Hofstra at Monmouth 11/25/20 - NCAA Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Hofstra Pride visit OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, New Jersey on Wednesday to play the Monmouth Hawks. Last season Hofstra finished 26-8 overall and 14-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Pride finished first in the CAA one game ahead of William and Mary and would have enjoyed an invitation to play in the NCAA tournament if not for the covid pandemic. 

Hofstra enjoyed a fantastic season in 2019-20 and would have gone to the NCAA tournament after close to two decades of not playing in the Big Dance. This season despite losing players such as Eli Pemberton, Desure Buie and Tareq Coburn, the Pride has the talent and experience to be the favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association and play in the NCAA Tournament in March. Isaac Kante and Jalen Ray are the top returning players for the Pride and will be keys to Hofstra success at both ends of the court.

Monmouth finished it's 2019-20 regular season 18-13 overall 12-8 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Hawks ended season strong with four wins in their last six games before their final game on March 12th against Quinnipiac was cancelled. Monmouth is expected to battle for the MAAC title but will need to unseat Siena first and that will not be an easy task. The top players returning from last season for Monmouth are Deion Hammond, Samuel Chaput and George Papas.

Hammond will be in the running for MAAC Player of the Year coming off a season in which he averaged 16.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Donovann Toatley is a transfer from Chattanooga and wil make an immediate impact at guard both on the offense and the defense for the Hawks. Monmouth is capable of winning 20 or more games this season and to battle with Siena for the conference title.