Preview: Hofstra men's basketball battles Drexel

The Hofstra University men’s basketball team concludes a three-game road trip as they play the Drexel University Dragons for a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup on Thursday, Feb. 15.

Both Hofstra and Drexel enter the matchup with a 15-10 overall record and an 8-4 record against CAA opponents. With matching records, the Pride and the Dragons are tied for fourth place in the CAA standings.

The Pride holds a slight edge over Drexel with a 47-44 all-time record in games against the Dragons. Currently on a four-game winning streak over Drexel, the Pride defeated the Dragons 66-52 at home in their last meeting, which occurred in Feb. 2023.

Hofstra is riding a four-game winning streak, their most recent victory coming over the North Carolina A&T State University Aggies on Saturday, Feb. 10. In their 81-49 victory over the Aggies, the Pride saw four of their players reach double-digits. German Plotnikov led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Tyler Thomas followed with 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds and four assists. The Pride heavily depended on their offense, only recording six steals, of which Jaquan Carlos led the team with two steals.

While Hofstra has been climbing the CAA standings, Drexel has dropped a few spots after losing three consecutive games. Having entered a three-game road trip leading the conference standings by themselves, Drexel then shared the top spot with the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks after losing 75-56 to them on Thursday, Feb. 8. They then fell to the fourth-place spot after dropping the next game 80-70 against the College of Charleston Cougars on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Only two Drexel players scored double-digit points against the Cougars. Amari Williams, last season’s CAA Defensive Player of the Year, led the Dragons with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Luke House trailed with 12 points and a season-high seven rebounds.

Drexel has only lost one home game this season, a 66-64 non-conference defeat against Temple University on Nov. 13, 2023. Meanwhile, Hofstra has a 4-7 record against road opponents; three of their road victories being over CAA opponents.

Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Matteo Bracco