Preview: Hofstra men's basketball to face William & Mary
The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team continues their brief road trip in Williamsburg, VA, with a matinee matchup against the College of William & Mary Tribe (W&M) on Saturday, January 7. Hofstra enters this road bout with a 9-7 record, rebounding nicely from a four-game losing streak by winning three of their last four contests.
The Pride is coming off a strong 67-51 victory over Hampton, in which they saw four players score in double figures and allowed its lowest point total to a Division I opponent this season. W&M holds a mere 6-9 record but has gained experience against power five squads such as Virginia Tech, NC State and Pittsburgh throughout their out-of-conference schedule. Hofstra holds an impressive 26-15 record against W&M in the all-time series and has won four of their last five meetings with the Tribe.
After entering conference play only a game above five hundred, Speedy Claxton and the Pride have looked like a much more complete team thus far against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponents. Hofstra ranks at the top of the conference in effective field goal percentage (eFG%), total rebounding percentage and shooting percentage on two-point field goals. Additionally, the Pride holds an impressive 113.3 offensive rating against CAA foes, ranking behind only the College of Charleston.
Redshirt senior guard Aaron Estrada does lead the charge on the offensive end with a conference-high 21.9 points per game. However, Hofstra has put forth a much more balanced effort on offense in recent games. Thursday’s win over Hampton saw fellow starters Tyler Thomas and Darlinstone Dubar combine for 29 points and 11 rebounds, while senior forward Warren Williams came off the bench and poured in a dozen points.
W&M has struggled thus far in conference play, much because of their lack of a primary scoring option. While a trio of players has seen their scoring averages hit double figures, nobody averages more than 11 points per game. W&M has failed to score more than 66 points against any Division I opponent. Things don’t look optimistic on defense either, as the Tribe ranks 320th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and allows conference opponents to shoot over 50% from the field. Hofstra has leaned on their big men in recent games and should be able to attack the paint with ease against a W&M lineup that ranks dead last among CAA teams in defensive rebounding percentage.
Tip-off from Kaplan Arena is set for 2 pm on Saturday afternoon. The game will be broadcasted on FloHoops, while WRHU will provide an audio-only broadcast via the Hofstra Alternative Web Channel.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lee Weissman
