MBB Game 23 - @ Charleston, 1/28/23 (Sat), 4 PM

[stuball888]

Wait for it?

[stuball888]

Wait for it!

[stuball888]

Hes coming back!

[triplec2195]

Cryptic message Stu?? I just finished watching the replay and didn't know we had won this game, ecstatic!! After watching COC grabbing all those 50/50 loose balls and getting 17 O rebounds and easy shots down low along with 24 points from the foul line it's somewhat incredulous that we won this game. When you look at them taking 31 three's and only making 5 that tells the tale and us hitting 50% 11/22 that is the game but we played with a lot of poise in front of a hostile crowd. Estrada kept us in the game in the first half just taking the game over but for this team to score 41 points in the 2nd half with Aaron only getting 2 another hard to believe fact. Credit to D-Stone in the second half for hitting big shots but more credit to JC for hitting even bigger shots keeping Charleston always having to come from behind. Great GREAT WIN!! This team right now is playing championship basketball lets hope we stay consistent.

[Hofstra]

What a win. Super happy.

[Wags]

Third straight year Hofstra has beaten a ranked team (counting the one at Richmond two years ago).

Four of HU's five all-time wins over ranked teams have come as a CAA member and four of the five have been against fellow mid-majors:

1976: 67-66 over Southern Illinois (AP #18)
2006: 77-66 over George Mason (ESPN/USA Today #25)
2021: 76-71 over Richmond (Coaches #23)
2022: 89-81 over Arkansas (AP #24)
2023: 85-81 over Charleston (AP #18)

[Wags]

Every CAA game today had a team get their first CAA win, a team get their first CAA loss, a bench player having a triple-double, or a player scoring 34. Northeastern's Coleman Stucke and Stony Brook's Frankie Policelli scored 34.

This league is always unpredictable week to week.

[EvanJ]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... =401469916 is the AP recap.

Our best CAA record was 15-3 in 2018-2019 when Justin Wright-Foreman was a senior, but a majority of the CAA fans I read predicted Northeastern to win the CAA Tournament, which happened. We went 14-4 in 2005-2006 (second), 2006-2007 (third), 2010-2011 (third and 2 games above VCU who went to the Final Four), 2015-2016 (first), and 2019-2020 (first). If we beat Towson, we can think of beating or tying our high of 15 wins. No team has ever played at least 16 CAA games with fewer than 2 losses. If Charleston wins every remaining regular season game, they will have the best winning percentage since William & Mary went 9-0 in 1982-1983, which was the CAA's first season, and there were six teams.

To many sports fans, including Omaha where I live and the nearest NFL team in Kansas City, the conference championship games are the most important sports of the weekend. To me it was Hofstra.

[Pride97]

Jus adding to everyone - great, great win.

Estrada’s points in the first half kept them in the game and they played with great team confidence in the 2nd.

Dubar and JC huge as noted. Thomas also a big time contributor. His turnaround jumper was on for a good stretch.

Like the minutes from Washington too (minus the missed slam). Think he may work himself into more minutes even when Marshall is back.

As Speedy always says - the tougher team won today.


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[Wags]

If we beat Towson, we can think of beating or tying our high of 15 wins.

So the key six-game stretch we were looking at has turned out pretty well so far:
vs. Delaware (won by 24); big at the time even though Delaware is only 4-6 in the CAA and only .500 against the CAA outside of games vs. Hofstra
at Towson (lost by 21) - the only blemish in this stretch, but a chance for payback to close the stretch
vs. UNCW (won by 24) - impressive win in a showdown game at the time
at Elon (won by 17) - TCB on the road against a bad team
at Charleston (won by 4) - speaks for itself

If Hofstra were to beat Towson on Thursday, although you can never count on it in this league (see the NC A&T loss at home), I could see how they could run the table from there and finish 16-2 in league play with these left:

vs. Stony Brook
at Northeastern
at Monmouth
vs. Drexel
vs. Hampton
at Stony Brook
vs. Northeastern

To many sports fans, including Omaha where I live and the nearest NFL team in Kansas City, the conference championship games are the most important sports of the weekend. To me it was Hofstra.

Love it! Thankful for this board. Has the best Hofstra hoops fans around!

[Wags]

https://twitter.com/SEisbergWCIV/status ... 2783929344

[Flying Dutchmen]

Gritty win, I was impressed by our resolve in the second half.

I thought we came out of the gate tight. Speedy took a smart TO at 6-0, that settled us down enough, but I didn't think we hit our groove until we got in foul trouble and had to go deep into the bench, which forced Estrada on the ball more often, where he is deadly. Charleston had us on the ropes a few times, but Estrada never let it get out of hand, truly a clutch performance in the first half.

We played much smarter, more confidently in the second half. We did a very nice job staying patient with the ball, we kept finding good looks, Dubar, Thomas, then Carlos all had big moments. It seemed like Charleston started pressing once we went up by two possessions, and despite us having no frontcourt presence, they kept chucking threes. I thought our defense was strong overall though, not many easy looks for Charleston in the second half.

Despite this obviously being a huge win for us, and catapulting us back into the regular season title picture, I don't think we brought our "A" game tonight. Boachie-Yiadom and Williams were brutal. Only one defensive rebound (2 overall) in 40 minutes, really pathetic. I get they're both a little undersized, but their positioning was so poor all night, maybe the pace of the game hurt our bigs. Williams play has fallen off the past few games, we need him to get it back together, tonight he was a non-factor and really forced NBY into too many minutes. Luckily our guards saved our bacon on the boards, Dubar was strong, and Carlos in particular came down with a huge one late in the paint.

Huge win, we have one last big test on Thursday. This six game stretch, from Delaware to Towson, was going to define our season. 3-3 would have probably kept us in the top 4, but 5-1 can make us title contenders.

[Wags]

Huge win, we have one last big test on Thursday. This six game stretch, from Delaware to Towson, was going to define our season. 3-3 would have probably kept us in the top 4, but 5-1 can make us title contenders.

Agree, but what would 4-2 mean? Still title contenders, I think, because one of the four wins during this stretch was at Charleston, but losing twice to Towson could mean hoping to avoid Towson in DC. So, 5-1 would be a lot different view, looking ahead.

[Flying Dutchmen]

Agree, but what would 4-2 mean? Still title contenders, I think, because one of the four wins during this stretch was at Charleston, but losing twice to Towson could mean hoping to avoid Towson in DC. So, 5-1 would be a lot different view, looking ahead.

I think we are contenders to win the Tournament, specifically meant to win the regular season and get an auto-NIT bid. Obviously if Towson clips us twice, they would control their own destiny to win the regular season with another h2h with Charleston.

We have some glaring deficiencies, but we are legitimately starting to play well. While no game is ever a guarantee, we could not ask for a more favorable slate the last seven games both in regards to travel, and SOS with Stony Brook and Northeastern having down years, and not having to go to the DAC. Speedy has to find a way to make some final adjustments to limit the offensive rebounds, and attack the hoop a bit more to get to the line. Marshall's injury kind of hurts us in that area, I think he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player who can get to the hoop, and he was starting to show it. Hopefully the boot is more precautionary than long-term.

I sped through the game again on replay last night, Dubar really had a great game on both sides of the ball, he really stepped up. Estrada was also better than I remembered in the second half despite just two points. I'm always impressed that despite how he scores so effortlessly, he's truly an unselfish decision-maker with the ball.

[Wags]

Agree, but what would 4-2 mean? Still title contenders, I think, because one of the four wins during this stretch was at Charleston, but losing twice to Towson could mean hoping to avoid Towson in DC. So, 5-1 would be a lot different view, looking ahead.

I think we are contenders to win the Tournament, specifically meant to win the regular season and get an auto-NIT bid. Obviously if Towson clips us twice, they would control their own destiny to win the regular season with another h2h with Charleston.

We have some glaring deficiencies, but we are legitimately starting to play well. While no game is ever a guarantee, we could not ask for a more favorable slate the last seven games both in regards to travel, and SOS with Stony Brook and Northeastern having down years, and not having to go to the DAC. Speedy has to find a way to make some final adjustments to limit the offensive rebounds, and attack the hoop a bit more to get to the line. Marshall's injury kind of hurts us in that area, I think he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player who can get to the hoop, and he was starting to show it. Hopefully the boot is more precautionary than long-term.

I sped through the game again on replay last night, Dubar really had a great game on both sides of the ball, he really stepped up. Estrada was also better than I remembered in the second half despite just two points. I'm always impressed that despite how he scores so effortlessly, he's truly an unselfish decision-maker with the ball.

Agree with all of this - all good points (especially the FTs - I always say that.. and they won yesterday despite 6/8 for them and 24/31 for Charleston).

But I think from a mental standpoint, they have to beat Towson on Thursday. There is a more than decent chance they would meet Towson in the CAA semis or final, and if so, I think splitting the season series means a potential CAA tourney matchup with Towson is more up for grabs rather than Towson being in HU's heads a bit, with HU maybe (even subconsciously) thinking Towson may have their number.

Obviously, things can change in the tournament (see HU beating Charleston twice then Charleston jumping out to an early 20-point lead and pretty much coasting from there), but Towson will probably be the only CAA team to blow HU out this year (already) and a loss on Thursday, and Towson would also probably be the only CAA team to beat HU twice this season. HU could then conceivably be 15-3 in CAA play with two of the three losses to Towson and with a road win over Charleston when Charleston had its streak and national ranking, and with HU crushing another contender (UNCW) in the only meeting with them. So, I think it potentially changes a lot mentally for DC if HU wins or loses this Thursday - not that they wouldn't still be capable of beating Towson in DC even if they lose on Thursday.

[Jojogunne]

Have to give Speedy credit for this win. He has coached two of our three all-time wins vs. AP-ranked opponents. Not too shabby for a young head coach.

If you listen to his post-game comments, I think Speedy uses those interviews to talk to his team, building up his players and highlighting some of the smaller contributions that may get lost when someone goes off for 25 or 30 points.

In the locker room celebration he said this is a championship team. More motivation for his guys.

[Pride97]

Wow - someone tweeted a screenshot from the boards.

IMG_5665.jpg

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[Wags]

Have to give Speedy credit for this win. He has coached two of our three all-time wins vs. AP-ranked opponents. Not too shabby for a young head coach.

I remember many past years on this board, with a lot of posters (myself included) asking why Hofstra can't challenge itself more. Granted, they were going to play Charleston in the CAA regardless, but hey, they got it done. And they got it done at Arkansas. And they very nearly got it done at Houston and at Maryland. What a refreshing change in approach to be willing to play anyone, anywhere (vs. past years, going back further, before the UCLA win - though UCLA wasn't ranked -- and before the Richmond win when Richmond was ranked in the Coaches poll a couple years ago) and to actually feel like there's always a chance. Yes, there will be moments like Saint Mary's and Purdue this year, but who remembers those in the long run? Arkansas, Charleston, even Houston (because they really outplayed them for most of the game) are remembered. It's been a lot of fun to see Hofstra pull these off and to know that under Speedy, they will continue to take those shots and not back down in future seasons. As you said, this is all him in terms of taking on any challenge and getting his players to believe they can pull off big-time wins.

If you listen to his post-game comments, I think Speedy uses those interviews to talk to his team, building up his players and highlighting some of the smaller contributions that may get lost when someone goes off for 25 or 30 points.

Astute point, Jojo. I have often thought the same when he gives these at home with his players sitting next to him. But you may be very right that he's using the ones on the road as well to get some messaging to his guys. I think he is likely repeatedly giving the same messaging to them in person as well, but I think as you're saying, he's using the interviews to send the same messages, to reinforce those.

In the locker room celebration he said this is a championship team. More motivation for his guys.

No one ever is a championship team until they actually cut the nets. But they have certainly put themselves seriously in the mix - a lot more so if they pay back Towson on Thursday.

[Hofstra]

Gritty win, I was impressed by our resolve in the second half.

I thought we came out of the gate tight. Speedy took a smart TO at 6-0, that settled us down enough, but I didn't think we hit our groove until we got in foul trouble and had to go deep into the bench, which forced Estrada on the ball more often, where he is deadly. Charleston had us on the ropes a few times, but Estrada never let it get out of hand, truly a clutch performance in the first half.

We played much smarter, more confidently in the second half. We did a very nice job staying patient with the ball, we kept finding good looks, Dubar, Thomas, then Carlos all had big moments. It seemed like Charleston started pressing once we went up by two possessions, and despite us having no frontcourt presence, they kept chucking threes. I thought our defense was strong overall though, not many easy looks for Charleston in the second half.

Despite this obviously being a huge win for us, and catapulting us back into the regular season title picture, I don't think we brought our "A" game tonight. Boachie-Yiadom and Williams were brutal. Only one defensive rebound (2 overall) in 40 minutes, really pathetic. I get they're both a little undersized, but their positioning was so poor all night, maybe the pace of the game hurt our bigs. Williams play has fallen off the past few games, we need him to get it back together, tonight he was a non-factor and really forced NBY into too many minutes. Luckily our guards saved our bacon on the boards, Dubar was strong, and Carlos in particular came down with a huge one late in the paint.

Huge win, we have one last big test on Thursday. This six game stretch, from Delaware to Towson, was going to define our season. 3-3 would have probably kept us in the top 4, but 5-1 can make us title contenders.

This is spot on. This guy should write for a national publication. Put this dude on ESPN. Well said.

[cactus]

Gritty win, I was impressed by our resolve in the second half.

I thought we came out of the gate tight. Speedy took a smart TO at 6-0, that settled us down enough, but I didn't think we hit our groove until we got in foul trouble and had to go deep into the bench, which forced Estrada on the ball more often, where he is deadly. Charleston had us on the ropes a few times, but Estrada never let it get out of hand, truly a clutch performance in the first half.

We played much smarter, more confidently in the second half. We did a very nice job staying patient with the ball, we kept finding good looks, Dubar, Thomas, then Carlos all had big moments. It seemed like Charleston started pressing once we went up by two possessions, and despite us having no frontcourt presence, they kept chucking threes. I thought our defense was strong overall though, not many easy looks for Charleston in the second half.

Despite this obviously being a huge win for us, and catapulting us back into the regular season title picture, I don't think we brought our "A" game tonight. Boachie-Yiadom and Williams were brutal. Only one defensive rebound (2 overall) in 40 minutes, really pathetic. I get they're both a little undersized, but their positioning was so poor all night, maybe the pace of the game hurt our bigs. Williams play has fallen off the past few games, we need him to get it back together, tonight he was a non-factor and really forced NBY into too many minutes. Luckily our guards saved our bacon on the boards, Dubar was strong, and Carlos in particular came down with a huge one late in the paint.

Huge win, we have one last big test on Thursday. This six game stretch, from Delaware to Towson, was going to define our season. 3-3 would have probably kept us in the top 4, but 5-1 can make us title contenders.

Yea agree in whole with this. It's a great win but I can't get overly excited about it. Did not think they had much of a chance at all to win at half despite only being down 2, they couldn't get a defensive rebound unless it fell in their laps, Charleston just got second chance after second chance until they came away with points seemingly every possession. They needed Charleston to go ice cold from 3 to slow down their scoring in the second half. Usually on those long rebounds from deep misses you give up more offensive boards because the caroms are bigger and more random, but that randomness ended up being the only way they could get any rebounds at all.