MBB Game 28 Drexel, Feb. 22 (Thu), 7 PM

[Jojogunne]

Drexel comes to Hofstra this week for our penultimate home game of the season. CBS Sports Network will carry the action.

We both play much better at home than on the road, so perhaps we have an advantage. But we need to play with the intensity we showed yesterday vs. Northeastern.

Drexel. Elon. UNCW. Charleston.

Let's win out.

[Wags]

Drexel comes to Hofstra this week for our penultimate home game of the season. CBS Sports Network will carry the action.

We both play much better at home than on the road, so perhaps we have an advantage. But we need to play with the intensity we showed yesterday vs. Northeastern.

Drexel. Elon. UNCW. Charleston.

Let's win out.

Intensity but also the ball can't stick. Everyone, even Thomas and Dubar, need to get their points within the flow of the offense, with Carlos orchestrating everything. No, he doesn't need to get 19 assists every game (lol), but he also can't have only 3-4 and the ball not moving. When they move the ball, move without the ball, have Carlos setting guys up, have Plotnikov scoring as he has done recently, and have Fritz, Washington, and Robinson chipping in here and there, they are tough for any team in the league to beat.

But I also love this. On a day when Carlos set his assist records, when they shoot 56%, including 13/27 from 3, and were asked about the offense, Speedy and Carlos had this to say (which is where the mentality should be):

Speedy:
"I’m extremely satisfied with how we played on both ends of the court. We have to rely on our defense to carry us most nights. Offense wins games but defense wins championships, and we’re trying to win a championship.”

Carlos:
"Today, we were locked in defensively. We can’t let our offense carry us because there are going to be days when we don’t hit shots, but the defense still has to be the main priority.”

[EvanJ]

We scored 82 and allowed 62. The points allowed is farther away from average than points scored, so by that measure our defense was better than our offense.

[HUSID80]

Right now ESPN giving us a 60.9% chance of winning this game...no point spread yet...this is a BIGGIE!

[Wags]

John Fanta will be making his first trip to Hofstra, calling this game for CBS SportsNetwork.

https://twitter.com/John_Fanta/status/1 ... 5435922655

[dan10]

Definitely a big one for both. Take it easy on us, is all I can say. Especially since its nationally televised.

[HUSID80]

Definitely a big one for both. Take it easy on us, is all I can say. Especially since its nationally televised.

Dan always enjoy reading your take on Drexel sports and the CAA overall...agree this will be a good tight game. Of course hoping the home team returns the favor in this one...enjoy the ride!

[dan10]

I am praying it will be a close game. I fear it wont be (with our general road woes, especially against teams with a pulse). But we have had many great battles over the years with you guys at the DAC and Hempstead. They are always fun games.

[dutchPride86]

John Fanta will be making his first trip to Hofstra, calling this game for CBS SportsNetwork.

https://twitter.com/John_Fanta/status/1 ... 5435922655

Fanta really grinds, has a good following, can bring some decent attention to this one.

Hopefully the crowd has a little more energy than Speedy showed here asking fans to come out...

https://twitter.com/HofstraMBB/status/1 ... MFA8A&s=19

[triplec2195]

2.5-3.5 favorite. A must win realistically!

[dan10]

Good luck tonight.

[HUSID80]

ESPN now has us as 4.5 point favs, up from an opening 2.5 and gives us a 61% chance of winning.

[Wags]

Good luck tonight.

You too (but not too much! )

[dan10]

We need it more than you guys tonight. You are home afterall

[EvanJ]

https://defiantlydutch.blogspot.com/202 ... fstra.html is Jerry Beach's "I'll Be Quirky: Drexel at Hofstra." The win over Northeastern was our first 82-62 win since we hosted Binghamton on December 17, 2011 led by Mike Moore's 32 points. It was our first win when trailing after exactly one basket since an 84-52 win hosting Northeastern on February 25, 2023, so we did that the last two times we hosted Northeastern. Since VCU's Joey Rodriguez had a then-CAA record 17 assists on November 12, 2010, the only CAA players to have at least 15 assists were our Dwan McMillan's 15 on February 25, 2012, and Carlos's 19.

We are 50-48 against Drexel. Either this season's CAA Tournament or next season will make 100 games. Drexel's win last week improved them to 3-17 in their last 20 games against us. Jerry says it is the first time we play a CAA opponent twice in seven days, but seven days apart means it is twice in eight days. We played James Madison on February 28 and March 7, 2015, which Jerry excluded because March 7 was in the CAA Tournament. Jamie Bergens is from the Netherlands, so Drexel has a Dutchman.

Dubar is 27th with 1,217 career points, and is 2 behind 26th place Aaron Estrada, 3 behind tied for 24th place Demetrius Dudley and John Mills, 8 points behind 23rd place Carlos Rivera, and 23 points behind 22nd place Roberto Gittens. Thomas is 31st with 1,175 career points, and is 9 behind 30th place Rokas Gustys, and 11 behind tied for 28th place Brian Bernardi and Juan'ya Green.

https://gohofstra.com/news/2024/2/18/me ... -week.aspx is our preview titled "So We Meet Again; Hofstra And Drexel Meet For Second Time In A Week."

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/side ... game28.pdf is our Game Notes.

https://drexeldragons.com/news/2024/2/2 ... n-thursday is Drexel's preview titled "Dragons and Pride Meet Again on Thursday." It mistakenly says about their last game "Luke House nailed six treys and finished with 16 points." He scored 18.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/side ... 0221032314 is Drexel's Game Notes.

https://drexeldragons.com/sports/mens-b ... ts/2023-24 has Drexel's statistics.

https://drexeldragons.com/news/2024/2/2 ... aa-history says "On This Day in 2018: Drexel Men's Basketball Makes NCAA History With 34-Point Comeback Against Delaware" and links to YouTube highlights.

Here is today's CAA schedule, lines, over/under, and KenPom predictions:

North Carolina A&T at Stony Brook at 6:31 P.M. on SNY
Stony Brook is favored by 15.5 with an over/under of 134.5, which makes a score of 75-59.5.
KenPom predicts Stony Brook to win 78-65 with an 87 percent chance of winning.

UNCW at William & Mary at 7:00 P.M.
UNCW is favored by 10.5 with an over/under of 137.5, which makes a score of 74-63.5.
KenPom predicts UNCW to win 76-66 with an 82 percent chance of winning.

Monmouth at Towson at 7:00 P.M. on MeTV Baltimore
Towson is favored by 6.5 with an over/under of 134.5, which makes a score of 70.5-64.
KenPom predicts Towson to win 68-63 with a 68 percent chance of winning.

Hampton at Campbell at 7:00 P.M.
Campbell is favored by 9.5 with an over/under of 150.5, which makes a score of 80-70.5.
KenPom predicts Campbell to win 77-68 with a 79 percent chance of winning.
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=483778 will have statistics.

Charleston at Delaware at 7:00 P.M. on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Charleston is favored by 1.5 with an over/under of 154.5, which makes a score of 78-76.5.
KenPom predicts Delaware to win 77-76 with a 57 percent chance of winning. I do not remember when the last time the line and KenPom had different winners was.
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=484187 will have statistics.

Elon at Northeastern at 7:00 P.M. on NESN+
Northeastern is favored by 9.5 with an over/under of 143.5, which makes a score of 76.5-67.
KenPom predicts Northeastern to win 79-72 with a 76 percent chance of winning.

Drexel at Us at 7:00 P.M. on CBS Sports Network
We are favored by 4.5 with an over/under of 137.5, which makes a score of 71-66.5.
KenPom predicts us to win 68-66 with a 59 percent chance of winning.

The mean of the lines is 8.8. The mean points per team from the over/unders is 70.9

[dan10]

Yikes. Did not realize our recent history was so bad against you guys.

[EvanJ]

https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadca ... ?id=484938 will have statistics. We are starting our usual starters. Drexel is starting Jamie Bergens (guard, 4.8 points), Luke House (guard, 8.2 points), Lucas Monroe (forward, 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds), Mate Okros (forward, 6.7 points), and Amari Williams (forward, 12.0 points, 7.9 rebounds). Leading scorer and point guard Justin Moore is not starting for the first time this season, and I do not know if he is available. Williams is second on the team in assists, but a forward who plays near the basket will not fill in at point guard. Bergens will be the point guard. Among their forwards, Williams and Monroe made 1 three this season, while Okros made 36. It is very unusual to have two starters not shoot threes.

North Carolina A&T at Stony Brook is 22-22.

[dutchPride86]

Justin Moore out with an illness per cbssn.... Gotta take advantage

[dutchPride86]

Silas Sunday with by far his best minutes of the season to open this game. Very happy to be proven wrong by his play lately.

Feels like team should be up by more than 6 here though at the under 12 of 1st half

[dutchPride86]

Feel simultaneously lucky and very disappointed to only be up 1 at the half, that kind of game.

Tyler had a lousy half defensively...lost his man for a good three Drexel open 3s. But on the offensive end no issues with his shot selection. Dubar not being aggressive at all, Carlos already with 4 turnovers, that has to improve