Alex Franklin wins MAAC Player of the Week for the second time this year. Franklin scored 49 points and snagged 18 rebounds in Siena’s two victories this week. At a point on Thursday, Franklin scored 14 straight points in Siena’s comeback victory over Loyola. Franklin is currently third in scoring and field-goal percentage and has solidified his player of the year candidacy.

Alex Franklin: Video Corner (SienaSaintsBlog Video)
Loyola @ Siena 1/21 Edwin Ubiles to Alex Franklin
Manhattan @ Siena 1/18 Alex Franklin Jams it Home

The Siena Saints received three points in today’s most recent AP Top 25.

Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave Siena’s highest vote this week at #24 and Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain Dealer voted Siena as his #25 and Alexander wrote:

Check out Old Dominion, a team playing in a tough mid-major conference (Colonial) that has won nine of its last 10 games. At the very least, a nice bracketbuster opponent for somebody.

Ditto for Siena out of the MAAC. Much like Butler in the Horizon League, the Saints are the big dog in a small conference, currently undefeated in league play and poised to be a NCAA Tournament Cinderella … again.

Siena received 4 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll but it seems the voters are remembering Siena’s reputation as a tournament-experienced tough team. But the Saints needed Edwin Ubiles’ big shot Thursday to keep the winning streak alive.

In a brief bracketbuster preview, Old Dominion cannot play the Saints since both teams are mandated to play road bracketbuster games. Butler, however, is a potential opponent as well as Old Dominion’s CAA other co-leader George Mason. The Saints can’t play the third team tied for the CAA lead, Northeastern. The MAAC currently ranks, in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, as the 15th best conference in the country. Three of the four Siena losses have been to teams that have been ranked this year.

The Indianapolis Star, when not celebrating the Colts win over the Jets, speculates that the Saints might be the Bulldogs opponent in late February:

RPI ratings will fluctuate this week, but major changes would be required to prevent a Butler/Siena pairing. It’s good TV anyway, with teams from different regions represented. Also, this group of Siena Saints has done something these Butler Bulldogs have not — win in the NCAA Tournament. Siena upset Ohio State 74-72 in the first round in 2009 and Vanderbilt 83-62 in the first round in 2008. (Most of the current Bulldogs weren’t on the roster in 2008.)

Siena also appears in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology as a #12 seed against UConn and gives the Saints a 70% chance of remaining in the field of 65. It seems the consensus is around a #12 seed for the Saints but Zach Hayes of RushTheCourt gives Siena a generous #10 seed. A bit of bracket insight: a poor Pac-10 is likely to help the mid-majors cases for at large bids.

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