I'd hate to say I told you so, but what I said a few days is coming true. Hofstra played great against perennial Big East power, the UConn Huskies, in the loss. The Pride can play with the big boys and are not going to to turn belly up to the top teams. In the first three games Hofstra has played the 2008 and the 2004 national champions. These are the type of games the selection committee looks for in bubble teams.
It appears that Hofstra coach Tom Pecora and his team have figured out what VCU and George Mason had three years ago: schedule the tough games. In my eyes, it's almost a win-win situation. If the mid-major school pulls off the upset the accolades are obvious. But if they were to lose, they still receive national attention and the all-important "key loss" tag by the selection process.
In order for all that to happen, however, the team has to be ready for that type of test. Not every team will handle a big loss the right way. And perhaps that is the reason why Pecora wouldn't schedule games with nationally ranked teams. No matter the reason it's all irrelevant. This 2009-10 Hofstra Pride team can flat-out play. They have a good young core of players who aren't going anywhere for at least two years.
Last night's game, although they were up by 10 in the second half, shouldn't be considered a loss. They got validation that they can play with--and potentially beat--top tier teams. Hofstra is just finding that out the hard way. There will come a time where just knowing they can beat a good team isn't enough. They have to actually beat them. "We're not about moral victories," Hofstra coach Tom Pecora said. "We're not about coming to places and playing people tough. This is a game we wanted to win, and we wanted to play in Madison Square Garden next week. But UConn is a very, very good team."
The Pride gets to breathe a bit with upcoming games against Farmingdale State, Fairfield University, and Towson.
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