By Brian Bohl
Posting the best regular season record doesn’t always guarantee playoff success. Struggling teams sometimes start gelling at the right time and go on unexpected championship runs.
The Pride is hoping its season falls into the latter category. After starting 3-7 against CAA opponents, coach Tom Pecora raised the expectation level, stating that his team should head to Virginia March 7 in good position for the conference tournament.
Hofstra played in Delaware yesterday and conclude the regular season by hosting Drexel at the Mack Sports Complex March 1. After winning three of the past four games against CAA opponents, the Pride could be in position to claim a favorable seed.
“I expect us to win out and be 9-9 in the conference this year,” Pecora said before the game against the Blue Hens. “We’ll see what seed we have, and then go down to Richmond and play with house money. This is a year where no one expects us to go on a run down there except me, and these guys, and the rest of the guys in that locker room. I truly believe we haven’t hit our stride yet.”
In a possible first-round preview, the Pride displayed a penchant for resourcefulness. Pecora watched his unit erase an early nine-point deficit to beat Towson 81-67 last week. In the 12-team CAA, Hofstra’s best possible finish would be the sixth spot. The top four teams receive a bye in the opening round; meaning Hofstra could potentially face Drexel, Georgia State, or James Madison if they fulfill its coach’s plan.
Besides seeding, the biggest storyline remaining in the regular season is Antoine Agudio’s pursuit of Steve Nisenson’s all-time school scoring record of 2,222 points. However, the senior guard said he is focused on bringing his team to a fourth straight NIT appearance and possibly a NCAA Tournament berth that would come with a conference championship.
“We made mistakes at the beginning of the year,” said Agudio, who is averaging over 22 points. “Now we’ve got to come together, and put away the mistakes, and play as a team because we’ve got to make this run at this March tournament.”
Agudio, the conference’s top scorer, will need fellow guards Charles Jenkins and Greg Johnson to excel in their roles as complementary scorers. Dane Johnson and Darren Townes also will try to duplicate their success against Towson, when the two forwards provided an efficient frontcourt that established a 36-26 rebounding advantage over the Tigers.
“All my teammates made the difference,” Agudio said after the win. “I came out aggressively. They couldn’t focus on just stopping me. They had to stop Charles and the down low presence of Dane and Darren.”