Gameday Preview: #1 Trinity (CT) @ Yeshiva University

Even with the Macs opening the season 0-3, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Yeshiva went toe-to-toe with both Chapman and #15 Mary Washington, controlling long stretches of each game, before falling by just four and three points, all without their starting point guard and defensive engine, Max Zakheim. With Zakheim returning, the Macs regain their primary facilitator and a much-needed stabilizing presence who can organize the offense and create cleaner looks. The team’s newcomers have also integrated smoothly into the motion system. Yair Dovrat leads the entire roster in minutes and has already delivered several big-time performances. Nate Jacobs has been a reliable spark off the bench, averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds per game. Alex Kirievsky is trending upward as well, turning in his best outing against Mary Washington with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. With Max returning and the supporting cast settling in, the Macs are hoping the pieces finally start clicking. And there would be no better time to turn that corner than tonight, against No. 1 Trinity, the highest-ranked opponent Yeshiva has ever faced.

The Macs look forward to Max Zakehim’s return as they seek their first win of the season. (Photo Credit: Akiva Poppers/MacsLive)

Yeshiva enters the matchup still reeling from a heartbreaking double-overtime loss. The Macs squandered a 12-point first-half lead, rallied from down seven with under five minutes to play, then let a six-point advantage slip away in the final 16 seconds, with two costly inbound turnovers proving fatal. The chaos didn’t stop there. In the first overtime, YU trailed by as many as six before Yair Dovrat drilled a clutch three with 26 seconds remaining to force double OT. The second overtime stayed within one possession throughout, but Mary Washington’s Kye Robinson hit the decisive layup with one second left. Despite the loss, there were major bright spots. Zevi Samet delivered a monstrous 39-point performance, including a blistering 10 for 16 first half. And the Macs showed massive grit, with three players logging more than 45 minutes. Their trademark motion offense, built around heavy screening, constant movement, and backcuts, generated plenty of good looks; now they’ll need that same execution and discipline to finally break through in the win column.

The reigning champion Bantams enter at 2-0, averaging 100 points per contest while allowing just 54, a margin boosted by their 101-39 victory over Lehman. Their early surge has been driven by their veteran captains: senior Jarrel Okorougo opened the season with 15 points and 5 rebounds before adding 16 more in game two, while Henry Vetter exploded for 24 in their latest outing. Ball security has been another pillar of their success, as Trinity has coughed up only 15 turnovers across both games. Paired with shooting better than 50% from the field, the Bantams have looked like one of the nation’s sharpest and most disciplined offenses. For the Macs, that means the defensive intensity must be constant from the opening tip. Cutting off Trinity’s clean looks, disrupting their timing, and staying alert in transition will be non-negotiable. The Bantams thrive by turning defense into offense, running the floor, and playing with relentless energy on every possession. If Yeshiva hopes to slow them down, they’ll need to match and sustain that level of effort.

Turnovers:

The Macs once again struggled to take care of the ball, coughing it up 18 times, including two costly giveaways in the final 11 seconds. Mary Washington, by comparison, committed just nine turnovers. Against elite opponents, that margin is simply too large to overcome. Last season’s meeting with Trinity told a similar story: YU turned the ball over 24 times, far too many to compete with a top-ranked team. And this year’s Bantams may be even more punishing. Trinity is currently forcing 24 turnovers per game while committing just 7.5 of their own, a staggering disparity that fuels their transition offense and suffocates opponents. Coach Steinmetz has long emphasized mastering the fundamentals, and ball security sits at the top of that list. To have any chance of pulling off the upset, the Macs will need to stay poised, make sharper reads, and value every possession against Trinity’s ultra-aggressive man-to-man pressure.

Transition Offense:

Trinity has excelled at protecting the basketball over the past two seasons, averaging fewer than 10 turnovers per game during that span.Their 18-turnover outing against YU last year was a rare exception. That makes every forced turnover tonight especially valuable. Whenever the Macs do create mistakes, they must capitalize immediately, before the Bantams can get set in their elite half-court defense. Pushing the pace off turnovers and missed shots will be essential. An early offense, quick outlets, and attacking before Trinity’s physical man-to-man defense can load up will give the Macs cleaner looks and allow them to operate with far more freedom.

Hit the Open 3:

A well-known 2018 NCAA study (3.6 million shots don’t lie: The 3-pointer really does help you win NCAA games) analyzed three-point shooting across millions of Division I attempts and found a clear truth: teams that hit threes win more games. The researchers developed a metric called the 3-Point Index, and the results were overwhelming: 43 of the top 50 teams in that ranking had winning records, and the top 10 programs won over 70% of their games. In today’s game, the three-pointer isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. For the Macs, however, the outside shot has been a major weakness this season. They’re hitting just 25% from deep and averaging only four made threes per game. Even last year, when they underperformed, they still shot 30% and averaged six threes a night. That drop-off has hurt their ability to build momentum, go on scoring runs, and close out tight games. If Yeshiva wants to seriously contend, they must at least reach last year’s baseline and ideally surpass it. Knocking down open threes doesn’t just boost efficiency; it fuels confidence, stretches defenses, and produces the clutch moments that swing games in March.

How to Watch:

Tip-off is at 8:00 PM at the Max Stern Athletics Center. You can also catch the game right here on MacsLive.