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For the past three seasons, the University of Maine men’s basketball season has enjoyed record success.
Since the beginning of the 1998-99 season the Bears have racked up a 59-23 record. They’ve established themselves as a league contender. They’ve drawn program-record crowds to Alfond Arena.
But despite that success, each year, the Bears have been stung by one stark reality.
Beating Hofstra is a chore that has largely eluded them.
The Pride have defeated UMaine four straight times; the last Black Bear win came on Jan. 4, 1999 at Alfond Arena, and defending league champ Hofstra has won seven of the last eight meetings.
Tonight, coach John Giannini’s Black Bears will get the chance to end that streak against league-leading Hofstra. Tipoff at Alfond Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.
Giannini’s Bears have conquered Delaware twice this year. They pounded Drexel twice last year. But Hofstra’s recent success is problematic.
“[Their four straight wins] means we’ve got tremendous respect for them,” Giannini said. “It also means that we’re a little bit tired of losing to them.”
Ending that dominance won’t be easy: Hofstra enters the game with the second-longest winning streak in the nation (12 games). North Carolina has won 18 straight, while Gonzaga has also won 12 in a row.
The Black Bears’ games this week – tonight’s showdown with the Pride and a Saturday matchup with America East’s No. 2 team, Drexel – will further solidify a murky league playoff picture.
Hofstra leads the pack with two league losses, Drexel has three, Delaware is third with four and Maine has been beaten in five conference games.
Giannini said that although the Bears still have an outside shot at the second seed in the league’s postseason tourney, that doesn’t necessarily mean an easier road to the NCAA tourney bid that goes to the tournament champ.
And with Delaware playing on its home floor in that tourney, facing Hofstra or Drexel in a semifinal game might be more attractive than taking on a Blue Hen squad with 5,000 fans on its side.
“[Tourney seeding] is the lesser of the reasons we want to win these ballgames very badly,” Giannini admitted. “You don’t know if winning or losing is going to help your postseason seeding.”
Instead, Giannini says, the Bears hope to win a couple games and use those victories to springboard into the postseason with a positive mental outlook.
“We’ve been considered one of the best teams, but because we’re in the fourth spot right now, there’s a very real question if we are on par with Hofstra and Drexel,” Giannini said.
“This weekend we’ll largely answer that question.”
America East swimming at Orono
The University of Maine Black Bears will serve as the hosts for the America East Swimming and Diving Championships, which are scheduled Friday through Sunday at Wallace Pool in Orono.
The trials start each day at 11 a.m., with the finals slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $6 per day for adults and $4 for children and senior citizens. An all-tournament pass is also available for $16 (adults) and $8 (children, seniors).
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