The Hofstra University men’s basketball team plan to take the short trip to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to take on Seton Hall University in the Icons of the Game tournament.
The Wednesday night tilt will be part of a double-header at the inaugural Icons Of The Game event. The University of Massachusetts (UMass) and Louisiana Tech University are the openers.
Hofstra enters Wednesday’s game following a 2-0 opening week. The new-looking Pride took down fellow New York rivals, Iona University, 90-76 to claim their first Division I win of the new campaign.
In this tournament, Seton Hall transfer Jaquan Sanders will play against his former team for the first time. The junior guard played two seasons for the Pirates, where he averaged 2.5 points per game in 10 minutes a night. Since joining the Pride, Sanders is averaging 19.5 points per game and he scored a career-high 24 points, including five threes, against Iona.
Sophomore transfer Jean Aranguren notched 18-9-9 in the win over Iona, nearly recording his first triple double. As a team, Hofstra is averaging 89.5 points per game just a week into the season, which is good enough for 59th in the country.
Shaheen Holloway, March Madness legend and Seton Hall head coach, and his team look to get back on track with a win in Long Island. The Pirates head into the game 1-1, including a win against Holloway’s former team at Saint Peter’s University. Seton Hall fell to the Fordham Rams on a last-second buzzer-beater by Jackie Johnson III. A win is imperative for the Pirates whose strength of schedule will be under scrutiny come March.
The Pirates offense has been lackluster to start the year, averaging just 56.5 points per game, ranking 354th in the nation. Seton Hall is also shooting just 36.7% from the floor and 36% from three. Old Dominion transfer Chaunce Jenkings leads the Pirates with 12 points per game. They will also look to get a boost from Ohio State University transfer Scotty Middleton, who has just 1.5 points per game in the Pirates’ first two games.
On the other hand, Seton Hall ranks 25th in points allowed per game. Opponents are shooting just 36.2% from the field against the Pirates.
Hofstra and Seton Hall have played on four previous occasions, the Pirates lead the series 3-1, however, the two teams have not played since 1970.
Fans can catch all the action of this Metro-Area clash on MSGSN. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m., shortly after the finish of UMass and Louisiana Tech’s game.
Photo courtesy of Ethan Albin
