Checking in on… the MAAC
Posted by Brian Goodman on November 20th, 2010
Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and the NEC.
Looking Back
For awhile, it appeared the top four contenders – Fairfield, Siena, St. Peter’s and Iona – would have one combined win. Iona, which had some hard luck at the World Vision Classic, broke into the win column with a hard-fought, attention-grabbing, 81-77 double OT win over Richmond at the Hynes Athletic Center. Scott Machado scored 28 for the Gaels but newcomer Michael Glover, a Seton Hall transfer, continues to impress with a 21 point, 17 rebound effort.
As the coaches dutifully note, it is early. Regardless, there are results in the book and trends beginning to emerge. like the addition of Glover into the Gael frontcourt.
Standings
- Manhattan 2-0
- Rider 2-1
- Canisius 1-1
- Fairfield 1-1
- Loyola 1-1
- Iona 1-3
- Niagara 0-1
- St.Peter’s 0-1
- Marist 0-2
- Siena 0-2
Player of the Week
Ryan Rossiter, Siena – The 6’9 senior was chosen as preseason POY and got off to a quick start. Rossiter scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an 80-76 loss to Vermont. It was Rossiter’s 18th double-double in his last 20 games dating back to last season.
Rookie of the Week
Michael Alvarado, Manhattan. The Jasper’s freshman guard scored 23 points in a 75-70 opening game win at NJIT. Alvarado was 12-5 from the line and logged the full forty minutes.
Team-By-Team
- Canisius stayed in-state over the weekend. The Griffs earned a split defeating St. Bonaventure (80-70) in the home opener on Friday before dropping a decision at Syracuse (86-67) on Sunday. Sophomore Gaby Belardo scored 19 against St. Bonaventure. It was the South Florida transfer’s first game in a Canisius uniform.
- On media day, Fairfield coach Ed Cooley discussed how he thought the meeting at Rutgers would be an important early season game on Big East turf. The Fairfield mentor can take solace in the fact there will be other pre-conference challenges as the Stags were handed a 68-53 setback. Derek Needham led Fairfield with 14 points.
- Iona got out of the gate 0-3. The Gaels dropped three tough ones in the World Vision Classic in Cleveland. They fell to host Cleveland State 78-68 and dropped last-second decisions to Kent State and Bryant. Seton Hall transfer Michael Glover had a strong debut for Iona averaging 18 points per game for the three contests.
- Jamal Barney scored 21 points, but Loyola (MD) dropped a close 75-72 contest at home to Drexel. The visitors built an 18-point lead by midway of the first half before Loyola came back. The Greyhounds never drew even, with the closest margin being within 2 with 3.1 seconds to play.
- Jay Bowie scored 19 points, but it was not nearly enough as Marist fell to Villanova 84-47. That loss in round one of the NIT Tip-Off extended the Red Foxes’ losing streak to 19 games.
- Niagara was the final MAAC team to tip off the season. The Purple Eagles got off to a rough start with a 90-73 loss at home against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kashief Edwards paced the Purple Eagles with 22 points.
- Rider split, losing to UMass in Springfield on Friday before defeating Lafayette at home Sunday. Rider and Lafayette are former ECC (East Coast Conference) members. Mike Ringgold scored his 1000th career point against Lafayette. Rider did pick up a nice win over USC in Los Angeles (77-57).
- Coach John Dunne’s concerns about offense were realized as St. Peter’s fell 55-30 in their opener at Robert Morris. Nick Leon led the way for the Peacocks with 13 points.
- After a home-opening loss to Vermont, Siena fell to 0-2 as host Minnesota rallied for a 75-69 victory. Clarence Jackson led the Saints with 29 points.
Tempo Notes
UMass trailed by over 20 points in the early part of the second half of their opener against Rider in Springfield. The Minutemen went on a second half rally and eventually earned a 77-67 victory. A comeback of that nature usually spells a wild up-tempo affair. In this case it was just the opposite.
Possessions Offensive Efficiency
Rider 67 100
UMass 67 114
The pace suggests a moderate tempo, nothing like the racehorse pace usually reserved for frantic comebacks . The offensive efficiency bears out the fact Rider just could not stop the Minutemen. Especially during that second half.
Another note comes from Ryan Restivo who does a great job with the SienaSaints blog (not just saying that because I have been a guest contributor there). Ryan did a breakdown of the Saints’ loss at Minnesota, analyzing every Siena possession by time. The conclusion was that Siena was more effective and efficient in possessions that lasted less than 15 seconds. For instance, Siena shot 69% in their possessions (47) under 15 seconds and was only 30% from the field in the 31 possessions of 15 seconds or more. Very interesting material that bears out that players often pass up a good shot early and are often left with a rushed or less desirable attempt as the shot clock winds down.
Upcoming Games of Note:
- November 19: St.Peter’s vs. Old Domion (Paradise Jam); Fairfield at Penn State; Niagara at Georgia Tech
- November 20: Rider vs. TCU (Hall of Fame Tip-Off)
- November 21: Rider vs. Loyola Marymount (Hall of Fame Tip-Off)
- November 23: Butler vs. Siena; St.Joesph’s vs. Fairfield
- November 25: Manhattan vs. Wisconsin (Old Spice Classic in Orlando)
Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.
