The David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex buzzed on Nov. 9, 2018 as 4,645 Hofstra fans shuffled into the sold-out arena to kick off what would become one of the most successful men’s basketball seasons in program history that has included exciting finishes and a 16-game win streak en route to a record-breaking 27 wins.
But fans and coaches were concerned when the team quickly fell behind 16-1 in the team’s season-opener, a game that Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich described as a “must-win game” in the postgame press conference.
The Pride never counted themselves out that night, completing their largest comeback since 2016 and eventually earning the double-digit victory.
That’s when Hofstra fans were introduced to the team’s exceptional “spirit in the locker room” as junior Eli Pemberton described it after the game. That led them to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), originally the most prestigious tournament in college basketball before being surpassed by the NCAA tournament.
With the hard-fought loss in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship game against the Northeastern Huskies, the Pride’s dream of an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in 18 years was shattered. An at-large bid was all but out of the question for the Pride, so the team’s mindset turned to the NIT, which Hofstra automatically qualified for with their regular season CAA championship.
“[The team] told me to just get ready for the next one,” said senior guard Justin Wright-Foreman after the title game loss. “We have a game left so I’m just going to continue to be the leader that I’ve been all year.”
But it’s never easy for a team to get over such a disheartening loss – if they ever truly can.
“You don’t ever really recover from that,” Mihalich said. “You think about it for the rest of your life, but you learn to deal with it.”
“The game of basketball is just like the game of life. You’re going to go through disappointments that you’ll always remember, and you have to deal with them.”
Then he shared a story about senior Desure Buie, one of the strong team leaders.
“I thought Buie summed it all up. I asked him the other day, ‘How are you doing?’ He said, ‘Coach, I’m still pretty messed up mentally about this. Still pretty depressed that we’re not going to be in the NCAA tournament.’ He said, ‘Once I see who we’re playing, I’m sure I’ll get the hunger back.’ And [Buie] sets the tone for the whole team – he always does. When I shared that with the team, everybody started shaking their heads in agreement.”
But Hofstra isn’t the only team that was heartbroken this year. North Carolina State University, the Pride’s first opponent in the NIT, was also expecting to earn an NCAA tournament bid but found out on Selection Sunday, which this year was March 17, that they fell short.
“There are definitely some depressing moments,” Mihalich said on NC State’s mentality after missing out on a national bid. “But I’m sure once they realize that they’re still playing basketball and can do something in the NIT they’ll get excited again.”
Just as Hofstra will do leading up to Tuesday night’s game.
“Our guys love basketball, they love each other,” Mihalich said. “They’re glad they’re still playing and they’re glad they’re still playing with each other. We are just so excited to represent Hofstra and the CAA.”
The NIT seedings were selected later that Sunday night and Hofstra was seeded seventh in their region, pitting them against No. 2 NC State.
“We’re excited,” Mihalich said. “We know [NC State] should be in the NCAA tournament. We know how good they are. So, we’re excited.”
Kevin Keatts, NC State’s head coach, spent four years at the helm at UNC-Wilmington, the Pride’s conference rival. Keatts coached the Seahawks from 2014-2017.
“We’re good friends,” Mihalich said. “I have a lot of respect for [him]. He’s an excellent coach and his teams always play well. They play hard, they’re well-prepared.”
“We watched over the tape. They still do some of the things they used to do back at Wilmington. And I’m sure he’s saying the same thing about us,” he added.
This will be the Pride’s sixth appearance in the NIT, first since 2016 when they lost to No. 4 George Washington University 82-80 in the first round as the No. 5 seed in their region. The Colonials went on to win the NIT championship that year.
The first round of the 2019 NIT between No. 7 Hofstra and No. 2 NC State tips off on Tuesday March 19 at 7 p.m. on ESPN 2.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
