Tag Archives: Siena basketball

MAAC Basketball Tournament 2011: First Round

March 5, 2011 at 5:46 pm Andrew Kahn 2 Comments

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.—The 2011 MAAC men’s basketball tournament got underway last night. Play continues today, starting at 2:30 (see bracket at bottom). Here is a recap of last night’s action:

No. 9 Marist 73, No. 8 Niagara 61

In a mild upset, Marist beat Niagara to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will play No. 1 seed Fairfield today at 4:30.

Niagara only had five conference wins, but notched four of them in February. The Purple Eagles entered having won five of their last seven. “Obviously we laid an egg tonight,” Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said.

It was the final game for Anthony Nelson, Niagara’s lone senior. Nelson is the first player in Niagara history to have over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 600 assists and 200 steals in his career. He is the school’s all-time career assists leader and is leading the country in steals this season.

“I’m in awe of Anthony Nelson,” Mihalich said he told his players in the locker room after the loss. “His playing days are not over. Whoever gets to coach him will be a lucky guy and whoever gets to play with him will be a lucky player.”

When the coach was asked how he would replace Nelson, Milahich said: “You’re trying to make a bad night worse, huh? We’ll find a way, but we’re going to miss this guy. There may never be another Anthony Nelson.”

Like Niagara, Marist is a very young team. Of the eight Marist players who saw the most action last night, three are freshman and four are sophomores. The college basketball statistical website KenPom.com has a formula that uses eligibility class weighted by minutes played to determine a team’s experience. By this measure, Marist is 10th least experienced team in the country (out of 345 schools).

“This is a good step in the right direction for kids who had never won in March,” Marist head coach Chuck Martin said of the victory.

The Red Foxes lost both their games to Fairfield this season, but the match-up at the Arena at Harbor Yard was close until the final minutes. “We competed in that game, so hopefully that makes these guys feel like they can play with them if we limit our mistakes,” Martin said. “There’s going to be a team somewhere in the country that’s going to do something crazy. Let it be us.”

No. 7 Siena 68, No. 10 Manhattan 66 (OT)

This was likely Barry Rohrssen’s last post-game press conference as Manhattan’s coach.

Siena’s last two MAAC Tournament games have gone to overtime. Last year they beat Fairfield in overtime in the finals, and in an opening-round game this year they needed an extra session to beat Manhattan.

Mr. Big Shot, freshman Michael Alvarado, hit a contested jumper with five seconds remaining to tie the game and send it to overtime. Here’s the video proof:

As the last-place team in the conference, it wouldn’t have been too surprising for the Jaspers to mail it in, especially after a seven-point halftime deficit. But in what was, in all likelihood, Barry Rohrssen’s last game as Manhattan’s coach, the Jaspers battled to the end.

Alvarado’s game-tying basket came after Siena’s Owen Wignot dove across the baseline to tip the ball to teammate Clarence Jackson for a layup. It was one of two huge plays that Wignot made in a critical moment. Although the junior had not made a three-pointer since Feb. 7 (he had missed 11 in a row), he drilled a deep ball from the corner to put Siena ahead with 1:28 left in overtime, the final points of the game.

In its final possession of the game, Manhattan tried to set a ball screen to free Alvarado for another game-tying (or game-winning) shot. The Saints would not let the star freshman beat them, trapping him and forcing him to give it up. Alvardo passed to George Beamon, whose three-pointer at the buzzer rolled off the rim.

“We had practiced that all week,” Siena head coach Mitch Buonaguro said of the final defensive stand. “I thought it really helped. It came in big.”

Siena tied a MAAC Tournament record with its 10th straight victory. To get No. 11, it will have to beat Iona, no easy task, especially given the overtime victory that came just minutes before midnight. Then again, Siena is the only team that features players who have won a MAAC championship.

(Click to enlarge)

MAAC basketball, NCAA Basketball

MAAC Basketball 2011 Tournament: 3 Weeks to Go

February 11, 2011 at 4:50 pm Andrew Kahn Leave a comment

Update III: See my post on the semifinal round of the MAAC basketball tournament.

Update II: See my post on the quarterfinal round of the MAAC basketball tournament.

Update: See my new post on the opening round of MAAC basketball tournament, as the tourney has now begun.

The MAAC men’s basketball regular season is hitting the home stretch and the conference tournament, held this year at the Arena at Harbor Yard, Fairfield’s home court in Bridgeport, Conn., is just three weeks away.

Each of the 10 MAAC teams has five remaining regular season conference games, starting with tonight’s action. In order to get a feel for where each contending team stands as the Tournament approaches, I got in touch with beat writers for six schools.* I asked them where they projected their team to finish in the standings, what their team needs to do in order to win the Tournament, and what factors could prevent them from making a deep run.

*I covered Iona, and I chose to omit Marist (3-10), Manhattan (2-11), and Niagara (2-11), as they will most likely be in the play-in round (as the 7-10 seeds) and won’t be making a serious Tournament run.

1. Fairfield Stags (11-2 in MAAC, 18-5 overall)
Remaining games: at Manhattan, at St. Peter’s, Marist, Siena, at Iona

On remaining games: I do not think the Stags will be caught in the regular season. Despite the recent loss to Rider, a two-game lead with five to play is a nice luxury and I can’t see the coaching staff letting the players lose any focus at this point in the season.

Why Fairfield can win: Fairfield needs to stick to its identity and it has a great shot at winning the tournament. Strong team defense and a well-balanced scoring attack are the traits that have put the Stags in first place. Having the tournament played on our home court is obviously a major advantage as well.

Why Fairfield could falter: Every team is capable of mental lapses and bad shooting nights. It’s kind of scary to think that a great, consistent season atop the conference can end in one bad night, but that’s the way it is in the MAAC.

–Tom Fitzpatrick, staff writer, The Fairfield Mirror

2. St. Peter’s Peacocks (9-4, 14-10)
Remaining games: at Marist, Fairfield, at Siena, Iona, at Rider

On remaining games: It will be tough for St. Peter’s to remain in second place. With five games remaining, only the Marist game is somewhat comfortable and that is on the road. The remaining four games are toss-ups. Both Fairfield and Iona will be very tough—I’ll go with a split. Siena and Rider on the road will also be tough; probably another split. So I would think 3-2 in the five remaining games.

Why St. Peter’s can win: St. Peter’s has played its best when players like Ryan Bacon, Jeron Belin, or Steven Samuels have stepped up. I don’t think Wesley Jenkins alone is enough for St. Peter’s to be in top form. Jenkins can win a game for them but St. Pete’s has played its best when they get contributions from multiple players and Bacon is the most important once you get past Jenkins.

Wesley Jenkins and Ryan Bacon, two keys for the Peacocks, go to work against the Gaels.

Why St. Peter’s could falter: St. Peter’s can win the MAAC but I believe its chances are less than 50/50. How they play their remaining five games will be a tell-tale sign. If they go 4-1 or better, that would be a serious indicator that they can contend. Anything less than 3-2 would be a sign that they could make a quick exit from the tournament.

–JC Hoops, contributor, The Jersey Journal

3. Rider Broncs (9-4, 17-8)
Remaining games: Canisius, Niagara, at Loyola, at Marist, St. Peter’s

On remaining games: I think Rider will finish second in the standings. This team is playing really well right now and if it takes care of business against Canisius and Niagara this weekend I like it to push on and finish in that second spot.

Why Rider can win: To win the MAAC tourney Rider will have to continue to shoot the ball well from three-point territory. The Broncs lead the conference in three-point shooting percentage and rank 11th in the country in that same category. If they get hot, look out. They just dropped 97 on a stingy Fairfield team. The key player is always going to be senior point guard Justin Robinson. The offens runs through him and he has a knack for taking over games in the second half. Another player to watch is Novar Gadson. At 6’7, 230, he has a Big East body and when decides to drive to the basket there aren’t many players in the MAAC who can stop him.

Why Rider could falter: Free. Throw. Shooting. Rider only shoots it at 63.4 percent from the line and outside of Robinson only two players—Brandon Penn and Jon Thompson—shoot at least 70 percent. Mike Ringgold shoots just 43.9 percent and opponents use the “hack-a-Shaq” technique against him because he struggles so much. If something comes back to haunt them it will be a 9-for-20 performance from the free throw line.

More: Rider team is very good on the road. Like I said above, 11-4 in road/neutral games, and I know Tommy Dempsey likes taking this team on the road because he thinks it focuses better.

–Kyle Franko, contributor, The Trentonian

4. Loyola (MD) Greyhounds (8-5, 12-11)
Remaining games: Niagara, Canisius, Rider, at Niagara, at Canisius

On remaining games: Since early January, the Hounds have gone on a 7-3 run in the MAAC. Their play has been boosted by great bench scoring led by the pair of J’hared Hall and Justin Drummond. The trio of Drummond, Hall and Robert Olson gives Loyola three of the best and highest-percentage outside shooters in the MAAC. When the three of them are able to hit their shots, Loyola is tough to beat. Second place seems realistic for the Hounds as they stand a game back of second and hold the valuable season split with first place Fairfield.

Why Loyola can win: The Hounds are more than capable of winning the MAAC Tournament and they have proven that with wins over Saint Peter’s, Fairfield, Iona and Siena. When things are going well, this is one of the most dangerous and balanced rosters in the MAAC. If Loyola’s shooters can continue to take on a good bulk of the Hounds’ scoring, they have the ability to play with anyone.

Why Loyola could falter: Loyola sometimes struggles against a strong 2-3 zone defense and that was evident when Siena visited. The Siena defense gave Loyola fits as the Hounds were unable to hit the shots that Siena was giving them. They seemed to get frustrated and pass the ball around the perimeter as they struggled with scoring. Their offense sometimes seems to get into funks like this when playing against a tough zone.

–Rich Conforti, sports editor, The Greyhound

5. Iona Gaels (8-5, 14-10)
Remaining games: Siena, at Marist, at Manhattan, at St. Peter’s, Fairfield

On remaining games: Iona will likely be favored in four of its remaining five games. I think 4-1 is an optimistic estimate, with 3-2 perhaps being more likely. Either way, I think the Gaels will wind up in the 4/5 game in the Tournament, a rubber match against Loyola, with the winner likely to face Fairfield in the semifinals.

Mike Glover will be the Player of the Year in the MAAC, but he’d much rather be the MAAC Tourney MVP. (Credit: Warren Rosenberg/ICGaels.com)

Why Iona can win: Iona has the best player in the conference in forward Mike Glover. After taking the league by storm, Glover converted just 11-of-33 attempts and averaged a pedestrian 8.3 points over a four-game stretch in January. Teams used multiple defenders to frustrate Glover and prevent his easy conversions off feeds from point guard Scott Machado. But in Iona’s last game, Glover was back to his old ways, scoring 20 on 8-of-12 shooting, including several dunks. The Machado-to-Glover combination was clicking, and that is a key for the Gaels. Also, deep threats Kyle Smyth, Jermel Jenkins, and Sean Armand can stretch defenses and take some pressure off Glover.

Why Iona could falter: Iona’s 10 losses have been by an average of 4.1 points. That margin is even smaller for MAAC games. Often times a defensive lapse or a turnover in the final moments has been the difference in a one-possession game. Late-game execution will be critical if Iona plans to win the Tournament.

6. Siena Saints (7-6, 10-13)
Remaining games: at Iona, at Manhattan, St. Peter’s, at Fairfield, Marist

On remaining games: Siena has to maintain its spot in the top six of the standings if they want any chance of winning the tournament. Two weeks ago, I would have said no doubt. But Canisius has turned things on, so it will definitely be a race to stay out of the play-in round. If the Saints can go 3-2 over their last five games, they should be able to stay out of that round.

Why Siena can win: I think Siena is more than capable of winning the tournament. Remember, no other MAAC player has won a league championship game and every player on the Siena roster is undefeated in MAAC tournament games. The easiest way for the Saints to win a fourth straight MAAC title is to have Clarence Jackson back and healthy. That’s probably the biggest key. Other than that, everyone will have to step up.

Why Siena could falter: It will be a lack of consistency. Siena has been inconsistent all season. Their longest winning streak and losing streak is each three games. They haven’t been able to get the momentum going all year. You have to win three games to win the MAAC Tournament and the Saints haven’t shown the ability to be at their best for three straight games.

–Andrew Santillo, staff writer, The Troy Record

7. Canisius Golden Griffins (6-7, 12-11)
Remaining games: at Rider, Loyola, at Niagara, Manhattan, Loyola

On remaining games: Right now, they could finish in maybe fifth or sixth place and avoid that 7-10 game in the MAAC Tournament.

Canisius is the only team in the MAAC that has five players averaging at least 10 points per game.

Why Canisius can win: Considering they have five seniors [four of which are starters], they are capable of making a run in the MAAC simply because there isn’t a dominant team in the league. Fairfield is pulling away, but they aren’t as good as they were last season. It’s going to be challenging, but Fairfield can be beaten on its home floor in the Tournament.

Why Canisius could falter: Canisius has to rebound better and make shots—it’s really that simple. They are one of the more athletic teams in the league but sometimes they don’t block out in key situations, which leads to putbacks by the opposition. They are a better overall team than last year when they had Frank Turner but a go-to scorer hasn’t been established.

–Rodney McKissic, staff writer, The Buffalo News

MAAC basketball, NCAA Basketball

MAAC Basketball Update: Iona, Siena, Fairfield

December 11, 2010 at 10:21 pm Andrew Kahn Leave a comment

Last night’s Siena/Fairfield game was the last MAAC game until 2011, which makes this a good time to review what’s been happening in the conference. Which teams have exceeded preseason expectations? Which have been underwhelming? Who are the players to watch?

Let’s start with the team I know best and analyze the other two teams many prognosticators had in their preseason top three, before looking at the rest of the league.

Iona Gaels (7-3, 2-0 in MAAC)

I covered the Gaels last season and attended their first three home games this season before today. Although Iona was picked fourth in the only official preseason poll, all signs indicate this is one of the top two teams in the MAAC.

Most of the returning players have improved, some even more than expected. And no matter what logical criteria you used to make your vote, Mike Glover would be the MVP of the league if voting took place today.

As can be expected for a new head coach coming from outside the program, it was clear during Iona’s preseason practices that Tim Cluess was still getting familiar with his players. Losing to Bryant to cap an 0-3 trip to Cleveland is unacceptable, but the seven straight wins Iona has rattled off since make that a distant memory (for fans at least; Cluess still wears a t-shirt from that tournament to remind his players of how bad the Gaels can be if they don’t work hard).

Mike Glover throws it down with power. (Credit: Walt Middleton/ICGaels.com)

The revival has been led by Glover. After he hung 39 on Canisius, head coach Tom Parrotta said: “He asserted himself early and often. Glover was the difference in the game. Clearly we didn’t have an answer for him.” The 6’7, 215-pound forward scored 21 and pulled down 17 boards in an upset victory over Richmond. I am excited to see him matched up with the preseason Player of the Year (more on that later).

Glover’s dominating inside play has opened up things for Iona’s outside shooters as well. Jermel Jenkins and Kyle Smyth are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the conference in three-pointers made per game. Both are shooting at least 40 percent from downtown. Niagara coach Joe Mihalich was certainly impressed. “My goodness, Smyth doesn’t even look—great shooter, quick release. They have great balance; a guy that scores around the basket and guys that shoot the ball. You can’t cheat. You’ve got to play them honest. They’ve got a lot of ways to get you.”

Fairfield Stags (6-3, 2-0)

Fairfield didn’t pick up an impressive nonconference win, but last night’s 72-55 smackdown of Siena at the Times Union Center—where the Saints had won 28 straight MAAC games—is enough to validate its preseason No. 1 ranking.

Last year’s Rookie of the Year, point guard Derek Needham, is joined by forwards Warren Edney and Yorel Hawkins, to make up Fairfield’s top three scorers. Due to injuries, Edney missed all of last season and Hawkins missed the last 10 games. Greg Nero is another upperclassman who was a top player two years ago but missed all of last season. He had been averaging 20 minutes per game this season but fatigue issues kept him from making the trip to Albany for last night’s contest.

This is clearly a top-tier MAAC team that has the advantage Siena held the last two seasons: The conference tournament will be at its home arena. The Stags’ early-season MAAC schedule is favorable, so it will be interesting to see how far Fairfield can make it without a conference loss.

Siena Saints (2-6, 1-1)

Some were alarmed immediately, after Siena saw its 39-game home winning streak snapped in the opener against Vermont. Most were concerned heading into yesterday’s showdown with Fairfield, but optimistic observers could point out that Minnesota and Butler are quality teams and the other two losses were in overtime. Perhaps it was just bad luck for the Saints.

But after the loss to Fairfield, in which Siena was outrebounded 32-19 and its star player, Ryan Rossiter, was held to seven points, it’s hard to find a confident Siena supporter. I, however, don’t think the sky is falling in Albany. I’m simply not sure why the expectations were so high for the Saints.

Let’s not forget that in addition to their coach, they lost All-MAAC performers Ronald Moore, Edwin Ubiles, and Alex Franklin, last year’s Player of the Year. Rossiter (the aforementioned preseason POY) and Clarence Jackson are returning players any coach in this league would love to have, but the supporting cast has not been good enough so far this season. But many of those guys are underclassmen and have the potential to develop into more valuable role players. How much they develop will determine whether or not Mitch Buonaguro’s first year as head coach is a success.

Elsewhere in the MAAC:

The Niagara Purple Eagles (2-7, 0-2) are off to a terrible start, but this is both a young and injury-depleted team. Mihalich says that is just an excuse for their poor play. After the loss to Iona last weekend, he said: “We knew we weren’t going to be good in December. Our goal is to get better all the time. We’ve got to hope that by the end of February, beginning of March, we can be a team that can win some games.” That’s what happened last season after Niagara’s ideal starters were all healthy at the same time. This team relies far more heavily on freshmen, but I expect this team to be much more competitive later in the year.

After seeing them in person, I’m not sure the Canisius Golden Griffins (3-3, 0-1) have the guard play to improve upon their preseason No. 7 ranking.

The St. Peter’s Peacocks (4-4, 2-2) were the interesting choice for third in the preseason poll, but star senior Wesley Jenkins is back after missing only four games. He scored 22 in St. Pete’s last game, against Manhattan.

The Marist Red Foxes (2-8, 2-0) have already exceeded their win total from last season. Let that sink in, especially since both victories have come in conference. Marist swept a weekend at home against Niagara and Canisius and doesn’t play another MAAC team until January 7.

The Manhattan Jaspers (2-8, 0-2) were picked just one spot ahead of Marist in the preseason poll, and they simply don’t have the offensive firepower to be a serious contender.

The Rider Broncs (6-4, 1-1) and the Loyola (MD) Greyounds (3-5, 0-2) were picked to finish in the middle of the pack. Rider’s top three leaders in minutes and points are all upperclassmen, so the loss of superstar Ryan Thompson might not be as critical as expected. Senior Jamal Barney has led the Greyhounds in scoring every year he’s been on campus.