Fairfield Basketball

This weekend, the MAAC tournament will take place. Hosted by No. 1 seed Fairfield, the tournament starts on Friday, Mar. 4 with the bottom four teams playing in play-in games. The quarterfinals then take place on Mar. 5. The semifinals will be on Mar. 6. Finally, the championship game will be televised on ESPN2 on Monday, Mar. 7.

For a little recent history of the MAAC tournament, Siena has won the last three tournaments and has made it to the championship game in four straight years. Last year's runner-up was Fairfield, which lost to Siena in overtime.

The lowest seed to ever win the MAAC tournament was No. 8 seed Fairfield in 1997. That year, the Stags won three games, beating No. 1 seed Iona in the quarterfinals, No. 4 seed St. Peter's in the semifinals and No. 2 seed Canisius in the championship game.

Here is a list of how many championships each of the current members of the MAAC has won:

Iona—7

Siena—5

Fairfield—3

Manhattan—3

Niagara—2

St. Peter's—2

Canisius—1

Loyola (MD)—1

Marist—0

Rider—0

First Round, March 4

 Game 1: No. 8 Niagara vs. No. 9 Marist

Niagara and Marist split the regular season series, but Niagara deserved to have swept. The Purple Eagles were absolutely terrible at the start of the year. Since then, they have improved and can actually be a Cinderella team in the MAAC tournament. The Purple Eagles showed their improvement in the second meeting with Marist when they won 77-60.

Since beating Manhattan back in early January, Marist has really struggled. It is no surprise this team was picked to finish last in the MAAC.

All in all, everything is going Niagara's way in this one. The Purple Eagles are the hotter team, they have better coaching, better experience, more leadership and more talent.

My pick: Niagara by 12

Game 2: No. 7 Siena vs. No. 10 Manhattan

Barry Rohrssen managed to take Manhattan to a new low this year with his Jaspers finishing in last place. However, one of their three regular season wins did come over Siena. But, when you look at that game, it was a fluke by both Manhattan and Siena.

First off, Siena was playing without point guard Rakeem Brookins. Second, Siena was awful for the first 30 minutes and Manhattan had its only good offensive performance of the season during that game. During the final 10 minutes, Siena showed how much better it is when compared to Manhattan.

Manhattan may stay close with Siena in this one, but ultimately the Jaspers will have no chance against the Saints.

My pick: Siena by nine

Quarterfinals, March 5

Game 3: No. 2 Iona vs. No. 7 Siena

Iona has been playing great recently. The Gaels only February loss came at the beginning of the month in a close defeat at Fairfield.

With Iona's recent success, the Gaels will not lose to an inferior team like Siena.

My pick: Iona by nine  

Game 4: No. 3 Rider vs. No. 6 Canisius

Rider finished the season on a tear, winning seven of its last eight games. However, the one loss came at home to Canisius. Earlier in the season, Rider only beat Canisius by one point. Although Rider is the favored seed, Canisius still stands a chance in this game.

Rider's defense allows Canisius to get a lot of looks from three-point range. The Golden Griffins like to shoot and they are pretty good at it, too. If the Golden Griffins have just a normal day from beyond the arc, they will be able to stay close with Rider. 

Second, Rider is not such a great rebounding team, which neutralizes Canisius' disadvantage on the glass. The Golden Griffins are not a great rebounding team, but they have been able to win the rebound battles with Rider. 

But what Canisius will have to do to beat Rider is make free throws. When Canisius shot 60 percent from the line in the first meeting, they lost. When it shot 90.9 percent from the line, they won.

In a playoff game, free throws come up so big. As the season neared its end, Canisius got better and better at the foul line. The Golden Griffins got good enough that they are a legitimate upset threat.  

My pick: Canisius by one

Game 5: No. 1 Fairfield vs. No. 8 Niagara

Although Niagara has been improving all season, the Purple Eagles will not pull off the quarterfinal upset. Fairfield is a distinct step above the Niagara team, plus the Stags get to play at home. 

Expect Fairfield's defense to smother Niagara and for the Purple Eagles to get dominated on the glass.

My pick: Fairfield by 17

  

Game 6: No. 4 St. Peter's vs. No. 5 Loyola (MD)

St. Peter's is very possibly the best defensive team in the MAAC. Although Loyola has a few strong offensive threats, the Greyhound offense is not good enough to overpower the Peacock defense. 

Just about all of Loyola's wins have come against weak defensive teams. 

Loyola's only other chance would be to get the St. Peter's players in foul trouble. This is possible considering that Loyola draws a solid amount of fouls per game, but it is not too likely.

My pick: St. Peter's by eight

Semifinals, March 6

Game 7: No. 1 Fairfield vs. No. 4 St. Peter's

This game's focus will definitely be on defense. St. Peter's and Fairfield are two of the better defensive teams in the MAAC. Both teams force a good amount of turnovers, and both force opponents to shoot poorly from the field.

In a game where the defense is about even (St. Peter's probably has a very slight edge), it comes down to who has the stronger offense.

Fairfield definitely has the stronger offense. The Stags have more legitimate scoring threats, plus Derek Needham always has the ability to create for himself.

St. Peter's struggles on offense and will need three-point shooting to beat Fairfield. Unfortunately, for the Peacocks, Fairfield plays very good defense on the perimeter and opponents make less than five three-pointers per game.

My pick: Fairfield by 10

  

Game 8: No. 2 Iona vs. No. 6 Canisius  

The only way for Canisius to win this game is for the Golden Griffins to limit their turnovers. Iona forces 15 turnovers per game and uses those turnovers to get easy transition baskets.

From watching them against Manhattan twice, and against Liberty, I can see that Iona plays great pressure defense and you need to be able to find ways to get out of traps and ways to stay in control of the ball against Iona. 

Unfortunately, Canisius is only mediocre at doing that. The Golden Griffins average over 14 turnovers per game and only have a few ball-handlers. 

My pick: Iona by 12

Championship, March 7, ESPN2

Game 9: No. 1 Fairfield vs. No. 2 Iona

So, despite an upset by Canisius, I expect the championship game to come down to the top two seeds. 

Fairfield and Iona split the season series. The Gaels lost by four at Fairfield, and the Stags lost by five at Iona on the final day of the regular season. 

This game will come down to two factors—field goal percentage and rebounding.

In the first meeting, Fairfield won in both categories and won the game. In the second meeting, those two categories belonged to Iona, and the Gaels won that game. Now, the only question is who will win those two categories in the final meeting.

It looks like Fairfield has a slight edge because the Stags' star players are less prone to getting in foul trouble.

Scott Machado and Mike Glover are the Iona leaders, and Glover tends to get in foul trouble, while Machado sometimes gets in foul trouble. 

Although Iona is a talented team, the Gaels are relatively inexperienced. In a hostile environment favoring the Stags, it will be easy for the Iona players to get rattled and very possibly commit some unnecessary fouls that will come back to bite Iona.

If Glover gets into foul trouble like he did in the first meeting with Iona, Fairfield will have a huge advantage on the boards. But as long as Iona keeps either Machado or Glover on the floor, the Gaels will have a chance to upset Fairfield.

Just because Fairfield is the more consistent offensive team, expect them to have the better field goal percentage.

And if Glover can stay out of foul trouble, Iona should win the rebounding battle, splitting the two main categories between the two teams.

So, the final and deciding factor will be the fact that Fairfield is playing on its home floor. The Stags will not let this one slip away in front of their fans.

My pick: Fairfield by three 

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information. 

Resilience is defined as the ability to readily recover from illness, depression, adversity, or the like. However, the 2009-10 Fairfield Men's Basketball team would probably be a more suitable definition to MAAC followers.

Look back to the middle of last year when Anthony Johnson learned that his constant chest pains were a result of a life-threatening blood clot. The 6'8" center recuperated and was named the 2009-10 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.

In the beginning of this season, the ambiguous statuses of essential players Greg Nero and Warren Edney raised questions about Fairfield's potential.

Could the Stags be successful without their senior leader, and another crucial piece to their 2008-09 puzzle? Would the Stags have anyone capable of stepping up?

Well, those questions have certainly been answered.

Fairfield placed second in the MAAC with a 13-5 league record without Nero and Edney logging a single minute. The Stags have even won seven of nine since Yorel Hawkins, who was averaging 14.6 points per game, suffered a season-ending knee injury.

In response to the second question, two words will suffice: Derek Needham. The freshman from Dalton, Ill. put the Stags on his back, averaging 16.3 points and 5.3 assists per game. 

So when Bilal Benn extended Niagara's lead over Fairfield to seven with 7:16 remaining in tonight's MAAC Semifinal, Stag fans did not lose faith. Their team had overcome worse adversities.

Seven minutes and one 18-5 run later, Fairfield had booked a date with Siena in tomorrow night's MAAC Championship.

Should Fairfield fall to the regular season champs, the Stags would most likely receive an invitation to the NIT. But, there's no reason to say Fairfield doesn't stand a chance of preventing Siena from its coveted three-peat. 

Siena defeated Fairfield by eight in Connecticut, but the Stags nearly ended Siena's longstanding home win streak a few weeks later in a two-point loss. No other team came closer than six against the Saints at the Times Union Center. 

Siena's home court advantage is apparent, but Fairfield knows it can compete in Albany. 

With Anthony Johnson and Ryan Olander, the Stags have a frontcourt capable of defending and scoring against Siena's bigs. Fairfield also shoots well from beyond the arc, and Siena struggles to defend the three.

If Fairfield wins the MAAC Championship, the Stags will give a new meaning to the word "resilience." 

For more MAAC basketball, follow Ari Kramer on Twitter by clicking here .

Photo from Fairfield Mirror

If you've paid any attention to the MAAC this year, you'd know that Fairfield's Derek Needham has assembled an extraordinary freshman campaign.

He's not going to win MAAC Player of the Year—although he'll likely finish in the top five—but there's no doubt that he is the MAAC's Rookie of the Year.

An adept scorer, Needham has led Fairfield through its injury woes to a top-four finish. He's quick with and without the ball, excels off the dribble and the pick and roll, and can score from anywhere on the floor. 

Sometimes Needham loses control and shows poor judgment. As a result, his turnover average of 3.9 per game is through the roof. However, he is a freshman who was thrust into a starting role. If Ed Cooley deserves the reputation people around the league have given him, Needham's decision making should improve.

The freshman floor general is averaging 16.1 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. He has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games and has posted 20 or more points seven times.

If that wasn't impressive enough, he's taken home the MAAC Rookie of the Week honor nine times in 14 weeks.

Pretty much no other MAAC rookie stands a chance of topping Needham for the conference's postseason award. However, there is a group of MAAC freshmen who have reassured MAAC followers that the league's talent won't disappear with the graduation of this year's extremely talented senior class.

The promising freshmen come from a select group of schools, but there are others—think Siena's O.D. Anosike and Niagara's Scooter Gillette—who are certain to garner more attention as they receive more playing time.

Every time Needham wasn't voted the MAAC Rookie of the Week, an Iona Gael received the honor.

Rashard McGill, who is averaging 4.2 points and 3 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game, took the honor twice, while 6'8" Mike McFadden, averaging 5.1 points per game, received it once.

Sharpshooting Kyle Smyth was voted the league's top rookie of the week twice; he split the award once with Loyola's Bobby Olson. Deadly from beyond the arc, Iona's freshman is shooting 41.6 percent from long range and averaging 8.3 points in 25.1 minutes per game.

Olson proved he was worthy of the hype surrounding his recruitment to Loyola when Jamal Barney temporarily left the team for personal reasons. The 6'4" shooting guard averaged 10.7 points in six games without Barney and is averaging 6.3 points on the season.

Olson is not yet at the point where he can consistently create for himself, but he is a sharpshooter with tremendous potential.

Saint Peter's would likely not be in fourth place without the solid production from freshman Darius Conley, who is averaging 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. At 6'7", Conley played his best game against Siena's loaded frontcourt, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 boards.

Although Marist has suffered through a dreadful season, coach Chuck Martin has reason to believe his situation could improve as more recruits arrive to support his freshman class.

Marist's Devin Price, Candon Rusin, and Rob Johnson all showed potential through a rough year.

Photo from fairfieldstags.com

For more MAAC and mid-major basketball, follow Ari Kramer on Twitter by clicking here .

Manhattan lost once again on Monday night. Rico Pickett was plagued with foul trouble and scored 18 points on the game before fouling out.

Manhattan (9-17, 4-12 MAAC) had some hope in the first few minutes after Rico Pickett hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Jaspers a 6-4 lead. This would be the only lead the Jaspers would possess for the entire game. Fairfield (18-8, 11-5 MAAC) used a 23-2 run to open up a 27-8 lead. 

Fairfield would take their largest lead of the game at 40-16 on a Mike Evanovich three-pointer. Manhattan would cut back into lead on a pair of Darryl Crawford free throws, taking a 43-25 deficit into halftime. 

After hitting two three-pointers to start the game, Rico Pickett did not score.

Manhattan actually started playing better early in the second half, cutting the lead as low as 53-40 with 10:55 left. The Jaspers then struggled from the field for the next few minutes while playing bad defense, and Fairfield scored a quick six points to boost the lead back to 19 points. 

Once again, Manhattan got some life pumped back into them and scored a quick four points to put themselves back within 15. Mike Evanovich then heated up, scoring eight straight points for the Stags, including two three-pointers. 

With Fairfield up 71-52 in the final two minutes, Anthony Johnson got a wide-open dunk and slammed it home, rattling the backboard, sending an exclamation point through Draddy Gymnasium. Johnson, who had struggled relative to his first performance against Manhattan, let out a yell of relief as he scored his 14th point. 

Manhattan went the final 2:13 without a field goal, but the Jaspers did make all four of their down the stretch. Nick Walsh turned the ball over with 20 seconds left and Fairfield ran out the clock. With the win, the Stags remain in a tie with Iona for second place in the MAAC, whom they have already lost to. Fairfield hosts the Gaels in their next MAAC game on February 26.

Fairfield had four players score in double digits. Mike Evanovich led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Evanovich made four three-pointers. Anthony Johnson scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Colin Nickerson scored 13 points and freshman Derek Needham scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists.

Sean Crawford scored eight points and hit two three-pointers in the first half.

Fairfield shot 27-of-53 (50.9 percent) from the field, and made 8-of-18 three-pointers. 

On the other hand, Manhattan shot 18-of-54 (33.3 percent) from the field. Without Rico Pickett, the rest of the Jaspers shot 10-of-39 for an abysmal 25.6 percent.

Rico Pickett led the Jaspers with 18 points, 12 in the second half. Pickett grabbed five rebounds, four of them offensive. Pickett only played 24 minutes due to foul trouble.

Freshman George Beamon scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting. Beamon also had seven rebounds.

Darryl Crawford and Brandon Adams each scored eight points. Crawford shot 1-of-8 from the field and Adams shot 2-of-9. Crawford made all six of his free throws and Adams made three of his four. 

Manhattan had one of their better free throw shooting games, making 16-of-20 free throws. 

With this loss, Manhattan has lost four straight games to Fairfield, and now its hopes of eighth place in the MAAC are almost gone.

Fairfield plays at Vermont (19-8, 10-3 Am. East) in the BracketBusters on Saturday. 

Manhattan hosts Towson (7-18, 4-11 CAA) in their BracketBusters game.

For more college basketball, follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter. 

Rank. Team (Previous Ranking)

1. Siena Saints (1)

Record: 13-4, 6-0 

RPI: 40

The Saints remain the best in the MAAC with an undefeated, 6-0 record. In the past week, Siena crushed Niagara and then defeated Canisius.

Next: Saturday, @ Fairfield

2. Farifield Stags (3)

Record: 12-4, 5-1

RPI: 124

The Stags also won both of their games this week, defeating Loyola (MD) and Manhattan. Fairfield almost blew a late, 10 point lead against the Jaspers, but they were able to hold on for a win.

Next: Saturday, Siena

3. Iona Gaels (5)

Record: 11-6, 3-3

RPI: 92

The Gaels won at Rider, and then at Loyola (MD). Iona has won three out of their last four.

Next: Saturday, Niagara

4. Niagara Purple Eagels (2)

Record: 10-8, 3-3

RPI: 130

The Purple Eagles lost at Siena and then lost a heartbreaker to St. Peter's in double overtime.

Next: Saturday, @ Iona

5. St. Peter's Peacocks (7)

Record: 8-8, 3-3

RPI: 199

Although the Peacocks beat Niagara in their head-to-head matchup, they lost at Manhattan this week, causing them to fall short of the No. 4 spot.

Next: Friday, @ Rider

6. Rider Broncs (4)

Record: 10-8, 3-3

RPI: 152

Rider lost to Iona and then crushed Marist on the road.

Next: Friday, St. Peter's

7. Canisius Golden Griffs (9)

Record: 8-9, 3-3

RPI: 197

Canisius won at Marist and then lost at Siena.

Next: Saturday, @ Manhattan

8. Manhattan Jaspers (8)

Record: 7-9, 2-4

RPI: 219

The Jaspers beat St. Peter's, 76-53, at home and then lost a close game at Fairfield, 88-85.

Next: Saturday, Canisius

9. Loyola (MD) Greyhounds (6)

Record: 8-8, 1-5

RPI: 184

Loyola lost both of their games this week against Fairfield and Iona.

Next: Friday, Marist

10. Marist Red Foxes (10)

Record: 1-15, 1-5

RPI: 341

Following their first win against Manhattan, Marist has now lost four straight games. This past week they lost to Canisius and Rider.

Next: Friday, @ Loyola (MD)

For more information on the MAAC, follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter by clicking here.

Beware Siena. Beware Niagara. Beware Rider. Beware Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

There's a team playing some very good basketball up in Connecticut. It's a team predicted to finish fourth in the MAAC, but right now, it looks like it can beat anyone in the conference.

That team: the Fairfield Stags.

The Stags are off to an 8-3 start. Sure, Sacred Heart is the best team they've beaten, but don't forget they haven't been at full strength all year. Swingman Warren Edney and star Greg Nero have been sidelined for all 11 games.

It's really not inconceivable at all to think Fairfield would be off to a 10-1 start with Nero and Edney available. Other than a 29 point loss at Maryland, the Stags have lost two games by a total of nine points—by four at Hofstra and by five at Rhode Island, who has beaten Providence and Boston College.

Despite the injuries, Fairfield has exceeded expectations. The early season success can be attributed to the core of Yorel Hawkins, Derek Needham, and Anthony Johnson.

Hawkins, a 6'5" forward who missed the first three games of the year, has scored in double figures in all but one game. He's leading the Stags with 16.9 points per game.

Excluding a three game stretch in November, Johnson has been a dominant force on both ends of the floor. He has seven double-doubles and is averaging 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.

Needham has been the most impressive Stag. As a freshman, the quick point guard is averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 assists in a team-leading 34.1 minutes per game. He's still making some poor decisions, but he is running an effective offense.

Fairfield has been so successful because it has talent beyond its core. Lyndon Jordan, Mike Evanovic, and Ryan Olander can all be relied on for offense. Even redshirt freshman Shimeek Johnson showed promise while Hawkins was sidelined early in the year.

Coach Ed Cooley has a great mind for the game and keeps his players focused and motivated.

The Stags have the components to compete with the MAAC's best and will only improve if/when Nero and Edney come back.

Photo from fairfieldstags.com

On Saturday, March 7, the Fairfield University Stags beat the Manhattan Jaspers 68-61 to move on to the MAAC Conference semifinals against the No. 1 seed Siena Saints.

As you may already know, the Stags have been plagued by injuries all season long. These injuries include Anthony Johnson, Warren Edney, and Greg Nero, who has returned but is still not 100 percent.

After the first half, Fairfield had a one-point 25-24 lead in a half that featured tough defense from both sides. The Jaspers came out of the gate on fire, starting the second half with a 10-0 run to take a 34-25 lead. After Stags coach Ed Cooley took an early half timeout, the Stags went on a 22-7 run to take a 47-41 lead with just 8:51 to go in the second half.

The points leader for the Jaspers was Darryl Crawford, who posted 21 points with six rebounds, three of them on the offensive side of the ball. Chris Smith scored 14 points and led the team with eight rebounds.

One big name back in the lineup for Manhattan was Devon Austin, who missed a month due to injury, but he only played 13 minutes, scoring just five points.

The Stags were led by the play of Mike Evanovich and Herbie Allen. Evanovich had 18 points and four rebounds, while Allen put up 17 points and three assists. Evanovich is the Stags' largest threat from behind the arc and made two of Fairfield's three attempts from three-point land.

The reason why Allen's numbers are so impressive is because he missed much of the first half due to foul trouble. He was called for his third foul with 12 minutes to play in the first half.

On the afternoon, the Stags shot 50 percent from the floor, most of which came in the second half 43-point explosion.

Allen, Evanovich, and Jamal Turner all committed four fouls with plenty of time to go in the second half but were able to avoid fouling out of the game. In my opinion, the Jaspers failed to control the game when they were unable to get the top players of Fairfield to foul out.

The Jaspers are the type of team that will score quickly and not take much time to set a play. If they see an open lane, they take it to the basket. The positive of this strategy is that it prevents the defense from getting set, but the negative is that it results in lower percentage shooting.

Any viewer of the game will know that this way of running an offense worked in the opening of each half, but Fairfield adjusted and was able to keep the Jasper offense in check. 

All season long the Stags have faced challenges with injuries and their top point guard Jon Han being suspended for the rest of the season. This game was no different. Greg Nero was showing signs of fatigue and back pain late in the second half from being absent for almost a month, while Yorel Hawkins battled a lower back injury that took him out of the game for short time in the second half.

Despite the setbacks, Nero was able to maintain great positioning under the basket, while Hawkins came right back in the game to maintain the Stag lead.

With 1:23 left in the game, the Stags had control of a 59-56 lead when the Jaspers began to use the full court press and try to force a turnover. Because of this, Mike Evanovich was left wide-open near the basket, took the pass, and made a two-handed dunk to put an exclamation mark on the game.

After that, the Jaspers had no other choice but to foul and allow the Stags to shoot free throws. The Stags made seven of their last 10 free shots to win the game 68-61.

Next up for the Stags is the Siena Saints, who are No. 1 in the conference and routed Canisius in their semifinal game 77-52. The Saints were led by Edwin Ubiles, who put up 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Ubiles, along with Ryan Rossiter and Kenny Hasbrouck, will pose the biggest threat to Fairfield chances at winning their semifinal matchup and moving on to the MAAC championship.

This weekend, March 6 through March 9, the teams in the MAAC will play in a tournament in Albany, New York for their chance to go to the national tournament. Usually, the MAAC only has one team representing on the national stage. 

SIENA

The preseason favorite in the MAAC was Siena, and they have lived up to expectations. They went 16-2 in the MAAC and 23-7 overall. Their only two losses in the MAAC were on the road to third place Rider and second place Niagara.

Siena is such a dangerous team that can dominate anywhere on the court. They have three players that average double-digit points per game and two players that average 7.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck leads the team with 14.8 PPG and 1.9 steals per game. Siena also gets its points from Edwin Ubiles, who averages 14.7 PPG, and Alex Franklin, who averages 13.8 PPG and 7.4 RPG.

This team has a perfect balance of an underneath presence and a threat from three-point land. Both Franklin and Ryan Rossiter average 7.4 RPG, while Hasbrouck is shooting 37 percent from three-point land.

Siena has a relatively easy road to the finals, especially in the first round. They will face the winner of the Loyola-Canisius game, which are the eighth and ninth seeds of the MAAC. Siena has won all four games between the two possible first round challengers. I do not see an upset against Siena in round one.

In the second round they will be playing the winner of the Fairfield-Manhattan game; both teams failed to beat Siena once this season.

One of the biggest aspects going in Siena's favor is the fact that the tournament is in Albany, just miles away from Siena's campus. The home crowd and high play against the MAAC makes them the favorite to win and go to the national tournament.

NIAGARA

Niagara finished second in the MAAC this season, going 14-4 in the MAAC and 24-7 overall. This is going to be Siena's largest threat to the national tournament. They have performed well against Siena this season, handing Siena one of their two MAAC losses in a 100-85 offensive explosion for the Purple Eagles.

While Siena's stats are impressive, Niagara's are even better. The Purple Eagles have four players that average double-digit points per game. The player to watch for the Purple Eagles is Bilal Benn. He averages 14.1 PPG and 9.1 RPG. He provides a strong senior presence capable of doing a lot of damage. In the 100-85 win over Siena he put up 21 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals.

Their first round matchup is fairly easy like Siena. They will face the winner of the Iona-Marist game, which are the seventh seed and the MAAC's worst, 10th seed Marist.

Marist really only has one major threat, and that is the senior forward Ryan Schneider. He averages 16.1 PPG and 8.2 RPG. He is unique for the MAAC because this conference is not known for its three-point shooting, but Schneider is the exception. This season he is 84-for-227 from behind the arc, making him a 37 percent three-point shooter. He is also an 87 percent free throw shooter, which is one of the best in the MAAC.

The only other player in double figures for points is David Devezin, who averages 10.2 PPG. He contributes in assists, leading the Red Foxes at 4.1 APG. Besides Devezin and Schneider, Marist doesn't have many threats, which landed them the last seed in the MAAC and the tournament.

RIDER

After the top two powerhouses of the MAAC comes Rider, who was 12-6 in the MAAC and 18-11 overall. They are somewhat of a sleeper team because much of the attention will be on Niagara and Siena as the projected final game contenders. The Broncs will be facing St. Peters in the first round, the No. 6 seed in the MAAC.

The Broncs are led by junior Ryan Thompson, who averages 17.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG. Thompson has one of his best games against the Peacocks in the regular season, posting 25 points and six rebounds in a 78-67 win at St. Peters.

Since the Broncs are overshadowed by the top two seeds in the MAAC, it makes them somewhat underdogs, but they shouldn't be underestimated. They beat Niagara and Siena, both games at home. So it is not like Rider cannot compete with the fierce top two, but they will have to be at the top of their game to win this tournament.

FAIRFIELD

The last two teams that have a chance to win are Fairfield and Manhattan.

Fairfield was ranked second in the MAAC before the season, but they went 9-9 in the MAAC and 16-14 overall. Fairfield has had the strangest season of any team in the MAAC. After losing key players Anthony Johnson to blood clots in the upper chest and Greg Nero to back spasms, they also lost the leader of the team Jon Han because of differences with the coach Ed Cooley. The situation escalated and ended Han's season after a 65-60 loss at Manhattan.

After Han left the team, senior Herbie Allen took over as the leading guard and has been a breath of fresh air for this Stags team. Allen averaged 17.6 PPG in the last five games of the season and was the spark Fairfield needed after losing all of its key players.

Greg Nero is also going to return for the Stags, and he led the team with 12.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG. Mike Evanovich provides a threat from three-point land off the bench. Since the teams witnessed so many injuries, Evanovich has done a nice job stepping in. In the last game of the season against Rider, he had 14 points and went 4-for-10 from outside the arc.

Fairfield may be battered and bruised, but they have a lot of fight left in them. The younger players are performing like this is their third year, and if all goes well, they could potentially make a run. The only problem for the Stags is that if they win their first round matchup against Manhattan, they will have to face Siena on their home court.

MANHATTAN

Manhattan is another team that could potentially make some noise in this tournament. They will face off against the Stags of Fairfield; the two teams split the season series 1-1. Fairfield came back from being down 10 in the fourth quarter to win in the most recent meeting.

Manhattan went 9-9 in the MAAC while going 16-13 overall. The Jaspers have three players who score double digits in points, led by junior Darryl Crawford. The biggest flaw for this team is the lack of size, which results in a lack of rebounds. Chris Smith leads the Jaspers with 5.6 RPG, and he is just 6'3". Their tallest player is Laurence Jolicoeur, who is 6'9", but he only played 17 games and averaged 2.8 RPG.

Like Fairfield, Manhattan has a very rough road to the finals. Both teams are equally matched against one another but outmatched against Siena, Niagara, and even Rider. They can compete, and I expect the winner of this game to give Siena a decent run, but Siena will prevail in the end.

PREDICTION

While Siena is the early favorite, I feel Niagara is on a great run right now. They have won 10 of their last 11, including an emotional home win against Siena. They have the confidence and momentum, and I believe they will win this tournament and win a shot at the national tournament.

Before the NCAA basketball season began, most people ranked the Fairfield University basketball team second in the MAAC, behind only the Sienna Saints, who went to the National Tournament last year and won a first-round game against No. 4 Vanderbilt.

The beginning of the season went well for the Stags, despite losing in Memphis 90-63 in the opener and dropping two of three in a tournament that took place in Puerto Rico. After the tournament, though, the Stags went on one of their best winning streaks in recent history, winning seven in a row, including victories over American, Holy Cross, and Drexel.

After the winning streak is when the team really began to go downhill, and it began with an away game in UConn, where the Stags at one point held a lead but eventually lost, 75-55. With that loss the Stags became the streakiest team in the MAAC, alternating between winning three and losing three.

So what happened with the team that showed so much promise at the start of the season?

First, injuries can certainly be a reason for blame. Anthony Johnson is most likely out for the season with blood clots in his upper chest, an injury that could have been a lot worse and was originally diagnosed as an upper body muscle pull. Johnson was the big presence down low and provided a sense of leadership among the rest of the team. When playing, he averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Next, up-and-coming sophomore Warren Edney has missed 11 games this season with an ankle injury that will likely keep him out the rest of the season. He played in just three of his last 14 games for just 17 minutes and posted just nine points.

The third major injury that has hurt the Stags is forward Greg Nero, who has suffered a back injury. While it hasn't put a huge dent on his playing time, it has influenced his ability to post opponents, get rebounds, and create opportunities under the net. This injury has kept Nero off the floor just once and that was the last game against Niagara, in which the Stags lost 83-76.

Nero will likely be a game-to-game decision in hopes he will be ready for the MAAC tournament coming up in early March.

The biggest loss for the Stags was not done by injury, but drama. Jon Han left the team after constant disputes with coach Ed Cooley, which escalated after a 65-60 loss to Manhattan. Han has been at arms with Cooley ever since he took over for former coach Tim O'Tool, who originally recruited Han.

Han's presence has been missed on the court. He averaged a career-high 12.5 points and 5.3 assists per game. His leadership on the court is what is missed the most, because he was able to set up the offense at will and make passes to players like Nero and Johnson.

Han is most noted this season for single-handedly getting Fairfield back into a game against the MAAC-leading Sienna Saints that, at one point, had the Stags down 22-4. Han posted 20 points and two assists, and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

The free-throw line is where the Stags have struggled the most this season. They're shooting just 66 percent, which is nowhere near other teams in the conference, like Loyola, who is shooting almost 76 percent.

Three-point shooting is also a weakness for the Stags, and they tend to rely on it too often when losing late in a game. The Stags are shooting 32 percent from three-point land, where teams like Marist shoot 38 percent.

Not all has been bad for Fairfield, though.

They have seen many bright spots in the lineup, including Ryan Olander, who has stepped in nicely for Johnson, and Herbie Allen, who has done very well stepping in for Jon Han. Allen, with a hurt wrist, has led the Stags to a 3-3 record while posting 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

The Stags are currently fifth in the MAAC, one game behind Manhattan and one game ahead of Iona. They have just two games against conference opponents—Manhattan and Rider—so finishing in the three seed is not far-fetched, but they could fall as far as the eighth seed, where they would face a tough opponent in the first round.

One thing is for sure: If they want to make a long run in the MAAC tournament and  have any hopes of making the National Tournament, players like Nero, Olander, Allen, and Evanovich will have to step up and play their "A" game down the stretch.