3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Jalen Pickett, So., Siena
Coach of the Year: Shaheen Holloway, Saint Peter’s
Newcomer of the Year: Elijah Burns, R Sr., Siena
Freshman of the Year: Aaron Estrada, Saint Peter’s
Season Storylines:
Saint Peter’s and Siena Surge: Siena’s sluggish start in conference was perplexing, but the Saints have only slipped up once since January 24th. During that span, Saint Peter’s is the only MAAC challenger who’s been able to extinguish the molten hot Saints. The Peacocks and the Saints sit on polar opposite ends of the stylistic spectrum, but their respective approaches have been equally effective this year. Led by the league’s flagship talent in Jalen Pickett, Siena is lighting up the scoreboard at a hyper efficient rate (1.09 PPP in conference games), while the Peacocks’ stifling defense is causing migraines for opposing offenses.
Clueless without Cluess: This headline is a bit outdated, but up until early February Iona looked like an unmitigated disaster. A pathetic non-conference performance foreshadowed a 3-7 start in conference play, as the talented and experienced Gaels looked lost without Head Coach Tim Cluess calling the shots from the sidelines. However, the Gaels are playing leaps and bounds better over the last month and a half, despite four soul-crushing losses during that span. Is another magical MAAC tourney run in the cards?
Not so Easy Rider: The Buckin’ Broncs of Rider were on a rocket ship toward multi-year MAAC dominance after 2017-18’s banner year. A core foursome of Dimencio Vaughn, Stevie Jordan, Frederick Scott and Tyere Marshall put Rider on the fast track toward the top of the MAAC hierarchy, but somewhere along the way the Broncs’ trajectory plateaued. This season was supposed to be the redemption tour, after last year’s letdown left the veteran-laden Broncs thirsty for more. Instead, the 2019-20 campaign was yet another uninspiring season, marred by suspicious effort, sporadic focus, and an infuriating inability to make free-throws.
Paulus Propels the Purple Eagles: Niagara won’t be taking home any trophies or accolades, but Greg Paulus deserves recognition for his disaster prevention mitigation. Already constrained with minimal talent and even less size up front – Niagara is literally the smallest team in the country, per KenPom’s average heigh metric – Paulus had to pull out every misdirection and deception trick up his sleeve. Through smoke and mirrors, Niagara somehow won nine conference games, notching impressive victories over Saint Peter’s, Siena, Rider and Iona (twice).
Tournament Preview
The MAAC effectively forced Iona to sell its second home in Albany, the Times Union Center, where the Gaels had won 12 straight MAAC Tournament games and four consecutive MAAC Championships. Atlantic City becomes the tournament’s new stage, which gives a new sense of hope to all those who repeatedly tried and failed to dethrone the Gaels over the last four years.
Tournament Predictions
The MAAC offers a wide selection of champion choices with unique stylistic identities. If you’re an old school subscriber to the “Defense Wins Championships” mantra, Saint Peter’s is your match made in heaven. If you’re a new school believer in the “pace and space” evolution, Iona or Siena’s perimeter-oriented offenses can put up points in bunches.
However, if you want the best of both worlds, I’d advise you to join me in crowning the King – that is, King Rice and the Monmouth Hawks. Per KenPom, Monmouth is the only team in the MAAC that ranks in the top-3 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, a testament to the Hawks’ balance on both sides of the ball. Rice has brewed a potent backcourt concoction with dueling point guards Ray Salnave and Samuel Chaput, off-the-bench insurgent George Papas, and sharpshooting tandem Marcus McClary and Deion Hammond.
(9) Manhattan over (8) Fairfield
(7) Iona over (10) Canisius
(6) Niagara over (11) Marist
(1) Siena over (9) Manhattan
(7) Iona over (2) Saint Peter’s
(3) Rider over (6) Niagara
(4) Monmouth over (5) Quinnipiac
(4) Monmouth over (1) Siena
(7) Iona over (3) Rider
(4) Monmouth over (7) Iona