MBB Game 30 @ at Stony Brook, 2/18/23 (Sat), 6:30 PM

[Cards]

So if Hofstra beats NE next Saturday does it at least get an automatic NIT bid regardless of the CAA tournament result?

Thats my understanding.

[Wags]

Good teams find a way to win these type of games

Exactly, and they did.

And with all the blowout wins they were getting, I think gutting one out like this before the CAA tourney may help them for the tourney more than if they simply had yet another easy win in which they weren't tested. 10 straight is 10 straight and first place is first place at this point. One more to roll into DC with 11 straight and a regular season title.

[HUSID80]

So if Hofstra beats NE next Saturday does it at least get an automatic NIT bid regardless of the CAA tournament result?

Yes if we finish first we get the auto hid in the NIT...This team has higher ambitions.

[Wags]

So if Hofstra beats NE next Saturday does it at least get an automatic NIT bid regardless of the CAA tournament result?

Yes, they understandably did away with that two years ago when it was only 16 teams but that's back now with 32 teams again.

However, I don't want this mindset coming anywhere near the team's mentality. They should strictly be thinking about climbing ladders in D.C.

[dutchPride86]

This is the type of game Hofstra has lost down the stretch in recent seasons... thinking of the Matt Lewis James Madison disaster on JWFs senior day and a then still up and coming Towson snapping Hofstras long win streak late in the championship season. So team does deserve some credit for finding a way despite playing terribly today.

Loved hearing Speedy say during his postgame presser that Dubar asked to guard Stephenson-Moore during the timeout with a little over 4 to play, and going through the pxp he didnt make a single shot with Dubar on him those final 4 mins (in fact Stony Brook didnt make a single FG period after that timeout until the final 15 seconds). Just another example of how much of a difference maker Dubar can be when he's on. Gotta give Speedy credit for trusting Dubar, and also for pulling the plug on JC for the final 12+ mins. JC is clearly having a very tough time defending bigger (6'3+) PGs who can score, luckily for Hofstra Stephenson-Moore and Timberlake are really the only 2 in the conference (Nelson Jr obviously a great scoring PG but he's only 6'1).

Don't know what was up with Estrada today, and not meaning to bash him, but this is now 3 real lousy games for his standards out of 5 since his food poison/illness:

5/13 (2/8 3pt) 13 pts vs Northeastern
5/13 13 pts, 7 turnovers vs Monmouth
1/12 10 pts, 6 more turnovers today
And yes he scored 22 vs Drexel but that was on 10/24 shooting (and another 2/8 from 3)

Hopefully this means he's just due for a hot streak in DC. Hofstra has deep enough scoring to beat most of this watered down conference without his A or even B level games, but I wouldnt be too confident in them beating Towson or Charleston like that.

[daHUPride]

This is the type of game Hofstra has lost down the stretch in recent seasons... thinking of the Matt Lewis James Madison disaster on JWFs senior day and a then still up and coming Towson snapping Hofstra's long win streak late in the championship season. So team does deserve some credit for finding a way despite playing terribly today.

Loved hearing Speedy say during his postgame presser that Dubar asked to guard Stephenson-Moore during the timeout with a little over 4 to play, and going through the pxp he didn't make a single shot with Dubar on him those final 4 mins (in fact Stony Brook didnt make a single FG period after that timeout until the final 15 seconds). Just another example of how much of a difference maker Dubar can be when he's on. Gotta give Speedy credit for trusting Dubar, and also for pulling the plug on JC for the final 12+ mins. JC is clearly having a very tough time defending bigger (6'3+) PGs who can score, luckily for Hofstra Stephenson-Moore and Timberlake are really the only 2 in the conference (Nelson Jr obviously a great scoring PG but he's only 6'1).

Don't know what was up with Estrada today, and not meaning to bash him, but this is now 3 real lousy games for his standards out of 5 since his food poison/illness:

5/13 (2/8 3pt) 13 pts vs Northeastern
5/13 13 pts, 7 turnovers vs Monmouth
1/12 10 pts, 6 more turnovers today
And yes he scored 22 vs Drexel but that was on 10/24 shooting (and another 2/8 from 3)

Hopefully this means he's just due for a hot streak in DC. Hofstra has deep enough scoring to beat most of this watered down conference without his A or even B level games, but I wouldnt be too confident in them beating Towson or Charleston like that.

So true "DP86"

Was thinking the same - so many games in our past we lost this game - they battled to stay in the game and steal this game out of SB grips. Take it and run.

DD played wicked tough D the last part of the 2nd half - and GP held his own vs Stephenson-Moore while coming in for JC and while DD was sitting out with 3 fouls.

AE is not playing his best ball - since his illness - sub-par shooting and not having a great handle on the ball (lot of turnovers) - BUT he has played 5 games in 11 days - in those 4 games leading up to last night vs SB - he has averaged about 35 minutes per game (JC is about a little bit more in that same stretch)- that many games/in that many days in college is a lot! The minutes are not alarming - except in those 4 games prior yesterday - we have won by a total (almost) of 100 points!!!! Pacing your key players - in case you get into a rock-fight of a game would have made sense to me - so you might have a fresher - stronger player available.

That said - i was impressed with Speedys use of players last night - knew WW was the guy to use over NBY - to get use points and boards down low - but also to battle SB bigs that came out early (and did little in the end) to hurt us.

Did not give JC his normal playing-time - as he was getting lit up on D and was ice cold on O.

Speedy - is not a full extrovert but he isn't the coaching introvert he use to be - he is really getting on the refs (rightfully so last night - a lil much the other night vs Monmounth) - ever since the game old coach JAM was at Speedy has been on the refs like never before - confidence, gamesmanship - I dont know but to me its an obvious difference.

Nice HU presence at SB last night - decent group - vocal - lead by "I-Am-Sam-I-Am" - my man!

Road wins are tough - lets take this and dont look back.

[Wags]

This is the type of game Hofstra has lost down the stretch in recent seasons... thinking of the Matt Lewis James Madison disaster on JWFs senior day and a then still up and coming Towson snapping Hofstras long win streak late in the championship season. So team does deserve some credit for finding a way despite playing terribly today.

Loved hearing Speedy say during his postgame presser that Dubar asked to guard Stephenson-Moore during the timeout with a little over 4 to play, and going through the pxp he didnt make a single shot with Dubar on him those final 4 mins (in fact Stony Brook didnt make a single FG period after that timeout until the final 15 seconds). Just another example of how much of a difference maker Dubar can be when he's on. Gotta give Speedy credit for trusting Dubar, and also for pulling the plug on JC for the final 12+ mins. JC is clearly having a very tough time defending bigger (6'3+) PGs who can score, luckily for Hofstra Stephenson-Moore and Timberlake are really the only 2 in the conference (Nelson Jr obviously a great scoring PG but he's only 6'1).

Don't know what was up with Estrada today, and not meaning to bash him, but this is now 3 real lousy games for his standards out of 5 since his food poison/illness:

5/13 (2/8 3pt) 13 pts vs Northeastern
5/13 13 pts, 7 turnovers vs Monmouth
1/12 10 pts, 6 more turnovers today
And yes he scored 22 vs Drexel but that was on 10/24 shooting (and another 2/8 from 3)

Hopefully this means he's just due for a hot streak in DC. Hofstra has deep enough scoring to beat most of this watered down conference without his A or even B level games, but I wouldnt be too confident in them beating Towson or Charleston like that.

All well said, on noting the past late-season losses but winning this one, on Dubar and Speedy's trust of him, on Speedy going away from a guy he loves in Carlos when he knew he had to, on the bigger CAA PGs and only two maybe causing Carlos trouble size-wise, and on Estrada''s recent struggles since the food poisoning.

Something not talked about enough is that Speedy has seemed to very often push all of the right buttons this season and what you said above are a couple of the latest examples. He doesn't mind going against the grain to do so, either. Many coaches might not say in Saturday's situations... "Okay, Dubar, you want to guard him? Go ahead" Or, "This is the PG I have trusted a lot all season, but I can't trust him here, so I'm going in a different direction to close this game out tonight." I think it shows a lot of growth on Speedy's part as a head coach in only Year 2, and it demonstrates that he has as good a handle on his team as a head coach as he did with the basketball when he played.

On Estrada, there is enough of a sample size to be concerned, and although he always finds ways to very positively impact the game in other ways (defensively, with assists and rebounds, and drawing attention to free teammates), you're right, they'll need his normally efficient scoring in DC, especially in the last two games if they can get away without it in the first game. I have a feeling we'll see one more confidence-building, efficient, good-scoring game from him against Northeastern and then eight days off to clear his mind and reset should help carry that forward to the tourney... I hope.

[Flying Dutchmen]

Any game where we can survive 1-21 from Carlos and Estrada is miraculous.

Great game from TT, his consistency saved us. If we get it done in DC, I'll look back at his performance tonight as one of the clutch performances that saved our season. Dubar was excellent as well, he got taken out because of foul trouble, but was the difference maker in the final 5. As mentioned above, he took on Stephenson-Moore who had the best game of his career last night. He also had a big bucket in the paint, and made the great pass to WW with 3 seconds on the shot clock to get him the dunk that put us up 6 with a minute left.

I love the strategy change in the second half to abandon the three and get to the hoop. Stony Brook is big, but play kind of flat-footed defensively, the fouls were there almost every possession and we finally took advantage, 21-24 from the line.

Credit to Stony Brook, they came in prepared, we couldn't hit a shot on the perimeter and they almost picked us off. Estrada had a horrible first half, the worst I have ever seen him play, but he cut the turnovers in the second half and was able to contribute defensively and at the FT line.

One more to go, let's get it done in style.

[HUSID80]

Very strange that Carlos came out firing 3's last night...wonder if that was part of the game plan with SB focusing on our more prolific scorers. It sure didn't work but as you all said, there are plenty of other guys to pick up the slack one one of our key guys is having a tough time...mark of a CHAMPION! HOPEFULLY!

[Wags]

I love the strategy change in the second half to abandon the three and get to the hoop. Stony Brook is big, but play kind of flat-footed defensively, the fouls were there almost every possession and we finally took advantage, 21-24 from the line.

Despite Estrada going 1/12 from the floor, he was still 8/9 at the line, along with a team-high 7 boards.

And even with his struggles overall, they still find a way to 41 second-half points and 68 for the game. They won because yet again, they held an opponent in check enough defensively, winning this game in the 60s. Even when everything isn't firing as they'd like offensively, this team will almost always find a way to score enough to win. So it always comes down to their D. If they continue to do a good job there, they're cutting the nets (except for may Charleston - that may be the one game, if it happens, that they may have to win in the mid or high 70s or in the 80s like they did at their place; but if they could ever hold that team under 70 with good D, Charleston may stand little chance).

By the way, 4,009 in attendance last night. Like I've been saying, Suffolk County will draw, Nassau County just does not.

[triplec2195]

Very strange that Carlos came out firing 3's last night...wonder if that was part of the game plan with SB focusing on our more prolific scorers. It sure didn't work but as you all said, there are plenty of other guys to pick up the slack one one of our key guys is having a tough time...mark of a CHAMPION! HOPEFULLY!

I'm all in on Carlos shooting wide open shots every game but he has to show he can hit them consistently which I believe he can so does Speedy. He just has to keep the defense honest so they don't double up on Estrada or Thomas. This is the same indifference they showed Burgess when he was throwing up brick after brick. Carlos is a better shooter then what he was showing last night and if we were just having an average shooting night for both him and Estrada we would have been winning by double digits the entire game.

I wonder if anyone feels the way I do about Dubar and that's I believe he lets his O game effect the rest of his game. He has been playing well of late and it seems like when he's scoring he stays locked in on both sides of the court.

It's been pointed out here that Carlos sat an inordinate amount of minutes which had to do with both his offensive woes as well as his D problems. If he was scoring last night Speedy probably would have left him in because it would have been more or less of a wash the points he was giving up and his O contributions. I wonder what will happen with him come playoff time since he has already shown that he has had trouble guarding Timberlake. Will he be subbed for Washington for D purposes and speaking of Washington he needs to better finish at the rim. He has missed some easy shots in close.

[Wags]

I wonder if anyone feels the way I do about Dubar and that's I believe he lets his O game effect the rest of his game. He has been playing well of late and it seems like when he's scoring he stays locked in on both sides of the court.

Maybe sometimes, but at others, I'd say just the opposite. In the home win over Delaware, he didn't score and shot 0/5 in 15 mins, yet was active and still had 7 rebs. In the home win over Towson, he only had 4 pts on 2/7 fg, but still had 5 rebs & 3 asts and helpful D. In the road win at Northeastern, he only had 7 pts on 3/9 fg, but had 5 rebs in and again, helpful D at times. I actually found myself crediting him this year a few times for making contributions despite doing little offensively. Yesterday he was shooting better (4/7 fg, 3/5 from 3), but he still didn't say to Speedy, "Give me the ball" down the stretch, instead he said, "Let me lock up Stephenson-Moore so we can get out of here with the win," and he did.

[Polito]

Some great points in here - this was a gutty win, and one that HU might have let slip in the past. HU was due for an off game, hopefully this was their clunker all the way to the dance.

This is a very different team than the one that frustrated me in the OOC. To their credit, they have kept at it, worked on their craft, and evolved to be a very dangerous team that sits in 1st place. Nothing to be frustrated with at this stage. Speedy has this group playing team ball, distributing well, making plays, doing the little things, and most importantly valuing D.

A couple of games ago in Speedy's post-game he said flat out that when Dubar plays well, no one can beat this team. Big statement. And one I tend to agree with - I have long been a huge proponent of skilled wings (F or G) and how much of a difference they can make in the college game. They are often the piece that completes the puzzle. That was Stormin Norman in Speedy's day. And then he became the piece the next year.

Fully agree that AE is going to need to play better to take down Towson or CofC, but it's hugely refreshing to FINALLY see a team that is not one player or one dimensional. That wasn't the case early on. This team can beat you in so many ways and has proven so. And they are not getting lost in the 3, this is SO key. This team understands attacking the basket and the mid-range impact. All great signs of a team that can win it all.

As for JC, his biggest areas of improvement in the offseason will be shooting and D. He's going to have to find his way of defending bigger guards - don't have to be lockdown, but you do have to be effective. And he doesn't need to be lights out from 3, but he does need to find a shot. He's still developing, but he's made big strides. Continue maturing his game and he will have stellar Jr / Sr years.

TT IMO might be the co-MVP of this team. Of course AE is the clear winner there as w/out Estrada TT doesn't get nearly as many good looks, but man TT has really found his place in this team and has been a big reason for many wins.

I too am really encouraged by some of the coaching maturity being displayed vs early on - making big bold and quick decisions - willing to change it up, willing to take some chances, willing to go by the feel of the game, willing to adjust - so much of what I have wanted to see for years - I am really really hoping this is a sign of more to come from this staff. Because if they can be that, this program can be pretty dominant in this crappy league.

1 left to take the regular season crown - just a step closer to the real goal, but considering the year CofC has had, that would still be an awesome milestone to celebrate on the way to the dance!

[mikey75]

Love when Polito parachutes in out-of-the blue. Lol.

[HofstraMathew]

Speedy won us this game. You have seen it this season compared to past seasons a completely different way of Hofstra basketball. It started with recruiting; we have what I would consider an actual team for the first time in a while. Not just a group of players relying on a star or two. Speedy then pulled all the right moves in game by being able to go to Bryce for some added defensive height. Then late in the game we had Dubar and German out there at the same time. When was the last time we had a lineup like that out on the court? Not only was he able to pull the trigger to make these moves but he has essentially set this up all season long by playing bench players so no one is being thrust into this inexperienced.

I believe it was Speedy's introductory press conference were he said something along the lines of teams will feel Hofstra after playing them; that we will paly tough physical basketball. I think we can all say watching this team this season he has fulfilled that goal and last night in particular it won us that game. This was a game we last 10 out of 10 in previous years.

4 more games to finish this seaosn off but this team is different than prior years and it all comes down to the defensive intensity and playing as a team.

[stuball888]

Mikey i told you he saw his shadow so 6 more weeks of Polito

[Jojogunne]

Geno Ford's postgame interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-0wEl0wx4s

[stuball888]

thanks Jojo Genos a stand up guy

[triplec2195]

Geno Ford's postgame interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-0wEl0wx4s

Nice post presser interview By coach Ford who was very complimentary towards our team and gave us a lot of credit in the win and who also complimented Estrada, Tyler and some of our other players. A real class act coach. Kudos to him.

[HUSID80]

I love the strategy change in the second half to abandon the three and get to the hoop. Stony Brook is big, but play kind of flat-footed defensively, the fouls were there almost every possession and we finally took advantage, 21-24 from the line.

Despite Estrada going 1/12 from the floor, he was still 8/9 at the line, along with a team-high 7 boards.

And even with his struggles overall, they still find a way to 41 second-half points and 68 for the game. They won because yet again, they held an opponent in check enough defensively, winning this game in the 60s. Even when everything isn't firing as they'd like offensively, this team will almost always find a way to score enough to win. So it always comes down to their D. If they continue to do a good job there, they're cutting the nets (except for may Charleston - that may be the one game, if it happens, that they may have to win in the mid or high 70s or in the 80s like they did at their place; but if they could ever hold that team under 70 with good D, Charleston may stand little chance).

By the way, 4,009 in attendance last night. Like I've been saying, Suffolk County will draw, Nassau County just does not.

Wags their boards said there were only about 3,000 there, that they lied. We outgrew them for our SB home game.