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PROGRAM SCHEDULE PROPAGANDA: PRESS RELEASE
THIS IS WHY WE FIGHT: THE SCHEDULE
Here are some schedule highlights and games of note:
The Early Bird
February 1: at High Point; February 7: Bucknell; February 15: at Ohio State; February 21: at Mount St. Mary's; February 28: at Villanova
Delaware has started their regular season campaign before February 10th in each of the last four seasons: In 2014, the Hens opened with High Point on February 1st; in 2013, Delaware went to High Point and met the Panthers on February 2nd; in 2012, the Blue Hens hosted Detroit in a February 9th meeting; and in 2011, Delaware ushered the Titans into the season on February 5th. With five games dotting the program's February in 2015, I was curious how the Blue Hens performed in all these early-season games over the last four seasons. The results are kind of mixed:
YEAR | RESULT | WIN/LOSS |
2014 | ||
High Point | 10-3 | W |
at Bucknell | 4-6 | L |
Fairfield | 8-18 | L |
Mount St. Mary's | 15-5 | W |
TOTAL | 37-32 | 2-2 |
2013 | ||
at High Point | 12-10 | W |
Bucknell | 8-9 | L |
Loyola | 8-9 | L |
at Mount St. Mary's | 12-15 | L |
TOTAL | 40-43 | 1-3 |
2012 | ||
Detroit | 19-6 | W |
at Bucknell | 11-10 (OT) | W |
at Loyola | 8-13 | L |
at Johns Hopkins | 6-8 | L |
Mount St. Mary's | 10-12 | L |
TOTAL | 35-43 | 2-3 |
2011 | ||
Detroit | 13-5 | W |
Presbyterian | 19-4 | W |
Marist | 8-7 | W |
Johns Hopkins | 8-7 | L |
Bellarmine | 11-10 (OT) | W |
TOTAL | 43-39 | 4-1 |
FOUR-YEAR AVERAGE | 38.75-39.25 | 2.25-2.25 |
In terms of home-road splits, the Hens are 7-5 in home games during February in the last four season while the team is 2-4 on the road in one of the coldest months of the year. Basically, the Blue Hens haven't exactly been in an advantageous or disadvantageous position due to its early green light.
The Dark Passenger
March 28: Hofstra; April 4: Towson; April 11: at Drexel; April 18: at Fairfield; April 24: at Massachusetts
Since winning back-to-back THUNDERDOME! Tournament championships in 2010 and 2011, Delaware has been locked out of the last three postseason events that the nation's most abusive conference has held. In that three-year span, the Blue Hens have really struggled against their violent peers:
TEAM | RECORD | WIN % |
Penn State | 14-3 | 82.35% |
Drexel | 13-4 | 76.47% |
Massachusetts | 9-8 | 52.94% |
Towson | 8-9 | 47.06% |
Hofstra | 8-9 | 47.06% |
Delaware | 3-14 | 17.65% |
St. Joseph's | 2-10 | 16.67% |
That's a pretty notable gap that the Blue Hens are facing to the rest of THUNDERDOME!, a league that will lose Penn State for the 2015 season but will replace the Nittany Lions with a solid Fairfield team that is more than capable of slotting into the conference's upper reaches. Accounting for only three wins in the last three seasons -- one coming against a down Massachusetts team last year and the two others coming against the Hawks -- is not the kind of result that aligns with Delaware's historic contributions to the conference.