The Hofstra University men’s basketball team returns home to take on the Northeastern University Huskies on Saturday, Feb. 17, in a crucial Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup. The game will mark the second and final meeting between the two teams this season; in the first, Northeastern edged out a 71-68 victory over Hofstra up in Boston, Massachusetts.

Both teams are in desperate need for a win to help their CAA tournament resumes. The incoming visitors sit at a 5-8 mark in the conference following a 77-73 loss to the College of Charleston, the conference front-runners. A win on Saturday will all but secure a first-round bye for the Huskies come March. For the Pride, their heartbreaking 79-77 loss Thursday night at the hands of the Drexel University Dragons means they sit one game out of the final double-bye bid. 

To have a look onto the court, Northeastern is led by forward Chris Doherty. The 6 foot, 7 inch senior is averaging 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds this season, powering the Huskies’ offense. Northeastern averages 70.6 points per game as a team and get at least 7.6 points a night from seven of their players. Defensively, the Huskies rank fifth in the nation in rebounds allowed at 29.3. Six of the seven key rotation players on the Huskies average at least three rebounds. 

For Hofstra, standout guard Tyler Thomas scored 34 points in a valiant effort against Drexel. Thomas averages 22.3 points per game on the year, making him a potential candidate for CAA player of the year. The big question now is how to get quality bench production, as the Hofstra bench has scored at least 10 points in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-January. Most consistently off the bench has been big man Silas Sunday, who notched six rebounds in 21 minutes last Saturday against the North Carolina A&T State University Aggies. 

Tip-off for this CAA clash is set for Saturday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m.

 Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman