The William & Mary Tribe (17-6) can extend a five-game home winning streak when they compete against the Hofstra Pride (16-8). Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11.
The Tribe won big over Delaware 90-64 in their last game. Omar Prewitt led all scorers on the team with 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting. The Pride are coming off a bitter 98-95 loss to James Madison in their last outing. Hofstra lost despite the best efforts of Denton Koon, who recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Prewitt has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Tribe. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers. Rokas Gustys has also been on a tear in the same span, averaging 14.8 points, 16.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks while leading the Pride.
The Tribe should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank 28th in the nation at avoiding errors (TO% of 15.9%). Meanwhile, Hofstra forces the 67th-fewest turnovers in the nation (17.1%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pride won the first game 91-63. Juan’ya Green had a stellar game with 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and six three-pointers.
The Tribe come into this game 17-6 Straight Up (SU) and 13-4 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. William & Mary has consistently been near the top of the nation in terms of field goal percentage, currently ranking 13th in the nation with a FG% of .489. William & Mary is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 17.0 assists per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Tribe prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 48th in the nation with a .314 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. An area where the Tribe are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 4.8 blocks per game, 47th in Division I. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the William & Mary offense, which averages just 10.8 turnovers per game.
Across the court, Hofstra has a SU record of 16-8 and an ATS record of 8-12-1. Hofstra has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 9-1. They sport the 32nd-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 80.2 points per game. Hofstra is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, making 8.0 shots from three-point range per game. The Pride have controlled the glass with an average of 40.6 rebounds per game, 29th in the country. The Pride are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 48th in Division I at 1.32.
Hofstra won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but William & Mary still leads the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over their most recent matchups. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Hofstra held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last five game, while William & Mary wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hof, ATS Winner – Hof
Notes
William & Mary averages 77.4 points per game (ranked 71st). Hofstra, on the other hand, allows 74.7 points per game (ranked 198th).
William & Mary scores 79.8 points per home game (ranked 86th). Hofstra ranks a poor 203rd in points allowed on the road, allowing 78.8 points.
In its last game, William & Mary won by a margin of 26 points. Hofstra is 3-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. William & Mary has a 6-1 record in blowouts.
Ranked 38th, the William & Mary Tribe have an offensive rating of 113.6. The Hofstra Pride rank 174th with a defensive rating of just 103.2.
The Hofstra Pride average 72.0 possessions per game and 1.113 points per possession. The William & Mary Tribe earn fewer possessions with 68.1, but they score more points with 1.136.
William & Mary has the 13th-ranked average effective field goal percentage at 56.1%. Hofstra is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The William & Mary Tribe average 21.0 three point attempts per game, and the Hofstra Pride attempt 24.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; William & Mary is 9-5 and Hofstra is 12-7.
The 10th-ranked team in the category, William & Mary has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57 this season. Hofstra ranks 48th with an A/TO of 1.32.
Hofstra, the 29th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.6 rebounds per game. William & Mary does worse, ranked 126th with 37.3.
The Hofstra Pride rank 54th in offensive rebounds, and the William & Mary Tribe rank 14th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, William & Mary forces a turnover rate of 14.9%. When Hofstra turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 10-4 record.
