Who is Siena? Haven’t I seen this name the past two years in my bracket? This name is so familiar I should just pick them right? Yes, and yes.

It’s a great day in sports; it’s the day that you spend penciling in teams in your bracket, until you can’t even read through the erase marks. Many of you are here now doing your due diligence on the 2010 Siena Saints.

If your team is in, congratulations, and good luck, unless of course you’re a Purdue fan, in which case we wish bad things upon you, well, that was a little dramatic– we wish your team plays extremely poorly on Friday night. We mean like first half Purdue poorly.

Recent History

The 2008 Siena Saints dominated Vanderbilt in the first round as a #13 seed. Their 21-point win over Vanderbilt was the most lopsided #13 over #4 seed win since 1985. They would go on to lose to Villanova in the second round.

Last year, #9 Siena took #8 Ohio State to double overtime in the first round. This is where PG Ronald Moore got his name on the map, knocking down two crucial threes in the closing seconds of each OT. In the second round, they were right with Louisville with about five to go, but the #1 seed proved too much for Siena to handle.

This Season

Siena has since lost one starter and one bench player in each year, but this has not stopped them. The Saints attempted to schedule up again this season, but nobody wanted to play them. Siena had their chances for quality wins against 4 NCAA Tournament teams; they lost a close one against Temple, lost at Georgia Tech (without Ubiles), competed closely with Northern Iowa, and got smoked by Butler.

Siena simply dominated the MAAC conference this season. Including the conference tournament, the Saints were 20-1 this season. In their last three games, they have trailed by 6+ points at half and have come back to win, including an overtime victory the Championship game. Siena trailed by as much as 15 points in the first half. One thing is for sure, if you let this team hang around, they will come back– they are resilient.

The Starters

PG Ronald Moore
Moore leads the nation in assists, but more importantly, is the most clutch player perhaps in Siena’s history. Ronald may only be shooting 23% from three this season, but two of those three pointers have come in the closing minutes of the Saints’ past two games.

SG Clarence Jackson
Clarence is the three point specialist for Siena, but has proven that he has the ability to drive the ball to the hoop with authority.

SF Edwin Ubiles
Ubiles marks the top of Siena’s 1-2-2 press. He has great length, anticipation, and the most NBA potential on this team. Edwin appears to be finishing off his Siena career strong, shooting 47.8% from the field in his last five games. Ubiles can simply do it all.

PF Alex Franklin
Conference Player of the year, MAAC Tournament MVP, there is not much else you really need to say about Franklin, who has greatly improved his ability to put the ball on the deck and go one on one. Alex’s strength is not found anywhere else in the league, and he has proven he can match up with bigger Div. I talent.

C Ryan Rossiter
Ryan Rossiter is sometimes overlooked, but it is hard to overlook his presence coming into this game. He is 5th in the country, averaging over a double-double per game, 21 this season. Rossiter is the smartest player on this team, and fights for every rebound.

Quick Facts

• Location: Albany, NY
• Enrollment: 3,000
• 6th NCAA Tournament Appearance
• Siena has the second longest home court winning streak (38) in Division I

Catch the 2009-10 Siena Saints video highlights and more HD video at our video page.

Friday night’s games will be broadcast on MAACSports.com. Saturday’s and Sunday’s games will be broadcast on the MSG family of networks, and the MAAC title game will be on ESPN2. The winner of Monday’s night game will go to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Tickets–

Ticket packages for all 9 games can be purchased online, buy now.

Schedule–

• Monday March 8th
• 7:00: Final
• Sunday March 7th
• 4:00: Semifinal I
• 6:30: Semifinal II
• Saturday March 6th
• 2:30: #5 Rider v #4 St. Peter’s
• 4:30: #1 Siena v TBD
• 7:30 #2 Fairfield v TBD
• 10:00: #3 Iona v #6 Niagara
• Friday March 5th
• 7:30: #9 Manhattan v #8 Loyola
• 9:30: #10 Marist v #7 Canisius

Download the 2010 MAAC Championship Bracket as a word document. DOC

The Siena Saints (12-4, 5-0) host the Canisius Golden Griffins (8-8, 3-2) at the Times Union Center, 7pm Monday night.  The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable channel 3.  The Saints are tied for the third longest home court winning streak in the country at 29 with Dayton and Pittsburgh, behind Kansas (51) and Missouri (30), and will also try to extend their unbeaten streak against Canisius to nine in a row.   This isn’t quite the same Griffs team the Saints have faced in recent memory, though.

Canisius was picked to finish seventh in the MAAC conference by the coaches in the preseason men’s basketball poll, but the team has responded well early in the season.  Their non-conference wins may not be flashy, but a win at home against an improving Iona team served notice to other conference foes that the Griffs are here to compete this year– tied for third in the MAAC.

The Griffs are led by versitile 5′10″ senior guard Frank Turner.  A true stat stuffer, Turner leads the league in scoring with 17 points per game, averages 5.1 assists per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and 2.3 steals per game.  Turner is the cornerstone of the team, and while names like Ubiles, Franklin, Thompson, Lewis, Harvey, and Benn may be thrown in to the hat for Player of the Year consideration, Frank Turner has to be at or near the top of the list.  He is a consistent and dynamic performer, and a huge reason why the Golden Griffins are working their way up the conference ladder for the first time in a long time.

Turner is followed in scoring by 6′4″ junior guard Julius Coles, who is averaging 15.1 points per game, and 6′7″ junior forward Greg Loggins who is averaging 10.9 points per game.  One of the key things to watch in this matchup though is going to be the battle of the boards – while Siena outrebounds it’s opponents 39-35.6 each game the Griffs also have a positive advantage in team rebounding, edging their opponents 37.8-35.6 per game.  The X-Factor for the Saints in this game may be the balanced scoring of its team, and if the Griffs can’t fully scheme for it and keep them off the glass then it may be a difficult night for them.

Siena’s scoring race has been as fun to watch as a Saratoga race card – Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin are now tied for the lead with 15.3 per game.  While Clarence Jackson is as explosive as anyone on the team, he is sometimes an anomaly – he has led or tied for the lead in scoring in six games this year, but also threw in a few head scratchers.  As impressive as his defense has been at times this year, his defensive intensity and rare carelessness with decision making on the court has found him in coach McCaffery’s dog house on a couple of occasions.  Meanwhile, junior Ryan Rossiter is the stalwart down low, averaging almost a double-double with 12.6ppg and 9.8rpg.  No one man is called upon to shoulder the load night in and night out.  What is most likely going to be the linchpin for this team down the stretch is the now evident emergence of its bench players.

Sophomore guard Kyle Downey seems to have completely returned from a back injury during the offseason and looks like a completely different player – while he is not shooting prolifically from three-point range he is hitting crucial field goals, and his defense and rebounding has stepped up in the minutes he gets to spell the starters.  Freshman forward OD Anosike had the best game of his early career on Saturday against Niagara, scoring 6 points, and grabbing 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in 22 minutes of play.  If Coach McCaffery can continue to get production from these two and set a solid 7-man rotation, then any other quality minutes he can get from reserves Kyle Griffin, Davis Martens, and Jonathan Breeden will be icing on the cake.  It looks like the depth issue that hindered the Saint’s chances to get an ‘up’ non-conference win early in the season may be behind them as the squad looks to make a strong run through the MAAC schedule.

KEYS TO THE GAME

• Let’s Get Physical?: The Saints continue to rank high in the nation in fewest fouls committed, 5th currently with 14.4 per game – that stat is going to be tested by the strong and physical Golden Griffins.  If the Saints can absorb the contact and not get in to foul trouble while maintaining an edge in rebounding then they should have a great shot at getting the win.
• How Much Can You Bench?: The Saints almost got themselves in to uncharacteristic foul trouble against Niagara, but the reserves did a fine job logging minutes and producing quality play.  Downey and Anosike will continue to be the first two off the bench, but in this game the play of sophomore forward Owen Wignot and freshman forward Davis Martens could prove to be even more valuable if coach McCaffery finds a way to extend the bench even more.  The size and athleticism of Wignot and Martens could give different looks for the Saints against the physicality and post prowess of the Griffs.
• More Cowbell?  How About More Free Throws?: The Saints still average a paltry free throw shooting percentage of 65.4% halfway through the season, but they have averaged better than 70% in their last few games.  For a team that gets to the line as much as they do, and as much as they should on Monday night, the improved free throw shooting is a welcome sight.

NOTES

• The Saints are outscoring their opponents 79.2-61.8 in the friendly confines of the Times Union Center.  Who doesn’t long for someone to put up some big bucks and re-name it the Knickerbocker Arena again?
• Siena has a +17 scoring advantage in MAAC games, winning each MAAC contest by double digits, and the team leads the league in scoring, margin of victory, field goal percentage, rebounding, assists, and steals.
• While the Saints went 16-2 in conference last year, and are certainly trying to at least reach that mark again this year, the record for consecutive victories belongs to the 1988-99 squad who won 14 in a row.

Junior forward Alejo Rodriguez leads the team with an average of 11 points per game and 7 rebounds. He’s complimented by last year’s MAAC ROY, Scott Machado, who is averaging 10.7 points per game and leads the team in assists and steals. Iona played up to their competition in Orlando at the Old Spice and will need to elevate their game for the Saints tonight.

Last year, in the first match up between these two teams, Siena needed some late magic from Edwin Ubiles to overcome Machado and the Gaels in Albany– Audio: here

Siena is coming off a terrific defensive performance against Albany and CJ an outstanding effort– scoring 25 points off of 9-15 shooting. He missed his career game high total by three points. Look for Ronald to be fresh– Coach McCaffery decided to rest Ronald Moore on Saturday for the majority of the second half. This is particularly important when you factor in that this is Siena’s 3rd city in 6 days, and the one day turn around.

I love the UAlbany game. I remember going crazy during that triple overtime game a couple years ago. The place is always packed, and it’s one of the most fun games of the season to go to.
- Senior Michael DiSiena

This game’s popularity may be best reflected on Siena campus. The festivities will begin Friday night– in townhouses and dorm rooms throughout the college. The Saturday pregame will include large amounts of food (pizza), drinks (soda), face-painting, and Dog Pound chants. Outside of the MAAC Tournament, the game against UAlbany incites the most excitement from Siena students.

I’m getting all my work done early so I have the whole weekend free. Everyone I know is going to the game, and if we win I know that campus will be a lot of fun Saturday night.
- Aaron Asher.

Naturally the Siena bars like Dapps and the Landing Zone will be busy this weekend, but the game should bring a large crowd downtown as well. Would anyone know of some spots in Albany where Siena fans can go before/after the game? The TUC should be a sea of yellow on Saturday as students will be wearing this year’s new Dog Pound t-shirts. The Pound is always looking for creative chants to yell out, especially against UAlbany. Any good suggestions? Do you have a favorite chant you want to hear this weekend? Let us know!

Siena Saints Blog: What happened in San Juan, when Georgia Tech lost to Dayton?
From The Rumble Seat: Against Dayton, we were up by 7 with 4:37 remaining. Inexperience and youth led to some costly turnovers down the stretch and the Flyers went on a 13-2 run to close the game. We shot 1 for 4 and committed four turnovers in those final 5 minutes. In short, a basketball disaster. Actually, you can read our full analysis of the Puerto Rico Tournament here.

SSB: Who are the Georgia Tech players to watch for?
FTRS: Our front court is the key as our guards are relatively inexperienced. Gani Lawal is a third year starter at power forward and probably the most polished player on our team at his position. Derrick Favors is the freshman phenom at center who will be matching Gani point for point and board for board. At guard, we have pretty good depth with freshman Mfon Udofia leading the way. Moe Miller, D’Andre Bell, and Iman Shumpert are the primary guys rotating in and out at point, 2, and 3 guard.

SSB: This is a 3 game contract with a return game in Albany. What do you think brought GT to the table?
FTRS: GT typically schedules 2 for 1 or even 1 for 1 deals with smaller schools rather than paying out. We kinda feel that we’ll generate more home court revenue for small schools with a sellout than we’d be able to pay out. Good examples include GT traveling to instate opponents’ Mercer and GA State. Both trips provided exciting games and record crowds for the two schools. I don’t know if many Tech fans will travel to Albany but we’d like to think that the chance to see your Saints play an ACC school should generate a sellout for Siena.

SSB: Is Paul Hewitt on the hot seat?
FTRS: He is and isn’t on the hot seat. He brought in a stellar recruiting class. He has arguably the best front court in the ACC due to experience and raw talent. However, if Hewitt doesn’t make the tournament at a respectable seed and win some games come March, he may be gone before the 2010 season. Hewitt was hired by our previous athletic director, Dave Braine. Our current athletic director, Dan Radakovich, has been patient with Hewitt but ticket sales have sagged and postseason births continue to evade us. I wouldn’t be surprised if we make a run this year in the ACC tournament and NCAA’s, all of our stars go pro, we crash next year with the talent vacuum, and Hewitt is fired in the 2010-2011 season.

The school has done a much better job over the past three seasons of offering transportation to the games. But, take a look at the schedule;

• Tues. Nov 17 vs. Northeastern — many students will be in class. (Noon Tip)
• Tues. Nov 24 vs. Delaware — Thanksgiving Break (no classes Wednesday)
• Sat. Dec 5 vs. UAlbany — ok, well this is always sold out
• Wed. Dec 23 vs. Rider — students will have left for Christmas break.

That means students will be on campus for a total of 6 home contests this season.

I don’t think this could have been avoided. I know the school has already sent out e-mails telling students they cannot skip class to go to the game. However, usually you’re allowed to miss a certain number of classes– kids, be sure to save a day for the home opener, November 17th.

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.

If you’re looking for the short list, here’s how the non-conference shapes up so far…

11/13 @ Tennessee St
11/17 vs Northeastern
11/21 @ Temple
11/24 vs Delaware
11/27 vs St Johns (Philly Hoop Group Classic)
11/28 vs Brown (Philly Hoop Group Classic)
12/2 @ Georgia Tech
12/5 vs Albany
12/12 @ Northern Iowa
12/29 St Josephs
2/20 @ Bracket Buster