• Anthony Johnson
• Derek Needham
• Edwin Ubiles
• Ryan Rossiter
• Ronald Moore

This Siena class is undoubtedly one of the best to ever touch the Loudonville campus. These seniors will be playing in their fourth straight MAAC championship game on Monday night, having won two of three entering Monday night’s game.

The Saints are 15-0 when four Saints score in double-figures this year and have been led by the starters.

MAAC Player of the Year Alex Franklin has carried the Saints in this MAAC Tournament. Franklin scored Siena’s first points of the tournament and has been strong ever since, scoring 41 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in the two MAAC Tournament games thus far. Franklin broke out late his freshman year with a 27-point performance in the 2007 MAAC Championship game, where Siena fell to Niagara in Bridgeport, CT.

First Team All-MAAC junior Ryan Rossiter has risen to the stage of the MAAC Tournament, scoring 10 points in both games and grabbing 30 rebounds. Rossiter matched his career-high with 18 rebounds in Sunday’s 72-62 win over Rider in the semifinal game.

First Team All-MAAC senior Ronald Moore has been a steady force for the Saints and scored double-digit points for the first time since January 28th in the Saints’ semifinal win. Moore totaled 15 points in Siena’s win over Rider. Moore needs two assists to overtake Marist’s Jared Jordan for the MAAC record (813) and for 25th in Division I history. Moore has scored 7.6 ppg in his three MAAC Championship games.

While Edwin Ubiles was disappointed with his second-team All-MAAC standing, the senior has come through well in championship games. Ubiles has shot 48.5% from the field all-time in MAAC Championship games.

Third team All-MAAC junior Clarence Jackson carried the Saints on Sunday, overcoming a 2-15 day against Manhattan by scoring 15 of his 17 points in the second half in the Saints win over Rider Sunday.

The Stags bring in MAAC Rookie of the Year Derek Needham who has been proven to be unstoppable in his first year. Needham has been a playmaker off the dribble all year, scoring 29 points in their Quarterfinal game win over Canisius and 17 points in their win over Niagara.

They also bring in the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year in Anthony Johnson and the 6th Man of the Year in Mike Evanovich. Johnson recorded a crucial steal on an entry pass and blocked an Anthony Nelson drive to the basket in the span of a minute. Johnson scored 21 points in their win over Niagara in the semifinal game. He has been dominant on the glass this year but recorded just two blocks in Siena’s meetings with the Stags. Evanovich was held to just 11 points in his two meetings with the Saints this year.

Siena will also be defending the nation’s second longest win streak at home at 37 games. Siena is 5-1 all-time in the MAAC Tournament against Fairfield. The Saints are 4-3 in MAAC Championship games and, with a win, will be first for All Time Tournament wins, over Iona’s 4.

Siena was led by Edwin Ubiles, who took over late in the game, driving into the lane with for some crucial buckets. Ubiles finished the game with 18 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Ryan Rossiter had 17 points and 10 rebounds, matching a school record with his 14th double-double of the season. Siena got some nice minutes late in the first half from Wignot and Anosike when Franklin was forced to sit on the bench after the 12:29 mark.

Siena will head to Buffalo this weekend while Fairfield will travel to Rider for their second game of a four game road trip.

Fairfield is again battling injury as it recently lost its second leading scorer, junior swing man Yorel Hawkins.  They have been without the services of senior forward Greg Nero for the entire year, but they have gotten senior forward Anthony Johnson back who is averaging 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.  The biggest story for the Stags this year is the play of Rookie of the Year favorite Derek Needham.  The freshman is leading the team in scoring with 15.7 ppg, and is distributing the ball well averaging 5.2 assists per game.  Needham scored 16 against the Saints in Bridgeport and filled up the stat sheet, grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing 7 assists and making 4 steals.  The only thing he didn’t do was protect the ball that well, committing 8 turnovers that game.

The Stags can put points on the board, but head coach Ed Cooley emphasizes strong team defense – he was very vocal about his team allowing Rider to score 88 and Siena 81 both in home court losses in the last couple of weeks.  The team must have heard him, because they pulled off an impressive win against resurgent St. Peter’s on the road, holding the Peacocks to 46 points.  The Saints are averaging just under 77 points per game, so if the Stags want to pull off the road upset they are going to need to keep Siena in the 60’s or less.

The Saints will attempt to keep streaking in to February, being led by the player many now consider the MAAC Player of the Year favorite Alex Franklin.  Some are touting Ronald Moore as being the potential player of the year, but the vote will most likely come down to either Franklin or Edwin Ubiles, and Franklin’s numbers have been outstanding.  He is the only player in the conference to place in the top-5 in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.

While the Saints have Ubiles back he still isn’t quite 100%, which may have contributed to an 11 point performance on only 4-12 shooting Friday night against Iona.  Franklin scored 23 against the Gaels and Ryan Rossiter had his eighth double-double in nine games, but the story Monday night was the hot hand of Clarence Jackson.  After missing his first three shots from beyond the arc, Jackson made six more over the course of the evening, finishing with 20 points.  He was the catalyst to opening up the game in both halves.  If Jackson, and the team itself, is making threes there aren’t many teams in the conference, if any, who can keep up with them.

Friday night’s game turned out to be much more one-sided than many would have imagined.  Fairfield clearly has the talent and the ability to knock off the Saints, but having to over come the home-court advantage of the Times Union Center may prove to be too much.

The Saints started out strong in the second half, quickly pushing the tempo, to turn a one-point halftime lead into a double digit second half lead. Ryan Rossiter delivered 15 of his 17 points in the second half which included an emphatic dunk off a Ronald Moore miss (VIDEO). Rossiter finished with a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds. Alex Franklin took advantage of Siena’s second chance opportunities, scoring 16 points.

Clarence Jackson’s 17 first half points negated Siena’s eight turnovers and gave the Saints a 45-44 halftime lead. The Saints shot 8 for 12 from three point range in the first half.

Derek Needham, impressive against a veteran Saints team, created off the dribble and scored 16 points. Anthony Johnson led the Stags with 20 points.

Ronald Moore had 5 points and Edwin Ubiles scored 15 points, playing strong after accounting for half of Siena’s turnovers in the first half.

O.D. Anosike had an impressive game, playing a team-high 15 minutes off the bench and providing four rebounds, two of which were offensive boards. Siena out rebounded the Stags 38-37

Siena will put its seven game win streak on the line against a Fairfield Stags team that is 8-0 at home this season. The Stags have rode freshman Derek Needham, who has scored double digit points in every game but one this season, who scored a season-high 28 points in their only MAAC loss at Niagara.

The Stags and Saints both dominate the game from inside the three point line. The Saints rank 1st (51.6%) and the Stags rank 3rd (48.7%) in the MAAC in 2 point field goal percentage offense. After missing the first three games, Yorel Hawkins has been a force inside with a dominant 56.4% 2 point field goal percentage.

Hawkins scored 19 in their 88-85 win over Manhattan on Sunday. Anthony Johnson scored a career high 27 in their win Sunday. Johnson (50.2% 2ptFG%) has scored double digit points in 10 of their last 11 games.

Siena’s last loss at Fairfield came in the 2005-06 season, Fran McCaffery’s first season as Saints Head Coach.

For those who will not make the trip to Bridgeport Saturday, Matt Restivo will be on with the “General” Robert Lee at halftime on TALK-1300AM to talk about the Saints and SienaSaintsBlog. We will have complete coverage from Bridgeport and exclusive SienaSaintsBlog video.

SienaSaintsBlog: Who is a better contender this year: Iona or Fairfield?

Ray Floriani: A slight edge to Iona but this is really tough because the teams are fairly similar. They both defend and force turnovers. Iona’s turnover (forced) rate is 23% of opposition possessions while Fairfield is 22%.

In the non-league schedule I give Iona a slight nod. They defeated Creighton at the very competitive Old Spice Classic in Orlando and knocked off Providence on the road. Fairfield’s non-MAAC slat was not as tough as Iona’s but it was close and competitive and they gave Rhode Island a good game before dropping a close one.

Derek Needham is doing a great job at the point for Fairfield. Yorel Hawkins and Anthony Johnson can score for the Stags. Scott Machado is an excellent talent at guard for the Gaels. Iona has a number of weapons as 6-11 Jonathan Huffman who can step outside and hit the three.
Fairfield hosts Siena on Saturday with a prime opportunity to prove me wrong.

SienaSaintsBlog: Who would you label as your surprise team this season?

Ray Floriani: Would have to say Iona. As noted they have great guard play with Machado , Kyle Smyth and Jermel Jenkins just to name a few. They defend and a key factor is the ability to succeed on the road. They knocked off Providence but in conference they have impressive wins at Niagara and Rider. They are 3-3 in conference but some of those wins we discussed caught the attention of many observers and not just those who follow the MAAC.

SienaSaintsBlog: When are we going to see the real Rider Broncs show up?

Ray Floriani: From a tempo free perspective Rider’s numbers are revealing. Overall the offensive efficiency is 98 and defensive is 101. In the MAAC those numbers are 93 and 97. In both cases the Broncs have a negative margin (offensive minus defensive efficiency) which does not bode well for any hopes of making a run for the title. It is still early and the Broncs are 3-3.

Their turnover rate is under 20% so they are caring for the ball but as a team they are shooting 41% from the field. That low percentage is especially harmful given an interior defense that is allowing opponents to shoot 50% from two point range.

Rider has four players averaging double figures but coach Tommy Dempsey is getting little help from his bench.
As noted, there is time but there are corrections needed on both ends of the floor. On the other hand maybe that great opening win at Mississippi State left us all expecting more than we expected.

SienaSaintsBlog: Is Ryan Thompson playing his way out of Player of the Year?
Ray Floriani: I think he’s a great player. Thompson averages 14 PPG because he is so unselfish and doesn’t force things. Those qualities were also opinions of the nine or so NBA scouts who saw Thompson in Rider’s OT loss at Rutgers.

Thompson does not have POY numbers at this juncture. But down the stretch Dempsey will probably encourage him to be less unselfish and look for his shot especially in close contests. The remainder of the season will determine if Thompson gets that POY hardware in Albany come March.

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the Northeast Conference. Ryan Restivo is the RTC correspondent for the Colonial Athletic Association.

If we can establish that Siena, Niagara and Rider are the likely top three in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference let’s try to hash out that next tier of contenders. It’s time to find out who is for real and who isn’t in the MAAC. Are the Gaels as good as advertised? Are the Greyhounds going to take some of their non-conference momentum into the conference season? Will the Fairfield Stags, relatively untested in the non-conference, show that they are a top 5 team in the MAAC?

Is Iona for Real?

Reasons Iona is for Real: Iona erased doubters thoughts about their right to contend in the MAAC this year with a 63-60 win in Buffalo over Niagara. All of Iona’s non-conference wins have been by eight points or more. Iona’s most impressive wins: beating Creighton (by eight) in Orlando and beating Providence (by nine) on the road. Iona wasn’t expected to win at top-25 UConn and lost by 19 but the Gaels played hard in Orlando putting up tough fights against Florida State (loss by 6) and Baylor (played the Bears to overtime but lost 72-62).

Counter-Arguments: Iona dropped two straight MAAC home contests; a two point loss St. Peter’s and a 13 point loss to Siena in December. They went on the Buffalo swing and beat Niagara but lost by 12 at Canisius Monday night. The Gaels, who shot 39.9% (30th nationally) from behind the arc entering tonight, went 7 for 30 from three point range (23.3%) and were out rebounded by 12 against a team that isn’t necessarily dominant inside.

Verdict: Iona is most likely for real this year and could be contending for a #4-#6 seed.

Is Loyola (MD) for Real?

Reasons Loyola (MD) is for Real: Loyola’s best win this year is their big win over Indiana in the Big Ten. It is big in the historic context: it was Loyola’s first win over a Big Ten team in school history. Loyola led by as much as 24 points during that game and Brett Harvey has been on a hot streak as of late, despite not playing last night against Siena. Second team All-MAAC member Jamal Barney has been the leader for the Greyhounds, taking most of the shots and shooting 42% from the field.

Counter-Arguments: Loyola dropped a game in overtime at Coppin State, a team with only one other Division-I win. A 19 point loss at Mount St. Mary’s does not help define this team’s profile either. The Mountaineers have lost eight straight which included a tough overtime loss at Siena. A three point win over 1-12 UMBC doesn’t impress either.

Barney and the Greyhounds had a chance to impress on Monday night but failed to do so in a 20-point home loss to Siena. They had to try and play the Saints with Brett Harvey sitting out due to an undisclosed injury. The Saints got lucky to be spared of Harvey in the lineup and took advantage, leading by as many as 30 points on Monday night.

Verdict: It is difficult to see given the current situation. If the Greyhounds lose Brett Harvey for a significant amount of time, Loyola would be at a huge loss. They have two more tough games at Fairfield and home Sunday against Iona. If Harvey is back and they can split or win both, we are looking at a real contender.

Is Fairfield for Real?

Reasons Fairfield is for Real: The Stags have started out really well, starting 10-3 and got off to a 3-0 start in the MAAC. One thing we know for sure, Derek Needham is a top candidate for MAAC Rookie of the Year. Needham has won or shared the award five times already this season. The true freshman has scored double digit points in every game but one this season. Junior Yorel Hawkins has been impressive as well in 2009-10. Hawkins has significantly improved his field goal and free throw shooting from last year, he leads the team in field goal percentage at 53.9% coming into Monday night.

Counter-Arguments: Fairfield won seven non-conference games so far this year. However their strength of schedule out of conference ranks 2nd to last in the MAAC and ranked 337th in the nation of 347 going into Monday night. Fairfield ranks in the middle of the pack of the MAAC in three point shooting. The assist (204) to turnover (194) leaves much to be desired.

Verdict: Even though they lost at Niagara, Needham made a career high 12 field goals and scored a career high 28 points. There is chance that Fairfield is a team that is shining through smoke and mirrors right now but they should be locked into at least a #6-#7 seed range.

Marist Notches Win #1!

Marist went 7 for 17 from three point land and got an even performance from their entire team in their first win of the season, a 72-66 win over Manhattan. Marist has guaranteed themselves not going winless this year. How did they follow that up? By losing at St. Peter’s by 12.

Marist has only had one win streak, a streak of two on December 23 and 28 of 2008, during the Chuck Martin era.

When not worrying about Siena’s chances in the MAAC this season, Ryan is writing about Fantasy Baseball on Rotosavants.com, reporting on the Colonial Athletic Association for Rushthecourt.net and writing on his own website: RyanRestivo.com.