ALBANY, N.Y. - The Canisius women's team not only captured the quarterfinal-round battle of Western New York Teams with a 71-46 victory over Niagara here Friday morning, but also gave proof that it can continue to cause some damage in this event.
The tournament's second-seeded women's team missed the first seven shots it took Friday, and that's what opponents have to hope for.
But, that usually doesn't happen for more than a few minutes, and it didn't against Niagara. The Golden Griffins then made seven three-pointers without a miss for a stretch, took a commanding lead and never relinquished it.
For the game, Canisius made 12-of-21 3-pointers (57.1 percent). The 12 made treys set a tournament record, surpassing the previous single-game mark of 10 previously held by three different teams.
That, though, should surprise no one. Canisius now has made a three-pointer in 451 consecutive games, an NCAA record for women.
Entering Friday's contest, its 7.5 made treys per contest was 16th best nationally, and its 36.7 percent accuracy from bonus territory was 21st best nationally.
On Friday, seven different Griffs made shots from beyond the stripe, led by five made by Brianna Lucas.
Canisius not only exhibited its traditional outside shooting, but got solid inside play, particularly from the conference's Sixth Player of the Year, junior forward Ellie Radke, who finished with game-high totals of 14 points and nine rebounds.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Good Reading Available About Tournament
Warning ... the following is an unpaid commercial endorsement.
If you want to read about the ongoing MAAC basketball tournament, the best place to do it is the Times Union Newspaper, which produced a very nicely written, nicely packaged preview section on Friday morning.
It looks like the Times Union will be the go-to newspaper for the tournament. That's something this humble blogger would never have said a few years ago when he was working at a competing area newspaper and, it says here, produced better coverage than anyone else of the event.
OK, maybe this humble blogger isn't so humble.
Siena beat writer Pete Iorizzo is worth the price of the paper by himself, and provides this blogger considerable enjoyment with his outstanding work not only during this tournament, but throughout the regular season.
The T-U had four writers/reporters/editors on site on Friday, more than the other local papers combined. If Friday's effort is any indication, then there is more good reading to come.
In an era where newspapers are facing huge financial struggles, staff sizes have diminished which means fewer available bodies to cover events like this.
That the T-U has four people here today shows that it continues to fight the good fight when it comes to covering local college basketball and the MAAC tournament in particular.
If you want to read about the ongoing MAAC basketball tournament, the best place to do it is the Times Union Newspaper, which produced a very nicely written, nicely packaged preview section on Friday morning.
It looks like the Times Union will be the go-to newspaper for the tournament. That's something this humble blogger would never have said a few years ago when he was working at a competing area newspaper and, it says here, produced better coverage than anyone else of the event.
OK, maybe this humble blogger isn't so humble.
Siena beat writer Pete Iorizzo is worth the price of the paper by himself, and provides this blogger considerable enjoyment with his outstanding work not only during this tournament, but throughout the regular season.
The T-U had four writers/reporters/editors on site on Friday, more than the other local papers combined. If Friday's effort is any indication, then there is more good reading to come.
In an era where newspapers are facing huge financial struggles, staff sizes have diminished which means fewer available bodies to cover events like this.
That the T-U has four people here today shows that it continues to fight the good fight when it comes to covering local college basketball and the MAAC tournament in particular.
New Trophy Case for Albany Arena
ALBANY, N.Y. - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference today unveiled a redesigned trophy display at the Times Union Center.
The case has been a part of the Times Union Center since 2002, and has housed the MAAC permanent display of the men’s and women’s championship trophies, Player of the Year Awards, Coach of the Year Awards and other memorabilia.
“With the decision to have the MAAC Championship at the Times Union Center through the 2010 it was thought it was time to bring the display into the 21st century,” MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor said.
“This is the MAAC’s 14th championship hosted by the Times Union Center, and as the league’s repository of its permanent awards, it was decided the display needed some modern touches. The conference was very impressed by the designs presented by Design Function (of Queensbury, N.Y.) and I want to thank Ed Ostberg for his assistance with the project.”
The display overhaul is a two-year project, with phase one including the design work, initial construction and design elements. In July, phase two will be implemented, which will include upgraded lighting and the installation of video and other elements that will highlight past award winners and championship highlights.
The case has been a part of the Times Union Center since 2002, and has housed the MAAC permanent display of the men’s and women’s championship trophies, Player of the Year Awards, Coach of the Year Awards and other memorabilia.
“With the decision to have the MAAC Championship at the Times Union Center through the 2010 it was thought it was time to bring the display into the 21st century,” MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor said.
“This is the MAAC’s 14th championship hosted by the Times Union Center, and as the league’s repository of its permanent awards, it was decided the display needed some modern touches. The conference was very impressed by the designs presented by Design Function (of Queensbury, N.Y.) and I want to thank Ed Ostberg for his assistance with the project.”
The display overhaul is a two-year project, with phase one including the design work, initial construction and design elements. In July, phase two will be implemented, which will include upgraded lighting and the installation of video and other elements that will highlight past award winners and championship highlights.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
No Debate Here on Top Award Winners
ALBANY, N.Y. - The conference's top individual award winners were released Thursday evening before a large room full of athletes, coaches, media and administrators at the Times Union Center here with a typically well-organized, well-done ceremony complete with dynamic video hightlights.
The award winners ...
MEN:
Player of the Year: Siena's senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck.
Rookie of the Year: Iona's freshman point guard Scott Machado.
Sixth Man of the Year: Siena's sophomore guard Clarence Jackson.
Defensive Player of the Year: Niagara's junior guard Tyrone Lewis.
Coach of the Year: Siena's Fran McCaffery.
WOMEN:
Player of the Year: Marist's junior forward Rachele Fitz.
Rookie of the Year: Iona's freshman forward Kristina Ford.
Sixth Player of the Year: Canisius' junior forward Elle Radke.
Defensive Player of the Year: Canisius' Brittane Russell.
Coach of the Year: Canisius' Terry Zeh.
There won't be much debate about any of those awards here.
This blogger was told by a number of sources that the closest balloting for any of the top individual awards was for the Men's Player of the Year, and that only seemed right.
Any of the five first-team selectees (other first-team selections were Siena's Edwin Ubiles, Rider's Ryan Thompson and Niagara standouts Bilal Benn and Tyrone Lewis) would have been worthy selections in a year where there wasn't a single indidual who truly stood head and shoulders above the field.
Even Hasbrouck expressed some surprise for being honored.
"Honestly, I thought Ryan Thompson might get it," said Hasbrouck, whose parents Jeffrey and Deborah made the trip from their Baltimore area home for the ceremony. "To have them here to see this just felt great. They give me so much support during the season."
The award, though, came as no surprise to Hasbrouck's coach.
"I was not surprised at all because I thought he deserved it," said Saints' coach McCaffery. "This was an exceptional group of first-team selections, but Kenny deserved this for all he accomplished in terms of putting our team on his back.
"He went through some tough periods (earlier in the season), but those problems were only reflected in his scoring statistics. He did not let it affect the other parts of his game, and he still found ways to help us win. What he does for us takes place at both ends of the court."
The award winners ...
MEN:
Player of the Year: Siena's senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck.
Rookie of the Year: Iona's freshman point guard Scott Machado.
Sixth Man of the Year: Siena's sophomore guard Clarence Jackson.
Defensive Player of the Year: Niagara's junior guard Tyrone Lewis.
Coach of the Year: Siena's Fran McCaffery.
WOMEN:
Player of the Year: Marist's junior forward Rachele Fitz.
Rookie of the Year: Iona's freshman forward Kristina Ford.
Sixth Player of the Year: Canisius' junior forward Elle Radke.
Defensive Player of the Year: Canisius' Brittane Russell.
Coach of the Year: Canisius' Terry Zeh.
There won't be much debate about any of those awards here.
This blogger was told by a number of sources that the closest balloting for any of the top individual awards was for the Men's Player of the Year, and that only seemed right.
Any of the five first-team selectees (other first-team selections were Siena's Edwin Ubiles, Rider's Ryan Thompson and Niagara standouts Bilal Benn and Tyrone Lewis) would have been worthy selections in a year where there wasn't a single indidual who truly stood head and shoulders above the field.
Even Hasbrouck expressed some surprise for being honored.
"Honestly, I thought Ryan Thompson might get it," said Hasbrouck, whose parents Jeffrey and Deborah made the trip from their Baltimore area home for the ceremony. "To have them here to see this just felt great. They give me so much support during the season."
The award, though, came as no surprise to Hasbrouck's coach.
"I was not surprised at all because I thought he deserved it," said Saints' coach McCaffery. "This was an exceptional group of first-team selections, but Kenny deserved this for all he accomplished in terms of putting our team on his back.
"He went through some tough periods (earlier in the season), but those problems were only reflected in his scoring statistics. He did not let it affect the other parts of his game, and he still found ways to help us win. What he does for us takes place at both ends of the court."
A Touch of Sadness at Tournament
Sometime it takes death to teach us our best lessons about life.
So it is now, in all likelihood, for those close to the Iona College athletic program and many others around the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The legendary and longtime Iona trainer J.B. Buono, who served in that capacity for 50 years before becoming the school's "trainer emeritus" afterwards, passed away earlier this week.
Funeral services were held on Thursday morning, the first day of the MAAC tournament, for Buono, who was 97 years old.
Rob Kennedy, who does color commentary for the conference's television package, spoke about Buono at the tournament's awards ceremony Thursday at the Times Union Center.
Kennedy, serving as the event's "master of ceremonies," reminded a room full of college basketball athletes that their athletic career is an enjoyable yet fleeting period of their lives.
He reminded them to enjoy the journey moreso than the ultimate destination, and to treasure the relationships formed along the way.
Kennedy spoke eloquently about how those friendships and relationships with those they meet while in college will always remain more memorable later in life than what their respective teams accomplished.
Buono, Kennedy, pointed out, was someone whose longtime presence around the Iona community typified the type of relationships the athletes should appreciate
This humble blogger can't admit to knowing Buono, at least not beyond a brief hello when paths crossed annually at Iona.
But those who knew him well told tales of his dedication to Iona athletes that reflected his love for them.
Some great recollections of Buono's life can be found elsewhere, and here are two links...
Vin Parise, a former assistant coach whose stop included Iona, now produces a well-done and entertaining college basketball blog which includes some tributes of Buono.
That blog can be found at www.vphoops.com
The Iona athletic website, too, has information about Buono and many comments and tributes about the program's memorable trainer.
That website is www.icgaels.com
So it is now, in all likelihood, for those close to the Iona College athletic program and many others around the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The legendary and longtime Iona trainer J.B. Buono, who served in that capacity for 50 years before becoming the school's "trainer emeritus" afterwards, passed away earlier this week.
Funeral services were held on Thursday morning, the first day of the MAAC tournament, for Buono, who was 97 years old.
Rob Kennedy, who does color commentary for the conference's television package, spoke about Buono at the tournament's awards ceremony Thursday at the Times Union Center.
Kennedy, serving as the event's "master of ceremonies," reminded a room full of college basketball athletes that their athletic career is an enjoyable yet fleeting period of their lives.
He reminded them to enjoy the journey moreso than the ultimate destination, and to treasure the relationships formed along the way.
Kennedy spoke eloquently about how those friendships and relationships with those they meet while in college will always remain more memorable later in life than what their respective teams accomplished.
Buono, Kennedy, pointed out, was someone whose longtime presence around the Iona community typified the type of relationships the athletes should appreciate
This humble blogger can't admit to knowing Buono, at least not beyond a brief hello when paths crossed annually at Iona.
But those who knew him well told tales of his dedication to Iona athletes that reflected his love for them.
Some great recollections of Buono's life can be found elsewhere, and here are two links...
Vin Parise, a former assistant coach whose stop included Iona, now produces a well-done and entertaining college basketball blog which includes some tributes of Buono.
That blog can be found at www.vphoops.com
The Iona athletic website, too, has information about Buono and many comments and tributes about the program's memorable trainer.
That website is www.icgaels.com
Tourney Openers: Last Will Be First
ALBANY, N.Y. - The first day of the MAAC tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany on Thursday was a good day to be an underdog.
Women's teams from Niagara and Loyola, the bottom two teams in the regular-season standings, both won their first-round games here as the conference event opened.
No. 10 seed Niagara was a 71-67 winner over No. 7 Rider, while No. 9 seed Loyola earned a 68-63 victory over No. 8 Manhattan.
The games were the only ones played on Thursday as the event kicks into high gear on Friday with four quarterfinal round women's games, followed by two opening-round men's contests.
We'll see how well lack of form continues to hold up, but it was in evidence on Thursday.
Niagara entered the event with just a single conference victory (1-17). And, ironically, the lone previous positive result came against Loyola, which also advanced on Thursday.
The Purple Eagles pulled away from a 50-50 tie with 9:36 remaining with a 14-4 run over the next 5:35 with seven of those points coming from 5-foot-8 freshman foward Ali Morris.
Rider, which finished 7-11 in regular-season conference play, pulled back within 64-62 later in the contest, before Morris delivered another three-pointer.
The Broncs got it back to wihin two once more, but could never get closer.
Niagara's work appeared to be the result of an inexperienced team playing well by the end of the season.
Its starting lineup Thursday included freshman Morris (19 points), sophomore Liz Flooks (14 points) and junior Jennifer McNamee (19 points).
Rider's senior forward Shanice Parker led the Broncs with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but the rest of her team conspired for 14-of-60 shooting from the floor, 23 percent.
Thursday's other winning team, Loyola, had just a single victory in its 14 league contests, but displayed plenty of calm under pressure in its opening-round decision.
After trailing, 50-47, with 11:49 remaining, the Greyhounds got scoring from six different players down the stretch, including seven points in the final 10 minutes by junior forward Kaitlin Grant.
Grant finished with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, the scoring output matching her career high.
Senior guard Siobhan Prior added 18 points and sophomore forward Meredith Tolley chipped in with 11.
Manhattan was led by senior guard Annie McIntyre's 17 points, 15 of those coming on 5-of-12 shooting for beyond the 3-point stripe.
Loyola, though, did its best late work on the defensive end, holding the higher-seeded Jaspers to just two points for the eight minutes following when Manhattan had its 50-47 edge.
Women's teams from Niagara and Loyola, the bottom two teams in the regular-season standings, both won their first-round games here as the conference event opened.
No. 10 seed Niagara was a 71-67 winner over No. 7 Rider, while No. 9 seed Loyola earned a 68-63 victory over No. 8 Manhattan.
The games were the only ones played on Thursday as the event kicks into high gear on Friday with four quarterfinal round women's games, followed by two opening-round men's contests.
We'll see how well lack of form continues to hold up, but it was in evidence on Thursday.
Niagara entered the event with just a single conference victory (1-17). And, ironically, the lone previous positive result came against Loyola, which also advanced on Thursday.
The Purple Eagles pulled away from a 50-50 tie with 9:36 remaining with a 14-4 run over the next 5:35 with seven of those points coming from 5-foot-8 freshman foward Ali Morris.
Rider, which finished 7-11 in regular-season conference play, pulled back within 64-62 later in the contest, before Morris delivered another three-pointer.
The Broncs got it back to wihin two once more, but could never get closer.
Niagara's work appeared to be the result of an inexperienced team playing well by the end of the season.
Its starting lineup Thursday included freshman Morris (19 points), sophomore Liz Flooks (14 points) and junior Jennifer McNamee (19 points).
Rider's senior forward Shanice Parker led the Broncs with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but the rest of her team conspired for 14-of-60 shooting from the floor, 23 percent.
Thursday's other winning team, Loyola, had just a single victory in its 14 league contests, but displayed plenty of calm under pressure in its opening-round decision.
After trailing, 50-47, with 11:49 remaining, the Greyhounds got scoring from six different players down the stretch, including seven points in the final 10 minutes by junior forward Kaitlin Grant.
Grant finished with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, the scoring output matching her career high.
Senior guard Siobhan Prior added 18 points and sophomore forward Meredith Tolley chipped in with 11.
Manhattan was led by senior guard Annie McIntyre's 17 points, 15 of those coming on 5-of-12 shooting for beyond the 3-point stripe.
Loyola, though, did its best late work on the defensive end, holding the higher-seeded Jaspers to just two points for the eight minutes following when Manhattan had its 50-47 edge.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Some Opinions on Tournament Results
You want picks for the MAAC tournament champions?
OK, let's see ...
The Siena men and Marist women each were dominant this season, each finishing with 16-2 conference records and each finishing with a two-game lead over the second-place team.
On the men's side, Siena suffered regular-season losses to second-place Niagara and third-place Rider.
On the women's side, Marist suffered regular-season losses to second-place Canisius and third-place Fairfield.
So, it would most definitely would appear that the teams with the best shots of upending the respective top seeds in the tournament would be the teams that finished second and third in the final standings since the evidence is there that those were the only ones capable of doing it in the regular-season.
This humble blogger would be absolutely shocked if anything team other than one of the top three men or women rose up to win this season.
We'll stick with the "chalk" this year. It says here that the Siena men and the Marist women will go on to represent the conference in the NCAA tournament.
The last time there was a "major" upset in the MAAC tournament came in the 2001-02 season when Siena finished 12-18 overall in regular-season play and, then, swept four MAAC tournament games to get to the NCAA's.
But that team had first-team all-conference caliber players in Dwayne Archbold and Prosper Karangwa. And, it had two very solid contributors in 6-foot-9 forward James Clinton and 6-6 forward Andy Cavo who got healthy just in time for the tournament. Each were severely limited for much of the regular season with injuries.
It was clear to close observers of the MAAC that season that the 20o1-02 Siena squad had as much talent as any conference team. And, it all got healthy and came together at the right time.
How good was that Siena team? It won a so-called NCAA tournament "play-in game" (between the teams seeded No. 64 and 65) over Alcorn State and, then its 15-point loss to eventual national champion Maryland ended up being the closest game the Terps played in that year's NCAA tournaemnt.
There are no teams like that out there this season that are going to rise from the lower levels of the final regular-season standings and surprise the field in this year's event.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the chances of the top teams:
MEN'S TOURNAMENT
SIENA
WHAT IT HAS: The best talent in the league. Four of its players (Kenny Hasbrouck, Edwin Ubiles, Alex Franklin and Ronald Moore) were picked either to the first or second team post-season all-star squads, and its fifth starter (Ryan Rossiter) was a questionable omission. One of its bench players, freshman Kyle Downey, is a member of the all-rookie team. Siena has talent, depth and an uptempo style that often overwhelms opponents with a trapping defense.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: Inside depth. If reserve center Josh Duell, who missed the last two games of the regular season with a calf muscle injury, isn't close to 100 percent, then Siena basically has no one to give Rossiter a break inside. Also, free-throw shooting has been a problem. Siena show 66.5 percent from the stripe on the year. Down the stretch of a close game, this could be an issue.
HOW TO BEAT SIENA: Only two teams have done it. Rider stayed close and, then, put the ball in Ryan Thompson's hands in the closing seconds and let him make a game-winning play. Niagara did it (this past Friday) in impressive fashion (100-85), using its roster-wide athleticism to cause the Saints problems on a night when the Saints didn't match Niagara's intensity. The Purple Eagles just played with more passion that night, and had the talent to back it up.
The best hope is to catch Siena on an "off night," although that is less likely to happen now.
Niagara or Rider, a meeting that figures to be an attractive one in the semifinals, will get the chance to upset Siena in the finals, and each has already proven to be capable of knocking off the top team.
NIAGARA
WHAT IT HAS: Two first-team all-league players in 6-5 Bilal Benn and 5-11 Tyrone Lewis, a second-team selection in 6-10 Benson Egemonye and a very near all-star in sophomore point guard Anthony Nelson. Benn led the conference in rebounding, whie averaging 14.1 points. Lewis is one of the conference's best outside shooting threats.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: It relies heavily on creating turnovers and, then, attacking the basket. If opponents can slow the pace and protect the ball, they slow Niagara. A good half-court team can give Niagara a problem. That said, Siena plays the same way as the Purple Eagles. If the two meet for the title, the one that can make its style work best will win, and it would be an entertaining contest if it happens.
HOW TO BEAT NIAGARA: Protect the ball, don't let Niagara, one of the national leaders in steals, get extra possessions via creating turnovers. Make players other than Tyrone Lewis take perimeter shots.
RIDER
WHAT IT HAS: Ryan Thompson, who might be the best player in the league, and very good supporting cast.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: Depth. Beyond the starting five, there just isn't a lot of help, which doesn't bode well for getting three wins in three nights. Also, experience. Its starting five includes two sophomores and a freshman.
HOW TO BEAT RIDER: Try to wear it down. In close games, the Broncs can't keep Reingold on the court offensively, either, or teams will foul him. Ringold is among the league's worst free-throw shooters (33.6 percent on 37-of-110 to date this season).
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO CREATE SOME UNEXPECTED SURPRISES: Either Iona, or Saint Peter's. Both teams have young talent. Each will be significantly better next season, maybe even title contenders, but the overall talent is there right now for an upset or two. It just depends how each's young players handles the pressure of a tournament situation now.
WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT
MARIST
WHAT IT HAS: The best talent in the league. Junior Rachele Fitz, a 6-1 forward, is the league's top inside player, and was the conference Player of the Year as a sophomore (and, will be again this season). Guard Julianne Viani might be the MAAC's second-best player, and third-team pick Erica Allenspach, now a sophomore, was the league's Rookie of the Year as a freshman. A quality starting five, and quality young players who come off the bench and contribute.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: The height it had from past seasons. Gone from last year's team are two 6-3 players (Meg Dahlman and Sarah Smerdel) who were major contributors. The Red Foxes don't quite have the inside game it did in recent years. And, yet, it still only lost two conference games, so it does still have plenty.
HOW TO BEAT MARIST: Keep Fitz away from the paint offensively, and keep Viani in check. Force the rest of Marist's players to make the key plays. Defensively, Marist always double-teams inside scoring threats. Opponents need to recognize the double teams and make good passes to open teammates. Marist is very good, but not quite so invulnerable as in the last few seasons. Not only did it lose regular-season games to Canisius and Fairfield, but it needed a late-game rally to nip Siena in a late-season contest, too.
CANISIUS
WHAT IT HAS: Some of the best outside shooters in the conference. Canisius is among the national leaders in 3-pointers made per game, and long-range accuracy. It has a go-to player in forward Marie Warner, and a clever point guard in Brittane Russell.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: A good low-post presence. Warner is capable of bringing it inside to score, but the Golden Griffins don't have a true post-up player, which is a weakness on both ends of the court.
HOW TO BEAT CANISIUS: Be extremely active on defense in order to contest outside shots. If Canisius doesn't make a minimum of 10 or 12 three-pointers in a game, it's not likely to win. But, that's easier said than done. Having to play that type of perimeter defense for an entire game wears down defenses. Offensively, teams need to attack the basket to take advantage of the Griffs' lack of a true inside presence.
FAIRFIELD
WHAT IT HAS: A quality go-to player in senior forward Baendu Lowenthal, height in 6-3 Stephanie Geehan, who makes perimeter shots, a long-range bomber in Lauren Groom, another offensive weapon in freshman Desiree Pina and an under-control, cerebral point guard in Megan Caskin.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: Despite Geehan's height, she isn't a post-up player. The Lady Stags also don't handle the ball extremely well when it's not in Caskin's hands Still, there's plenty of talent on the roster.
HOW TO BEAT FAIRFIELD: One theory is to use full-court pressure to force Fairfield to use up a portion of the shot clock just getting into its offense. The team's best play comes in the half court, so limiting its time to do that can help. Also, keep the ball out of Caskin's hands, yet back off her when she does because she only looks to shoot as a last resort. While Fairfield probably won't hurt itself with turnovers, its offense doesn't run smoothly without Caskin being heavily involved in its direction.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO CREATE SOME UNEXPECTED SURPRISES: Siena. The Saints nearly knocked off Marist in a late-season. Even in losses, the Saints have played well for long stretches. Siena has one of the best front courts in the conference and some outside shooting. Turnovers have been a major issue, though. If Siena can protect the ball, hold turnovers under 15 in games, it can compete.
OK, let's see ...
The Siena men and Marist women each were dominant this season, each finishing with 16-2 conference records and each finishing with a two-game lead over the second-place team.
On the men's side, Siena suffered regular-season losses to second-place Niagara and third-place Rider.
On the women's side, Marist suffered regular-season losses to second-place Canisius and third-place Fairfield.
So, it would most definitely would appear that the teams with the best shots of upending the respective top seeds in the tournament would be the teams that finished second and third in the final standings since the evidence is there that those were the only ones capable of doing it in the regular-season.
This humble blogger would be absolutely shocked if anything team other than one of the top three men or women rose up to win this season.
We'll stick with the "chalk" this year. It says here that the Siena men and the Marist women will go on to represent the conference in the NCAA tournament.
The last time there was a "major" upset in the MAAC tournament came in the 2001-02 season when Siena finished 12-18 overall in regular-season play and, then, swept four MAAC tournament games to get to the NCAA's.
But that team had first-team all-conference caliber players in Dwayne Archbold and Prosper Karangwa. And, it had two very solid contributors in 6-foot-9 forward James Clinton and 6-6 forward Andy Cavo who got healthy just in time for the tournament. Each were severely limited for much of the regular season with injuries.
It was clear to close observers of the MAAC that season that the 20o1-02 Siena squad had as much talent as any conference team. And, it all got healthy and came together at the right time.
How good was that Siena team? It won a so-called NCAA tournament "play-in game" (between the teams seeded No. 64 and 65) over Alcorn State and, then its 15-point loss to eventual national champion Maryland ended up being the closest game the Terps played in that year's NCAA tournaemnt.
There are no teams like that out there this season that are going to rise from the lower levels of the final regular-season standings and surprise the field in this year's event.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the chances of the top teams:
MEN'S TOURNAMENT
SIENA
WHAT IT HAS: The best talent in the league. Four of its players (Kenny Hasbrouck, Edwin Ubiles, Alex Franklin and Ronald Moore) were picked either to the first or second team post-season all-star squads, and its fifth starter (Ryan Rossiter) was a questionable omission. One of its bench players, freshman Kyle Downey, is a member of the all-rookie team. Siena has talent, depth and an uptempo style that often overwhelms opponents with a trapping defense.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: Inside depth. If reserve center Josh Duell, who missed the last two games of the regular season with a calf muscle injury, isn't close to 100 percent, then Siena basically has no one to give Rossiter a break inside. Also, free-throw shooting has been a problem. Siena show 66.5 percent from the stripe on the year. Down the stretch of a close game, this could be an issue.
HOW TO BEAT SIENA: Only two teams have done it. Rider stayed close and, then, put the ball in Ryan Thompson's hands in the closing seconds and let him make a game-winning play. Niagara did it (this past Friday) in impressive fashion (100-85), using its roster-wide athleticism to cause the Saints problems on a night when the Saints didn't match Niagara's intensity. The Purple Eagles just played with more passion that night, and had the talent to back it up.
The best hope is to catch Siena on an "off night," although that is less likely to happen now.
Niagara or Rider, a meeting that figures to be an attractive one in the semifinals, will get the chance to upset Siena in the finals, and each has already proven to be capable of knocking off the top team.
NIAGARA
WHAT IT HAS: Two first-team all-league players in 6-5 Bilal Benn and 5-11 Tyrone Lewis, a second-team selection in 6-10 Benson Egemonye and a very near all-star in sophomore point guard Anthony Nelson. Benn led the conference in rebounding, whie averaging 14.1 points. Lewis is one of the conference's best outside shooting threats.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: It relies heavily on creating turnovers and, then, attacking the basket. If opponents can slow the pace and protect the ball, they slow Niagara. A good half-court team can give Niagara a problem. That said, Siena plays the same way as the Purple Eagles. If the two meet for the title, the one that can make its style work best will win, and it would be an entertaining contest if it happens.
HOW TO BEAT NIAGARA: Protect the ball, don't let Niagara, one of the national leaders in steals, get extra possessions via creating turnovers. Make players other than Tyrone Lewis take perimeter shots.
RIDER
WHAT IT HAS: Ryan Thompson, who might be the best player in the league, and very good supporting cast.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: Depth. Beyond the starting five, there just isn't a lot of help, which doesn't bode well for getting three wins in three nights. Also, experience. Its starting five includes two sophomores and a freshman.
HOW TO BEAT RIDER: Try to wear it down. In close games, the Broncs can't keep Reingold on the court offensively, either, or teams will foul him. Ringold is among the league's worst free-throw shooters (33.6 percent on 37-of-110 to date this season).
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO CREATE SOME UNEXPECTED SURPRISES: Either Iona, or Saint Peter's. Both teams have young talent. Each will be significantly better next season, maybe even title contenders, but the overall talent is there right now for an upset or two. It just depends how each's young players handles the pressure of a tournament situation now.
WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT
MARIST
WHAT IT HAS: The best talent in the league. Junior Rachele Fitz, a 6-1 forward, is the league's top inside player, and was the conference Player of the Year as a sophomore (and, will be again this season). Guard Julianne Viani might be the MAAC's second-best player, and third-team pick Erica Allenspach, now a sophomore, was the league's Rookie of the Year as a freshman. A quality starting five, and quality young players who come off the bench and contribute.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: The height it had from past seasons. Gone from last year's team are two 6-3 players (Meg Dahlman and Sarah Smerdel) who were major contributors. The Red Foxes don't quite have the inside game it did in recent years. And, yet, it still only lost two conference games, so it does still have plenty.
HOW TO BEAT MARIST: Keep Fitz away from the paint offensively, and keep Viani in check. Force the rest of Marist's players to make the key plays. Defensively, Marist always double-teams inside scoring threats. Opponents need to recognize the double teams and make good passes to open teammates. Marist is very good, but not quite so invulnerable as in the last few seasons. Not only did it lose regular-season games to Canisius and Fairfield, but it needed a late-game rally to nip Siena in a late-season contest, too.
CANISIUS
WHAT IT HAS: Some of the best outside shooters in the conference. Canisius is among the national leaders in 3-pointers made per game, and long-range accuracy. It has a go-to player in forward Marie Warner, and a clever point guard in Brittane Russell.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: A good low-post presence. Warner is capable of bringing it inside to score, but the Golden Griffins don't have a true post-up player, which is a weakness on both ends of the court.
HOW TO BEAT CANISIUS: Be extremely active on defense in order to contest outside shots. If Canisius doesn't make a minimum of 10 or 12 three-pointers in a game, it's not likely to win. But, that's easier said than done. Having to play that type of perimeter defense for an entire game wears down defenses. Offensively, teams need to attack the basket to take advantage of the Griffs' lack of a true inside presence.
FAIRFIELD
WHAT IT HAS: A quality go-to player in senior forward Baendu Lowenthal, height in 6-3 Stephanie Geehan, who makes perimeter shots, a long-range bomber in Lauren Groom, another offensive weapon in freshman Desiree Pina and an under-control, cerebral point guard in Megan Caskin.
WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE: Despite Geehan's height, she isn't a post-up player. The Lady Stags also don't handle the ball extremely well when it's not in Caskin's hands Still, there's plenty of talent on the roster.
HOW TO BEAT FAIRFIELD: One theory is to use full-court pressure to force Fairfield to use up a portion of the shot clock just getting into its offense. The team's best play comes in the half court, so limiting its time to do that can help. Also, keep the ball out of Caskin's hands, yet back off her when she does because she only looks to shoot as a last resort. While Fairfield probably won't hurt itself with turnovers, its offense doesn't run smoothly without Caskin being heavily involved in its direction.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO CREATE SOME UNEXPECTED SURPRISES: Siena. The Saints nearly knocked off Marist in a late-season. Even in losses, the Saints have played well for long stretches. Siena has one of the best front courts in the conference and some outside shooting. Turnovers have been a major issue, though. If Siena can protect the ball, hold turnovers under 15 in games, it can compete.
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