MBB Game 15 vs. Drexel on December 30, 2018 at 4:00 P.M.

[triplec2195]

Very interesting that after the absolute drubbing we gave Delaware two days ago, today Delaware tops Northeastern 82 - 80.

I don't even know how to respond to this but this is unbelievable. Delaware after losing to Delaware State one of the worst teams in the country and getting blown out by us can beat the team picked to win the CAA. It's mind boggling and we know no two days are the same and crazy things happen in the world of sports but NE coming to HU I believe will be underdogs by at least 5 if not 7. I''ll let Evan run with that comment but I feel real confident that our major competition in this league will be the COC. I'm sure people will chime in on this but with our starting five able to score with consistency and our defense playing much better we have a better team then the COC.

[Wags]

Very interesting that after the absolute drubbing we gave Delaware two days ago, today Delaware tops Northeastern 82 - 80.

I don't even know how to respond to this but this is unbelievable. Delaware after losing to Delaware State one of the worst teams in the country and getting blown out by us can beat the team picked to win the CAA. It's mind boggling and we know no two days are the same and crazy things happen in the world of sports but NE coming to HU I believe will be underdogs by at least 5 if not 7. I''ll let Evan run with that comment but I feel real confident that our major competition in this league will be the COC. I'm sure people will chime in on this but with our starting five able to score with consistency and our defense playing much better we have a better team then the COC.

This is typical CAA. We see this every year. It's why it's such an interesting conference. People think the NFL is crazy and unpredictable from game to game, and so often what should make sense doesn't from game to game? Try CAA men's basketball. What Delaware did between Friday and today is just the latest of many examples over the years. That's also why I said after Hofstra's opener: great start, but let's see what it means as we go. And as I also said then, we of course can only go by what we've seen to date at any point in time. And after the first weekend, you have to say that Hofstra looks great in going 2-0, with two easy wins, while Northeastern drops a home game to the same team which couldn't compete at Hofstra two days earlier. What that'll mean in January, February or March? Who knows? But on Dec. 30, it looks great for Hofstra.

[EvanJ]

It's mind boggling and we know no two days are the same and crazy things happen in the world of sports but NE coming to HU I believe will be underdogs by at least 5 if not 7. I''ll let Evan run with that comment but I feel real confident that our major competition in this league will be the COC. I'm sure people will chime in on this but with our starting five able to score with consistency and our defense playing much better we have a better team then the COC.

Before today the components of the Sagarin would take us by 5.52, 5.95, 3.67, and 5.49 hosting Northeastern. KenPom has updated through today, and we lead the CAA in that and the Sagarin, while C of C leads in the NET and RPI and I think will still lead after today.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... =401083866 is the AP recap. It says "Coleman" instead of "Coburn"

As for Delaware, Ithiel Horton scored a career-high 27 after not scoring and missing 10 shots at Hofstra. I watched the two overtimes. It was 82-80. I have no idea how Eric Carter didn't foul out after his fifth foul. He fouled out after his sixth foul. Vasa Pusica didn't shoot well. He had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 fouls, and 5 turnovers. He made only 1 of 3 free throws. With 34 seconds left in regulation, he made the first and missed the second, which let Delaware tie with a two.

[Cards]

Very little subbing in todays game. Of the 200 minutes available, HU only had 28 minutes used by non-starters. I am generally OK with a 30 min to 10 min split for JT and DD, but JR and ST only got about 15-16 minutes combined. 2 minutes for ST, 0 minutes for KW - we are showing very little depth. Anyone know what happened today, in that regard??

[HofstraMathew]

ST showed nothing in the minutes he was in to warrant more. Probably could have played JR a little more but Buie had a great game and it's tough to take EP or JWF out.

KW probably will only come in during blowouts. Would love him to be able to contribute but he just hasn't shown much in the blowout minutes he has played.

[Polito]

FINALLY made a live game! Felt great

Some takes:

Guys, the CAA is not as good as a lot of you think. Time to realize that. And parity does not automatically = strength. Sometimes it means the majority is not good. This conf is not at it's past level. It's CofC, HU, and everyone else. Yes, NU is dealing with injury and they have talent, but I do not feel they are deep enough. CofC actually reminds me of HU in most years, 2 total studs, and the rest of the team. But CofC has a hundred bodies on that bench, and most are at least serviceable so they remain a true threat...

Anyhoo. This is HU's time, right here, and right now. HUSID, I know what you meant, but please, no 'settling'. This is not the team nor the year for that. I think we've had enough of that for the last 5 yrs. Yes, I have adjusted my expectations for this program, but that does not mean passes, moral victories, and the such. It just means I no longer expect this program to meet my personal standards year in and out. But 1 year? This year? Yeah, this year is very very different. Expectations are sky high.

Absolutely a JOY watching this team - and honestly, not sure I've been able to say that much in the past. Certain players yes, but this TEAM is fun to watch - so smooth, so talented, so unified. Full kudos to the staff, whom I have deservedly been very tough on - they've have put something together this season. And thank you to Coach JM for not acting like a lunatic on the side anymore - no clue why it took you 5 years, but I am ecstatic to see this change in person. Hopefully you now see it works!

This game was another no contest. It was only somewhat closer for a small bit because HU played very sloppy for 5 straight minutes. Some missed open looks, some poor passing, and DD doing squat and getting manhandled (sorry but he does not belong in the CAA)... But this team was head and shoulders above Drexel. No knock on them, I just am seeing HU being that good. Beat themselves for a few minutes, and then came back to their senses. They could've and should've beat them by 20+.

And yes, will state definitely the D of this team is clearly better than the past 5 seasons. They are actually playing some, and it's a huge help. Still many wide open looks, but HU looks for and gets steals, blocks shots, etc. There is at least the resemblance of a D mindset and focus. Could be enough. Hopefully enough.

JWF could've scored 50 if he wanted to. This kid is that good - if he was a ball hog, he'd average 35-40 a game. Thank God he has the fire, desire, and dog to be a true leader. Can see that level up in him this year.

Buie - how many times will I say, I love that kid. Best PG outside of Speedy in decades, maybe ever.

Eli - eh, soooo much all-around talent, but played a bit off today. Still had some killer moves/plays, but I would like to see him play under more control going forward - and esp so next season when he will need to be more of the man. He can be MUCH better. Love the kid, don't get me wrong, BIG talent, but some silly fouling and out of control playing today, that's all.

Man I like Taylor - what a diff to have a true center - this guy brings a LOT to the table. He frustrated me a bit with some very easy misses, but he is a major boost to this team. They are totally different with him in. DD... oy vey. Will leave it at that. Really wish Schutte was actually what some of you think he is, because I would much prefer to have his big body banging down low, esp for CofC. Alas, neither are what some of you think or keep force believing they are

Coburn a bit of a quiet game, but he's excitement hustle talent and heart in a 6'4 frame. No big issue today, but I know he has a lot more punch than I saw.

Ray, another bit of an off game for what I know he can do - I see a lot more potential here as well, needs to continue to hone his craft. And learn how to not get clocked in picks all the time - kid ran into brick walls, and didn't seem to learn the lesson better than that Ray. Growing area...

ST, ggrrr, potential that needs discipline and a lot more practice - out of position, losing easy boards, giving up buckets, and fouling = minimal PT today.


I'm nit picking really, but only because I know against CofC that 5 min span of brain fart basketball can lead to being in a hole in a hurry. Need to stay on point, but all in all, I am impressed - this team is good. Still cautiously optimistic, but they can be one of the all-time greats.

Jan. 19 <--> mark it down folks and be there, loud and proud. That game will tell all for me. Show out against CofC, and the hype train will finally be allowed to pull out of the station.


P.S. Love the "new and improved" arena - new screens look fantastic, add a great feel, and the kid area top corner is super for the children. The efforts are noticed, and the environment is getting better - ticket promos are great, took full advantage today, good job Mike and team (I know a lot of folks are working this).

[Flying Dutchmen]

This was as good a weekend of Hofstra basketball as we can get. Friday was the perfect game, not much more needs to be said.

Today was more of an honest performance, but a great win nonetheless.

We dominated Drexel's man to man defense. Our ethereal guard play has been a joy to watch, and they put on another show tonight. Wright-Foreman will be nearly unstoppable in CAA play, and he made a point of that early in the second half. Buie also had one of the best games of his career, he was just finding people all night. Everyone else was a little quiet offensively, but it was a bit of the nature of the game. I thought Coburn and EP played a little bit gassed on the defensive side of the ball, a lot is asked of those guys defensively, I thought they were feeling it a little in the second half of the second game of the week.

I was always concerned we would need a guard like Juan'ya Green to really make the Mihalich offense work, but the talent and chemistry from this group has changed my opinion, and I think this group will ultimately surpass the Juan'ya teams, at least from an offensive standpoint. These guys have done a great job finding the open man during this win streak.

Kudos to Drexel for making offensive and defensive adjustments in the second half. They went inside to Demir the first four possessions of the 2nd half and had success. We stayed pretty disciplined, but I thought Drexel exposed a bit of a weakness in our zone. We are undersized and got muscled around inside today. Defensively, later in the second, Drexel switched to a zone, and started trapping, we faltered a bit, turned over the ball, and let them back into the game.

Taylor has been a huge add for us this year, he proved it again late in the game, when he replaced Dwyer, ripped down some huge boards, played strong defense inside, which allowed us to easily close out Drexel. The way we close out games has been the biggest change from prior years. We have stayed more aggressive, and we hit our FT...so much more confidence.

ST and Dwyer struggled tonight, which is ultimately not surprising. Trueheart had a pretty nice game against Delaware, I thought he played with good intensity. He had a short leash tonight, but played a bit tentative, and not as "big" as he needs to in a frontcourt position. I thought he got bullied around inside a bit.

Like Polito noted, the CAA is way down this year. There are 6 legitimately poor teams, and W&M is a very bad defensive team that will likely need to win shootouts against the top 3 to have any chance. I'm not counting out Northeastern yet, injuries have definitely set them back though, and I'm not sure Occeus is right, he's not playing the minutes he did last year when he was defensive POY.

The next five games are a perfect cross-section of CAA competition. We can get in the drivers seat for the regular season title with home games against Northeastern and Charleston, and we get the Tribe on the road, which I'm excited to see how our improved defense handles their solid offense. The team looks very focused right now, we have to keep the train rolling with only 1 game in the next 10 days. Awesome weekend of hoops though.

[Pride97]

Totally in agreement with everyone here that this is a fun team to watch and easy to root for. This level of intensity and desire is something we haven't seen in a while - crashing the boards, diving for loose balls - gets everyone's juice flowing in the stands. I agree with all the player assessments above. Our staring 5 plus Ray are going to be a force. We may be a little short after that if ST, DD and KW can't step up. JWF looks like he is on a mission - he looks laser focused.

Felt like it was a nice turnout for a game during the holiday break. Hopefully people will keep coming to see this brand of winning basketball. I brought my son for the first time this year and agree with Polito that the added family section is a nice touch. Kids were having a lot of fun prior to the game.

[Jojogunne]

I agree with the comments about Jacquil Taylor. He was the Man of the Match today. He stopped the bleeding when Drexel closed the gap to 6 or 7 points in the second half by grabbing defensive rebounds on three or four straight possessions. And why he played only 28 minutes today is beyond me.

Also, I love the new LED screens, but could we please have a few video replays during the timeouts?

[Pride97]

Also, I love the new LED screens, but could we please have a few video replays during the timeouts?

I second this! They play replays on the streaming feed of the game - would seem to make sense to do so at the game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wags]

This play was great. I asked JWF about it, and he was laughing and said, "To be honest, I don’t know what I was doing. I tried to make a play and then I made another play out of it. It was kind of weird, but I don’t know. I just made it happen, I guess."

But what I wanted to point out is... check out the reactions of the Drexel fans in section 109 (on the section 108 side of that section), especially the guy who puts his head down in exasperation. LOL

https://twitter.com/HofstraMBB/status/1 ... 8291709952

[garyg]

Northeastern had quite a few injuries at the start of the season...does anyone know how many of those injured players they got back ???

[Wags]

https://twitter.com/JonathanJWagner/sta ... 6741612545

[triplec2195]

Northeastern had quite a few injuries at the start of the season...does anyone know how many of those injured players they got back ???

They're all back I believe Pusica has played a few games Bolden Brace is back and Shawn Occeus who seems to be having an off year.

[HU76]

Trueheart is 6’8” and thinks he’s a guard. Seems like he launches a three every time he touches the ball. Great potential but no discipline. Easy to see why he’s not playing.

[HUSID74]

Once again some concerns about depth but it looks like Joe has settled on an eight man rotation. Agree Taylor is a key to this team's better defense...he is a presence underneath and so far has neutralized virtually every touted big man we have faced, which isn't too many but look at what he did to Delaware's Carter; a huge factor in us running them out of the gym.

Also yesterday against Drexel when they got the lead down to six, Taylor came in and he grabbed some key defensive rebounds and we went on a nice run to restore order in the win.

Some here say 28 minutes is not enough for him but remember his injury history...rather keep him fresh and healthy...would like to see Joe sub in Schutte once in awhile rather than Dwyer though as e KNOW what he can do.

[joeg1]

28 seems just about right for JT

[EvanJ]

I'd be happy with 28 minutes also. He's averaging 21.5. Yesterday was his third most of the season.

[daHUPride]

I'd be happy with 28 minutes also. He's averaging 21.5. Yesterday was his third most of the season.

I still think they are pacing JT - knowing the battles ahead of us and how much more we will need him.
On the subject of JT - he has been a huge addition to this team playing along side of TC - has given us such better more athletic team.
JT and TC -have helped the games of JFW, DB, EP, JR - this has been a good close to the 1st half of HU 2018-19.
To all here - Happy Healthy New Year - Go Pride!

[HofstraHockey]

Very little subbing in todays game. Of the 200 minutes available, HU only had 28 minutes used by non-starters. I am generally OK with a 30 min to 10 min split for JT and DD, but JR and ST only got about 15-16 minutes combined. 2 minutes for ST, 0 minutes for KW - we are showing very little depth. Anyone know what happened today, in that regard??

With all the minutes given to the bench against Delaware, the break before they play NE, and only one game in 10 days, I think he was trying to squeeze the starters a bit. Bench got plenty of action on Friday.