A Case Study on MAAC Basketball Ahead of Atlantic City

March 8, 2022

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The MAAC tournament begins on Tuesday and promises to live up to its usual fireworks. It’s no secret that Rick Pitino’s Iona squad is the team to beat after cruising to a regular season title on the strength of a 17-3 record against MAAC opponents. For a program that has won the last five MAAC Championships and boasts a Hall of Fame coach, the expectation is to win three games in Atlantic City and then go on a Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament. Both could very well happen — and truthfully the first part should happen. But if you watch MAAC basketball, you are keenly aware of its flair for the unpredictable that borders on impossible. There will be no shortage of teams in Atlantic City this week looking to dethrone the Gaels. Here’s how you should categorize each MAAC team in the men’s bracket.

The Favorite - Iona

This is an easy pick for just a few of the reasons outlined above. Not to mention Iona also picked up wins against then no. 9 ranked Alabama in Orlando over Thanksgiving Weekend and outdueled solid mid-major opponents in Harvard, Hofstra, Yale and Delaware. Nobody expected them to lose three games in the MAAC but here we are now. Their only path to the NCAA Tournament figures to be winning the MAAC Championship and Rick Pitino’s side is the best bet to cut the nets down at Boardwalk Hall.

Contenders - St. Peter’s, Siena and Monmouth

Based on their non-conference sample size, no one envisioned Monmouth to only finish two games over .500 in conference play and only settle for the four-seed. I’m not nearly as high on the Hawks now either and think they are the best bet to fall first among the top four seeds. Nevertheless, don’t take for granted Monmouth’s high offensive potential led by George Pappas, Walker Miller, and Shavar Reynolds Jr. — three top 10 scorers in the conference led by Pappas’ 15.3 points per game. But they’ve also shown a tendency to go cold at times, losing to Marist by a combined 61 points in two games this season. The Hawks also enter the tournament losers in three of their last four and will have to contain First Team All-MAAC recipient Marcus Hammond on Thursday if they want to advance to the quarterfinals.

Despite losing arguably the two best players in the MAAC from a season ago, the Siena Saints have been a revelation this season led by a young roster. They beat Iona at home and their students thought it was important enough to storm the court at MVP Arena. Still, Siena is the best three-point shooting team in the conference converting at 35 percent which helps cover up some offensive limitations, especially in the frontcourt. Besides Jackson Stormo, one of the league’s top big men, Siena is not a strong team in the paint and is the second worst rebounding team in the MAAC at only 32.8 boards per game. However, Carmen Maciariello was still able to lead the Saints to 12 conference wins while solidifying himself as one of the MAAC’s best basketball minds. The fan base has always traveled well, even if that means trading the convenience of rooting for their Saints at home for a getaway in AC. Siena has one of the deepest backcourts and look for key transfers Colby Rogers and Anthony Gaines to win a couple backcourt battles in AC to spur a run at a title in AC.

St. Peter’s is one of the grittiest low major teams in the country and that’s a credit to the culture

Shaheen Holloway has built in Jersey City. The Peacocks don’t have a sexy play style but they are mightily effective at shutting down their defensive opponents. They are allowing a league-best 62.4 points per game due to some shifty guard play and the usual defensive prowess of KC Ndefo. When the team’s Twitter account indirectly confirmed Ndefo’s return this past offseason, St. Peter’s instantly became relevant again in the MAAC. The Peacocks arrive in AC as a dark horse contender having won their last three games by at least 16 points. With Holloway’s departure likely on the horizon, this may be St. Peter’s last chance at competing for a title in a long time.

Wildcards - Niagara, Marist and Manhattan

The kryptonite for Niagara over the years has been their lack of size. Although they’re far from the tallest team, 6’8 Jordan Cintron, 6’6 Greg Kuakumensah, and 6’7 Sam Iorio make for a solid frontcourt that supplements the starpower of Marcus Hammond. The junior point guard from Queens is one of the best talents in the league and is second in scoring at 18.1 points per game. Hammond’s big season started with breakout performances at Xavier and no. 17 Ohio State when he dropped 25 and 22 points respectively. The Purple Eagles have the benefit of employing one of the best players in the league and are on a three-game winning streak to boot. They should like their chances going up against a talented albeit inconsistent Monmouth side in the 4-5 matchup.

Marist finished the regular season with the six seed after nabbing the four seed last season. That was not the direction John Dunne and the Red Foxes were expecting to go in even without anticipating the production that freshman guard Jao Ituka gave them. Ituka averages 15.5 points per game and is the heartbeat of this Marist team. His versatile scoring ability sets the tone for an offense that can beat you inside or from long range. The Red Foxes rank second in three-point shooting at 35 percent, and the long ball is an area where their guards really flourish. In addition to Ituka’s 44 percent clip from long range, Raheim Sullivan is converting at 43 percent and Ricardo Wright is 38 percent. The Red Foxes will need to step up in the rebounds and steals categories where they rank average to below-average. Dunne’s team may have a run in them, but they will need to find some consistency before it’s too late.

The Manhattan Jaspers are looking to continue on the right track after pulling off a massive 74-72 upset over the Iona Gaels last Thursday at Draddy Gymnasium. The winning shot came from who else but Jose Perez, the favorite to win the MAAC Player of the Year. Perez has been a godsend for a Jaspers team that has shown offensive flashes this season but struggles on the defensive end. The Jaspers are 10th in opponents points per game at 72.4 and are the worst defensive rebounding team in the league. The offense has a weird dynamic that oscillates between fully riding Jose Perez and getting some other capable players involved. The Jaspers are at their best when Perez is hitting shots from everywhere and the big men Josh Roberts and Warren Williams are clicking on all cylinders on both ends of the court. A whole lot will have to go right for the Jaspers to win their first MAAC Championship since 2015. Rest assured Steve Masiello will sign up right now to get another shot at Rick Pitino and Iona in a potential quarter finals matchup on Thursday night. The current task will be beating Rider when both teams open the men’s bracket on Wednesday at 5 pm.

The Bottom Feeders - Fairfield, Rider, Quinnipiac and Canisius

Although Fairfield still managed a respectable seventh place finish, the Stags were one of the biggest disappointments in the regular season. Coming off a MAAC championship game appearance, Fairfield returned essentially their whole team from a season ago and yet were largely irrelevant. In the meantime, head coach Jay Young has come under scrutiny for how his veteran-ladened squad has performed. Graduate Student Taj Benning (10.7 points per game) is a fine player but is not good enough to be the leading scorer on a team that wants to compete. Supreme Cook (10.3 points per game) is the only other player averaging double figures in points and will be an important piece for the Stags moving forward. The championship window for the Stags may be closing in year three of the Jay Young era. Don’t expect the Stags to hang around in AC past the quarterfinals.

There was renewed hope for the Rider Broncs when DiMencio Vaughn announced he was leaving Ole Miss to return to Lawrenceville. But the season hasn’t gone according to plan for Vaugh and the Broncs. Vaughn has only shot 29 percent from three which is a far cry from the 39 percent he shot just two seasons ago at Rider. Dwight Murray Jr. leads the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game but he too hasn’t had quite the season the Broncs hoped for. Mervin James is an underrated player to keep an eye on for the Broncs after averaging 11 points per game during the regular season. Ultimately, the Broncs are going to need more players to step up if they want to make an improbable run in AC.

One thing Quinnipiac has been during the regular season is consistently bad. Somehow the Bobcats proved that the worst seeded team in a conference can have the second highest scoring average. But while Quinnipiac may only be second to Iona in scoring the ball, the Bobcats are the worst defensive team in the league giving up 72.5 points per game. Quinnipiac likely won’t have enough consistent scoring to make up for their defensive deficiencies. Expect another quiet ending to the season for Baker Dunleavy and the Bobcats.

There may not be a more defiant coach in the MAAC than Reggie Witherspoon. The Golden Griffins only played 13 games in the peculiar 2020-2021 campaign including not a single non-conference game. But Witherspoon and company did not let that stop them from playing hard each time out, even despite starting the season 3-9. Led by Armon Harried and Jorden Henderson, the Golden Griffins won’t go down without a fight. Their most fatal flaw is their lack of talent which will likely spell a quick exit in AC.