CAA MBB Semifinal Game vs. UNCW - Monday, March 6, 6PM

[Wags]

I understand, and that's totally fine. I take nothing back. That's my position on it. When you have the POY AND the COY you gotta win. There's no excuse for the way they played last night and losing that game. NONE. That is literally the definition of a choke.

Okay, but what's the definition of believing all season long that they didn't have anywhere near a coach who was capable of being the COY or anywhere near a team that was a championship-caliber team and then chiming in at the very end just to claim they choked?

You don't get to move the goalposts before claiming "choke."

The biggest issue for me last night, the #1 thing that set me ablaze, was listening to Speedy Claxton whine about REFFING on national TV at halftime and saying that's all he saw from the first half. THAT'S the reason HU was getting outplayed and outcoached? That is embarrassing.

And I think the reffing was marginal at best. But you are the HEAD COACH. You're the COY for goodness sake. It's only halftime and your team is down and out in dire need of its leader to right the ship. And that's what you say and focus on??

This I agree with, but I think in retrospect, and not speaking for him, but I think Speedy might want to have that one back today.

AE is the reason HU was top dog, but he also made a lot of poor plays likely trying to do too much.

He did lead HU with six assists, so he did his usual thing with setting others up, but also six TOs - nearly half of HU's 14 and three times as many as anyone else for HU. Can't have that in a game that big... although, White was UNCW's best player and had seven TOs himself.

Watched the whole Towson CofC game. Can say those two teams played MUCH harder than HU did, in addition to UNCW. Would also still say HU still has the top 1 to 2 overall talent in the league. But that's not enough. HU got what lackluster effort gets you when it matters most.

Agree with this too. As for Towson, they went from down 60-47 to leading 69-67, all of that after Charles Thompson fouled out except for just a Thompson layup that made it 60-49. That's the type of fight HU needed to show after their 21-4 run that put them up 21-9. Disappointing that didn't happen especially after buying into Speedy repeatdely saying during the regular season stretch run and after the quarterfinal win over W&M, "These guys know what's at stake."

[Jojogunne]

I agree with TripleC and others. It's time to let the negativity and personal comments go. We can agree to disagree, as they say.

A couple of thoughts I had about last night's game:

1. Getting to OT meant either we or UNCW were just one stop, one rebound, one shot, or one free throw away from winning in regulation. I think of those two inbound plays where we turned the ball over twice early in the game. UNCW scored on the first one. That can't happen. And what about Nick Farrar? He had 7 points in the first half and the winning bucket in OT. There were many more plays that could have changed the outcome for either team. Let's learn from our mistakes and move forward.

2. Looking ahead, we could use more length up front. UNCW had a couple of longer/taller players who were able to deflect passes (such as those inbound throws). Lual Manyang will give us a lot of that next year, but we could use another player or two like that. We also have to work on rebounding and getting physically tougher. Toughness was the key to the Charleston-Towson game last night (congrats to both teams for playing hard) and will be again tonight when Charleston and UNCW face off.

3. The NIT is nothing to sniff at. It gives us a chance to win another game (or two or three ...). Maybe we even host a home game next Tuesday or Wednesday. BTW, the NIT Final Four is in Las Vegas this year (and Indianapolis next year). No more MSG for a while. Too bad.

4. Finally, it was great to see German Plotnikov's mother at the game! More than three years since she last saw her son in person. Now THERE is a true fan!

[triplec2195]

tc, always a pleasure.

I understand, and that's totally fine. I take nothing back. That's my position on it. When you have the POY AND the COY you gotta win. There's no excuse for the way they played last night and losing that game. NONE. That is literally the definition of a choke. Not saying you have to say that, but I do - appreciate your way just as much as I am fine with mine.

This happens WAY too often at HU. Most CAA teams don't win - that isn't the issue. Most CAA teams don't have the yearly talent HU does. THAT'S the issue. This program has had more POY's than any team in the CAA. Where are the results when it matters? Sure some of that's just 'basketball'. Much of it is HU failing.

The biggest issue for me last night, the #1 thing that set me ablaze, was listening to Speedy Claxton whine about REFFING on national TV at halftime and saying that's all he saw from the first half. THAT'S the reason HU was getting outplayed and outcoached? That is embarrassing. I know this board is infatuated with him, and I like Speedy as I've recently said, AND I also WANT him to succeed, HU needs him to because they won't get anyone else, BUT that was just completely cringeworthy.

And I think the reffing was marginal at best. But you are the HEAD COACH. You're the COY for goodness sake. It's only halftime and your team is down and out in dire need of its leader to right the ship. And that's what you say and focus on??

NOPE. You just can't do that. That's a black eye on the conference stage for this program that he needs to make up for and mature through.

AE is really a stand up guy and one of the HU greats. Very glad he said the right things and owned they got beat. Gotta give the W props, they threw HU off the entire night. AE is the reason HU was top dog, but he also made a lot of poor plays likely trying to do too much.

Can't put this on one player of course, the entire team played extremely poorly outside of JC who played his BUTT off, but frankly I think Dubar's terrible game was a key in this loss. Speedy said when he's on they're unstoppable. And vice versa.

The bigs did jack. The bench did jack. TT had a bad night. It was just a train wreck overall. Yet they somehow managed to squeak into OT and have a chance against the W's absolute best shot. That certainly speaks to the talent level of this program. The only positive from that L.

Watched the whole Towson CofC game. Can say those two teams played MUCH harder than HU did, in addition to UNCW. Would also still say HU still has the top 1 to 2 overall talent in the league. But that's not enough. HU got what lackluster effort gets you when it matters most.

Polito you know there are people here that appreciate your passion and clearly you bleed for this team but sometimes it's too much passion that puts you over the top. This is a much more level headed post and I can appreciate where you're coming from so it's maybe not what you neccesarily say but HOW YOU GO ABOUT SAYING IT.

I will try to watch the game in its entirety and when you put this game under a microscope it was so CLOSE that you could point to so many things rebounding, foul shooting and maybe just toughness. Why did Nelson only play 13 minutes and Williams play 32. Probably the most minutes he's played all year. You can't blame D-Stone for this loss or any one player for that matter. Yes we have had the POY and this year the COY but ONE player or ONE coach isn't enough to cut nets we have seen it time and time again over the years. As a matter of fact the year we did cut nets in 2020 we didn't have the POY although a case could have been made for Buie getting that award for the incredible year he put together. IDK about Speedy referencing the officials at half time and if he did he should have known better a total no, no but he's learning on the job. Officiating has its way of swinging both ways in the course of a game.

Love this team and just saddened that we fell short this year but just won't play the BLAME GAME. IT'S NOT LIKE WE GOT BLOWN OUT A VERY COMPETITIVE GAME. If we had gotten blown out I would be taking a bit different posture here.

[cactus]

Dooku mentioned yesterday that hofstra is the best college program in the last 20 years that has not gone to the tournament.
It might not even be close.
Congrats for being part of the most tortured fan base in college hoops I guess?

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[triplec2195]

Dooku mentioned yesterday that hofstra is the best college program in the last 20 years that has not gone to the tournament.
It might not even be close.
Congrats for being part of the most tortured fan base in college hoops I guess?

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

You know Cactus as I hear it over and over again that we haven't been in the tournament or made it in 20 + years I take major exception to this because this is disingenuous. We made the tournament in 2020 for all intents and purposes and nobody can take that away from us. The fact that it wasn't played does not in any way tarnish the great year we had and our accomplishments. Sports people need to watch how they refer to our accomplishments and give credit where it most assuredly is due.

[Wags]

Dooku mentioned yesterday that hofstra is the best college program in the last 20 years that has not gone to the tournament.
It might not even be close.
Congrats for being part of the most tortured fan base in college hoops I guess?

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

You know Cactus as I hear it over and over again that we haven't been in the tournament or made it in 20 + years I take major exception to this because this is disingenuous. We made the tournament in 2020 for all intents and purposes and nobody can take that away from us. The fact that it wasn't played does not in any way tarnish the great year we had and our accomplishments. Sports people need to watch how they refer to our accomplishments and give credit where it most assuredly is due.

Thank you! I've been mentioning this repeatedly. It's extremely unfair to the program. "Not going in (now) 22 years has major asterisk. The team did what it needed to do three years ago and then faced something that was entirely beyond their control.

[Jojogunne]

Game report from the Chronicle:

This was a revenge match for the Seahawks, as the Pride showed them up 70-46 in their last meeting on Jan. 19 during the regular season.

"Last night we wanted to show them how they tried to punk us, how they did punk us in the first game,” [UNCW head coach Takayo] Siddle explained. “I always say to these guys ‘at some point in the game if you're not tough enough, if you're not competing like you need to, it’s going to catch up to you.’”

https://www.thehofstrachronicle.com/cat ... time-upset

[dutchPride86]

Love this team and just saddened that we fell short this year but just won't play the BLAME GAME. IT'S NOT LIKE WE GOT BLOWN OUT A VERY COMPETITIVE GAME. If we had gotten blown out I would be taking a bit different posture here.

Its a miracle that game even got to OT, and the fact that uncw didn't win going away with their "A" game almost makes it even worse. Goes to show that had hofstra even played an average game would have won by a couple possessions. Charleston and Towson would have beaten Hofstra by 20 points with the way hofstra played last night. Sure credit uncw for putting the pressure on hofstra, but the moment got too big for the kids, they made uncharacteristic mistakes, and Speedy couldn't right the ship.

Had hofstra gotten to tonight and charleston blew them out so be it, lost to a better team glad the NIT is there as consolation. But to come up small in the biggest moments year after year and lose to inferior talent is just infuriating as a fan. Doest mean it wasn't an incredibly enjoyable ride. But for the program to get to where I think everyone here hopes and believes it can, beating the 50 worst teams in the country on FloHoops in front of 1500 people with zero student turnout isn't enough. It sucks that's the reality for midmajors that the entire season can be erased in 2 days, but that's the landscape of cbb. And the challenge of attracting fans to mid major hoops in the NY market.

[Cards]

Its a miracle that game even got to OT, and the fact that uncw didn't win going away with their "A" game almost makes it even worse. Goes to show that had hofstra even played an average game would have won by a couple possessions. Charleston and Towson would have beaten Hofstra by 20 points with the way hofstra played last night. Sure credit uncw for putting the pressure on hofstra, but the moment got too big for the kids, they made uncharacteristic mistakes, and Speedy couldn't right the ship.

You are correct DP.

I think that players who are honest with themselves would tend to give the best perspective on their game performance. I think if you individually asked the HU players, they would each say that they did not play up to their normal level/standards. Those of you who may have been competitive athletes, know that its typically the player(s) who take on the blame for poor performance and outcomes - they can be and are usually brutally honest. I think they would each say they did not perform well on the most important night. As a fan, you can call it what you like, but as a player, you call it a "choke", you simply didnt perform up to your standards when it mattered most. That's just a fact.

Yes UNCW played tough, but other teams played us tough during the season as well. Watching the game last night, we all witnessed the turnovers while dribbling and passing, the horrible inbounds sequence, the passing dryspells when unsuccessful one on one continually failed, and the forced shots from experienced players that we did not see taken all season. The HU team played differently than they did most of the season...... and it was obvious. I think the players would say we were out of our game and UNCW's defense was only PART of the reason!

As part of the fanbase it really hurts. The only thing to do is learn from it and get better. Recognizing success and progress in a season is important, but not settling is also important. Speedy says they want to get the program to the next level, so all we can do is trust that it will get done.

[Chandy]

As a former graduate who played varsity soccer for Hofstra a couple of generations ago, I have frequented this site often over the last couple of years.

I feel compelled to comment as some of the fan base has respectfully lost perspective on what has been accomplished under Claxton's guidance. First, let me give you a bit of perspective. For the last 30 years, I have lived in Chapel Hill, NC and I know clearly the expectations of Tar Heel fans. Some of the hopes of this board have reached a crescendo that I see from the rabid or misguided fans of UNC, i.e., that the football program should be top 10 & that our coaches are not good; that the players don’t care enough. In fact, when I first came to Chapel Hill, our head football coach was Mack Brown and the basketball coach was Dean Smith. The were spectacular both as coaches and in the way the lived their lives but there was a contingent of fans that were not satisfied.

Fast forward to yesterday's loss. We are all were disappointed but I assure you so not as much as the players and coach. To express disdain for their efforts is wrong. Speedy Claxton first 2 years as Head Coach are more than good. I was proud of the team’s effort during the season and this game. Their development has been wonderful to watch. This forum should be a place where constructively critque the good and not so. Question a call or questionable play, sure, but not the intent of these kids or coach. We should also be proud that Hofstra won their conference and will very likely be playing in the NIT. That is big; to say otherwise is foolish.

So, hang in there PRIDE nation; this program is progressing and did us proud this year

[Wags]

Recognizing success and progress in a season is important, but not settling is also important.

With the varied views on the team on this board, some toward different extremes at times, these two thoughts probably encompass all of that and it's the crrect, measured approach that Hofstra needs to take moving forward. Can't be satisfied with this outcome (and we know the program isn't) but at the same time, recognize what went well, because a lot did this year, and build off of that.

[triplec2195]

even then we made it to OT where I thought surely we would win but it didn't happen

This where I was thinking... okay, they managed to get through that and now they have a five-minute reset, a reprieve with a tie game. I don't mean to put this all on Estrada because it was absolutely on everyone, including the staff, but this is exactly where I thought... this is where the POY should take over, put his stamp on the game in OT and take HU home. But never happened.

I also thought Plotnikov's energy, 3-point shooting, and ability to put it on the floor and get to the rim for energizing dunks would be big during a key moment at some point in the tournament. Last night could have been that moment as it certainly wasn't needed against W&M. But that obviously never happened either. Shame.

clearly it's not what we wanted but I have enjoyed watching this group play basketball.

I did too, but that's also what makes it even more disappointing, after we already saw for such a long stretch what they were capable - including against the same team! Ah well. I admire your loyalty though to be ready to fly down for the title game.

IDK if anyone talked about the fatigue that MIGHT have been a factor here. Nobody wants to make excuses for a loss. Aaron and Thomas played 32 minutes the night before so maybe not that much of an issue.

Just forgot to mention all the people that traveled to watch the games in D.C. taking time out of their busy lives and spending the money. Kudos to all of them wish I could have been there as well Great support bunch of folks!!

[Wags]

Game report from the Chronicle:

This was a revenge match for the Seahawks, as the Pride showed them up 70-46 in their last meeting on Jan. 19 during the regular season.

"Last night we wanted to show them how they tried to punk us, how they did punk us in the first game,” [UNCW head coach Takayo] Siddle explained. “I always say to these guys ‘at some point in the game if you're not tough enough, if you're not competing like you need to, it’s going to catch up to you.’”

https://www.thehofstrachronicle.com/cat ... time-upset

Yeah, in a Sunday night meeting, UNCW mainly just focused on Hofstra beating them in January. They also posted a note with merely the score from that game. White said it worked to motivate the team:
https://www.nysportsday.com/2023/03/06/ ... nightmare/

[Jojogunne]

As a former graduate who played varsity soccer for Hofstra a couple of generations ago, I have frequented this site often over the last couple of years.

I feel compelled to comment as some of the fan base has respectfully lost perspective on what has been accomplished under Claxton's guidance. First, let me give you a bit of perspective. For the last 30 years, I have lived in Chapel Hill, NC and I know clearly the expectations of Tar Heel fans. Some of the hopes of this board have reached a crescendo that I see from the rabid or misguided fans of UNC, i.e., that the football program should be top 10 & that our coaches are not good; that the players don’t care enough. In fact, when I first came to Chapel Hill, our head football coach was Mack Brown and the basketball coach was Dean Smith. The were spectacular both as coaches and in the way the lived their lives but there was a contingent of fans that were not satisfied.

Fast forward to yesterday's loss. We are all were disappointed but I assure you so not as much as the players and coach. To express disdain for their efforts is wrong. Speedy Claxton first 2 years as Head Coach are more than good. I was proud of the team’s effort during the season and this game. Their development has been wonderful to watch. This forum should be a place where constructively critque the good and not so. Question a call or questionable play, sure, but not the intent of these kids or coach. We should also be proud that Hofstra won their conference and will very likely be playing in the NIT. That is big; to say otherwise is foolish.

So, hang in there PRIDE nation; this program is progressing and did us proud this year

Welcome aboard, Chandy!

[Wags]

IDK if anyone talked about the fatigue that MIGHT have been a factor here. Nobody wants to make excuses for a loss. Aaron and Thomas played 32 minutes the night before so maybe not that much of an issue.

It didn't seem to bother these guys:
White - 21 pts, 11 reb in 40 min last night after 38 min in a hard-fought, 12-point comeback vs. Drexel rather than in a 48-point win over W&M
Newby - 17 pts, 5 reb in 44 min after 36 min against Drexel)

[Jojogunne]

Hey, we finally made the back cover of Newsday:

[mikey75]

What are the chances of a home NIT game? One would think the NIT would want a crowd so maybe we get Fordham if they don't go to the NCAA or St. John's (although likely in Jamaica) or a Vermont or Colgate something like that. Maybe a Seton Hall but likely in NJ.

[triplec2195]

What are the chances of a home NIT game? One would think the NIT would want a crowd so maybe we get Fordham if they don't go to the NCAA or St. John's (although likely in Jamaica) or a Vermont or Colgate something like that. Maybe a Seton Hall but likely in NJ.

I would love another Home game it could help heal everyone's wounds.

[stuball888]

So I tried to wait 24 hours before posting here is my take on what happened here is my take here is my take on what happened
Like others have said we didn’t get blown out by UN CW
For the most part, we shot poorly in the game with a few exceptions
Even with that, as poorly as we played, the score was still tied at the end of regulation
Thomas, hitting those three free throws tied the score
Now for the bad things
I think we’d made little or no in game adjustments
We have been successful in the past, but this UNCW team is not like the middle or bottom half of the CAA
Now was it fools gold?
We’re all numbers inflated to help for the rest of the league is
Our league is very top-heavy with the top four teams, and the possible exception of Drexel, as being very good to excellent teams the rest of the conference which comprises eight more teams is absolutely abysmal
That’s sad we can only look forward to the NIT
Am I excited about it?
Not really
But let’s team show me something
Let them come out with a chip on the shoulder
If this team is as good as we all, hope we should not just make it to the Sweet 16 but the final four of the NIT
I will be starting another thread about the future of this team and what next year they have in store for us

[triplec2195]

So I tried to wait 24 hours before posting here is my take on what happened here is my take here is my take on what happened
Like others have said we didn’t get blown out by UN CW
For the most part, we shot poorly in the game with a few exceptions
Even with that, as poorly as we played, the score was still tied at the end of regulation
Thomas, hitting those three free throws tied the score
Now for the bad things
I think we’d made little or no in game adjustments
We have been successful in the past, but this UNCW team is not like the middle or bottom half of the CAA
Now was it fools gold?
We’re all numbers inflated to help for the rest of the league is
Our league is very top-heavy with the top four teams, and the possible exception of Drexel, as being very good to excellent teams the rest of the conference which comprises eight more teams is absolutely abysmal
That’s sad we can only look forward to the NIT
Am I excited about it?
Not really
But let’s team show me something
Let them come out with a chip on the shoulder
If this team is as good as we all, hope we should not just make it to the Sweet 16 but the final four of the NIT
I will be starting another thread about the future of this team and what next year they have in store for us

It's nice of you Stu to finally come to the party was concerned about you with no posts. It took a long time to get over the mourning I guess. You make a good point about the NIT maybe just maybe we can make a deep run. I believe years ago we made it to the quarterfinals only to lose to Old Dominion who we had beaten twice during the regular season when they were in the CAA. True??