MAAC Basketball: Power Ranking Iona and the Rest of the Conference
MAAC Basketball: Power Ranking Iona and the Rest of the Conference
MAAC coaches picked Iona to win the conference, and so far, their choice seems to be correct. The Gaels are 7-1 and have the league's best trio—Scott Machado, Mike Glover and MoMo Jones.
However, some of their other picks haven't quite panned out over the season's first month.
Yes, the preseason poll can only be judged fairly at the end of the season, but for now, here are the MAAC's power rankings based on performance only.
10. Rider Broncs
Record: 1-9, 0-2 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Fourth
Rider holds a disappointing (understatement?) 1-9 record, and while the Broncs stuck with Pitt, they also lost by double-digits to Manhattan and Marist.
Their one victory? By two against Howard.
In other words, Rider really has nothing to be proud of through the season's first 10 games.
Novar Gadson, who is averaging just nine points per game, really needs to begin playing like an all-conference forward.
9. Canisius Golden Griffins
Record: 1-6, 0-2 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Ninth
Canisius might have lost to Siena and Fairfield by 12 and nine points, respectively, but the Golden Griffins remained in each game until the final minutes.
Still, sticking with the conference's preseason favorites can't mask a 1-6 record and a recent home loss to South Dakota.
On the bright side, junior college transfer Harold Washington has played very well. The guard is averaging a team-leading 19.3 points to go along with 1.4 steals, a 54.5 field goal percentage and a 35.3 three-point percentage.
8. Siena Saints
Record: 3-6, 0-2 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Sixth
Siena has a recent win over Albany and several close losses, including an 82-78 defeat at the hands of UMass Friday night.
However, as losers of six of their last seven, the 3-6 Saints stand at No. 8.
7. St. Peter's Peacocks
Record: 2-5, 1-1 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Fifth
St. Peter’s is just 2-5 after losing the bulk of its production from a year ago.
The Peacocks sit ahead of Siena because they have beaten the Saints and are 2-2 over their last four contests.
6. Niagara Purple Eagles
Record: 3-6, 0-2 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Seventh
Niagara has a nice win over Central Connecticut State, and three of the Purple Eagles’ six losses have come against Missouri, Iona and Fairfield.
Even their three other losses have been at the hands of decent mid-majors South Dakota State, Mercer and Buffalo.
5. Marist Red Foxes
Record: 4-5, 1-1 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: 10th
Winners of three of its last four, Marist has played well over the last two weeks.
The Red Foxes don’t have any terrible losses—the worst stain on their record is a six-point loss at home to Bucknell—and you can’t penalize them for losing to Kentucky, South Florida or a perennially solid Vermont team.
4. Manhattan Jaspers
Record: 6-4, 2-0 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Eighth
Routs of St. Peter’s and Fordham look great on paper. Don’t forget, though—it’s St. Peter’s and Fordham.
Nonetheless, Jaspers fans should be optimistic because their team hasn't won in such convincing fashion in quite some time. They last won three straight games by double-digits in Jan. 2006.
Convincing or not, Manhattan's recent success can't purge our memories of an 18-point loss at home to the Noruwa Agho-less Columbia Lions. Yes, George Beamon missed the game, but the Jaspers were totally overmatched.
3. Fairfield Stags
Record: 6-4, 2-0 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Second
Losing to Minnesota is acceptable, but as the MAAC’s No. 2 team, you can’t lose to Providence, Dayton and Indiana State.
All those teams are decent, yes. However, Fairfield should have won at least two out of those three.
Fortunately—for both Fairfield and the MAAC—the Stags earned a (somewhat) convincing win over Old Dominion on Friday night.
2. Loyola (MD) Greyhounds
Record: 7-1, 2-0 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: Third
Jimmy Patsos’s squad has won seven straight since dropping its season opener at Wake Forest.
The Greyhounds just picked up their best win of the season—a 10-point victory at George Washington.
1. Iona Gaels
Record: 7-1, 2-0 MAAC
Coaches' Preseason Pick: First
No-brainer here.
A last-second, one-point loss to Purdue is the only blemish on Iona’s record, and a 13-point second half comeback at Denver made a resounding statement to the mid-major world.
The Gaels have won seven consecutive games and play a solid Marshall team on Sunday.