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LISTEN: Hofstra Coach Joe Mihalich Looking Forward To Facing Kentucky

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- The Hofstra Pride will get an opportunity to see how they stack up against one of college basketball's top teams Sunday.

Hofstra will square off against sixth-ranked Kentucky (8-1) at Barclays Center. The game tips off at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Pride coach Joe Mihalich said, win or lose, it will be a memorable experience for his players.

"When you talk about the storied programs in college basketball, Kentucky's certainly one of the first to come out of your mouth," Mihalich told WFAN's Mike Francesa. "Our kids, for the rest of their lives, can tell their children, their grandchildren that they played against Kentucky in the Barclays Center on national TV."

Hofstra went 24-10 last season and reached the NIT. This year, the Pride are off to a 6-4 start.

Hofstra lost its top two leading scorers from last year, Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley, to graduation. But Mihalich said he's been encouraged by how other players are stepping into key roles. He mentioned senior point guard; freshman guard Eli Pemberton, who leads the team with 15.3 points per game; and junior center Rokas Gustys, who leads the nation with 13.8 rebounds per contest.

"We have the pieces. We just got to get them clicking at the right time, like we were able to do last year," Mihalich said.

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio player above.

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