Checking in on the… MAAC
Posted by rtmsf on December 21st, 2008Ray Floriani of College Chalktalk is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC Conferences.
LYNDHURST, NJ – The MAAC plays a few conference games prior to the New Year, so the time was appropriate to get a tempo free look at the results.
Average possessions in the conference games was 70, actually 69.7 rounded up. Expect things to change for Loyola. The schedule maker wasn’t kind to Jimmy Patsos as the Greyhounds faced Siena and Niagara, arguably the two best teams in conference during December.
Players of the Week:
- Anthony Johnson , 6-8 JR center, Fairfield – Averaged a double/double (11.5 ppg 14.5 rpg) in wins over Fordham and Drexel.
- Chris Smith, 6-3 SO Guard, Manhattan – Drained a career high 35 pointys in a win over Princeton.
Rookie of the Week:
- Scott Machado, 6-1 FR guard, Iona – Averaged 11 points, 7.5 assists in wins over LIU and St.Francis(PA).
MAAC News & Notes:
- St.Benedict’s Prep (NJ) coach Danny Hurley must be proud. Both Smith and Machado hail from the Newark based prep power.
- This is the third straight season Fairfield has a seven game win streak. Stags last won 8 in a row back in 1977-78. Matching that will be a tall order as Fairfield must beat UConn on December 26 for number eight.
- Out of conference schedule has been tough for 3-7 Loyola as well. Greyhounds, in total, faced five NCAA teams from last season in their first ten games.
- Chris Smith had a phenomenal shooting day in the Princeton contest. Smith was 12 of 17 (71%) from the floor, including 4 of 5 beyond the arc.
- Mix and match. Marist coach Chucky Martin gave freshmen Alex Vouyoukas and R.J. Hall their first starts against Cleveland State on December 13th. Red Foxes dropped that game against the Horizon League favorites.
- Marist faces St.John’s in the Holiday Festival at the Garden this weekend. Virginia Tech and Columbia are also in the field.
- Niagara, off to a 7-2 start, will make the MAAC race interesting. Purple Eagles are getting great play from junior guard Tyrone Lewis. Their recent road win at South Florida marked the second straight year Joe Mihalich’s club defeated a Big East team away from home. Last December they knocked off St.John’s.
- Siena’s loss at Pitt on Thursday put the Saints at 5-4. The schedule is demanding and after last year’s NCAA (21 point win over Vanderbilt) , the Saints will not sneak up on anyone. The trio of Alex Franklin, Edwin Ubiles and Kenny Hansbrouck each and all have the ability to do a great deal of damage against opposing defenses.
- Rider recently defeated Monmouth and is 8-4 against the Hawks since joining the MAAC. A former member of the Northeast Conference, Rider defeated Monmouth for the NEC crown in 1994. Mansell family did the damage against Monmouth. Senior Harris Mansell was 1 of 8 from three so his brother, Patrick, a sophomore came off the bench to can 4 of 5 treys for the Broncs.
- Jason Thompson’s uniform #1 will be retired at the January 4th game against Marist. Thompson’s Sacramento Kings will be in state to play the New Jersey Nets.
To all… a happy MAAC and tempo free holiday.
