{"id":4741,"date":"2014-03-10T09:36:54","date_gmt":"2014-03-10T13:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=4741"},"modified":"2014-03-11T08:17:02","modified_gmt":"2014-03-11T12:17:02","slug":"2014-ctc-the-maac-36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=4741","title":{"rendered":"2014 CTC: The MAAC (FINAL)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Anyone who has been in the CTC for a couple years know of my past worship of mid-major leagues such as the old Colonial and the Missouri Valley.\u00a0 But, with the destruction of the CAA and the relative staleness of the MVC, there is a hole there ready to be filled.\u00a0 I thought for a while it would be the Horizon, but it just never did it for me.\u00a0 I also flirted with the NEC and the A-Sun, but the basketball just isn’t good enough top to bottom.\u00a0\u00a0But, I think I have found my home.\u00a0 I LOVE THE MAAC, and I am ready to announce that it is officially my favorite mid-major league.\u00a0 The basketball is very good top to bottom with a fascinating variety of styles of play from run-and-gun Iona to physically defensive Manhattan to well-coached motion offense and long-range shooting of Canisius to the athletic ball-screen offense of newcomer Quinnipiac.\u00a0 It was another great season in the MAAC, and I am as excited for this wide open<\/em> tournament as any tournament all week.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, this wide open field actually produced a majority opinion on its champion – and it isn’t the top seed.\u00a0 The Manhattan Jaspers were the MAAC title pick of 14 of the 25 entries.\u00a0 Top-seeded Iona got 6, and the wide-openness was shown in the other 5 as\u00a0two went to #4 Canisius, two went to #5 Siena, and one even went for #6 Marist to win\u00a0four games in four days.\u00a0 No one took #3 Quinnipiac (and, my CBC future might depend on us all being wrong about that).\u00a0 The 11th-seeded Purple Eagles of Niagara actually had two people pick them to reach the semis.\u00a0 Lohse is the current MAAC title holder and will try to defend his title this year to join Bry as the only two-time MAAC champion.<\/p>\n

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 10th – 30 points)<\/h1>\n

#1 Iona vs #2 Manhattan<\/strong>
\nAnd, my favorite conference comes through with a fantastic tournament that should conclude with one of the\u00a0best championship games you will see in either week.\u00a0 The athletic, run-and-gun Iona Gaels take on the deep, physical, talented roster of Manhattan in what could be a classic.\u00a0 If you like quality basketball that pits contrasting styles of play between two teams that really get after each other, then this is must-see hoop.\u00a0 Iona crushed Rider in the quarters and then snuck by a really good Canisius team in the semis.\u00a0 Manhattan had two comfortable wins over Saint Peter’s and Quinnipiac to get here.\u00a0 These two teams met just last week in Draddy Gymnasium on the Manhattan campus, and the Jaspers prevailed 80-77 in overtime in one of the better games I have seen all year.\u00a0 Anything close to a repeat of that here with everything on the line will be fantastic.<\/p>\n

2nd-seeded Manhattan is the more highly-supported team here, as 14 people (Alexi, Becks, Bry, Caleb, Chris, Colton, Doogan, J, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Stritts, Stumpf, Teddy) took the Jaspers as their MAAC champion and only 6 (Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, Lohse, Scoot, Stri) took the Gaels.\u00a0 Dave, Lazarow, Lynch, PapaCim, and WaTers have nothing to gain here, as their MAAC champs didn’t make it.\u00a0 An Iona win will give Lohse back-to-back MAAC championships.\u00a0 If Manhattan wins, Mac will complete a perfect 2014 MAAC bracket.<\/p>\n

Manhattan 71 – Iona 68<\/em>
\nFor the first time since Bobby Gonzalez, the Jaspers are going Dancing!\u00a0 Manhattan’s defense was stellar, holding one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation to just 68 points on 44% from the floor.\u00a0 Depth, depth, and more depth were the biggest reasons for this title for Manhattan, as they go 10-deep and just outlasted Iona, who only goes 6-deep and had foul trouble to boot.\u00a0 It should be interesting to see how the Committee seeds Manhattan (I’d say in the 13 range) because this is going to be a live ‘dog in the next tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

14 people (Alexi, Becks, Bry, Caleb, Chris, Colton, Doogan, J, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Stritts, Stumpf, Teddy) got this championship pick correct.\u00a0 6 missed out on Iona.\u00a0 Mac completes the second ever perfect MAAC bracket and takes the crown.<\/span><\/p>\n

SEMIFINALS (March 9th – 20 points each)<\/h1>\n

#1 Iona vs #4 Canisius<\/strong>
\nWell, we got the semifinal double-header I was hoping for.\u00a0 The top 4 teams in the MAAC all survived their quarterfinal matchups, including #1 Iona, who hammered Rider in the second half, and #4 Canisius, who survived a hard-fought battle with Siena.\u00a0 Now, the two get to face off for the right to play for the MAAC championship on Monday night.\u00a0 Sean Armand and Billy Baron are two guys that are worth tuning in for.<\/p>\n

6 people (Colton, Dave, Doogan, PapaCim, Primm, Teddy) have Canisius in the upset here, with Dave and PapaCim taking the Goldem Griffins to win this tournament.\u00a0 Lynch and WaTers have already lost this game with Siena.\u00a0 The other 17 all have Iona, with 6 of them (Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, Lohse, Scoot, Stri) taking the Gaels to win the whole thing.<\/p>\n

Iona 75 – Canisius 72<\/em>
\nA great first game in the MAAC semifinal double-header goes to the top-seeded Gaels in a very hard-fought affair.\u00a0 The start shined on this day as both Billy Baron and Sean Armand went for 20+.\u00a0 A tight game throughout was won by Iona’s 3-point defense, holding a very good outside-shooting team to just 7-26 from behind the arc, including a Baron miss at the\u00a0buzzer that would\u00a0have tied it.\u00a0 Canisius now will sit and wait hoping their 21 wins gets them an invite to a minor postseason tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

17 people got this right, while 6 missed a nice upset pick.\u00a0 Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, Lohse, Scoot, and Stri keep alive their MAAC champ.<\/span><\/p>\n

#2 Manhattan vs #3 Quinnipiac<\/strong>
\nManhattan and Qunnipiac round out the great foursome on display in Springfield on Sunday.\u00a0 The Jaspers put away Saint Peter’s in the quarters, while QU edged a pesky Niagara squad.\u00a0 Now, the stage is set for two teams that both play very good team basketball with very physical styles.\u00a0 This should be a war.<\/p>\n

GrossJr, Lohse, and Scoot are the only 3 with QU here.\u00a0 GrossSr, Lazarow, and WaTers have aleady lost this game with Saint Peter’s, Marist, and Marist, respectively.\u00a0 The other 19 all have Manhattan, with 14 of them picking the Jaspers to win this tournament.<\/p>\n

Manhattan 87 – Quinnipiac 68<\/em>
\nThe Jaspers did their part in the nightcap to set up a fantastic MAAC championship on Monday night by pounding QU.\u00a0 The game was won on the boards, as the Jaspers actually outrebounded the 2nd-best rebounding team in the nation.\u00a0 They also shot 50% from the floor, 47% (9-19) from three, and 80% (16-20) from the line.\u00a0 Manhattan is playing their best ball at just the right time and may even be a slight favorite in Monday’s title game.<\/span><\/p>\n

3 people missed a minor upset pick here, while 19 got this one right.\u00a0 14 people keep alive their MAAC tournament champ.<\/span><\/p>\n

QUARTERFINALS (March 8th – 10 points each)<\/h1>\n

#1 Iona vs #8 Rider<\/strong>
\nThe Gaels, after losing Mike Glover, Mo-Mo Jones, and Scotty Machado to graduation over the past couple of years, it is hard to imagine that this team could just keep it going in a conference as tough as the MAAC.\u00a0 And, maybe the loss of Sean Armand next year will be the last straw, but you have to hand it to coach Tim Cluess (who should be in line for a power conference job very shortly – and Iona doesn’t have the resources of a Wichita or VCU to compete financially with the big boys).\u00a0 Cluess has done it again with this Iona team, as they finished 17-3 in the MAAC, winning the league by 2 full games over Manhattan.\u00a0 Next step is going back to the NCAA’s for the fourth straight year.\u00a0 As the 1-seed, you would think that they would get\u00a0a break, and, while Rider is not exactly a powerhouse, they are a really, really tough 8th-place team in a mid-major league.\u00a0 The Broncos took care of a pesky Monmouth team on Thursday to set up this quarterfinal matchup with the regular season champs.<\/p>\n

All 25 people have Iona winning this game.\u00a0 Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, Lohse, Scoot, and Stri are the only 6, though, that have the top-seeded Gaels winning the tournament.<\/p>\n

Iona 94 – Rider 70<\/em>
\nThe Gaels pushed out a close game in the first half into a rout in the second half.\u00a0 Iona just has so many different ways to beat you, as today it was Penn State transfer, Tre Bowman, who dominated the Broncos, scoring 28 points in the victory.\u00a0 The excellent careers of Daniel Stewart and Anthony Myles come to a close for Rider, but they do have a future star in freshman Jimmie Taylor.<\/span><\/p>\n

All 25 people got this one, including 6 who keep alive their champ.<\/span><\/p>\n

#4 Canisius vs #5 Siena<\/strong>
\nMan, that Canisius coach is really, really good.\u00a0 Anyone who can turn around a program like Canisius in just three seasons has to be heading for bigger and better things, right?\u00a0 I mean a bigger conference has to come calling soon, no?\u00a0 Wait, what?\u00a0 It is Jim Baron?\u00a0 The coach that lowly Rhode Island let go three years ago who then was hired in about 27 seconds?\u00a0 Good choice, URI, good choice.\u00a0 And, the kicker is that Coach Baron brought his best player over from URI to Canisius maybe out of loyalty…it is his son, Billy.\u00a0 Billy Baron has been so incredible at Canisius that he has single-handedly turned this program into a program that may stay competitive in the MAAC.\u00a0 Baron has expanded his game to become more than just a dead-eye shooter and would be my pick for MAAC Player of the Year and can win this tournament himself if he is on top of his game.\u00a0 The first test, though, is a tough Siena team.\u00a0 The Saints are still mired in mediocrity since the glory days under Fran McCaffery, but they won 4 straight games to close out the season and grab the highly-important 5th-seed to give them a first-round bye.\u00a0 And, again, look what that did, as the 6-seed Marist was sent packing on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

4\/5 games are usually toss-up games for the CTC.\u00a0 Not this one.\u00a0 Only 6 people (J, Lazarow, Lynch, Scoot, Stumpf, WaTers) have Siena here.\u00a0 Lynch and WaTers went all-in on the Saints, though, as they both have them winning the whole thing.\u00a0 As for Canisius, Dave and PapaCim both have the Golden Griffins taking the MAAC championship.\u00a0 Colton, Doogan, Primm, and Teddy all have them going to the finals and losing, so they need this one to save the top of their bracket.<\/p>\n

Canisius 71 – Siena 65<\/em>
\nBilly Baron had 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals to lead Canisius past a tough Siena team that is only going to be better next year.\u00a0 The Golden Griffins now get a shot at #1 Iona in the semis.<\/span><\/p>\n

19 people had Canisius here, including Dave and PapaCim, who kept alive their champ.\u00a0 Lynch and WaTers both lost their MAAC champ here.<\/span><\/p>\n

#2 Manhattan vs #7 Saint Peter’s<\/strong>
\nWhile Iona has an incredibly fast, offensive style of play, the second-place team in the MAAC is the exact opposite.\u00a0 The Manhattan Jaspers will bump you and rub you and pick you and irritate you into turnovers, bad shots, and uneven play.\u00a0 In fact, they force turnovers on 22% of defensive possessions (19th out of 351 D1 teams) and they rarely press.\u00a0 They are a terrific defensive team and defense plays very well in the month of March.\u00a0 They also may have the best rebounding guard in mid-major basketball in George Beamon.\u00a0 Manhattan will be a tough out in any tournament they play this month, and they are hoping that includes the big one.\u00a0 Their first MAAC test is a Saint Peter’s team that survived an overtime war with Fairfield on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

GrossSr is the only one with Saint Peter’s winning this game, and he actually has them winning again to get to Monday’s championship.\u00a0 GrossJr has already lost this game with Fairfield, but the other 23 people all have Manhattan here, including more than half the field (14) picking them to cut down the nets and go to the Dance.<\/p>\n

Manhattan 72 – Saint Peter’s 58<\/em>
\nManhattan’s depth was way too much for the Peacocks here in the first game of the evening session.\u00a0 Saint Peter’s stayed close for a lot of this game, but just didn’t have the horses.\u00a0 The Jaspers shot 42 free throws and forced 19 StP turnovers en route to victory.\u00a0 And, they only got 6 points from their star guard, George Beamon.<\/span><\/p>\n

GrossSr misses a nice upset pick here and actually loses a finalist in the process.\u00a0 23 other people got it right, including 14, who keep alive their champ.<\/span><\/p>\n

#3 Quinnipiac vs #11 Niagara
\n<\/strong>While #2 Manhattan is one of the best in the nation at forcing turnovers,\u00a0MAAC newcomer,\u00a0Quinnipiac, is – literally\u00a0– the worst.\u00a0 The Bobcats\u00a0force a turnover on only 12% of defensive possessions, which is 351st\u00a0– or dead last – in the nation.\u00a0 And, yet they are a win away from a 20-win season and finished 14-6 in a really good league.\u00a0 How?\u00a0 Rebounding, rebounding, and more rebounding.\u00a0 They are the 2nd-best offensive rebounding team in the country, and they give up the 24th fewest rebounds on the defensive end.\u00a0 And, while they don’t shoot the ball well, they hold teams to low FG%’s and limit them to single-shot possessions.\u00a0 This team has a shot – if they can get jumpers to fall – to win this tournament.\u00a0 Their first step will be to slow down Antoine Mason, who scored 38 points in a late-night Niagara upset of 6th-seeded Marist on Thursday.\u00a0 If Mason has anything left, this Niagara team could be a tough out.\u00a0 But, even if he does, QU should have enough to get by the Purple Eagles and into the semifinals in their first ever MAAC tournament.<\/p>\n

Gersh and GrossSr are one Niagara win away from an historic call of the 11-seed getting to the semis.\u00a0 8 people (Alexi, Dave, J, Lazarow, Lynch, RDoc, Stri, WaTers) have already lost this game with Marist.\u00a0 And, while the other 15 all have QU, they don’t see all that bullish on the Bobcats.\u00a0 Only GrossJr, Lohse, and Scoot have them reaching the finals, and none of them have them winning it.<\/p>\n

Qunnipiac 89 – Niagara 80<\/em>
\nAntoine Mason’s Kemba Walker impression was looking good for most of the first half, but Quinnipiac’s roster is just much better and deeper than the Purple Eagles.\u00a0 Mason did go for 28, but it wasn’t enough, as QU wins the way the always win – on the boards.\u00a0 The Bobcats outrebounded Niagara 42-29.\u00a0 QU gets a shot at Manhattan in Sunday’s semifinal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gersh and GrossSr miss another huge Niagara upset.\u00a0 15 people got this right, including 3 who keep alive a finalist.<\/span><\/p>\n

OPENING ROUND (March 6th – 5 points each)<\/h1>\n

#8 Rider vs #9 Monmouth<\/strong>
\nAll year long, Rider was in perfect position to finish in the coveted 5th spot and earn that final bye in the conference tournament.\u00a0 They looked like the 5th-best team and were in that spot.\u00a0 But, a season-destroying 4-game losing streak to close out conference play dropped them all the way to #8, which means they have to play an opening round game against Monmouth for the right to play top-seeded Iona in the quarters.\u00a0 Monmouth, along with Quinnipiac, came to the MAAC this year from the NEC, but didn’t fare as well.\u00a0 But, they actually did better than I expected considering they are short on talent and it’s hard to take on a new league.\u00a0 Iona awaits the winner.<\/p>\n

6 people (Colton, Dave, GrossJr, Lynch, Stumpf, Teddy) have Monmouth in a mild upset.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams beating Iona on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Rider 71 – Monmouth 60<\/em>
\nThe Broncos of Rider, who were in the top five of the conference all year and then slipped to the 8-seed, take care of business against Monmouth in the opening game of what could be a fantastic MAAC tournament.\u00a0 Led by their two star seniors (Daniel Stewart, who was great, and Anthony Myles, who struggled), Rider just simply outmanned Monmouth, who put in a valiant effort but just didn’t have the horses down the stretch.\u00a0 Monmouth fans should be excited, though, as they actually had a decent season, despite being the 15th youngest team in the nation.\u00a0 The Hawks started a JR, a SO, and 3 FR this year, and didn’t have\u00a0a single SR in their regular rotation.\u00a0 Rider will now get a shot at #1 Iona and really could give the Gaels a run for their money.<\/span><\/p>\n

19 people got this one right.\u00a0 Everyone has Iona in the quarters, so there were no future implications in a pretty insignificant CTC game.<\/span><\/p>\n

#7 Saint Peter’s vs #10 Fairfield<\/strong>
\nThis opening round game is a battle between two programs going in opposite directions – or maybe this season is just an anomaly.\u00a0 Fairfield is hoping that is the case, as they are used to being near the top of the MAAC standings, not at the bottom, like they were most of the year.\u00a0 It took a 10-game losing streak for Niagara to get them up to 10th, but it has been a very disappointing year for the Stags to say the least.\u00a0 They will try and salvage something against a Peacocks team that enters the tournament playing their best ball of the year and probably the best ball this program has played since their shocking MAAC tournament title a couple seasons back.\u00a0 The winner of this game will have the unenviable task of trying to make baskets against Manhattan on Friday.<\/p>\n

This is actually a somewhat interesting CTC game.\u00a0 10 people (Bry, Dave, Gersh, GrossJr, Lohse, RDoc, Scoot, Stri, Stumpf, Teddy) have Fairfield in a solid upset pick.\u00a0 GrossJr has them beating Manhattan in the quarters.\u00a0 GrossSr is all-in on the Peacocks, as he has them going to the finals – which is two rounds further than anyone else has them going.<\/p>\n

Saint Peter’s 65 – Fairfield 62 (OT)<\/em>
\nMADNESS!\u00a0 Fairfield had a chance to win this back-and-forth game in regulation, but Marcus Gilbert missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer, setting up a thrilling ending to a an otherwise pedestrian overtime.\u00a0 Up 62-60, StP had the ball with just under 2 minutes left.\u00a0 They got 2 offensive rebounds, creating a possession of almost a minute and a half, but they couldn’t score, and Fairfield got the ball back with :38 seconds left.\u00a0 K.J. Rose missed a\u00a0potential game-tying shot, but Maurice Barrow got the rebound and put it back (and may have been fouled) to tie the game with :07 seconds left.\u00a0 But, that big play only set up the heroics by Desi Washington, who drained a three at the buzzer to send the Peacocks to the quarterfinals and ended o<\/span>ne of the worst seasons in recent Fairfield history.\u00a0\u00a0St. Peter’s lackluster offense will take on the\u00a0suffocating Manhattan defense in what might be a somewhat\u00a0unwatchable quarterfinal.<\/span><\/p>\n

10 people missed this upset pick, including GrossJr, who lost a semifinalist here.\u00a0 GrossSr was the biggest beneficiary of the Peacocks\u00a0drama-filled victory, as he keeps alive his out-on-a-limb finalist here. <\/span><\/p>\n

#6 Marist vs #11 Niagara<\/strong>
\nIt is one thing for a Niagara program to try and replace a highly-successful head coach, Joe Mihalich, who bolted for Hofstra late into the offseason a year ago, but it’s another thing entirely when he takes most of the talent with him.\u00a0 I am pretty upset about the desolution of the Purple Eagles because Antoine Mason and Juan’ya Green were one of my favorite backcourts to watch, and I thought I was going to get two more years of them.\u00a0 But, Mihalich took Green (and two budding stars) with him to Hofstra.\u00a0 He tried to bring Mason as well, but he decided to stick it out in Niagara.\u00a0 So, he will try – almost single-handedly – to get Niagara past an overlooked, but talented Marist team.\u00a0 The Red Foxes are tough and can score with anyone.\u00a0 #3 Quinnipiac awaits the winner here.<\/p>\n

This, like the 7\/10 game is another somewhat intriguing CTC game.\u00a0 6 people (Bry, Gersh, GrossSr, Lohse, Mac, PapaCim) went for a pretty big upset with Niagara.\u00a0 Gersh and GrossSr went a step further and has the Purple Eagles beating Marist here and then Quinnipiac in the quarters, which would net them a cool 80 points if they get it.\u00a0 And, if Niagara does win this game, it will be quite the bracket-buster all around the CTC.\u00a0 Lazarow has the most at stake, as he has the Red Foxes winning this whole tournament.\u00a0 WaTers has them going to the finals, and 6 others (Alexi, Dave, J, Lynch, RDoc, and Stri) have them going to the semis.\u00a0 This could be\u00a0– interestingly, enough – the biggest CTC game of the night.<\/p>\n

Niagara 78 – Marist 76<\/em>
\nAntoine Mason was going to leave with his coach (and all the other Niagara players) for Hofstra in the offseason, but changed his mind and decided to stay at Niagara and try to lead them to continued prominence under the new regime.\u00a0 Well, the regular season proved that you need more than one man to compete in a league like the MAAC, but Thursday night may have scared the rest of the league in reminding them that one man can do a whole lot in a one-and-done format.\u00a0 Mason, one of the best players in the league who is now mired on a last-place team, poured in 38 points leading his Purple Eagles to a big upset of 6th-seeded Marist in the opening round.\u00a0 This game actually looked like it was going to be a total blowout, as Niagara jumped out to a 16-3 lead to start the game and actually led by 24 points just over 13 minutes left.\u00a0 But, Marist – who had been playing some of the best ball in the league down the stretch – went on a furious 30-10 run to close the gap to just 2 with 1:21 left.\u00a0 But, it was just too much Mason down the stretch as a desperation three by Khallid Hart missed and Marist’s season ended abruptly.\u00a0 It’s hard to say if it was just one good night or a potential Kemba Walker moment for Mason, but he will have to ice his shooting arm and come back for the quarterfinal nightcap against Quinnipiac on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

This game turned out huge in the CTC world, as 6 people picked up a nice 30-point upset here.\u00a0 And, the big news is that Gersh and GrossSr are halfway to nailing their longshot Niagara to the semis prediction.\u00a0 The other fallout from this game is that Lazarow lost his MAAC champion already.\u00a0 WaTers also lost big, as he had Marist in the finals.\u00a0 6 more people had them in the semis.\u00a0 This did turn out to be the biggest CTC result of a pretty interesting night of upsets.<\/span><\/p>\n

CTC UPDATE<\/h1>\n

Championship Picks<\/strong><\/p>\n