RE: @Hofstra
CAA Standings
1. NU 7-3 (# 78 RPI)
W&M 7-3 (# 85)
Charleston 7-3 (# 115)
4. Hofstra 6-4 (# 94)
5. Elon 5-5 (# 131)
Towson 5-5 (# 104)
7. Delaware 4-6 (# 235)
UNCW 4-6 (# 278)
9. Drexel 3-7 (# 247)
10. JMU 2-8 (# 302)
Efficiency Rankings (kenpom.com)
UNCW
Adjusted Offense: # 208 (of 351)
Adjusted Defense: # 317
Overall: # 271
Hofstra
Adjusted Offense: # 87
Adjusted Defense: # 264
Overall: # 168
Projected Starters
PG: Desure Buie (Jr.): 4.9 ppg, 2.8 apg, .800 FT %
SG: Justin Wright-Foreman (Jr.): 25.2 ppg, 3.1 apg, .451 FG %
G: Eli Pemberton (So.): 14.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .418 3-pt %
PF: Stafford Trueheart (So.): 3.8 ppg, 0.7 bpg, .510 FG %
C: Rokas Gustys (Sr.): 9.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg, .597 FG %
Hofstra has relied heavily on a trio of performers this year, one from each class. Senior Gustys is the CAA's # 2 rebounder. Junior Wright-Foreman leads the league in scoring as well as minutes. And sophomore Pemberton chips in nicely in the scoring department as a nice outside shooter.
But unlike past Hofstra teams, the Pride have some depth to go along with their front-line performers. Senior big man Hunter Sabety is 8th in the league in blocks per game off the bench (0.8), Grad transfer Joel Angus III provides decent scoring and rebounding (5.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg), and freshman guard Jalen Ray is an additional perimeter threat. 10 different players on Hofstra's squad have averaged 10 minutes per game or more.
While it is difficult to keep up with Hofstra's scoring, it's not always necessary to slow the game down to beat them. They're 8th in the league in field goal % defense (.478), and 7th in the league against the 3 ball (.370). And despite the presence of Gustys, Hofstra's rebounding margin (+3.1), while impressive, should probably be even higher than 3rd in the league. Gustys can be worn down over the course of the game, and when he's out, the Pride are inconsistent at cleaning up the glass. Gustys is also not much of a shot blocker, and even though both Sabety and Trueheart are Top 10 in the league in blocks per contest, Hofstra is just middle of the pack in the category as a team.
Hofstra has played a lot of close games this season. Their scoring margin is only a +1.1 in CAA games, with 8 of their 10 games being decided by 7 points or less. There also isn't a surefire score that teams need to hit to feel confident or pessimistic about their chances one way or the other. Hofstra has won 3 of their 6 league games scoring 71 points or less. Meanwhile, Hofstra put up 87 against W&M and 76 against Elon, but lost both of those games.
In short, Hofstra is right where they should be. They're above average, but beatable.
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