Hofstra, Stony Brook resume men's basketball rivalry Friday night

This season, both Hofstra and Stony Brook have realistic aspirations of reaching The Big Dance. On Friday night, on their way, they will play for The Big Duck -- and Jones Beach Tower, Montauk Lighthouse, Bald Hill, Sagamore Hill and all the other Long Island landmarks symbolically up for grabs as the men's basketball rivalry resumes.

"Our kids can't wait to play. I know Stony Brook feels the same way," said Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich, whose team will host the 7 p.m. game. "It should be a great night. College basketball is about rivalries. When you have a rivalry with two schools that are close together, it makes the game even better."

Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell, who was coaching the Seawolves when the teams last met -- a 61-56 Hofstra win on Dec. 10, 2008 -- said, "I'm actually excited for Long Island to have two Division I schools and I'm excited that we can start playing again. I don't see any downside to it."

In the previous six years, though, some people in the respective athletic departments saw enough downside to stop scheduling each other in various sports. There has been a significant thaw, so the teams from Nassau and Suffolk will share a court Friday night and will meet at Stony Brook next year. Both sides hope they can keep it going.

Making it particularly intriguing this year is that both programs are healthy and hopeful. When Sports Illustrated recently projected the entire field for the 2015 NCAA Tournament, it picked both Stony Brook, of the America East, and Hofstra, of the Colonial Athletic Association, to make it.

"Coach Mihalich has done an awesome job in year two. He has transformed the whole program. He's a real good coach," Pikiell said, adding that the two men have been friends in the coaching fraternity for years. "He has upgraded everything there. They have terrific talent."

Mihalich, whose program leads the all-time series 18-4, said of Pikiell, "He's a terrific coach and an even more terrific guy. Their team plays with a sense of purpose. They understand how to win, that's why they win. They found a way to win that first game [last Friday]. I'm sure there was a lot of pressure to open their new building."

Their seasons have had a similar arc so far. Stony Brook christened its new arena with a 57-56 win over Columbia and played well in an 80-70 road loss to Georgia on Tuesday night. Hofstra routed Jacksonville, 94-61, at home Friday night and had a creditable 76-64 loss at North Carolina State on Monday night.

Each side is led by a talented guard -- Juan'ya Green is averaging 16.5 points for Hofstra and Carson Puriefoy is averaging 20.0 for Stony Brook. Stony Brook's Rayshaun McGrew and Hofstra's Brian Bernardi were their respective conference's players of the week.

Pikiell, who has lived in the Three Village area for nine years and loves the fact that he is an hour away from both the city and the Hamptons, said, "Games like this help the high school coaches. They just help get everybody involved."

Second-year Hofstra coach Mihalich, still exploring the Island and treasures such as Vincent's Clam Bar in Carle Place, said, "If you like basketball, my goodness, why wouldn't you come to this game?"