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Hofstra Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Pride

By Jason Burgess

BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 07: Flags of the schools line the wall during the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship college basketball game tournament between the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks and the Hofstra Pride at Royal Farms Arena on March 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 07: Flags of the schools line the wall during the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship college basketball game tournament between the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks and the Hofstra Pride at Royal Farms Arena on March 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 11: Rokas Gustys #11 of the Hofstra Pride drives to the basket against Isaac Humphries #15 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half of the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival at Barclays Center on December 11, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 11: Rokas Gustys #11 of the Hofstra Pride drives to the basket against Isaac Humphries #15 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half of the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival at Barclays Center on December 11, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

The Hofstra Pride look to make the 2018-19 CAA race a three-team hunt. Here is a look at what to expect from them this season.

Last season the Hofstra Pride finished third in the Colonial Athletic Association, behind two teams, Charleston and Northeastern who put on a classic in the tournament final. Hofstra was upset in the quarterfinals, ending their season at 19-12. The Pride hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since the days of the Flying Dutchmen and they were a member of the America East conference in 2001. If head coach Joe Mihalich hopes to get the Pride back to the Big Dance he will likely have to take out the same two teams that finished ahead of the Pride last season.

They weren’t a very deep team last season, playing just eight guys in their last two games of the season, but of the nine guys that played in 25 games or more, seven return, including four of the starters from that quarterfinal loss.

Hofstra was one of the better offensive teams in the country, scoring over 79 points per game. They were also one of the best teams in the country in terms of taking care of the basketball. The Pride turned the ball over at just 10.8 per game, 22nd best in the country, they also committed the 8th fewest total turnovers in the country. They did struggle defensively, however, surrendering over 77 points per game and allowed opponents to shoot nearly 48% from the field.

Hofstra will be a factor in who wins the CAA in 2018-19, with a strong returning core and an offensive mindset that allows them to compete with anyone in the conference. Here is a look at the Pride heading into the 2018-19 season.