The Rutgers Scarlet Knights play host to the Hofstra Pride on Tuesday night in NIT opening-round action from Jersey Mike's Arena. Both of these teams are disappointed to not be playing in the NCAA Tournament, so it'll be interesting to see how they adjust and handle their business in this one. Hofstra's loss in the conference semifinals is their only loss in their last ten games, while Rutgers dropped three of four coming into this one. These two last squared off two seasons ago, with Rutgers coming away with the 14-point win, though it remains to be seen how the rematch will go on Tuesday.
Hofstra was the top dog in the CAA all season but a shocking loss in the conference semifinals last week served to lead to finding themselves playing in the NIT. The Pride went 24-9 this season and had put together a lengthy winning streak to close out the season. The road was more difficult for this group though, putting together a 10-5 record in true road games this season. Luckily, they'll only have to take the short drive to New Jersey for this one but this still expects to be the most difficult environment they've played in this season. The NIT sees the underdogs playing with more passion than bubble snubs quite a bit of the time, so fans will want to keep an eye on how the Pride handles their momentum and confidence in this one.
The Pride comes into this one with a clean bill of health, which has been crucial towards their success this season. With a full complement of players, they'll need plenty of help if they want to spring the upset on the road in this one.
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? Third @CAABasketball Regular Season Title in last five years#PrideOfLI pic.twitter.com/7wi3RiPrtl
— Hofstra Men's Basketball (@HofstraMBB) February 25, 2023
Hofstra want games played at a slow tempo and it'll be interesting to see if they can do anything to dictate the pace in this one. On the offensive end, they rank 26th nationally in field-goal percentage, though have yet to see a defense as strong as Rutgers'. On the defensive end, the Pride is strongest as well. They rank 58th in scoring defense and are top 30 in field-goal percentage defense and against the three-point shot. Unfortunately, they are one of the worst rebounding teams out there, which could be an issue considering how well Rutgers hits the offensive glass. Aaron Estrada (20.5 ppg) is an elite scorer but against a Big Ten defense, he'll certainly need help if they want to find success.
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