Live audio play-by-play by Matt Provence on NJITHighlanders.com (free)
 
Live stats link (free)
 
Link to Hofstra Pride Zone (video and audio available; registration required)
 
 
HEMPSTEAD, NY—Having arrived back from its Saturday afternoon game in Indianapolis at Butler, NJIT men's basketball will head back out Monday, this time by bus for a 7 pm game at Hofstra on Long Island.
 
Matt Provence, voice of the Highlanders, will have all the play-by-play of the first-ever men's basketball meeting between NJIT and Hofstra live here on www.NJITHighlanders.com. Matt's coverage begins at least 15 minutes before tipoff.
 
Hofstrais the seventh of 11 programs that NJIT is facing for the first time this season at the Division I level (NJIT first played a DI schedule in 2006-07).
 
The teams have one common opponent, Central Connecticut, which defeated NJIT by 3 points (74-71, 11/26) and lost to Hofstra (72-67, 12/15)
 
Hofstra is in its first season under coach Joe Mihalich, who moved to Hempstead after guiding Niagara to a 265-203 record in 15 years that included two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships and accompanying NCAA berths, as well as three trips to the NIT.
 
The Philadelphia product was an assistant at La Salle, his alma mater, from 1981 to 1998 until landing the Niagara job. La Salle had some of its greatest years during his time on the Explorers bench, reaching the NCAAs five times, including 1989-90 when they were 30-2, led by consensus National Player of the Year Lionel Simmons. Mihalich began coaching as an assistant at DeMatha Catholic HS in Maryland, led by Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wooten.
 
A 20-win team as recently as 2010-11, Hofstra is looking to return to that level after hiring Mihalich, a proven winner.
 
Gaining a quick injection of short-term talent, the Pride's two top scorers are graduate students who each used three years of playing eligibility before receiving their degrees at other institutions. Wing Zeke Upshaw leads with 17.9 ppg after playing three seasons at Illinois State. And Guard Dion Nesmith, who hails from Union, NJ, follows at 13.6 ppg after playing two years at Monmouth. He actually began his college career as a football quarterback at Northeastern, which dropped the sport after his freshman season.
 
Senior big man (6-8, 240) Stephen Nwaukoni leads Hofstra on the boards at 8.6 rpg. Freshman wing Jamall Robinson is off to a strong college start, averaging 9.8 points.
 
Although NJIT falls reasonably within geographic range of the Colonial Athletic Association member schools, this will be just the third game for the Highlanders vs. a CAA school and both prior games were part of tournaments. In NJIT's first Division I season (2006-07). A 5-24 team that year, the Highlanders played James Madison on Dec. 30, 2006 in the UCF Tournament Consolation in Orlando, FL. JMU escaped with a 70-66 win.
 
The next and, to date, latest game vs. a CAA team, was part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic in 2008-09. Played on campus at Towson, the Tigers beat NJIT 61-48 in on Nov. 24. It was the third game of Jim Engles' tenure as head coach. Coincidentally, Towson was coached by Pat Kennedy, who is the brother of current NJIT assistant coach Brian Kennedy, who is in his second season with the Highlanders.
 
NJIT is looking to get back on the path that saw it go 6-4 to start the season.
 
The Highlanders have lost five in a row, with the streak bookended by nationally-televised losses to Big East teams. Seton Hall got it started with a 77-51 win in the Prudential Center on December 10 and Butler topped the Highlanders two days ago on December 28. In between, NJIT fell at home to LIU Brooklyn, 96-93, and Holy Cross, 74-55, before losing to a quality St. Francis Brooklyn team, 77-65, in Brooklyn.
 
NJIT, which is attempting to right itself without much experience at the college level (nine of the top 11 scorers are either freshmen or sophomores), has three players averaging double-figure scoring. They are freshman Damon Lynn (16.2 ppg), sophomore Terrence Smith (13.1 ppg), and sophomore Winfield Willis (10.1 ppg). Smith heads the rebounders with 5.9 per game.