The Metropolitan Poll Vol. 4: A Slow Holiday Weekend

While several teams took a break for the holidays, a couple teams in our Metropolitan poll got some big wins before continuing conference play. Here's an update to the Metropolitan Poll, my reaction to how our House Enterprise pundits voted, and a recap of an exciting win in the world of New York college basketball.

The Metropolitan Poll Week 4:

Poll Reaction

It's finally starting to happen. St. John's days on the top of the poll are numbered. Iona is breaking out in MAAC play after getting their third win in a row on Tuesday against Coppin State. LIU and Manhattan swapped spots, due mostly to Manhattan's struggles against Marist. Fordham and Wagner also swapped spots, as the Rams head to the bottom of our poll. However, I can't see them remaining there much longer once they finally start this season. While not jumping too many spots, Hofstra definitely makes the most significant move, which I'll get into below.

Hofstra Takes Down Richmond

While this win is objectively impressive, I would like to rib Hofstra a little bit for how they reported the win on their website. They mentioned how this was Hofstra's second win against a "ranked" opponent ever, listing Richmond at 23. However, this is according to the Coaches Poll which, while completely valid, is not used as commonly. Cheeky move, Hofstra. You deserve it. Enjoy the win.

In terms of the game, a late burst of hot shooting let Hofstra eradicate a staggering 14-0 Richmond run and allow them to pull off the 76-71 win. Richmond has had problems several times this year with teams that have hot shooting hands, but they've usually been able to keep them under control with some decent defenses, forcing turnovers and winning rebound battles. However, the Pride got hot in the last three minutes of the game, sinking eight straight field goals, including five three pointers. Senior Guard Jalen Ray provided a major contribution to the win, leading the Pride with 23 points to get the win and cross the 1000 career point threshold. The Pride begin play in the CAA, a conference they are favored to win, on Saturday against William and Mary.