CAA by SR. year, possibly by JR. year

JWF is best athlete on team...would like to see JAM give him some minutes as spark off the bench

[ProudofPride]

I don't think we really could've asked for the team to play any better. That was the most complete 40 minutes we've seen all season, both offensively and defensively. Towson is the best defensive team in the conference, and is arguably the best rebounding team. They finally looked like they were playing to win, and it was nice to see their intensity right from the start. As other people pointed out, it was great that AW and JWF both got in the game and contributed. Walker made both of his free throws. If he can continue to make them on a consistent basis, that could be huge for the future of the team to have a big man that can shoot free throws. This game was a huge test, and I'm glad (as I'm sure we all are) the team showed up. Could prove to be huge for momentum with the rest of the conference slate.

[HofstraMathew]

Do we know if the injury to tanksley was anything serious?

[Polito]

As has been said, dominant win, and I personally didn't expect that against a pretty decent Towson team - I thought HU would win, but this was clearly a VERY strong showing

And you all know I am not surprised one bit that AW actually added some value - the dude blocked TWO shots - that ALONE is worth 10 minutes - he is the *ONLY* defensive force in the paint on this entire team, and that includes Gustys and Nichols (who plays mostly outside) - this kid HAS GOT to play for this team to have enough depth to win it all - it's not an option - hoping JM FINALLY friggin has given in to this obvious fact

He just needs time and development - but he brings a presence that no one else on this team brings, period.

To me, JWF should have a green light to shoot the rock/score anytime he touches it, even for a frosh - I think he's going to show he has some of the best scoring ability of anyone on the roster

DB is a stud, plain and simple - this kid IMO is going to be a super PG, maybe the best true PG ever at HU - I actually think he's a better PG already than Green, it's just that Green has top-notch flashy pass ability - but the team and O RUNS extremely well when DB is in control - I see ZERO drop-off in leadership next yr at the floor general spot, just a drop in points which I'm hoping JWF, EP, and others will fill in the gap

Again, this isn't about the single games - the team has a solid starting 5, they have talent, they can win a lot of games - but they still must develop REAL depth if they want to win a champ - don't care what you guys want to believe after a win, or what JM tries to cram down everyone's throats, or the feel-good stuff the players say, you are not winning this conf without DEPTH, end of story.

And that's all that matters this year. Hope this is a sign of MUCH better things to come in terms of PT for AW, DB and JWF - those 3 and Nichols would give *9* capable guys - THAT is what can win this whole thing and get HU to the DANCE

[Cards]

Following up on the depth issue......Lets not forget about potential injuries.I think we would have to be pretty lucky to go through an entire season without some sort of injury (even if its only someone missing a few weeks). What experienced choices do we have?? Unfortunately, we all know the answer.

How is AT neck.....had to sit out quite a bit last game.
Were we all holding our breath when JG rolled his ankle the other day??
I see RG icing his right knee quite often on the bench.

Of course we all hope everyone stays healthy, but as things stand, there is little backup with any experience.

[Wags]

They win on the road, by THIRTY-TWO at Towson -- which won at William & Mary before that -- and we're still sitting here bitching and moaning and playing time and depth?

There's a time for complaining about certain things and then there's a time for nothing but praise and being optimistic. What should they have done, played everyone on the roster an equal amount of minutes and won 110-40?

Enjoy the shock of how easy this win was. Some of you guys will never make it through the season this way!

[stuball888]

When you blow out a team like that its the same in any sport. Your not that good and they are not that bad. Just the perfect storm. We have been down this road before. We are now cautiously optimistic.

[Cards]

I think we have two separate discussion topics rolled into this "MBB at Towson" thread.

The first is the single game performance. Looks to me like virtually all that post have praised the team for an excellent effort against Towson. HU played tough at both ends of the court and they were handsomely rewarded with a well deserved blowout. Nice job done by JAM, the staff, and the team.

The second topic is the playing time and depth issue. Maybe this topic should be its own separate thread. It's not really focused on any single game, but rather, its an issue related to the teams level of performance over the regular season, playoffs/tournaments, and subsequent seasons.

Probably should have split the topics to avoid muddy waters.

[Polito]

THANK YOU Cards - I've been saying this ad nauseam - read carefully: this is NOT about HU winning individual games

HU has a strong starting 5, they have talent, they have experience, they have a powerful O - they are going to win games this year - NEVER was this a question.

BUT read this carefully as well: This is about their ability to win the CAA Champ and get to the Dance. And it ain't happening without D E P T H, I don't care how many single games they win or by how much. This is about winning a weekend tourney, 3 in 3, and earning a trip to the NCAA's for the first time in 15 friggin yrs

JM noted the depth issue in the coaches teleconf yesterday, saying it'll be a challenge all year - yeah, because you are refusing to play your bench - they are acting like they don't have anyone to play - you HAVE them, you are just choosing not to PLAY and DEVELOP them

It already cost them the Paradise Jam, which was RIPE for a great showing, and they squandered a tremendous win over FSU not by losing to USC (who is having a super yr and is STILL undefeated), but by losing to a very mediocre at best Indiana St - coming out 1-2 was not good - and it's because you can't throw the same guys out there 3 games in a row and expect to play strong D and shoot the lights out every time - ain't happening. THAT'S why this lil 'ol depth 'thing' is kind of a big deal.

feel like I'm taking crazy pills with this

[Flying Dutchmen]

THANK YOU Cards - I've been saying this ad nauseam - read carefully: this is NOT about HU winning individual games

HU has a strong starting 5, they have talent, they have experience, they have a powerful O - they are going to win games this year - NEVER was this a question.

BUT read this carefully as well: This is about their ability to win the CAA Champ and get to the Dance. And it ain't happening without D E P T H, I don't care how many single games they win or by how much. This is about winning a weekend tourney, 3 in 3, and earning a trip to the NCAA's for the first time in 15 friggin yrs

JM noted the depth issue in the coaches teleconf yesterday, saying it'll be a challenge all year - yeah, because you are refusing to play your bench - they are acting like they don't have anyone to play - you HAVE them, you are just choosing not to PLAY and DEVELOP them

It already cost them the Paradise Jam, which was RIPE for a great showing, and they squandered a tremendous win over FSU not by losing to USC (who is having a super yr and is STILL undefeated), but by losing to a very mediocre at best Indiana St - coming out 1-2 was not good - and it's because you can't throw the same guys out there 3 games in a row and expect to play strong D and shoot the lights out every time - ain't happening. THAT'S why this lil 'ol depth 'thing' is kind of a big deal.

feel like I'm taking crazy pills with this

I looked back at Mihalich's record, his bench was never ranked higher than 243rd nationally in minutes. Joe NEVER plays his bench, ever.

While I do think part of the problem is the staff does not have confidence in JWF and Walker, which I do understand to an extent, I have not been impressed with Walker's play at all in the limited time he's had, the bottom line is the only way these guys are going to get confidence in game play is if they can get a few minutes under their belt per game. These guys will need to play huge minutes for us next year, please get them some time!!!

I think JWF can be an explosive scorer and solid defender for us right now, he needs 10+ per game. I also think Buie on the court with Green has been excellent for us both offensively and defensively, Buie should get 15-20 per game. If that happens, it takes a lot of pressure on the starting lineup to play 35+ minutes per game.

Who knows, Mihalich's hand may need to be forced if the injuries Green and Tanksley picked up in the Towson game linger.