2021-22 Monmouth Basketball Game Thirteen Preview

Monmouth Hawks (10-2, 2-0 MAAC) vs. Hofstra Pride (7-5, 0-0 CAA)
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 - 7:00 p.m.
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ

TV
ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Dave Calloway

MONMOUTH'S COVID-19 POLICIES

Monmouth University has announced its campus-wide indoor event COVID-19 policies.
 
The following policies are in effect until further notice:

1.    All fans 18 and over are required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test administered by a doctor's office or a clinic within 72 hours of the event time for indoor Athletic events. Home test kit results will not be accepted.
2.    All event audiences must wear a mask that completely covers the nose and mouth of the participant. Face shields are not acceptable. This includes fans from 2-17 years of age.
3.    Athletic events held in the OceanFirst Bank Center will be permitted to have food in the stands as long as masks remain on when the participant is not actively consuming food or beverages. Masks must be worn otherwise.
 
Men's and women's basketball season ticket holders will be mailed (and emailed) instructions on how to obtain a vaccine credential which will require them to show their vaccine cards once and receive a credential to speed up entrance to events. Season ticket holders who are not vaccinated will need to show proof a negative test within 72 hours of the event for every event attended.
 
Additionally, there will be separate entrances for students, season ticket holders and the general public. More information on those locations will be available on MonmouthHawks.com.

QUICK BULLETS
-Monmouth has won three games in a row entering the contest
-MU has won nine in a row at home, including three this season
-The 10-2 start is the best in the program's Division I history
-All four of Monmouth's fifth-year seniors are averaging in double figures
-Monmouth and Hofstra are meeting for the fifth consecutive season
-George Papas has earned two MAAC Player of the Week honors this season, while Shavar Reynolds has one as well
-Monmouth is ranked #10 in this week's CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25
-The Hawks are sixth nationally in free throw shooting percentage
-This marks MU's final non-conference game of the season

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...
mark Monmouth's 11th win of the season
set the program mark for non-conference wins with nine
extend the best start in school history at 11-2
be the Hawks fourth win in a row
mark the Hawks 11th win in the last 12 games
signify MU's fourth straight home win this season and 10th overall
be MU's first win over Hofstra since November 8, 2013
make Monmouth the first MAAC team to 11 victories
send the Hawks to 2-0 against CAA opponents this season
continue the calendar year of 2021 with MU unbeaten at home
be King Rice's third ever win over Hofstra
be MU's seventh ever win over the Pride

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT...
-Monmouth is off to the best start in school history at 10-2
-MU's eight non-league wins are tied with the 2015-16, 1991-92 and 1990-91 teams as the most in school history
-The Hawks have won nine games in a row at home for the first time under King Rice and first time in the OceanFirst Bank Center
-George Papas' 30 points is his fourth 30+ point game of his career and second this season
-Monmouth is the first MAAC team this season to double-digit wins
-Shavar Reynolds nine assists mark a career-high
-Walker Miller posted his fifth game this season with eight or more rebounds
-The Hawks have won three in a row and 10 of 11 overall
-Monmouth beats Colgate for the first time since 1988
-MU is 2-0 against the Patriot League this season
-The Hawks were outrebounded for just the second time all season
-Jakari Spence made his collegiate debut in the game

MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-Monmouth leads the all-time series 6-5
-In those 11 meetings, the teams are separated by one single point, with Monmouth holding the 815-814 edge
-This is the fifth consecutive season the teams will meet
-Hofstra has won the last four meetings, with three of them decided by a combined 11 points, including a one-point game and a two-point contest
-George Papas tied the program record with nine threes against Hofstra last season, finishing with 32 points
-MU opened the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons with wins over Hofstra
-Papas notched his career-best in assists with seven at Hofstra in 2019
-MU is 18-20 all-time against current CAA members, including 1-0 this year with a win over Towson
-King Rice is 5-5 all-time against current CAA membership
-The teams first met in 1984, Monmouth's first season as a Division I program
-They have met just once off campus, playing in 1993 in Santa Barbara, CA

BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Monmouth's 10-2 start is the best in the program's Division I history dating back to the 1983-94 season. MU had previously started 9-2 in 1990-91, and are now 10-2 for the first time as a DI program. 

LOOKING FOR A RECORD IN WINS
With a win in tonight's game, Monmouth would set the program record for most non-conference wins in a single season with nine. The Hawks have already tied the record with eight, set three times (2015-16, 1991-92, 1990-91) and could be the first to register nine with a victory over Hofstra. The 2015-16 group did beat nine non-league opponents, with the ninth coming in the postseason NIT over Bucknell.

MID-MAJOR TOP 25
Monmouth continued its rise up College Insider's Mid-Major Top 25, finding their way into the top-10 this week at #10. MU broke into the rankings at #21 three weeks ago and moved to #17 before going up to 10 this week. MU spent the entirety of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons in the poll prior to re-entering this season, and during 2016, reached the #1 spot.

HOME COOKING
Monmouth has won nine games in a row at home dating back to last season, the longest stretch since the construction of the OceanFirst Bank Center in 2009 and the longest under King Rice. A win would be Monmouth's eighth of the 2021 calendar year next to no losses.

PAPAS REACHES 30
With his 30-point outing against Colgate, George Papas became the fifth player in Monmouth history to record four or more games of 30+ points, joining MU legends Rahsaan Johnson (6), Alex Blackwell (9), Rich Pass (5) and Corey Albano (5). Papas has reached 30 twice this season, both at home, in addition to 32 vs. Hofstra last season and another 32 at Canisius in 2020. Papas has the most 30+ point games under King Rice, passing Justin Robinson, who had three. 

FREE THROW SHOOTING
MU currently ranks sixth nationally in free throw shooting, and led the nation in the category through seven games. MU is at 80.6% from the stripe, and have been over 80% in a single game seven times and over 90% on three separate occasions. Papas, Reynolds and Miller are all at 87% from the foul line this season. 

HELPING OUT
Monmouth's 17 assists in the win over Colgate is the most they have had in a single game this season, and the most since going for 21 in a win at Manhattan on February 6, 2021. Shavar Reynolds led the way with a career-high nine helpers, while George Papas added five. 

CLEANING THE GLASS
Monmouth posted one of their best rebounding games under King Rice in the win at Yale, topping the Bulldogs on the glass by 16, the highest rebounding margin in a game since a November 2017 win at Lehigh. Walker Miller led the way with nine,
while Nikkei Rutty added eight. Overall this season, Monmouth has been out-rebounded as a team in just two of 12 games. 

ROAD WARRIORS
Monmouth leads the nation in road victories with seven. There are only two teams with as many as five (Chattanooga and Fairfield) with the next highest having four. MU has won seven of its nine road contests this season. The 2015-16 Hawks led
the nation in road and road/neutral wins, finishing with 13 true road wins and 17 away from home.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS
Monmouth is one of 34 teams nationally to already have reached double-digit wins, and the first team in the MAAC to do so after topping Colgate. 

HIGH-MAJOR WINS
Monmouth won its seventh and eighth games over high-major opponents under King Rice this season, topping the University of Cincinnati on the road 61-59 and Pitt by a 56-52 count. Rice moved to 2-0 against AAC opponents after topping Memphis in 2016, and picked up his second win over the ACC after topping Pitt to go along with beating Notre Dame in 2015. He now has wins over UCLA, USC, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Georgetown to go with the two AAC and ACC wins.

LAST TIME OUT
George Papas went for 30 and Monmouth was strong defensively in the second half, while Walker Miller pitched in 15 points and eight rebounds with Shavar Reynolds adding nine points and nine assists in a 77-66 win over Patriot League contender Colgate.

WHAT'S TO COME
Monmouth opens conference play at home on New Year's Eve at 1pm vs. Marist.