Shaka Smart, the head coach of the VCU Rams is just 33 years old.

VCU has lost it’s last two coaches to Major College programs.

This is Kansas’ largest halftime defecit in an NCAA tournament game ever.

Is it safe to say every Siena fan is rooting for Butler?

Vermont: L, 80-76

Offense: C, Meager 3-14 from 3, 36.8% from the field, 23-29 from the free throw line, salvaging a passing grade.

Defense: C+, Outrebounded 44-30, allowed 47.3% from the field, forced 13 steals.

Overall: C, An inexperienced group showed glimpses of talent and were in this game down to the final possession.

Highlight Reel: Ryan Rossiter’s 27 points and 10 rebounds, season high 13 steals.

Minnesota: L, 76-69

Offense: B, Stellar 51% from the field,  9-17 (52.9%) from 3, only 53% from the line, season high 24 turnovers.

Defense: C+, Held Gophers to 7-22 from 3 (31.8%), forced 15 turnovers.

Overall: B-, To be able to go on the road in a hostile environment against a Power Conference foe and compete deserves some credit.

Highlight Reel: Clarence Jackson’s season high 29 points, “Rahk’s” 2nd half was a fab frosh performance.

Northeastern: W, 84-68

Offense: A, Shot a season high 56.9% from field, made 60% from 3, and 80% from the line, 20 turnovers kept this from an A+ performance.

Defense: A, Held Huskies to 40.7% from field, 29.6% from 3, outrebounded first opponent of season 37-24.

Overall: A, biggest margin of victory of the year (16 pts.).

Highlight Reel: Sensational senior performances from Rossiter and Jackson, 28 and 24 points respectively.

Butler: L, 70-57

Offense: C-, 2-11 from 3, 7-15 from the line, 45.3% from field which salvaged  this grade.

Defense: C+, Outrebounded 39-31, allowed 8 three’s, 8 steals.

Overall: C, competed against an experience group from Butler who was last season’s National Runner Up.

Highlight Reel: Rossiter dominates Matt Howard putting up 26 points and 15 rebounds.

Princeton: L, 86-77 OT

Offense: C, 38.6% from field, 5-20 from 3, 25 second chance points, 3-12 from field in OT.

Defense: C-, allowed season high 25-31 from the line, outscored 17-8 in OT, lost 6 point lead in final minute.

Overall: C+, were able to compete on the road after a strong conference victory over Rider, unable to do the little things down the stretch.

Highlight Reel: Ryan Rossiter season high 21 rebounds.  Five starters in double figures.

UAlbany: L, 88-82 OT

Offense: C, 19 turnovers, 44.6% from field, 17-21 from the line, second best offensive output of year with 82 points.

Defense: D, Season high 88 points allowed, 8 steals, allowed Albany to make 4-4 from field and 8-9 FT’s in OT.

Overall: D, Losing to your crosstown rival deserves a failing grade.

Highlight Reel: Trenity Burdine has a breakout game filling in for the injured Owen Wignot scoring a career high 14 points.

Florida Atlantic: W, 72-69

Offense: B, Outscored FAU 44-36 in the paint, and 10-4 on fast break points, made as many free throws as FAU attempted.

Defense: B, Held FAU to 4-21 from 3, 7 steals which lead to 15 points.

Overall: B, The first home win of the year against a team that entered this contest with a top 50 RPI.

Highlight Reel: Ryan Rossiter’s 7th double double in 9 games, 27 pts. 13 rebs.

Georgia Tech: W, 62-57

Offense: B+, Outscored Georgia Tech 18-5 from the line, outshot the Yellow Jackets 45.8% to 30.8% in 2nd half comeback.

Defense: A+, Execution of 2-3 zone was flawless in 2nd half holding Georgia Tech to 21 points, allowed 4-22 from 3, pounded the glass for 41-36 advantage.

Overall: A+, 2nd straight home win. A victory against an ACC foe deserves the best non-conference grade of season.

Highlight Reel: The 2-3 zone.  Best coached game of year.

St. Bonaventure: L, 82-79

Offense: B+, season high 11 3’s, +9 assist to turnover ratio, 100% from the line.

Defense: C-, -8 in the rebound department, allowed 48.2% from field, gave up season high 50 points in one half, 7 steals.

Overall: B-, Competed throughout the contest and the lack of execution down the stretch cost the Saints the game.  Great team performance.

Highlight Reel: Career high’s from Kyle Downey, “Rahk” Brookins, and Jonathan Breeden (21, 18, and 15 respectively).

St. Joseph’s: L, 58-48

Offense: D, Shot 32.8% from field, 2-17 from 3, 4-11 from line, season low 48 points.

Defense: B+, Held St. Joe’s to 36.2%, and 5-22 from 3.  Allowed season low 58 points.

Overall: C-, Offense was out of gas.  The defense kept them in the game in the worst offensive output of year.

Highlight Reel: The final whistle of this barnburner.

A telling sign of where the two programs are right now– Butler is clearly the elite of the mid-major crop, the standard that everyone else strives to be. Siena is a program in the making– they’ve jumped in the water, and they’re making their way to the deep end. Last night’s game jarred my memory of the 2008-2009 Saints who started off 2-3, competitive in the early losses, and continued to develop with each game, eventually going on to win a school record 27 games and an OT thriller victory against Ohio State. I am not saying this team is on the verge of setting a school record for wins, but they are clearly improving, and very easily could put up a fifth straight 20-plus win season.

I have found myself to be very critical at times, and always wanting more from this program. Most likely stemming from my desire for perfection, but as time passes and I grow older and wiser, I am starting to realize perfection exists in “Fairytales” and the likes of movies such as “Hoosiers”. In reality this team is really good, with a lot of talent, basketball IQ, and cohesiveness, making them a threat every night they step on the court. Sometimes we need to take a step back and appreciate the moments this program has provided us and be thankful, fitting of sorts this revelation occurred to me on the eve of Thanksgiving. I would like to take a moment and thank the Siena Organization for continuing to provide a superior brand of basketball while climbing the ladder of mid-major supremacy.

Room for Improvement:
After a sentimental moment it’s truly fitting I sit down to write factors that were critical to the Saints defeat Tuesday night. To start, Butler is not Northeastern, and in my opinion is among the most disciplined coached team in College Basketball, hats off to Brad Stevens, one classy coach. That said, you are not going to win too many games when your stat line reads, 46.7% FT’s, 2-11 from 3, and a negative Assist/TO ratio (-3). Honestly, I sit here giving a lot of credit to Butler’s defensive game plan, they came in planning on shutting down Clarence Jackson (3-7 FG’s) and that they did, even after losing their best defender (Ronald Nored) in the game’s opening minutes. I have been harping on this all year, but this team is still yearning for some more bench scoring (-33 last night), the quality minutes have been there, but the offensive spark that you look for out of your sixth man is just not there yet.

Keys to Success:
Not much to say here besides the obvious that Ryan Rossiter has established himself as one of the most formidable big men in the country. Against arguably one of the more respected big men in the nation in Matt Howard, he went off for 26 points and 15 rebounds. He has done it again and surprised me through the first four games with his continued improvement, does he have a ceiling? Also, Owen Wignot has established himself as the Saints hardest working defender, and it’s quite obvious Coach B recognizes this as well. He put Wignot back in the game with 9:42 left in the first half with 2 fouls. When Wignot left with those fouls, the Saints had their biggest lead of the game at 13-5, when he returned at 9:42, they were up 15-14, a 9-2 Butler run, enough said.

Five Facts:
1. Ryan Rossiter had his third 20-plus double double in four games.
2. Clarence Jackson was held to 7 shots, a season low.
3. Siena is 1-3 for the first time since 2004-2005.
4. Clarence Jackson had 5 TO’s, and 0 steals.
5. Siena outscored Butler 30-22 in the paint.

Five Questions:
1. Why does it feel like no one calls fouls on Butler?
2. “Raak” Brookins, a mid-major Jameer Nelson?
3. Did you know that Kyle Griffin leads the MAAC in assist to turnover margin?
4. What is going on with Brandon Walters? Did he even take his warm-ups off last night?
5. Where is Clarence Jackson at the Times Union Center? (7-23 FG’s @ Home, 20-31 FG’s on Road)

Five Words:
The Butler Way prevails again.

Ryan Rossiter’s Big Night (26 points) in the loss

Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens “I told Rossiter, I’m blown away by how much he’s improved. I didn’t think last year he could score like that with a guy between him and the hoop and his back to the basket.”

Butler senior Matt Howard “Rossiter, he’s going right over us, right through us, and I didn’t feel like I was playing terrible defense. I don’t think there’s any hype with that guy.”

Stigall did an excellent job filling in for the injured Ronald Nored

Butler sophomore Chase Stigall “When I went in, coaches told me if I’m open, knock it in, and on the defensive end, I had [Clarence] Jackson, just stay in front of him.”

Matt Howard “Our mindset going in, we knew there were a lot of guys who could contribute. With us, it’s next guy up. With us, there’s no hanging our head [if] Ron’s out, a starter’s out.”

Siena Head Coach Mitch Buonaguro on the Saints loss to Butler

“I thought we played hard, had a few bad breaks. I think the game was a lot closer than the final score…This team is a work in progress. We gotta get these guys confident. When you get down nine or ten on Butler, it’s tough to come back on them…I thought overall, we played a pretty good game. Friday night, we got a tough game at Rider.

On Butler’s Defense of Clarence Jackson (held to 8 points)

“They did a great job on Jackson, I’ve never seen a team play defense like that on Jackson in his four years here.”

Siena cut the Bulldogs’ lead to three coming out of the halftime break by feeding the ball inside to MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Ryan Rossiter, who led the Saints with 26 points and 15 rebounds. However, Butler sophomore Chase Stigall provided dagger-like three point shooting, scoring nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, while filling in for an injured Ronald Nored. Senior Matt Howard erupted from behind the arc with a three pointer to give the Bulldogs an 11-point lead. Howard led the Bulldogs with 17 points and 12 rebounds on 6 of 16 shooting.

Rossiter’s stellar efforts were lost on a night that saw no other Saints player score in the double digits. Siena shot just 2-for-11 from beyond the arc, denying the Saints much-needed buckets in the game’s waning moments.

The Saints and Bulldogs collided early. Butler junior Ronald Nored and Siena freshman Rakeem Brookins butted heads just over a minute into the game. Both went down but Nored needed assistance off the floor and into the locker room. Shaun Vanzant came in for Nored, who returned to the bench with just over five minutes to play in the first half but did not reenter the game, suffering a possible concussion.

Siena’s veterans worked early in the paint. Sophomore O.D. Anosike scored the games first basket, followed by senior leaders Ryan Rossiter and Clarence Jackson who gave the Saints an early 6-0 lead.

While Butler struggled early against the Saints’ defense en route to shooting 1-for-8 to start the game, the Bulldogs soon figured out the Siena scheme. The Bulldogs went on a 16-6 run in the first half to take their first lead of the night. Siena’s troubles continued on offense, turning the ball over nine times in the first half and drawing offensive fouls which allowed Butler to capitalize with hot shooting to extend their lead to eight at halftime.

The Bulldogs chose not to guard Ryan Rossiter with senior Matt Howard to keep Howard out of foul trouble. Siena took advantage of this by pounding the ball into Rossiter early and often, allowing him to put up 12 early points in the paint. In Siena’s first meeting with the Bulldogs last year, Rossiter scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds. This time around, he had 14 points and nine rebounds in the first half alone.

Butler constantly doubled Jackson and pressured every opportunity Jackson had to score. The Siena senior, who scored 24 points in their last meeting last year, attempted just one shot in the first twelve minutes of the game. Jackson finished with 8 points on 3 of 7 shooting.

Rakeem Brookins provided a spark for the Saints and a positive assist to turnover ratio, turning the ball over twice and dishing out 6 assists in the loss to lead all Saints. Siena turned the ball over 15 times.

Prior to dropping the season opener to Vermont, the Saints had maintained a 38-game home winning streak, giving them an air of invincibility in the friendly confines of Albany’s Times Union Center.

Siena lost its second straight contest to Butler, dropping the return game of the home-and-home series with Butler after the BracketBuster loss last year in Indiana.

While the Saints were looking for a signature win in last year’s Bracketbuster game to boost a resume for a team that was trying to lock up an at-large bid, they are trying to shore things up this year en route to getting ready for MAAC conference play.  There will be no lingering talk of an at-large bid, and last year’s team was the odds on favorite to win the conference tournament anyway.  A win on Tuesday night over a top 25 ranked team would go a long way towards providing confidence for the team’s players who are still trying to get comfortable in their roles – the non-conference schedule is arguably the toughest in the history of the program, and a signature win this year could get the team clicking much sooner rather than later.

Butler is still looking to put some of the pieces together as well.  Gone is Gordon Hayward to the NBA, but the team is led by dynamic junior guard Shelvin Mack.  Mack is scoring 20 points a game, grabbing 6 rebounds a game, and making over 52% of the shots he’s taking from the field.   Mack scored 23 points in last year’s contest, and Gordon Hayward had a double double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  Kept out of much of the game last year was Matt Howard, who is averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds in his senior campaign.  Howard has had problems staying out of foul trouble for the majority of his career, and if the Saints are going to win this game they will once again need to focus on isolating Howard and getting him off the court.  Without Hayward to help out inside in Howard’s absence, the Saints may be able to control the younger inside players of Butler.  Siena will also need to handle the defensive capabilities of Ronald Nored, who essentially shut down Ronald Moore last year and kept the Saints out of the game in the last ten minutes.

Siena is coming off an impressive road win against Northeastern where their two star players scored the bulk of the team’s points.  Ryan Rossiter is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game, and shooting guard Clarence Jackson is averaging 22 points a game.  The Saints are going to need continued production from them, as well as sophomore power forward O.D. Anosike who is averaging 10 points a game.

What the team saw in the win on Saturday was contributions from other players.  Owen Wignot is logging the bulk of the minutes at small forward, and is playing excellent defense and shooting 56% from three point land.  Davis Martens has established himself as the first big man off the bench, and is starting to mesh nicely.  And it seemed overall that the team itself played well together and started showing some cohesiveness.  Rahkeem Brookins didn’t have the flashiest of games in his debut starting at the point, but he was effective.  Even better was the performance of junior Kyle Griffin off the bench backing up Brookins.  If the two point guards can run the team as effectively as they did on Saturday, the Saints have a very good chance of coming out with a win.

The Saints are going to need to continue to get comfortable with the zone defense that Coach Mitch Buonaguro is going with, they are going to need to continue to cut down on the turnovers, and they will need to continue scoring points at a clip that the program has become known for.  Siena is on the precipice of becoming a bona fide top level mid-major program, and to prove that they are indeed reloading this year and not just rebuilding, they are going to need to knock off the mid-major top dog at home to prove it.

Woods is sure to capture the same magic again with his new book: Underdawgs: How Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs Marched Their Way to the Brink of College Basketball’s National Championship. The foreword is written by Dick Vitale and if you watched Butler-Louisville during the hoops marathon on ESPN, in the first half Vitale noted Woods’ book coming out and his outstanding coverage of the Bulldogs. Below is the book trailer, check it out!

However, there is a re-match to decide on Tuesday night. Will the Saints get revenge at home and start a new home court win streak? First let’s get some insight into the Bulldogs with the writer of the Bulldogs Insider blog at the Indianapolis Star. Follow him on Twitter at DavidWoods007.

Siena Saints Blog: Well how do you feel now about the Bulldogs, having watched a lackluster performance at Louisville and this weekend in a big win over Ball State?

David Woods: Butler looked more like itself against Ball State. The Bulldogs’ 88-55 victory was their most lopsided victory in 70 games, immediately following their 88-73 loss at Louisville — their lost lopsided defeat in 142 games. However, Butler’s lineup remains unsettled and the team is a work in progress.

Siena Saints Blog: Matt Howard appeared to continue in his ways since the Saints and Bulldogs last meeting, getting in foul trouble early and often, how important is it for the Bulldogs for him to be on the floor against the Saints frontcourt?

David Woods: I think Butler coach Brad Stevens has made it clear to Matt Howard that he needs to stay out of foul trouble. But neither does Stevens want to inhibit Howard’s aggressive nature. Stevens said if Howard gets in foul trouble, “so be it.” Howard was in frequent foul trouble during the NCAA Tournament, but Butler had Gordon Hayward to guard the post. Howard did not guard Ball State’s top inside scoring threat, Jarrod Jones. Instead, freshman Khyle Marshall started on Jones.

Siena Saints Blog: Even though the Bulldogs lost Gordon Hayward and Willie Veasely, how much has and will this Final Four run impact the type of players Brad Stevens will be able to bring in?

David Woods: That remains to be seen. Butler lost a fierce recruiting struggle for 6-foot-10 Tyler Zeller of Washington, Ind. (ranked in Top 20). Zeller picked Indiana after his two older brothers, Luke and Tyler, chose Notre Dame and North Carolina, respectively. Recruiting analyst Dave Telep once told me that egos of recruits rated high nationally “won’t allow” them to choose a school such as Butler. Butler will continue trying to attract skilled, versatile prospects that fit its system. Butler does not waste time trying to recruit players it could never sign. Butler coaches thought they had a genuine chance with Zeller, so they actively pursued him.

Siena Saints Blog: We asked you for last years’ game’s key matchup and you said Ronald Nored vs Ronald Moore, and you were right. Nored’s 8 points and 6 assists beat out Moore’s 1-point, 4 assist effort in Butler’s win. So we ask again, what do you see as the key matchup Tuesday night between the Saints and Bulldogs?

David Woods: It would have to be Howard vs. Ryan Rossiter. If Howard can make that an even match, Butler wins. If Rossiter goes wild, Siena wins. Having stated that, it would not surprise me of Howard did not guard Rossiter.

Siena Saints Blog: Your new book, Underdawgs, due out a week after Siena and Butler hook up at the Times Union Center is coming out right in time for basketball fans to add to their reading list.

David Woods: I hope college basketball fans nationwide will be interested enough in Butler’s story to relive the Final Four run via this book. Given where the program was 20 years ago — humble would be an understatement –  the Bulldogs’ achievement was greater than most observers realize.

Siena Saints Blog: Well this is definitely on our reading list and we hope other college basketball fans pick it up as well!

Woods is in his tenth season of covering the Butler Bulldogs. He writes for the Indianapolis Star, has written two books and writes the Bulldogs Insider blog on IndyStar.com. Follow him on twitter at DavidWoods007.

The difference in the game was the Saints’ ability to capitalize on turnovers– despite turning the ball over 20 times, 3 times in the final 90 seconds, to Northeastern’s 11, they got the W.

Ryan Rossiter had a monster day, finishing with 28 points and 15 rebounds for his 34th career double-double. Rossiter, who also had 3 blocks on the day, is now 25 of 29 from the free throw stripe this season. Clarence Jackson closed the day with 24 points and is now averaging 22.3 PPG. Rakeem Brookins added 5 assists, (a +1 turnover margin), and did a great job getting looks for his teammates all day. OD Anosike tied his career high with 11 points, and after getting into foul trouble in the second half, was brought in late for his defense. The Saints got a career high 7 points from sophomore bench player Davis Martens.

Chaisson Allen was impressive for the Huskies– dishing out 5 assists, scoring 18 points, and finishing 5-9 behind the arc. Alwayne Bigby was quiet, with a final line of 6 points and 6 rebounds.

The Saints head home to face the Butler Bulldogs on Tuesday night, there are less than 1,200 tickets still available.

The Saints will put their 43 game home winning streak on the line against Vermont on Saturday November 13th at 7pm. They will then travel to Minnesota for a contest slated to be aired on ESPNU. Besides the impending BracketBuster game, this is the only time the Saints are scheduled to be televised nationally this season. Two notable home games are Butler, Tuesday 11/23 and Georgia Tech, Wesnesday 12/22.

Siena’s longest road trip is just three games this season; the western New York Canisius and Niagara split, followed by a short trip down to Marist that following Friday. The Saints will close out the season on February 27th against Marist, which we anticipate will be Senior day.

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.