MAAC Sends Two, Loyola and Iona, To NCAA's

For just the second time in the 31-year history of the MAAC, two men's teams have advanced to the NCAA tournament.

We already knew about Loyola, which captured the conference's automatic berth by virtue of winning the league's post-season tournament.

And, during Sunday night's NCAA Tournament Selection Show we discovered that Iona's hopes for an at-large berth came to fruition.

The only other time the MAAC had an at-large entry to the NCAA field was in 1995 when Manhattan, with its 25-3 overall record, got picked after Saint Peter's upset the conference field to win its post-season tournament and get the automatic berth to the Big Dance.

Iona, though, didn't get the best of breaks. The Gaels have to survive a play-in game, one of the so-called "First Four" games, when it plays Tuesday against BYU at 9 p.m. in Dayton. The winner of that game then gets seeded as a No. 14 in a 16-team bracket and advances to the field of 64 for a first-round game against No. 3 seed Marquette on Thursday in Louisville.

Loyola is a No. 15 seed and will face No. 2 seed Ohio State Thursday in Pittsburgh at the CONSOL Energy Center. Game time is expected to be announced on Monday.

"This is a great event for Loyola as a school, and we are happy to share it tonight with our fans who have been a great support to us this season," Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos said at a Selection Show gathering on the campus of the Baltimore school (Patsos' comments come via the Loyola sports information office).

"We are very excited to represent Loyola, the MAAC, Baltimore and the state of Maryland in the NCAA tournament."

The Greyhounds are making just their second all-time appearance in the NCAA's. Their other trip was also as a No. 15 seed in 1994 when the late Skip Prosser coached the team. It played Arizona that year and the Wildcats defeated Loyola, 81-55, in Sacramento, Calif., on their way to a Final Four appearance.

Loyola takes a 24-8 record into the tournament, and its win total is the second-highest in school history (the 1947-48 team had 25 wins), and highest victory total in the school's Division I history since it moved to that level in 1981.

Oddly enough if Iona survives its First Four-round contest on Tuesday, it joins the field of 64 one seeding position higher than Loyola.

"They were not the last team in," NCAA tournament selection committee chairman Jeff Hathaway is quoted as saying, about the Gaels, in a number of reports. "They had a very good non-conference strength of schedule ... I think we got that one right."

No matter. Iona is in, and certainly a welcome surprise for its head coach Tim Cluess, who told reporters earlier this week that his team wasn't gathering (to watch the selection show) because he would rather be surprised than disappointed. Cluess also admitted to reporters during the week that he was checking out the potential NIT field.

Had Iona not received the at-large berth in the NCAA's, it would have played in the NIT. Now, no MAAC team will be part of the NIT field, although to other conference teams (Manhattan and Fairfield) will also be involved in post-season play. Both the Jaspers and the Stags were previously announced as participants in the CollegeInsider.com tournament's field.

In that event Manhattan plays at the University at Albany in a first-round game, while Fairfield's first-round contest will be against Yale.

Fairfield Also Gets Bid To CollegeInsider.com Event

And, yet another MAAC men's team is headed for post-season play.

Fairfield, like Manhattan, is also headed for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, according to the Stags' website.

Fairfield advanced to the MAAC tournament's championship game where it lost to Loyola, 48-44 to fall to a 19-14 overall record.

The Stats will host a first-round game against near-by Ivy League member Yale Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.

Yale, is currently 19-9, the program's  best record since a 21-victory season in 2001-02.

The Stags and Elis last met in the 2007-08 season with Yale winning, 70-66, in overtime.

The inclusion of both Manhattan and Fairfield marks the first time in the four-year history of the event that two MAAC teams will participate. One team from the conference took part in each of the previous three years.

The best finish by a MAAC team came last year when Iona advanced to the event's championship game before it lost to Santa Clara.

With Fairfield and Manhattan both participating in the CollegeInsider.com event, it means four men's teams from the MAAC will be involved in national post-season events.

Loyola earned the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA's by virtue of winning the MAAC's post-season tournament.

And, Iona, with a 25-7 overall record, is still hoping to get an at-large invitation to the NCAA's. If that doesn't happen, the Gaels will play in the NIT, accepting the automatic berth it has for that event by virtue of being the MAAC's regular-season champion.

Manhattan Accepts Bid To CollegeInsider.com Event

While several MAAC teams await news of their national post-season tournament fates, at least one conference program already knows where it will play.

That would be Manhattan which, late Friday night, received an accepted an invitation to participate in the fourth-annual CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament and its 24-team field.

The Jaspers, whose 20-12 overall record marked a national-best 14-victory improvement from the previous year, will be paired with the University at Albany in the event's first round and will travel to play at UAlbany's on-campus SEFCU Arena in a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday.

The full 24-team bracket, which includes mid-major level teams not invited either to the NCAA or NIT events, will be revealed Sunday night.

The tournament has included a MAAC team in each of its previous three seasons with Rider participating (losing a first-round game) in 2009, Fairfield playing and winning a first-round game in 2010 before being eliminated, and Iona advancing to the event's championship contest last season before it was eliminated by Santa Clara.

Fairfield's 2010 appearance included its comeback from a 27-point deficit with 16:08 remaining in a game against George Mason, which remains the largest overcome deficit in a Division I post-season tournament game in college basketball history.

Manhattan will be making its first appearance in a national post-season event since 2006.

Albany is currently 19-14 overall and advanced to the America East Conference's semifinal round before it was eliminated by Stony Brook. Manhattan had its MAAC post-season tournament ended with an overtime loss against Siena.

The CIT consists of  five rounds, including a unique second round in which, after all 24 participants play a first-round game, the top four remaining seeds receive byes to advance directly to the quarterfinals

The event will have 23 total games with all contests played at on-campus sites with host schools determined by seeding.

First-round games are scheduled for March 13, 14 and 15; second-round games will be played on March 16, 17 and 18; quarterfinals will be on March 20 and 21 with the semifinals on March 23 and 24. The event's championship contest will be on March 28 and televised by Fox College Sports.

MAAC Makes Case for Iona's NCAA At-Large Bid

Want to make a case for the Iona men's team's inclusion as an at-large inclusion to the upcoming NCAA tournament?

MAAC officials have done that, with the NCAA-allowed one-page information sheet that will get distributed to selection committee members.

Here are highlights, all very supportive of the Gaels' chances:

- Iona leads the NCAA in scoring offense (88.3 points per game), assits per game (19.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.563), and ranks second in field-goal percentage at 50.4 percent.
- It won the conference's regular-season title.
- Senior guard Scott Machado leads the nation in assists with 9.9 per game.
- Iona leads the MAAC in scoring margin (+10.7), field goal percentage (50.4), 3-point field goal percentage (39.3), 3-point field goals made (7.8), turnover margin (+3.56 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
- Iona has strong non-conference victories over Nevada (No. 47 in the Ratings Percentage Index as of Thursday) and Saint Joseph's (No. 55). Iona is 5-3 against teams in the RPI's top 100.
- Iona is tied for second in the NCAA with Harvard for victories (15) away from their home building. Murray State leads with a 17-0 away-from-home record.
- Tied for fifth in the NCAA with 11 victories in oppoonents' buildings.
- Played 65.7 percent of its games away from home and holds the second-highest overall winning percentage of the 45 teams that have played more than 60 percent of its games on the road.
- Currently ranked No. 41 in the RPI with an out-of-conference strength of schedule rated 45th toughest nationally.

Does it get Iona into the NCAA tournament?

Objectively, it has the Gaels positioned on the proverbial bubble. Whether that bubble bursts remains to be seen with the only definitive answer coming Sunday night when the field of 68 teams becomes official.

The strong hope here is that it's enough. It's tough to watch teams with mediocre records from the-called power conferences get in and, then, see teams with 25 regular-season victories, including five against top-100 programs, get left out.

For much more, and a terrific look at Iona's case, read MAAC assistant commissioner's insightful and detailed view of the Gaels' situation from a rare perspective.

Ken participated in the NCAA's mock selection procedure in February and, below, is his well-presented opinion on how the 2012 NCAA field stacks up for the selection committee based on his insight and experience. Again, terrific reading:

http://www.icgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=64318&SPID=7099&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205394542&DB_OEM_ID=14900

Siena Parts Ways With Women's Coach Castelli

Another coaching dismissal within the conference, but this one is a little tough to figure.

Siena, on Thursday, announced that its longtime women's coach Gina Castelli would be leaving the program by mutual decision.

Your Hoopscribe will attempt to avoid too much editorial judgment since, in the interest of full disclosure, there isn't a lot of objectivity here.

Not only have I served as color commentator for radio broadcasts of Siena women's basketball games for the past two seasons, but Castelli has graciously granted me access to any practice, allowed me to ride team buses, attend team meals and be part of just about any other team activity. That unrivaled access has resulted in the type information that, I hope, strengthens broadcasts.

But the personal relationship goes far beyond that. Castelli played a major role in helping your scribe get through a very difficult personal tragedy a few years back. And what was, until then, a cordial working relationship became a close friendship.

Over the years we've also discovered she has reached out to numerous others in similar manner (without ever seeking recognition for her kindnesses), as well as getting deeply involved in just about every community activity and deserving fund-raiser that has come her way.

The school has never had a better community ambassador, its players succeed academically and in life beyond basketball. And the program has had more than a little success on the court during her tenure.

In her 22 seasons as head coach she accumulated a 336-296 overall record and a 225-146 ledger against MAAC opponents. She has been named the conference's Coach of the Year on five occasions, has directed seven teams to regular-season titles and took her 2000-01 team to the NCAA tournament.

But, the school's decision to part ways with Castelli is just another reminder that even at the mid-major level, and even in what is not a revenue-generating sport, it is all about wins and losses. It's all about what have you done for me lately.

Siena's last regular-season women's championship came in the 2003-04 season.

Since then the program hasn't been over .500 overall in any season, although has always won at least 10 games. Castelli has been a believer in playing a strong non-league schedule, and that surely helps explain, to some extent, the less-than-stellar non-conference records.

Still, the bottom never dropped out. Siena never suffered through, say, a 5-25 season. And the Saints remained at least competitive in MAAC play with a 68-76 record against conference opponents since the end of the 2003-04 season. Call that record relative mediocrity, but never abysmal.

Siena finished 11-7 in the MAAC last season and 9-9 this season, good for a share of fourth place both years. And, it won first-round conference tournament games in each of the last two years. Hard to find many other cases when a team had back-to-back years in the upper half of a league's standings, won a conference post-season tournament game in both years and, then, its coach not be asked to return.

And, the team looks to be particularly strong next year with the loss of just two senior guards with quality replacements in place.

Castelli issued a statement, through the school's sports information office Wednesday and her words just epitomize the class in which she conducted herself and her program over the years. Here it is:

"I would like to thank everyone in the Siena community for their unwavering support to me and our program. I have loved working at Siena and forming wonderful relationships with so many quality people. I also want to specifically thank Fr. Kevin Mullen, Dr. Maryellen Gillroy, Joyce Eggleston and John D'Argenio for their belief in me through the years. The Siena administration has been very good to me. I am grateful to work at a college like Siena whose mission mirrored my own in giving back to the community.

"I would like to express gratitude and love to my staff both present and past; In particular I want to express my deep gratitude to Andrea Woodbury, associate head coach. Andrea has been with me my entire head coaching career. Her loyalty and work ethic is priceless!

"Most of all, I want to thank every player that I have coached. I will miss working and being with our players. the Siena player is very unique and resiliency is the one common trait I have found in each player.

"Coaching is, and always will be, my passion. Although I am very sad to leave Siena, I am looking forward to new opportunities in the coaching profession, where I can continue to grow and become the best I can be.

"I leave Siena knowing the future is very bright for the women's program. With Lily Grenci leading the way, and most of the players returning, along with a very talented incoming freshman Symone Kelly,the team is positioned to win many games and conference championships.

"After 22 years I feel that I have given the program my full all. I am extremely proud of all the effort and hard work put into the women's basketball program to raise it to higher levels in every area. Aside from our teams' success, our players' success both on and off the court; introducing the Lil' Saints Club; expanding our camps to include special needs children and our Team Camp became one of the biggest in the Northeast. I am very proud of our overall dedication to community service, particularly our unique relationship with CRAAB (Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer). The money raised and the lives that we touched means so much to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this wonderful experience, and to have the women's program become a meaningful part of the community.

"I will always have a great affection for the Siena College community, and will look back on the time I spent here with great fondness."

As Castelli left the athletic office area at Siena Thursday afternoon, she stopped to shake hands with dozens of friends and co-workers, to say thanks for everything they've done for her.

In truth, they probably should have been thanking her.

Irving's Dad Has History With Current MAAC Teams

Kyrie Irving is featured in the latest issue of "Sports Illustrated," as a rookie with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers whose quick start is making fans of that team quickly forget about LeBron James.

Long-time fans of college basketball might recall Irving's father, Drederick Irving, who played at Boston University when that program was a member of the North Atlantic Conference, the predecessor of the America East.

Before that, Irving played his freshman season at Duke (an injury limited him to 11 games) and, then, was the first pick overall in this past year's NBA draft.

What does that have to do with the MAAC? Only a little.

But the NAC, back then, included three teams that, after the 1988-89 season, would move on to join the MAAC ... Siena, Niagara and Canisius.

And all three of those programs saw plenty of the elder Irving over the years as did most teams in that league as the 6-foot-3 guard ran up a career scoring total of 1,931 points, still third-best in the history of Boston University. 

In fact, Boston University captured the NAC's championship at the end of the 1987-88 season, beating Niagara in that year's post-season tournament championship game and knocking off Canisius in the quarterfinals.

By winning the NAC tournament the Terriers moved on to the NCAA event where it suffered an 85-69 setback. Drederick Irving led BU in scoring in that game with 14 points.

The NCAA opponent? Ironically enough, it was Duke where Drederick Irving's son would play at the college level.

MAAC Neutral Site Right Move For MAAC, Loyola

Wonder why the MAAC's tournament was a success in its first year of a three-season commitment to Springfield, Mass.?

Here's a column, a follow-up on the Loyola men's tournament title and upcoming trip to the NCAA tournament, done by my longtime friend Kevin Cowherd for the Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-sp-cowherd-column-0307-20120306,0,7705566.column

The piece merely describes the joy and benefits related to the program's recent success.

There's nothing about crowd counts, which happened to be the lowest since the league began playing its post-season event in "host" arenas in 1990.

The previous low total attendance for the tournament came in Trenton, N.J., when only 16,721 turned out in 2003 and a subsequently scheduled event appearance there was cancelled when arena officials feared another financial setback if the event returned.

This year's total attendance? Just 16,127.

And, while it's nice to have large crowds as the event's backdrop (53,569 turned out when Siena won the tournament crown in 2010), in truth the game is the thing.

When it comes to the game, the decision made at the level of school presidents is to play on a neutral court.

The belief is that a neutral court results in a relatively equal competitive situation, that playing in home court venues is too much a benefit to the home team.

On the other hand, the Fairfield men never won the tournament the two years it was played in Bridgeport, Conn., even as the top-seeded men's team last season.

Of the two Western New York teams, only Niagara won the event (once) in the four years it was hosted by Buffalo. And, Siena only won once in the tournament's first 12 appearances at its home-court Albany arena before a three-year run (2008, '09, '10) when it was arguably the league's best team all three years.

But the home court didn't hurt Siena in several of those championship runs.

In 2002, the Saints trailed Marist by double figures late in the first half of a quarterfinal-round game before rallying behind heavy crowd support.

In 2008 Loyola blew a 17-point lead to Siena in the semifinal round and in 2010 Fairfield led by 13 with just over 17 minutes to play before a crowd of more than 11,000 rabid Siena supporters created a real home-court advantage.

Afterwards, then Fairfield coach Ed Cooley admitted his young players (two freshmen played most of the guard minutes) were definitely adversely affected by the partisan and loud Siena crowd.

Try to convince former Marist coach Dave Magarity (2002), Jimmy Patsos (2008) and Cooley (2010) that playing on Siena's home court didn't play a big role in ending their respective teams' MAAC tournament chances.

Why is a neutral-court/equal-opportunity venue so important?

The above column, for one. Loyola has gotten more positive publicity since Monday than it has, surely, in more than a decade combined prior to this year's event.

Important? Patsos noted that two personal friends flew private jets to Monday's championship game. ... "And both will make contributions to the school," said Patsos, afterwards.

Those are the residual benefits of the positive publicity ... every MAAC school that has advance to the NCAA's has parlayed the national noteriety into substantial increases in alum donations, and into larger and better student-population admissions pools.

Bottom line is that the individual schools each want their equal opportunity at all of that, and aren't overly concerned about attendance. Particularly since Springfield's business community stepped up and guaranteed the MAAC, according to a variety of sources, more profit from the tournament than it reaped even two years ago when the all-time record of 53,569 turned out the last time the event was in Albany.

"While we always enjoyed the crowds in Albany from a sales perspective, the (other nine schools) didn't always appreciate it as much," said conference commissioner Rich Ensor, prior to Monday's championship contest.

Yet, of course, it would be nice if larger crowds turned out (although, even with barely more than 1,800 in the MassMutual Center for the men's championship game, crowd noise was loud). Ensor believes the Springfield administrators will do a better job of attracting the local basketball fans, ones with no direct affiliation to the conference schools, in future years.

There are other benefits, too. By playing in a non-MAAC city, the local publicity gets the name of conference schools out to Western and Central Massachusetts students, perspective MAAC students, in ways it never did before.

And, then, there's the sport's Hall of Fame, just a couple blocks down the road. The MAAC held its preseason awards show there, its post-season awards presentation there and also used it for a formal dinner honoring the first class of conference "Honor Roll" designees, past performers who had a role in their respective programs' development.

Now, there's a permanent (at least while the tournament is based in the city) 600-square foot display devoted exclusively to the MAAC. Centerpieces are video presentations of "A Day in the Life," in which current conference athletes discuss balancing academics and athletics, and a separate presentation in which the Honor Roll inductees discuss how playing college sports helped prepare them for life after college.

The Hall draws more than 200,000 annual visitors, many of them pre-college aged students.

In truth, athletic programs are often the primary selling point for a college at any level. In theory, any positive publicity helps attract more applications. Over the just-concluded MAAC tournament, the conference schools got considerable positive publicity in a relatively untapped market proximitous to a number of its member institutions.

On the court, now, the MAAC tournament is all about a fair setting, an equal opportunity for any of its members to win the event and reap the type positive and national publicity the Loyola men are currently receiving.

Return the event to Albany and draw more than 50,000 fans? Or, stay on a neutral court even if attendance is less than a third of that figure?

The strong guess is that Loyola would chose the latter.