This is clearly the most talented group we’ve ever had at Siena…We want to establish the fact that we can be a top 25 program…This team is capable of doing that.

Then the players were made available for one-on-one interviews with the writers and local television crews. Players discussed such topics as meeting high expectations, the role of an athletic group of underclassmen, and even how the team is looking to cope with the absence of graduated leader Kenny Hasbrouck:

He was so important. Such a clutch shooter, but we have a lot of guys who can score and a lot of guys who have come through in the clutch.
- Edwin Ubiles

Overall, “Media Day” was a small, imformal meet-and-greet as the team and the media got reaquainted as the basketball season gets underway.

Also the Times Union Center is considered as a venue for the MAAC Basketball Championships for 2012-2014. It would not be considered a shocking decision if the conference chose to keep the games in Albany.

Meanwhile MAAC Basketball’s Steve Amedio keeps tabs on all the teams, including the Saints.

The NCAA rule book is gigantic, and it is impossible to properly interpret. One basketball program I know uses an interesting system to determine what to do with regard to the NCAA’s archaic rules. When there is a question about an interpretation, three members of the staff separately call the NCAA for an answer. Invariably, there are three different interpretations provided by the NCAA, and the staff then chooses the interpretation it likes the best.

Sounds like a good idea to me, the NCAA has so many rules there are bound to be many different interpretations.

Siena took their first lead of the game at 9:17 but Louisville charged back with a late run and held off the Saints to go to Indianapolis.

Edwin Ubiles led the Saints with 24 points and 8 boards. Alex Franklin played a great game turning in 19 points and 7 rebounds. Ronald Moore lead the Saints with 10 assists while being consistently harassed by the Cardinal defenders.

More to come later…

Can Mississippi State Break Into The NCAA Tournament and Crush a Bubble Team? Mississippi State, with a win, will break into the NCAA tournament and knock one bubble team out. Bubble teams will be rooting for Tennessee to win this game

One Thing You Didn’t Miss Today: John Calipari actively campaigning for Memphis as a #1 seed. He did it during the 12 o’clock hour on CBS and ESPN. He is campaigning that the senior class this year has the most wins in school history. He says the team is as efficient as it has been and there are still doubts.

Whose Bubble Will Burst? St. Mary’s played an extra game to try and show that they are a viable NCAA Tournament team with Patty Mills. One team I never thought would stay on the bubble following a blowout loss, Creighton, will be big Tennessee fans this afternoon. Arizona and San Diego State are also teetering on the edge of the bubble, hoping to hear their name called by the selection committee.

Joe Sheehan comments on the bubble teams and brings up an interesting argument for Niagara:

I just want to see them considered. They played 16 road games and 21 away from home, going 10-6/15-6. They won their BracketBuster game. They finished second in an underrated league. Are they really better than the middle teams in the Big 11 or SEC? I don’t know, but at some point, winning on the road and in your league has to matter.

Bracket predictors but the Saints in the 9 to 10 range, and two sites say they are a 12. Last year, the three projectors got 194 out of the 195 teams in the field right; only 99.48%.

Siena used a 19-5 run to control the tempo of the game in the first half and had were without Alex Franklin who took a hard fall and an apparent calf injury to Kenny Hasbrouck sidelined him for most of the second half.

Ryan Rossiter broke out early for the Saints scoring most of his points in the first half which included a dunk at 10:41 which opened up a lead of 16. Fairfield Coach Ed Cooley then drew his second technical foul in as many days and Siena shot too well to be contained.

Herbie Allen turned in 19 points to lead Fairfield. Clarence Jackson turned in 16 to lead the Saints. Siena is now 5-1 against Fairfield in the MAAC Tournament. Fairfield is now 5-4 in the semifinal round.

Edwin Ubiles struggled in the first half with only two points and two quick fouls. Ubiles would turn it on for the home crowd having a SportsCenter highlight quality dunk cap his great second half performance of 16 points and 18 points for the game to lead Siena.

Canisius depended on the three for more than half their first half points and they could not convert three pointers in the second half, making just three.

With this win Siena improves to 15-4 all time in the Quarterfinals and 5-2 in games against Canisius in the MAAC Tournament. That ties the number of wins against an opponent in the MAAC Tournament. Siena is 5-0 against Marist and will be going for their 5th win over Fairfield in the tournament Sunday evening.

Siena got off to a slow start as Ronald Moore picked up two quick fouls and didn’t score in just over six minutes on the court. Edwin Ubiles picked up his second foul with 5:53 to go in the first half, a chrarge on Robert Goldsberry, the fans questioned the call but the angles showed that Ubiles leaned with his shoulder and threw a slight elbow which was enough to call it.

Shortly after, at 5:23, a scary situation as Alex Franklin was fouled hard by two Canisius players. Goldsberry also aborbed a hit and was down for two minutes and taken off with assistance and a towel on his face. The call was changed to a flagrant foul and Josh Duell came in for Siena and sank the two free throws. Franklin came back in at 4:28.

Siena did get help from behind the arc, Owen Wingot sinked two threes within two minutes of each other and Siena build their then largest lead of ten, 37-27.

Canisius has loved the three point line so far picking up more than half (15) of their 27 points from behind the arc. They are 5 of 11 and Siena was tempted early in the three point shooting contest. Canisius has also turned it over 13 times, 5 of those coming from Frank Turner who has displayed frustration over a few traveling calls on him.

Important stat thus far: Offensive Rebounds, Siena has 7 and Canisius has 0.

Ed Cooley drew a technical foul with 17:52 to go in the game and it seemed like Manhattan would be able to lean on the Stags. Instead of folding Fairfield stayed resilient by pressing, half court trapping and took a 37-36 lead at 12:33 with F Greg Nero posting up and delivering a basket plus the foul. They were able to play tough even holding up without F Yorel Hawkins after he flipped trying to grab a rebound with 7:18 to go. Hawkins would come back and drain some critical points for the Stags. Fairfield took as big a lead as eight multiple times in the second half.

From there Manhattan remained rattled, unable to convert on offense amidst Fairfield’s changing man-to-man to zone defense. Manhattan got as close as three with 1:39 to go when Chris Smith got a shot to go in and one. Smith could not convert the free throw and Fairfield gave it away out of bounds but Manhattan did not score until it was too late, a Darryl Crawford layup with under ten seconds left was Manhattan’s last score this year.

#10 Marist and #7 Iona was a grind, to say the least, and ended in a 43-40 Marist upset. Both teams made only 8 Field Goals in the first half. The second half did not get better for Iona, they shot 7 of 23 in the second half and could not convert on two late chances to tie the game. Marist moves on to play Niagara at 7:30pm in the night session.