Two of the three longest winning streaks in NCAA Division I were extended Thursday night. Most know very well the team authoring one of the two, but it’s time to start getting acquainted with the other, too, as well as the fast-rising rivalry where they got their latest win.
Michigan entered the evening in sole possession of the longest winning streak in the country at 15 games, after Houston’s streak of the same length ended the night before at Temple. The Wolverines weren’t expected to be in significant danger of a loss at Illinois, even as they were on the road, but nationally ranked teams in hostile territories have had more than a few slip-ups this week already.
Michigan took care of business, winning 79-69 despite a ragged first half that included 11 turnovers (as well as a Brad Underwood suit jacket throw into the crowd, good for a technical foul). The Wolverines never let the Fighting Illini get closer than five in the final 20 minutes and moved to 16-0 as well as 5-0 in the Big Ten.
Five scored in double figures for the Go Blue, and it was very nearly six. Zavier Simpson’s 16 plus eight assists led the way, all five starters were in double figures and Isaiah Livers also added a useful nine points off the bench. Michigan’s streak could continue for a bit yet, though after a home game against Northwestern on Sunday comes a trip to Wisconsin, then Minnesota at home followed by Indiana and Iowa on the road sandwiched around Ohio State at home. The Wolverines haven’t been quite the dominant team they were early on in wins over Villanova and North Carolina, and it would be very surprising-but not impossible-if they got to February without a blemish.
If a poll had been taken prior to Thursday night on who had the third-longest streak in the country, votes for many different teams probably would’ve come up before Hofstra. The one-time Flying Dutchmen have ultra-quietly been on a roll, and the Pride took their run to 11 straight games now in dramatic fashion.
Hofstra outlasted William & Mary 93-90 in triple overtime, staying undefeated at 5-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association and also improving its overall mark to a glossy 14-3. Hofstra hasn’t lost since falling by two in overtime at VCU, and its only other two losses came at Maryland and Marshall.
Justin Wright-Foreman has been one of the most prolific scorers in the country going on three years now, and the nation’s No. 3 scorer at 26.7 per game this year scored 37 points. It was his third straight game with at least 30, this one coming on the heels of 42 plus a 35-footer at the buzzer for the winner against Northeastern. Heroics also were provided though by sophomore guard Jalen Ray, who put Hofstra ahead for the final time with a triple with 37 seconds left in the third overtime.
What a game, and yet for these two facing off it was almost par for the course. This was just the latest in a recent history of thrillers between the Pride and Tribe. The teams have played six games decided by a single possession in the past five seasons now, with three of them going to overtime, including single-, double- and now triple-OT. Five of the six included go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds, including most famously William & Mary’s Daniel Dixon ending a two-overtime CAA semifinal game in 2015 and then zapping the Pride again with a trey at the overtime buzzer for the win in 2017. It’s a shame this most recent pairing was only available online, because any time these two play right now it deserves a national audience.
Side Dishes:
- Arguably the game of the night took place in the Southern Conference, where two-time defending regular season champion UNC Greensboro hosted a Wofford team many pegged as the favorite coming into the season. The Terriers made a resounding statement on the road, pounding the Spartans 72-43. This was never a game, with Wofford getting out to a 14-0 lead before UNCG even scored more than five minutes in and stretching it to 26-6 by the under 8 TV timeout. Fletcher Magee played like a star with 23 points, and underrated sidekick Nathan Hoover added 14. The Terriers shot nearly 50%, pounded the Spartans on the glass (41-24 advantage) and held UNCG to 32.7% shooting. Perhaps the only road showing more impressive this season was Michigan’s destruction of Villanova in November.
- Cincinnati picked up the type of gut-check win that can define a season, winning at Tulsa 70-65 in overtime. The Bearcats trailed by six with a minute left in regulation, survived the normally not perimeter-oriented Golden Hurricane making 14 of 23 from three-point range, but still ended Tulsa’s 15-game home winning streak. Big toughness win in the American for UC, while Tulsa will rue a real opportunity missed here. (Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World sums the game up well for the Golden Hurricane, including a number of late-game stumbles, with his game story.)
It seems like we should just reserve a spot for Ja Morant here every time Murray State plays the rest of the season. The Racers’ sophomore star scored 26 and added a school-record 18 assists as the Racers pulled away from Tennessee-Martin 98-77. It it showtime every game when Morant is on the court. Also: redshirt frosh Tevin Brown scored 31 points, hitting nine three-pointers, and he’s very quickly looking like the next great Racers guard. - The night included a pair of buzzer beaters. New Mexico State’s Johnny McCants made a 50-footer from beyond halfcourt to beat the horn and give the Aggies a 77-75 win over WAC rival Grand Canyon. Wow! Also, Georgia Southern nipped Louisiana-Monroe 79-78 as Quan Jackson drained a corner three at the buzzer, completing the Eagles’ comeback from 14 down in the second half.
- A pair of overtime games in the Pac-12 Thursday. UCLA stole one from Oregon with an 87-84 win on the road. The Bruins trailed by eight with 45 seconds left in regulation but tied it, and then scored the final seven points of overtime, holding Oregon scoreless the final 2:58. UCLA is now 3-0 in league, while it’s another disappointing loss in a season gradually filling with them for the Quack Attack. Also, chalk up another game where fouling up three didn’t work after the Bruins grabbed a rebound and got a putback to send the game to OT…it’s not a fail-safe play. Just play defense, and let’s let the players decide the game instead of trying to over-manage it.
- Also on the West Coast, Oregon State outlasted USC 79-74 in 45 minutes of play. It was the Bennie vs. Stephen Show, and Bennie Boatwright won the battle with a career-high 37 points, but Stephen Thompson Jr. won the war with his 34 points and 10 rebounds coming in the winning effort. The Beavers also played without leading scorer and rebounder Tres Tinkle, who missed the game with an ankle injury.
- In all, the night included a total of nine overtime games. Another came in the Big West, where UC Irvine edged UC Davis 71-69 in a matchup of expected heavies in that league. UCI threw up bricks from long range-4-for-24 from three-but still held serve at home to move to 13-4, while it’s another close loss for the Aggies, who also lost at Arizona by a pair last month.
- Along with Hofstra’s win in the CAA, Delaware is another team quietly having a nice year. The Fighting Blue Hens received 31 points from Ithiel Horton and won 82-69 at UNC Wilmington, moving to 12-6 overall. Also, Drexel stunned College of Charleston 79-78 on the road with Troy Harper scoring the Dragons’ final 10 points, including three free throws with a second left for the winning points after being fouled on a three-point attempt. It was the first lead of the second half for never-quit Drexel, while the Cougars already have lost twice in league play now.
- North Texas won again; the Mean Green is now 16-1 after a 58-51 win at Texas-El Paso. Not pretty, but no apologies are ever needed on the road.
- Conference play is already providing all sorts of close game seemingly everywhere. The night in the Northeast Conference included five games all decided by seven points or less, two of them by three points-Robert Morris edged St. Francis (N.Y.) 52-49 and Wagner tipped Sacred Heart 76-73-plus a third that went double overtime before Central Connecticut State won at Fairleigh Dickinson 103-96. How about the triple-double for CCSU star Tyler Kohl-27 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
- Finally, Hoopville’s Phil Kasiecki and Ted Sarandis teamed up for their latest Talking Hoops podcast yesterday, which you can listen to here.
Tonight’s Menu:
- It’s a very light schedule, with just six games total on tap, though four of them are on some form of national television.
- The night is paced by a Big Ten doubleheader on FS1. Indiana is at Maryland to lead it off (7 p.m. Eastern), with a touted freshman (the Hoosiers’ Romeo Langford) against a freshman group not quite as touted by deep for the Terrapins. Bruno Fernando also is becoming a real frontcourt force for the Terps, leading a team that is one of the best rebounding squads in the country. The second game has Purdue at Wisconsin (9 p.m.), with All-Americans Carsen Edwards and Ethan Happ leading their teams. The Badgers are at home, and that should be enough especially for a team that already has a loss at the Kohl Center in the Big Ten. Moreover, Happ has a better supporting cast…when D’Mitrik Trice is performing well. It’s become quite clear that, for as good as Happ is, the Badgers’ prospects for advancement depend on Trice being a capable wingman to their big man.
- Wright State is at Northern Kentucky (7 p.m., ESPN2), a matchup of last year’s top two teams in the Horizon League, and perhaps this year’s too. Early conference returns have been all over the place with every team already with at least one loss, but we’d suspect when all shakes out that experienced NKU will be there at the end. Wright State has some work to do with two conference losses already.
- The other three games are all in the Metro Atlantic. The highlight is Siena at Marist (7 p.m., ESPNU), where former St. Peter’s head man John Dunne is already doing his usual work with the Red Foxes, slowing it down and already tying last year’s season win total of six. While Dunne’s teams are renowned for their slow pace, though, first-year Siena coach Jamion Christian-a VCU Havoc disciple-is actually playing even slower, with the mostly young Saints second-to-last in adjusted tempo in Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings.
- The other two in the MAAC are Iona at Niagara and Rider at Canisius, with the league’s three 2-0 teams all in action, and none are a surprise as Canisius, Iona and Rider were all at the top last year. All three have gotten off to good conference starts after underwhelming non-conference results. On the other end, Niagara was the only MAAC team to post a winning record out of conference but is 0-2, including a poor showing at Fairfield last time out on Monday.
Enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
