MBB Game 35 vs. Alabama, March 20 (Fri) 3:15 PM - NCAAT Round 1

[dutchPride86]

Also if I had a dollar for every person who stopped me to ask where Hofstra is, I might have been able to afford 1 arena beer!

Keep making the tournament and they'll know.

I got stopped for a couple "respect good game" by drunk Florida fans on my way out of the nightcap. Ill take that as progress

[Jojogunne]

So far, Preston’s 24 points is the third-highest total by a freshman in the 2026 NCAAT.

AJ Dybantsa (BYU) scored 35 points -- the most ever by a freshman in his first NCAAT game -- and David Mirkovic (Illinois) added 29.

[Jojogunne]

In Tom Rock's article about our NCAA game vs. Alabama, he reports that both Preston and Cruz are planning to return:

https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnis ... s-yr94byik

After the game, both Edmead and Davis, two players who undoubtedly will have options to play at higher levels and make more money than they would at Hofstra, said they intend to return to the Hempstead campus to try to get back to this point — or beyond — in the 2026-27 season.

“I haven’t even thought about [leaving],” Edmead said. “I was always coming back. I was never thinking about anything else.”

“I see a great future,” Davis said of Hofstra’s outlook and about playing alongside Edmead in particular. “It’s great playing with him. You saw what we did this season. We did something legendary. So it would be great to do it next season.”

[Hofstra]

So proud of this team. They had a great first half. Up 28-18 was an awesome run. Second half, Bama was just too much for us. Silas didnt have his best game, but I liked what I saw from Victory. Hopefully he has a nice offseason and expands his role next year.

I really cant say enough about this team. They were just such a likeable group of guys. Lets run it back next year. Been a long time for me, and all of us, I had so much fun today.

[Mark19th]

Near the end of the game, a couple of minutes left, shouldn’t Speedy have put in his bench players? Maybe reward all the guys who worked hard for this team all year by giving them a chance to play in a tournament game, at least for a minute or two?


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[Wags]

Near the end of the game, a couple of minutes left, shouldn’t Speedy have put in his bench players? Maybe reward all the guys who worked hard for this team all year by giving them a chance to play in a tournament game, at least for a minute or two?

He probably should have. The problem was Edmead was hitting 3s in the second half and they stayed within striking distance of a few more 3s of staying in it until real late. It was still an 11-point game with just over three minutes left, but once it got to 16 at 2:10, that was the time. Even Mallette and Sherrell came out for Alabama at 1:47, with the lead at 16.

Would've been nice to see some of those guys get in the game at that point. Roberts, Wills, Tsynkevich, Reaves (who only played 6 min and made his only shot, to cap the 26-10 run that made it 28-18 - not only at the end, but they could've maybe used a few more minutes and shots from him when it still mattered).

For instance, this meant everything to Huntington, NY native and sophomore Eddie Munyak, to take (and make) his first career shot in an NCAA tournament game: https://x.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/20 ... 6059800925 (these are moments only college hoops can provide in March; you just don't get those in the NBA).

[HUSID74]

This team gave us a great year and soooo likable. They fought to the bitter end as we knew they would...it would be great run run it back with a few more new pieces. We need a wing and other big. Overall we need to get bigger to compete at this level.

Also, shoutout to the fans in attendance, myself included; we were Loud and Proud!

And PBDutch, you keep talking about more NIL money to come...care to share some info with us.

[Polito]

Still on cloud 9!!! This was one of the absolute best sports experiences I've EVER had in my life. No exaggeration. It was incredible, worth every single penny and frantic coordination lol. It was everything I hoped it would be and more (big thanks to my wife for holding down the fort!). Fantastic time, and no matter the reason, I feel for everyone who missed it. I hope everyone here is able to make it happen next time! All who were there built a great bond together that will continue on - a brethren formed and will continue to unite and grow!

And I'm sure it's similar for the CAAT, just on a much smaller scale. I will do better on my end to be a part of that as well to keep growing our support numbers. But I'll tell you this, I am already hungry to attend another NCAAT, it was unforgettable - 25 years to see us on the national stage, and I have to give it up to HU, they did not disappoint. Not just the game, HU in general. The staff did a fantastic job running events, providing quality gear, and connecting with the fans. The fans, us, were OFF THE HOOK - not sure how it came across on TV, but we stood the ENTIRE game, and we put Bama's fan section to shame. We fully rocked out, to the bitter end. Brought a solid group of passionate fans, very respectable in size, which was awesome to see - actually got compliments on our numbers which was a shock lol - and I think we can double it next time!

VERY proud of this team - they worked their butts off and repped our school very well. We got lots of compliments and respect from other fans - this appearance was massively impactful and important for the program and our U. This cannot be understated. We MUST keep the flagship successful and making the dance on a relatively regular basis.

Starting with next year. And so begins our run for a repeat!!!

[Jojogunne]

We played Alabama better than Texas Tech is tonight. The Red Raiders are trailing, 49-25, at the half. Bobby Knight would never have let that happen.

[dutchPride86]

We played Alabama better than Texas Tech is tonight. The Red Raiders are trailing, 49-25, at the half. Bobby Knight would never have let that happen.

We really might have had a chance with a different matchup. Makes me feel both prouder about our effort but also adds a little bit of a bitter taste seeing this.

It hammers home for next year, if Edmead and Cruz do both indeed return the expectations need to be beyond solely winning the league again. Seeding matters. Go 27-5, get inside the top 70 in the NET and be in play for an 11 or 12 seed. Give yourself a better chance at facing a beatable opponent. In this new era, the top 15 or so teams may just be too good to lose to anyone at our level (2 yrs in a row now no 13 or worse seed has won). Final step for the program on the court is going on a run in the tourney

Of course all contingent on the two of them both coming back, which awesome what they've said but we'll see what happens when the money starts rolling in from the big boys.

[Jojogunne]

Bama won, 90-65.

Texas Tech tried to outscore Bama and lost that race. The Tide was also unconscious (around 45%) from three-point range.

[triplec2195]

Just remind people who only want to look at the final score that we played Alabama tough for 36 minutes. People are quick to just judge us over the final score and don't even realize we had a 10 point lead during the first half. There are plenty of people who still ask if we're a D1 school?? Lol Clueless!

[Wags]

Just remind people who only want to look at the final score that we played Alabama tough for 36 minutes. People are quick to just judge us over the final score and don't even realize we had a 10 point lead during the first half. There are plenty of people who still ask if we're a D1 school?? Lol Clueless!

Win one NCAA tournament game, and all this goes away.

[Polito]

Texas Tech got absolutely spanked from the jump. Hofstra did not, it was a war against us for 36 min. With a roster about 1/10 the $ of theirs. We lost our footing with 4 to play - the final score was in no way indicative of how this team played. Bama has built a high powered program that is becoming blue-blood like, and our boys battled multiple NBA guys on that roster.

Have to be super proud that we played a sweet 16 team who may very well end up in the elite 8 again or higher right down to the wire. HU earned respect from everyone who watched. A great re-entrance to the national stage.

And now most definitely the goal is to return and win some games - then the ENTIRE country will know the name.

[Wags]

https://x.com/i/status/2036115924294508939

[dutchPride86]

Rewatched the game off the dvr this morning, wanted to see how it felt on TV as opposed to in the building, and torture myself with a little bit of the what-if game. Too long of a post of thoughts here my apologies in advance. Lol...

- I'm really not sure what else we could have done defensively, Bama really is loaded and there’s just no comparison b/w their size/athleticism and ours. Philon and Allen also did a great job adjusting in the 2nd half to aggressively and consistently attack the rim. Philon is a lottery pick, he got going, sometimes its as simple as that. The 3s from the Bama bigs, kinda feel like gotta tip your cap to them. It wasn't Iike W&M where we just ignored a guy for no reason. As we wore down the rebounding fell off, that was a big piece of it too.

-Offensively though we could have been a LOT better in the halfcourt, maybe Bama's length had a lot to do with it, but our halfcourt execution just was not close too good enough to pull an upset in the NCAA tourney. Its honestly the #1 area of improvement for Cruz/Edmead and the staff for me if the two both come back... just have get easier shots in the halfcourt and be better off double teams when opponents blitz two guys off our screens. And if the staff can find the next German, don't forget about the kid for 80% of the game! Candace Parker even said it during the broadcast at one point, wanted to see more off ball action from the offense.

-Was so caught up in the excitement of building the 10 point lead in the arena didnt feel this as much in real time, but watching it back knowing what happened we also really missed an opportunity to blow the lead up to 15+ points in the first half. A lot more empty possessions on offense while the lead was still hovering around 10 than it felt like in the moment. Who knows what would have happened if we actually got it to 15+

- Thought the broadcast was fair. McCarthy, Bonner and Candace were all knowledgeable enough about the program and very complimentary of Hofstra's compete level throughout the game. They also were quick to point out the final score was not indicative of the quality of the game at the end. Surprised they never mentioned Cruz's Pitino connection or showed Edmead's shot vs Towson, but they had things like the Speedy Jay Wright practice photo. For a lower half tourney crew that doesnt do a lot of games together during the season they were fine.

-Our crowd really came across on TV. Wish the broadcast took even a few more shots of all of us, but the noise sure came through. The crowd pop when Biggie made the corner 3 to give us our first lead at 18-16, the lets go Hofstra chants at 25-18... awesome stuff

- The Victory incident near the end of the game: Cant believe that was only a deadball tech and he wasnt ejected and sent back to the locker room. No question Bama ran up the score because of that in the last 2 mins and honestly can't blame them. Much more egregious than it looked in person. Gotta help Victory control his emotions better if you bring him back

[Wags]

And if the staff can find the next German, don't forget about the kid for 80% of the game!

Thank you. I've only been saying it on here on repeat for about the past three years.

He came out hot and was 5/8 & 2/4 from 3 in the game and could've helped them more while Edmead (although he shot very well from 3 and kept them in it) missed 9 of 12 2s and while Davis missed 11 of 17 shots overall. But yet again, they forgot about him. It's a shame, they wasted German's shooting for a good portion of his career here when he could've scored more and helped them more, simply by ignoring him too often.

Edmead (if he stays), as he continues to learn and grow, needs to find a better balance of when to shoot the right shots and when to forego worse ones and set others up a bit more. He's almost automatic off the dribble from 3 when they set a good screen for him out there, but he often forces off the drive in the paint when could and should be dishing more. But he'll learn with that. Time is on his side with a lot of great accomplishments already, with a lot of talent, and a great worth ethic to build off of.

And yes, like any team, they should have their standard 1st, 2nd, 3rd options, etc., but that shouldn't be etched in stone every game or even every half. In general, they need to do a better job of recognizing the hot hands and to keep feeding those instead of trying to force-feed those who aren't hot, hoping they'll heat up, and they don't. As they cool off, you can turn to your other usual options. That makes you a better team. It keeps everyone more involved and engaged at both ends of the floor because often, those who are more involved offensively will be more likely to be doing what they should be defensively and make any hustle plays that are needed (rebounding, hitting the floor for 50/50 balls, etc., the "not so little" things that can win close games).

-Was so caught up in the excitement of building the 10 point lead in the arena didnt feel this as much in real time, but watching it back knowing what happened we also really missed an opportunity to blow the lead up to 15+ points in the first half. A lot more empty possessions on offense while the lead was still hovering around 10 than it felt like in the moment. Who knows what would have happened if we actually got it to 15+

Fully agree. I was talking to my Dad, watching the game with me on TV from Arizona. I told him at that time, that was the game right there, not getting it up to a 16-18 point lead, that they probably missed their chance for an upset, and I felt that even more so by halftime, after their double-digit lead turned into a two-point deficit.

They were forcing turnovers, getting out in transition, playing fast, and really had Alabama on its heels after that 26-10 run (especially the last 16-2 part of that). They were doing everything during that run that you'd normally see from a team that pulls off a big NCAAT upset and Alabama looked like the type of flat-footed favorite that would normally be upset in a situation like that if it continued for long enough. But unfortunately not.

It didn't surprised me (and probably many others) at all that Alabama started the second half fast and quickly got its own double-digit lead.

I felt like the "magic margin" really needed to be 16-18 to hold off Alabama's eventual response to keep a halftime lead and sustain some momentum to carry them later. And who knows? Then maybe instead of being down 5 with under 5 left, maybe they're up 1-3 points and right there with a legit shot at the end instead of Alabama quickly turning a five-point game into a 16-point game (en route to a 20-point loss) between the 4:40 and 2:10 marks.

Surprised they never... showed Edmead's shot vs Towson

That would've been nice. It's the type of clip for someone out west (or anywhere else), who doesn't even know where Hofstra is, who might take note of an exciting moment like that, and thus of Edmead and Hofstra a bit more, as a team that has some fight and can win in an exciting way, and maybe the pay a little closer attention. Would've been easy to justify showing it with Edmead going 6/13 from 3 and who at times, seemed like he was singlehandedly keeping them in it during the second half. Not a huge deal that they didn't show it, but would've been nice.

-Our crowd really came across on TV. Wish the broadcast took even a few more shots of all of us, but the noise sure came through. The crowd pop when Biggie made the corner 3 to give us our first lead at 18-16, the lets go Hofstra chants at 25-18... awesome stuff

That crowd pop also came across on the Reaves' left-wing 3 (after some good ball movement) to give them their biggest lead, at 28-18.

That was Reaves' only shot. He only played 6 minutes. He might've helped them if he took 3-4 more shots and knocked down a couple more 3s.

[Dooku25]

I rewatched the game as well after returning from Tampa. The atmosphere was pretty electric in the building especially during that 16-2 run in the 1st half to put them up 10. I wanted to see how it looked on TV and it definitely came across well. After a 25 year wait, it was such an amazing experience to see them play in front of 17,000+ people including an entire section of HU diehards that stood all game and made noise- something you will never see at the Mack.

Bama really turned up the D and had too much firepower in the end. Btw, they are heading to their 4th straight Sweet 16. Their domination of TT last night really makes HU’s performance look better. Speedy and the team gave them a game. It was a great effort and they have nothing to hang their heads about. I’m glad they had the crowd support they deserved. The Selection Sunday watch party had a great turnout as well. Something for this program to build on right now.

To get to the next level, HU needs to have a regular season record like Santa Clara (10 seed), VCU (11 seed) and High Point (12 seed). Realistically to get that 1st NCAA tournament win, they need to earn a higher seed in the tournament. Even this season if they avoided that 5 game losing streak, it could have been them knocking off Wisconsin instead of High Point. Santa Clara had a 30 year drought and got a 10 seed. 27-7 instead of 24-10 is achievable and that’s how they should look at it. HU is close. This off-season is probably going to be the biggest in program history in determining if they will go all out to take the next step. Speedy should be able to bring in some top transfers coming off an NCAA tournament appearance. The question will be if they will be able to give Cruz and Preston enough to stay or not. Fingers crossed..

[HUSID74]

Where can I find a replay of the game? Would love to watch it as I was in Tampa.

[Wags]

including an entire section of HU diehards that stood all game and made noise- something you will never see at the Mack.

I’m glad they had the crowd support they deserved. The Selection Sunday watch party had a great turnout as well.

How many in Tampa came from the Long Island area? Was it most, and if so, where were they all season or in past good seasons?

Will they show up at The Mack next year?

Will they be willing to run along for the marathon from November through February or only want to swoop in late and run through the tape in March if Hofstra has more success later?

Do they realize they can play a role in "Recruit, Retain, Repeat" if they're committed to the program like the diehards here and that it's tougher to make that mantra a reality without their CONTINUED, rather than selective, support?