By Kevin Carroll — STAFF WRITER
This is it, folks, this is the game that Hofstra fans have been waiting for since 2006. Because tonight, for the first time in ten years, the Hofstra men’s basketball team will be playing in the CAA title game, with a coveted bid to the NCAA Tournament hanging in the balance.
The top-seeded Pride will not have it easy Monday night, facing off with the second-seeded UNCW Seahawks. Coincidentally, the last time the Pride made it to the CAA title game, it was against the Seahawks back in 2006. The Pride fell that night, 78-67, and haven’t been back since.
Hofstra and UNCW both had to overcome tremendous obstacles to get to this point. The Seahawks had to fend off the feisty College of Charleston in the quarterfinals, and then just barely managed to slip past Northeastern on Sunday in the semifinals.
The Pride had a little bit easier of a time against Drexel in the quarters, but ran into William & Mary in the semis, in a rematch from last year’s semifinals. This year, the Pride defeated the Tribe 70-67 in another instant classic, putting the memory of last year’s crushing loss firmly in the rear-view mirror.
So now, the two top seeds in arguably one of the deepest mid-major conferences in the country are set to do battle, with a ticket to college basketball’s biggest stage at stake.
In two earlier contests this season, these two teams played some of the most exciting basketball the CAA has seen this season. In the first matchup, the Pride watched a 20-point lead slip away on its home floor, eventually losing 70-67 on a Denzel Ingram three-pointer.
The Pride flipped the script in the second game, overcoming a large second-half deficit to knock off UNCW on its home court, beating the Seahawks 70-69. That win would put the Pride on the inside track to the top seed in the conference tournament.
If history has indicated anything, tonight’s rubber match should be another barn-burner. UNCW and Hofstra have the two top scoring offenses in the conference, and are very close in most team statistics.
The Pride is led by CAA Player of the Year Juan’ya Green, who scored 14 points and assisted the game-winning bucket in Sunday’s win over William & Mary. However, it’s not just Green putting up numbers on offense. All five starters are averaging double-digit scoring figures this season.
Ameen Tanksley, fresh off a 22-point performance against the Tribe, will definitely be a factor in this one, as will Rokas Gustys, the first team All-CAA big man who was held to just two points in Sunday’s win. How he responds to his lowest scoring output all season will be crucial for the Pride.
Also pivotal for the Pride will be the sustained success from beyond the arc. Hofstra hit 11 three-pointers on Sunday, including four from Brian Bernardi. UNCW is an average three-point defending team at best, so if the Pride could stay hot from deep, it could be a huge factor.
On the other end of the ball, the Pride will certainly have a tough time stopping the Seahawks offense, led by another All-CAA first team selection in Chris Flemmings. The Seahawks have plenty of different options in the offensive end and could beat teams in a number of different ways.
In order to limit UNCW on offense, the Pride must win the battle on the boards, and prevent the Seahawks from getting those critical second-chance points that often times prove to make the difference in close games.
To the advantage of the Pride, UNCW really doesn’t have anyone to match up with Gustys down low. The Seahawks’ best rebounder, Flemmings, is only averaging just a shade under 6 rebounds per game, while Gustys pulls down 12.7 RPG.
On the other hand, William and Mary demonstrated an effective way to handle Gustys by collapsing down on him in the post, a technique that UNCW head coach Kevin Keatts will no doubt look to employ today. Also, Gustys’ foul trouble yesterday led to him being on the bench for long stretches of time. If that happens today, Hofstra will be in some serious trouble.
Both of these teams are deserving of that NCAA bid, but most likely, only one could take it. For tonight’s loser, a trip to the NIT awaits. Joe Mihalich’s kids will certainly be pulling out all the stops tonight, in one of the most important games in the program’s history. Only forty minutes of basketball separate Hofstra from glory.
For one of these teams, today will be a day of disappointment. For the other, the “Big Dance” awaits.
