First the A-10 transcended mid-majordom by routinely placing multiple teams in the tournament. Then, the Mountain West did the same – even ranking as the #1 RPI conference for much of this season. Then, the Missouri Valley gained national attention with Creighton and Wichita St. becoming household names. Finally, this year, the CAA suffered a complete implosion this year because of conference defections and poor academic performances. So, I am in the market for a new “pet” mid-major. The NEC and Atlantic Sun are more “low-major,” so they won’t fit the bill. I am thinking that the MAAC might be the leader in the clubhouse. This is a great league. In fact, they would probably already have the job if they weren’t losing Loyola next year to the Patriot League (yes, interesting move…).
The battle all throughout this league this year has been fascinating on a night-in and night-out basis. Plus, they are one of the very few conferences that play Fridays and Sundays, so they don’t get upstaged by the big boys as often, so you are able to actually pay attention without completely selling out to the lower conferences. This year in the MAAC was a legit FIVE-team race that didn’t even include a couple of the preseason contenders, Manhattan and Fairfield, who had incredibly disappointing years. And, the two that came out 1-2 came from nowhere. Niagara, led by one of the best young backcourts in the country (remember the names of these stud sophs – Antoine Mason and Juan’ya Green) came from nowhere to win the league – almost going wire-to-wire. Then, fueled by a surprising 5-game win streak to end the season, Rider, grabbed the #2 spot. These two teams will await the winners of the pigtails on Friday. And, then you have a tight threesome at 3, 4 and 5 that are as dangerous as any you will find in mid-major land. The aforementioned, Loyola (Md), was picked to repeat as league champs, but missed their chance with a tough 4-point loss at Iona on Friday. The Greyhounds finished a game back of Niagara at 12-6 and will play Manhattan in the 3/6 game. Iona – who were given an at-large last year – still have Mo-Mo Jones and are one of the highest-scoring teams in the country with uptempo master, Tim Cluess calling the shots from the bench. The Gaels finished 4th – which would be disappointing if not for the general awesomeness (technical basketball term) of the MAAC. They will take on one of the toughest 5-seeds you will find, in Canisius, who hired the recently let-go Jimmy Baron from Rhode Island, who brought over his prolific-shooting son, Billy, to lead the Griffins. This is going to be a thrilling tournament.
CHAMPIONSHIP (March 11th – 30 points)
#4 Iona vs #6 Manhattan
It is not uncommon that the two best teams – from a talent standpoint – meet up in the conference’s championship. But, it is very uncommon that that matchup is between the 4-seed and the 6-seed. This will be a classic matchup of contrasting styles between the run-and-gun, potent offense of Iona against the physical, aggressive defense of Manhattan. Watch for tempo in this one – it will be important.
Hats off to Lohse as the only one to nail both unlikely finalists here. No one has Manhattan winning this tournament, so the 17 people that don’t have Iona will be rooting for the Jaspers. The seven that do have Iona (Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Teddy) would enjoy the 60 points that come with a championship here. Lohse has already clinched the 2013 MAAC CTC title, so it would just be gravy for him.
Iona 60 – Manhattan 57
Another night, another guy stepping up for the Gaels. On a team that is known for having the top scoring duo in the nation (guards Mo-Mo Jones and Sean Armand), Iona has had some major contributions from some of their role players this tournament. On this night, it was Tre Bowman, who stepped up for 20 points in the Gaels 3-point win sealing another trip to the Dance. This game was played at Manhattan’s pace the whole way, and it looked like they might get it done, but an atrocious technical foul call shifted the momentum the Gaels’ way until they almost gave it back with another awful technical foul call in the closing seconds. But, in the end, it was too much Mo-Mo. Watch out big guys, this team is gonna be a live ‘dog in the next tournament.
Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Teddy all hit this really nice champion pick. The win here for RDoc propels him to #1 in the overall standings. Lohse wins the MAAC by impressively picking Iona to beat Manhattan in the finals.
SEMIFINALS (March 10th – 20 points each)
#1 Niagara vs #4 Iona
Not even 24 hours after a phenomenal game with #5 Canisius, Iona will have to turn around and play another great one against top-seeded Niagara. The Purple Eagles had an unimpressive win over Siena in the quarters, but they probably spent less energy than Iona did in needed 89 points to beat a good Canisius team.
Only 7 people (Caleb, Cheryl, LohseJr, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, and Scoot) have Niagara winning this game, with only LohseJr, PapaCim, and Rikey picking them to win the tournament. On the other hand, everyone else except Dave, Gersh, GrossSr, and Waters (who have already lost it) have Iona winning this one, with 7 of them (Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Teddy) picking the Gaels as their tournament champs.
Iona 79 – Niagara 73
Niagara led for much of this one, but, in the end, Iona was just too tough and will advance to the MAAC title game on Monday night. The Gaels used their underrated frontcourt of Taaj Ridley and David Laury – who had 20 points and 17 boards…wow – to outrebound the Purple Eagles 36-25. Niagara picked a bad night for a shooting slump, hitting only 7 of 33 from long-range, including a dreadful 0-for-7 from Juan’ya Green. Chalk this up to a tough lesson for the young Purple Eagles, who should be really, really good for, at least, the next two years.
13 people got a nice upset pick here, with Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Teddy all keeping alive their champ.
#6 Manhattan vs #7 Fairfield
In a rather unlikely semifinal, the Jaspers of Manhattan and the Stags of Fairfield are just a game away from a shot at a MAAC tournament title. Both teams won ugly quarterfinal games, but Manhattan is the more rested team, having earned the 6-seed and a day off in the opening round, while Fairfield will play on their third straight day, after beating St. Peter’s and Rider in consecutive days.
Dave is the only one with the huge Fairfield finals pick here; Lohse is the only one with the huge Manhattan pick, so one of them will pick up massive points on the rest of the field. No one has either of these teams winning this tournament.
Manhattan 60 – Fairfield 42
Another stifling defensive performance for the Jaspers, as they are now one win away from erasing the total disappoinment of their regular season. The Stags, who scored 54, 43, and now 42 in their “run” to the semifinals, will take the offseason to try and figure out how to generate a little offense. Manhattan will think about how to stop Mo-Mo Jones in the finals on Monday night.
Lohse picks up a quick 50 points on the whole rest of the field on the strength of his Manhattan to the finals pick.
QUARTERFINALS (March 9th – 10 points each)
#1 Niagara vs #9 Siena
The Siena Saints ended Marist’s season on Friday night in the opening round and now they will take their shot at top-seeded Niagara in the quarters. The Purple Eagles have had a phenomenal season. Led by a standout sophomore backcourt of Juan’ya Green and Antoine Mason, Niagara won a shocking regular season that was loaded with excellent teams. Now, they will try and substantiate that feat with a conference tournament title.
GrossSr and Waters have huge upset picks in play here. Alex and Lynch have already lost this game with Marist. The other 20 all have Niagara, but only LohseJr, PapaCim, and Rikey picked the top seeds to win this tournament.
Niagara 74 – Siena 62
While it was relatively unimpressive, considering they were facing an inferior Siena team, it was one of those “survive-and-advance” March wins for Niagara. Mason and Green combined for 36, but the Purple Eagles will have to play better on Saturday, no matter who they face, than they did today.
GrossSr and Waters had a shot here, but ultimately missed out on a huge upset pick. LohseJr, PapaCim, and Rikey all keep their MAAC champs alive.
#4 Iona vs #5 Canisius
This is probably the best non-Valley quarterfinal of the entire first week of conference tournament action. These two teams have been really good all year and both would scare the hell out of any team in March. In the offseason, Canisius took a chance on just-fired Rhode Island coach, Jim Baron, and they look like geniuses for it. Baron has done wonders with this recently-downtrodden Canisius team, with a lot of help from his son, Billy, who transferred from Rhode Island with his dad, and averaged 17 points per game this year, joining stud senior Harold Washington to form one of the better backcourts in mid-majorland. However, they are up against maybe THE best backcourt in mid-major land – at least the best scoring backcourt – of Mo Mo Jones and Sean Armand of Iona. Jones and Armand are actually the highest scoring pair of teammates in the nation. Throw in a solid big like Taaj Ridley, and it’s amazing that this team finished fourth in any mid-major conference. But, that is just how tightly contested the MAAC was this year, which is going to make for a phenomenal tournament.
Surprisingly, only three people – Caleb, Dave, and Gersh – took Canisius here, but two of them (Dave and Gersh) liked the Golden Griffins enough to pick them to win the whole thing. The other 21 people have Iona, including 7 people (Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Teddy), who have them winning this tournament.
Iona 89 – Canisius 85
This game seemed lived up to all the hype, as it was a back-and-forth game all the way, with Iona pulling away at the end to advance to the semifinals to take on top-seeded Niagara. The stars were out in full force, as well, as Mo-Mo dropped 33 and Armand added 24 for the Gaels. Billy Baron and Harold Washington added 24 and 17, respectively, for Canisius. Wow!
21 people got this right, including Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Teddy all kept their champions alive. Dave and Gersh lost their champs. Alex, Alexi, Bry, J, Lynch, and Stumpf are all happy with this, as well, as they have Iona reaching the finals.
#2 Rider vs #7 Fairfield
Fairfield took care of St. Peter’s in the opening round Friday night and now get a crack at the hottest team in the MAAC, Rider. The Broncs enter this tournament on a 5-game winning streak that took them from eyeing up an opening round seed to the #2-seed. The way they are playing, they have to be considered one of the favorites (many in this awesomely wide-open tournament) to win this thing and go Dancing.
Fairfield is a pretty popular upset pick, considering how hot Rider has been and how poorly FU finished the season. Ten people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Dave, Doogan, GrossJr, J, RDoc, and Teddy) took the Stags here in the big upset, with Dave having them in the finals. Cheryl and Lynch both put their champions up at stake here
Fairfield 43 – Rider 42
In a game that typifies this unoffensive season, the Stags of Fairfield pull off the mighty upset and only needed 43 points to do it. Fairfield’s star, Derek Needham, dropped 19 in this mess of a game, and the “darkhorse” Rider team exits with a whimper.
Ten people hit this big upset, while Cheryl and Lynch both lose their MAAC champs without winning a game.
#3 Loyola (Md) vs #6 Manhattan
And, enter the final two teams to the MAAC tournament – both relative underachievers, based on preseason prognostications, but both pretty talented. Manhattan may be the most disappointing team in the country this year, as they were supposed to seriously contend for a MAAC title, and the wheels seemed to fall off, as they muddled through a bad non-con and then played lackluster ball for most of the MAAC season, before turning it on near the end to grab a bye. Loyola was also supposed to contend – and they did, but a 3rd-place finish despite returning basically the same team that won the regular season and tournament championship a year ago is a bit disappointing. So, one season will end unceremoniously here, while the other has a shot at redemption.
Cheryl, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, and PapaCim are the only five to take Manhattan here, with Lohse riding them all the wat to the finals. Loyola is the most popular MAAC champion pick, as ten people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, GrossSr, J, Primm, Scoot, Stumpf, and Waters) have the Greyhounds repeating as conference champs.
Manhattan 55 – Loyola (Md) 52
MADNESS! The Jaspers – at least for one night – put it all together, leading the entire second half and pulling off a nice upset here in the MAAC quarterfinal nightcap. If they get things rolling, they could be pretty dangerous, so watch out. They will move on to the semis against another lower-seed, Fairfield, who upset Rider in the early game of the nighttime session. A tough final season for Loyola here in the MAAC, as (after the NIT or other postseason tournament that they will be in) they will head off to the Patriot League next year and try to forget this one.
Cheryl, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, and PapaCim pick up a nice upset pick here, and Lohse keeps alive a finalist. This was a HUGE CTC bracket-buster, as ten people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, GrossSr, J, Primm, Scoot, Stumpf, and Waters) all lose their champ here – making it a crazy 14 lost champions during this quarterfinal quadruple-header – an all-time record for a round that didn’t lose its top seed.
OPENING ROUND (March 8th – 5 points each)
#8 Marist vs #9 Siena
Lost in how good the top-9 teams in this conference are is how bad the bottom-3 were. Marist, who isn’t dreadful (like the other two) has sleeper potential and are probably the team that top-seeded Niagara does not want to face in Saturday’s quarterfinal. Siena, who has really fallen on hard times after dominating this league for nearly a decade, had another difficult year upstate. The Saints are young, though, as their only senior is their stellar forward, O.D. Anosike. Marist is led by Chavaughn Lewis, who is one of those pure inside/outside scorers who you really just want to contain rather than try and stop.
This is not your typical innocuous 8/9 matchup for the CTC. Eleven people (Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Gersh, GrossSr, J, LohseJr, PapaCim, Scoot, Stumpf, and Waters) have Siena in a mild opening round upset. GrossSr and Waters took that two steps further, as they both have the Saints upsetting Niagara in the quarters AND winning again in the semis to reach the finals. On the other side, while no one has Marist reaching the finals, Alex, Lynch, and Teddy all took a shot on the Red Foxes reaching the semis. Multiple brackets will be busted tonight regardless of who wins the MAAC opener.
Siena 70 – Marist 64
Tonight was just way too much O.D. Anosike. The senior all-league performer for Siena had 24 points, 12 boards, 5 assists, and 2 blocks in a solid back-and-forth win for the Saints. The Red Foxes end yet another disappointing year upstate. Siena will start getting prepared for the dynamic backcourt of Niagara in the quarters.
11 people hit the mild upset here with Siena, and GrossSr and Waters both kept alive their longshot finalist pick. Alex, Lynch, and Teddy all lost a semifinalist here in this one.
#7 Fairfield vs #10 St. Peter’s
It is a real disappoinment for the Fairfield Stags that they ended up here in the pigtail round because they have legit upper-league talent on this roster. But, losing Ed Cooley to Providence in the offseason probably took its toll, as did some really tough losses, including two close losses to Niagara and OT losses at Loyola and at Manhattan. If they can get past last-place St. Peter’s, the Stags will get to take on #2 Rider – whom they swept this year – so let’s not be too quick to rule out another deep Fairfield run in a MAAC tournament, which they always seem to fare well.
And, there is more CTC intrigue in the late game tonight, though more for later rounds, as only Lazarow, Lynch, Primm and Waters went with the Peacocks in the upset here, with neither having them beating Rider in the quarters. But, ten of the FU fans (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Dave, Doogan, GrossJr, J, RDoc, and Teddy) are riding the Stags past Rider in the quarters (man, that was terrible…), and Dave has them going all the way to the finals. More brackets will be busted if St. Peter’s takes out FU in the nightcap.
Fairfield 54 – St. Peter’s 47
Fairfield nearly blew a big lead down the stretch, but held on to beat the Peacocks and move on to face #2 Rider in the quarters. Derek Needham dropped 24 for the Stags.
20 people got this one right, half of whom keeping alive a semifinalist, and Dave, who keeps a finalist alive.
CTC UPDATE
Championship Picks
- #1 Niagara (3)
- #2 Rider (2)
- #3 Loyola (MD) (10)
- #4 Iona (7)
- #5 Canisius (2)
Biggest Upsets
- R1 – #10 St. Peter’s (Lazarow, Lynch, Primm & Waters)
- QF – #9 Siena (GrossSr & Waters)
- SF – #9 Siena (GrossSr & Waters)
- Champ – #5 Canisius (Dave & Gersh)
Previous CTC Champions
- 2008 – J
- 2009 – Bry
- 2010 – Bry (perfect)
- 2011 – Primm
- 2012 – Teddy
FINAL 2013 SCORES
- Lohse (’13) – 202.5
- Doogan – 162.5
- GrossJr – 162.5
- RDoc – 162.5
- Mac – 152.5
- Teddy (’12) – 152.5
- Lazarow – 135.5
- Alexi – 112.5
- Bry (’09, ’10*) – 112.5
- J (’08) – 112.5
- Alex – 92.5
- Lynch – 77.5
- Stumpf – 77.5
- Caleb – 60
- PapaCim – 60
- Cheryl – 50
- Dave – 50
- LohseJr – 35
- Scoot – 35
- Gersh – 25
- GrossSr – 25
- Rikey – 25
- Primm (’11) – 20
- Waters – 20
Love the MAAC! Jaspers all the way baby. Who’s your Draddy?