There's one MAAC team still playing at this late in the postseason, the Siena men.
The Saints are playing in the best-of-three championship round of the CBI Tournament, and here's a look at the event and the opponent, Fresno State.
FRESNO STATE'S EXPECTED STARTERS
- Tyler Johnson, a 6-4 senior guard. He averages team-highs of 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.
- Marvell Harris, a 6-4 sophomore guard. He averages 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
- Cezar Guerrero, a 6-1 sophomore point guard. He averages 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and has a team-high 128 assists against 78 turnovers.
- Paul Watson, a 6-7 freshman forward. He averages 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
- Alex Davis, a 6-9 junior forward. He averages 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
FRESNO STATE'S TOP RESERVES:
- Allen Huddleston, a 6-1 senior guard. He averages 8.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
- Karachi Edo, a 6-6 freshman forward. He averages 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
- Tanner Giddings, a 6-11 sophomore center. He averages 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
NOTABLE:
- Fresno State is coached by Rodney Terry, now in his third season. Terry had previously been the lead assistant at Texas. When he left the Longhorns for Fresno his replacement at Texas was former Siena coach Rob Lanier.
- The Bulldogs are 20-16 overall. They entered the CBI with the third-worst record (17-16) of any team participating in national post-season play. Siena, at 15-17 when CBI play began, was the only sub-.500 team in any national tournament.
- The CBI does not give its eventual winner a banner to commemorate its championship. Participants can create their own banner, at their own cost, if they desire.
- Siena is charging $36 per admission for adults at its home game on Wednesday night and the same fee for Saturday's Game 3, if necessary. Fresno is charging a top price of $28.30 for Monday's game at its facility.
- Fresno is playing for its first tournament championship since the 1983 season, when it won the NIT. Siena's furthers advancement in post-season tournament play in its Division I era came in 1994 when it reached the NIT's semifinal round.
- This is Fresno's first post-season appearance of any kind since 2007, and Siena's first 2010.
- There is a fairly impressive list of winners of the previous CBI events, including Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon, Pitt and Santa Clara.
- A crowd of 3,916 attended Fresno State's semifinal-round victory over Old Dominion, played at the Bulldogs' Save Mart Center facility.
- Since a five-game mid-season losing streak that ended with a double overtime loss to Nevada, and a single OT setback to UNLV, Fresno State has been 12-3.
- The Bulldogs are balanced offensively with four players averaging in double figures and a fifth that averages 8.5 points. Only eight players have averaged more than 10.4 minutes of time per game this season.
- Fresno State's 9.8 turnovers per game is 12th nationally for fewest per game.
- Guerrero is 13th nationally in free-throw percentage at 88.8 percent, while Johnson (97 assists/39 turnovers) is 33rd nationally with a 2.49 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Siena Men's Long Season Reaches CBI Title Series
And, the Siena men's basketball team plays on.
The Saints, the last active MAAC men's team, continued the longest season in their history with an impressive 61-49 victory over Illinois State in the semifinal round of the CBI Tournament Wednesday night at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
The outcome sends Siena to the event's championship series, a two-of-three format, against the winner of Wednesday's late contest between Fresno State and Old Dominion.
The first game of the series will be Monday, with Siena going on the road.
Game 2, on April 2, will be at the TUC. A third game, if necessary, will be played on April 4 in the Albany area.
The TUC has a conflict that night, another event scheduled in the building, which would mean Siena would likely be looking for an alternate site.
The school has used the Glens Falls Civic Center once for a post-season event when the TUC was not available. A move to the school's on-campus Alumni Recreation Center (seating capacity 3,750) has also been discussed should a third game in the championship series be necessary.
Siena advanced as its 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Brett Bisping got a measure of revenge against a home-area opponent with a 20-point, 13-rebound effort.
Bisping grew up in Peoria, Ill, about 30 miles away from Illinois State.
"They didn't even give me a look," said Bisping about being overlooked by Wednesday's opponent during his recruitment process. "Of course that was in the back of my mind."
Siena ran out to an early 9-0 lead, had a 13-point lead shortly before halftime and never its margin get cut to less than seven points in the second half.
The Saints, picked to finish 10th in the 11-team MAAC in the preseason poll of coaches, are now 18-17 overall.
"No one thought we'd get 18 wins this season," said first-year coach Jimmy Patsos. "Me either. If you had predicted we'd get 18 wins, I'd have taken that bet (against)."
The outcome keeps what is already the longest season in program history going.
Siena's 35 games to date (with at least two more coming) is already the most in any season in the program's history. Those come on top of playing four games on a summer swing to Montreal in August.
The Saints, the last active MAAC men's team, continued the longest season in their history with an impressive 61-49 victory over Illinois State in the semifinal round of the CBI Tournament Wednesday night at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
The outcome sends Siena to the event's championship series, a two-of-three format, against the winner of Wednesday's late contest between Fresno State and Old Dominion.
The first game of the series will be Monday, with Siena going on the road.
Game 2, on April 2, will be at the TUC. A third game, if necessary, will be played on April 4 in the Albany area.
The TUC has a conflict that night, another event scheduled in the building, which would mean Siena would likely be looking for an alternate site.
The school has used the Glens Falls Civic Center once for a post-season event when the TUC was not available. A move to the school's on-campus Alumni Recreation Center (seating capacity 3,750) has also been discussed should a third game in the championship series be necessary.
Siena advanced as its 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Brett Bisping got a measure of revenge against a home-area opponent with a 20-point, 13-rebound effort.
Bisping grew up in Peoria, Ill, about 30 miles away from Illinois State.
"They didn't even give me a look," said Bisping about being overlooked by Wednesday's opponent during his recruitment process. "Of course that was in the back of my mind."
Siena ran out to an early 9-0 lead, had a 13-point lead shortly before halftime and never its margin get cut to less than seven points in the second half.
The Saints, picked to finish 10th in the 11-team MAAC in the preseason poll of coaches, are now 18-17 overall.
"No one thought we'd get 18 wins this season," said first-year coach Jimmy Patsos. "Me either. If you had predicted we'd get 18 wins, I'd have taken that bet (against)."
The outcome keeps what is already the longest season in program history going.
Siena's 35 games to date (with at least two more coming) is already the most in any season in the program's history. Those come on top of playing four games on a summer swing to Montreal in August.
Manhattan's First Step: Placing Masiello On Leave
Just a quick update on Steve Masiello's status at Manhattan, primarily because there's not enough new information for more.
Manhattan's administration has issued this release about Masiello's situation:
"As a result of a background check commissioned by the University of South Florida, Manhattan College has learned there is a question of the validity of head men’s basketball coach Steve Masiello’s undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky.
Masiello is currently in the process of reviewing his degree status with the University of Kentucky. Manhattan College has placed Masiello on leave while he completes this process with the University.
Masiello was named Manhattan College’s head men’s basketball coach in April 2011. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at the University of Louisville from 2005-11. Masiello was an assistant coach at Manhattan College from 2001-05 and began his coaching career at Tulane University in 2000-01. He played four years of basketball at Kentucky from 1996-2000.
We ask all parties to respect the privacy of our student athletes until this matter is resolved.
Manhattan College will issue further comment as soon as this expedited process is complete."
It would seem that determining whether Masiello has, or does not have, the degree that he has claimed on his resume since 2000 should be a relatively easy and quick process.
A variety of published reports quote officials from Kentucky as saying that Masiello does not have a degree from that school.
Whether Masiello can resolve that issue remains to be seen.
And, a number of published reports have indicated that having a college degree is a prerequisite for a coaching position at Manhattan.
Whether Manhattan would be willing to waive that requirement in deference to a coach who resurrected a downtrodden program and brought the school untold good will and positive publicity over his three seasons remains to be seen.
Manhattan's administration has issued this release about Masiello's situation:
"As a result of a background check commissioned by the University of South Florida, Manhattan College has learned there is a question of the validity of head men’s basketball coach Steve Masiello’s undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky.
Masiello is currently in the process of reviewing his degree status with the University of Kentucky. Manhattan College has placed Masiello on leave while he completes this process with the University.
Masiello was named Manhattan College’s head men’s basketball coach in April 2011. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at the University of Louisville from 2005-11. Masiello was an assistant coach at Manhattan College from 2001-05 and began his coaching career at Tulane University in 2000-01. He played four years of basketball at Kentucky from 1996-2000.
We ask all parties to respect the privacy of our student athletes until this matter is resolved.
Manhattan College will issue further comment as soon as this expedited process is complete."
It would seem that determining whether Masiello has, or does not have, the degree that he has claimed on his resume since 2000 should be a relatively easy and quick process.
A variety of published reports quote officials from Kentucky as saying that Masiello does not have a degree from that school.
Whether Masiello can resolve that issue remains to be seen.
And, a number of published reports have indicated that having a college degree is a prerequisite for a coaching position at Manhattan.
Whether Manhattan would be willing to waive that requirement in deference to a coach who resurrected a downtrodden program and brought the school untold good will and positive publicity over his three seasons remains to be seen.
Masiello's False Resume Costs Him USF Position
Steve Masiello, Manhattan's coach for the past three seasons, will not be hired at the University of South Florida, as had been widely reported earlier this week, and, now, there remain questions about whether he'll be able to return to the Jaspers.
USF officials, according to a variety of reports, were forced to rescind their agreed-upon deal with Masiello late Tuesday after finding a previously undetected discrepancy in his background check, according to a report in today's Tampa Tribune newspaper.
According to the report, the discrepancy was discovered by Eastman & Beaudine, a Texas-based search firm that USF paid $60,000 to help find a new coach after it dismissed Stan Heath from that position late last week.
Reports indicate that the discrepancy stems from Masiello's resume indicating that he graduated from Kentucky in 2000 even though he never actually graduated from that school.
Masiello had agreed on a five-year deal worth more than $1 million per year to replace Heath at USF. The Tampa newspaper reported that Masiello actually signed a contract with the school.
Later Tuesday, though, the background check became an issue and South Florida has resumed its search for a new coach. According to USF policy, all full-time coaching hires must have a bachelor's degree.
The issue now is whether Masiello will be allowed to return to Manhattan. That school's student newspaper reported that Masiello met with Manhattan's players on Tuesday morning to tell them that he was leaving for USF.
In biography information available on Manhattan's website, Masiello claimed to have received a bachelor's degree in communications from Kentucky in 2000.
Manhattan officials have not yet commented on Masiallo's status at that school, and have not returned emails from a variety of sources seeking clarification on if the school requires its coaches to have a degree.
Masiello isn't the first coach to suffer consequences from falsifying a resume.
The most-publicized incident in recent memory is that of football coach George O'Leary, who accepted a position to become Notre Dame's head coach in 2001.
Several days afterwards, though, it was discovered that his resume claimed a masters' degree he did not earn and falsifications about his own playing experiences.
O'Leary was forced to give up the Notre Dame opportunity, served three seasons as an NFL assistant and, then resurfaced as head coach at Central Florida. But, O'Leary does hold an undergraduate degree in physical education from New Hampshire.
USF officials, according to a variety of reports, were forced to rescind their agreed-upon deal with Masiello late Tuesday after finding a previously undetected discrepancy in his background check, according to a report in today's Tampa Tribune newspaper.
According to the report, the discrepancy was discovered by Eastman & Beaudine, a Texas-based search firm that USF paid $60,000 to help find a new coach after it dismissed Stan Heath from that position late last week.
Reports indicate that the discrepancy stems from Masiello's resume indicating that he graduated from Kentucky in 2000 even though he never actually graduated from that school.
Masiello had agreed on a five-year deal worth more than $1 million per year to replace Heath at USF. The Tampa newspaper reported that Masiello actually signed a contract with the school.
Later Tuesday, though, the background check became an issue and South Florida has resumed its search for a new coach. According to USF policy, all full-time coaching hires must have a bachelor's degree.
The issue now is whether Masiello will be allowed to return to Manhattan. That school's student newspaper reported that Masiello met with Manhattan's players on Tuesday morning to tell them that he was leaving for USF.
In biography information available on Manhattan's website, Masiello claimed to have received a bachelor's degree in communications from Kentucky in 2000.
Manhattan officials have not yet commented on Masiallo's status at that school, and have not returned emails from a variety of sources seeking clarification on if the school requires its coaches to have a degree.
Masiello isn't the first coach to suffer consequences from falsifying a resume.
The most-publicized incident in recent memory is that of football coach George O'Leary, who accepted a position to become Notre Dame's head coach in 2001.
Several days afterwards, though, it was discovered that his resume claimed a masters' degree he did not earn and falsifications about his own playing experiences.
O'Leary was forced to give up the Notre Dame opportunity, served three seasons as an NFL assistant and, then resurfaced as head coach at Central Florida. But, O'Leary does hold an undergraduate degree in physical education from New Hampshire.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Reports: Manhattan's Masiello To Move To USF
Multiple sources, and very credible ones including the hometown Tampa Tribune newspaper, are reporting today that Manhattan's coach Steve Masiello has already accepted an offer from University of South Florida to become that school's next head coach.
The reports indicate that Masiello will be introduced at the Tampa school, a member of the American Athletic Association, later this week.
Manhattan fans, as do all followers of mid-major programs when a coach moves on, might view Masiello's departure as a desertion, particularly in light of recent comments he made that indicated he would remain at the MAAC school, that he envisioned his future would include staying there.
The proper response, though, is to tip one's hat, to thank Masiello for resuscitating a downtrodden program and to congratulate him for a well-earned promotion.
Reports indicate he will receive a five-year contract that will pay a minimum of $1 million annually, probably close to quadruple his Manhattan salary.
Can you blame him for moving on?
Hard to resist financial security, a significantly higher level of competition, warm weather and a school that, according to published reports, is making a big financial commitment to bettering existing facilities and the program overall.
Masiello is far from the first to exit the MAAC after a relatively short stay.
Former Siena coach Paul Hewitt left for Georgia Tech after three seasons at Loudonville. Heck, his replacement, Louis Orr, lasted all of 49 weeks with the Saints before he moved on to Seton Hall. Kevin Willard was only at Iona for three seasons before he was hired at Seton Hall.
Coaches moving onward and upwards is a way of life not only in the MAAC but at nearly every other mid-major level program nationally. Smaller schools just don't have the resources to make the financial commitment to coaches and programs that high-major level institutions can make.
Masiello did much good at Manhattan, taking a program that won just six games the year prior his his arrival to a 25-8 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance this season.
Still, he often admitted he was left with a full deck, thanks to the recruiting work of previous coach Barry Rohrssen, who was responsible for bringing the current senior core of forward Rhamel Brown, swingman George Beamon and point guard Michael Alvarado to Manhattan.
All three are now gone, and Manhattan doesn't appear stocked enough with returnees to come close to duplicating this season's run, at least not immediately.
Coaches are most attractive when their respective team is at its best, and Manhattan hasn't been this good in a decade.
Were Masiello to return and the team doesn't duplicate this year's success, he becomes a less-viable commodity in the coaching world and, just maybe, an opportunity like the USF's isn't as available.
There's the old cliché about striking when the iron is hot, and Masiello's job stature has never been at its current elevated temperature.
So, no, you can't blame him for moving on.
The reports indicate that Masiello will be introduced at the Tampa school, a member of the American Athletic Association, later this week.
Manhattan fans, as do all followers of mid-major programs when a coach moves on, might view Masiello's departure as a desertion, particularly in light of recent comments he made that indicated he would remain at the MAAC school, that he envisioned his future would include staying there.
The proper response, though, is to tip one's hat, to thank Masiello for resuscitating a downtrodden program and to congratulate him for a well-earned promotion.
Reports indicate he will receive a five-year contract that will pay a minimum of $1 million annually, probably close to quadruple his Manhattan salary.
Can you blame him for moving on?
Hard to resist financial security, a significantly higher level of competition, warm weather and a school that, according to published reports, is making a big financial commitment to bettering existing facilities and the program overall.
Masiello is far from the first to exit the MAAC after a relatively short stay.
Former Siena coach Paul Hewitt left for Georgia Tech after three seasons at Loudonville. Heck, his replacement, Louis Orr, lasted all of 49 weeks with the Saints before he moved on to Seton Hall. Kevin Willard was only at Iona for three seasons before he was hired at Seton Hall.
Coaches moving onward and upwards is a way of life not only in the MAAC but at nearly every other mid-major level program nationally. Smaller schools just don't have the resources to make the financial commitment to coaches and programs that high-major level institutions can make.
Masiello did much good at Manhattan, taking a program that won just six games the year prior his his arrival to a 25-8 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance this season.
Still, he often admitted he was left with a full deck, thanks to the recruiting work of previous coach Barry Rohrssen, who was responsible for bringing the current senior core of forward Rhamel Brown, swingman George Beamon and point guard Michael Alvarado to Manhattan.
All three are now gone, and Manhattan doesn't appear stocked enough with returnees to come close to duplicating this season's run, at least not immediately.
Coaches are most attractive when their respective team is at its best, and Manhattan hasn't been this good in a decade.
Were Masiello to return and the team doesn't duplicate this year's success, he becomes a less-viable commodity in the coaching world and, just maybe, an opportunity like the USF's isn't as available.
There's the old cliché about striking when the iron is hot, and Masiello's job stature has never been at its current elevated temperature.
So, no, you can't blame him for moving on.
Reports: Masiello Prime Target For USF Vacancy
The coaching carousel is already spinning at breakneck speed, and its early portions appear to include at least one MAAC program's head man.
A variety of sources are reporter there is interest both ways between the University of South Florida and Manhattan's Steve Masiello with some outlets reporting the Jaspers' coach is the program's top target to become its next head coach.
That position at the American Athletic Conference, one of the nation's high-major leagues, came open last when when USF fired Stan Heath.
Heath reportedly had four years left on his contract at a base salary of $375,000 annually, but other related compensation, according to reports, increased his annual pay to close to $600K per year.
Masiello, if nothing else, has sought advice about pursuing the position.
According to CBSSports.com, Masiello asked Louisville coach Rick Pitino, a long-time mentor, about the USF position after Louisville's victory over Saint Louis in the NCAA tournament on Saturday.
Pitino, according to the Tampa Bay Times newspaper, told Masiello, "For you, it's a grand slam."
According to the report among those supporting Masiello's candidacy for the USF job is Chris Sullivan, a co-founder of Outback Steak House and an influential Tampa resident who is close to Pitino.
A recent report in the Tampa Bay newspaper indicates that Masiello is believed to be USF's top target.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv and NBA.com has cited unnamed sources who confirmed that Masiello is expected to meet with USF officials this week.
And, former USF coach Seth Greenberg said via Twitter on Sunday that he expects the school to hire Masiello.
Masiello has been at Manhattan for the past three seasons. He resuscitated a program that only won six games the year before his arrival and took the program to this season's NCAA tournament and a 25-8 overall record.
A variety of sources are reporter there is interest both ways between the University of South Florida and Manhattan's Steve Masiello with some outlets reporting the Jaspers' coach is the program's top target to become its next head coach.
That position at the American Athletic Conference, one of the nation's high-major leagues, came open last when when USF fired Stan Heath.
Heath reportedly had four years left on his contract at a base salary of $375,000 annually, but other related compensation, according to reports, increased his annual pay to close to $600K per year.
Masiello, if nothing else, has sought advice about pursuing the position.
According to CBSSports.com, Masiello asked Louisville coach Rick Pitino, a long-time mentor, about the USF position after Louisville's victory over Saint Louis in the NCAA tournament on Saturday.
Pitino, according to the Tampa Bay Times newspaper, told Masiello, "For you, it's a grand slam."
According to the report among those supporting Masiello's candidacy for the USF job is Chris Sullivan, a co-founder of Outback Steak House and an influential Tampa resident who is close to Pitino.
A recent report in the Tampa Bay newspaper indicates that Masiello is believed to be USF's top target.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv and NBA.com has cited unnamed sources who confirmed that Masiello is expected to meet with USF officials this week.
And, former USF coach Seth Greenberg said via Twitter on Sunday that he expects the school to hire Masiello.
Masiello has been at Manhattan for the past three seasons. He resuscitated a program that only won six games the year before his arrival and took the program to this season's NCAA tournament and a 25-8 overall record.
Siena Men Still Playing With CBI Win over Penn St.
It's late March and only 36 men's basketball teams remain active in national post-season tournament play.
One of them is a team that won just eight games in the 2012-13 season and was picked to finish 10th in the 11-team MAAC this season by league coaches in their preseason poll.
That would be Siena, which grinded out a 54-52 victory over Penn State in the CBI quarterfinals Monday night at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Siena, now 17-17 overall, moves on to a tournament semifinal-round meeting with Illinois State Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the TUC.
Monday's outcome precipitated a rare on-court celebration in which hundreds of students and Siena fans stormed the court at the final buzzer, a scene not that different from March of 2010 when the team won the last of its three consecutive MAAC post-season tournament championships on its home court.
Monday's hero was reserve guard Evan Hymes, at 5-foot-8 the smallest player on the court at the end.
Hymes only got into late-game play when starting point guard Marquis Wright was knocked to the ground and struck his head on a baseline cameraman's knee after a driving layup attempt with 18 seconds remaining, and could not return.
Saints' forward Lavon Long was chose to take the resultant foul shots, and made one of two to give Siena a 52-50 advantage.
The Nittany Lions' Brandon Taylor tied it with 9.3 second remaining on a put-back bucket.
The Saints then inbounded to Hymes, who faked a handoff to junior teammate Rob Poole, burst past Penn St.'s perimeter defense and got to the basket to get off the game-winning layup just beyond the reach of Taylor with 3.2 seconds remaining.
Penn State guard D.J. Newbill then stepped out of bounds at the sidelines near midcourt when trying to get around a Siena defender, costing his team a chance for a legitimate last-second play.
Ironically, Hymes' presence in a Siena uniform this season is almost as unexpected as Siena's advancement in post-season play.
The junior guard initially announced last spring that he would leave the program to play closer to his North Carolina home. He subsequently rescinded that decision over the summer months to remain with the Saints.
"We owe it all to teams in the MAAC to play hard, because they taught us to play hard," Siena coach Jimmy Patsos said afterwards. "I thought we did a lot of the little things that were kind of griding and that's just the way the MAAC is."
The victory gives Siena a 5-1 record against BCS schools at the TUC in the past 10 seasons and Monday's contest is believed to be the first time a Big Ten program played a game against Siena on the Saints' home court.
Siena's roster doesn't include a single senior on scholarship.
"They're going to be a very good team in that league next year," Penn State coach Pat Chambers told reporters after Monday's game.
One of them is a team that won just eight games in the 2012-13 season and was picked to finish 10th in the 11-team MAAC this season by league coaches in their preseason poll.
That would be Siena, which grinded out a 54-52 victory over Penn State in the CBI quarterfinals Monday night at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Siena, now 17-17 overall, moves on to a tournament semifinal-round meeting with Illinois State Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the TUC.
Monday's outcome precipitated a rare on-court celebration in which hundreds of students and Siena fans stormed the court at the final buzzer, a scene not that different from March of 2010 when the team won the last of its three consecutive MAAC post-season tournament championships on its home court.
Monday's hero was reserve guard Evan Hymes, at 5-foot-8 the smallest player on the court at the end.
Hymes only got into late-game play when starting point guard Marquis Wright was knocked to the ground and struck his head on a baseline cameraman's knee after a driving layup attempt with 18 seconds remaining, and could not return.
Saints' forward Lavon Long was chose to take the resultant foul shots, and made one of two to give Siena a 52-50 advantage.
The Nittany Lions' Brandon Taylor tied it with 9.3 second remaining on a put-back bucket.
The Saints then inbounded to Hymes, who faked a handoff to junior teammate Rob Poole, burst past Penn St.'s perimeter defense and got to the basket to get off the game-winning layup just beyond the reach of Taylor with 3.2 seconds remaining.
Penn State guard D.J. Newbill then stepped out of bounds at the sidelines near midcourt when trying to get around a Siena defender, costing his team a chance for a legitimate last-second play.
Ironically, Hymes' presence in a Siena uniform this season is almost as unexpected as Siena's advancement in post-season play.
The junior guard initially announced last spring that he would leave the program to play closer to his North Carolina home. He subsequently rescinded that decision over the summer months to remain with the Saints.
"We owe it all to teams in the MAAC to play hard, because they taught us to play hard," Siena coach Jimmy Patsos said afterwards. "I thought we did a lot of the little things that were kind of griding and that's just the way the MAAC is."
The victory gives Siena a 5-1 record against BCS schools at the TUC in the past 10 seasons and Monday's contest is believed to be the first time a Big Ten program played a game against Siena on the Saints' home court.
Sophomore forward led the winners with a 12-point, 12-rebound effort while Poole added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Siena's roster doesn't include a single senior on scholarship.
"They're going to be a very good team in that league next year," Penn State coach Pat Chambers told reporters after Monday's game.
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