Men’s Basketball MAAC Power Rankings
By: Tom Cunningham
1. Monmouth (8-3, 1-1 MAAC), Third in MAAC
Previous three games: W 73-54 vs. Wagner, W 83-68 @ Georgetown, W 73-67 @ Rutgers
The Hawks have taken the MAAC, and really the entire country by storm to start the season. The Hawks have put themselves in the position to receive an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament with wins against powerhouse programs such as UCLA, Notre Dame, Southern California, Georgetown and Rutgers. It’ll be tough to bet against head coach King Rice if his Hawks keep up the pace in conference play. The Hawks have won four in a row, behind nearly 20 points per game by Justin Robinson. Although the Hawks have lost one conference game against Canisius it is nothing to worry about as they have played well all season from the get-go.
Next three games: Wed. 12/23 @ Cornell, Mon. 12/28 @ Army West Point, Mon. 1/4 vs. Canisuis
2. Iona (4-4, 2-0 MAAC), First in MAAC
Previous three games: L 90-81 @ Tulsa, W 83-73 vs. Texas Southern, OT (L) 79-74 @ Rhode Island
The Gaels are still an offensive juggernaut in the MAAC, averaging 82.9 points per game. Senior guard A.J. English is third in the entire nation averaging 25.0 points per game to go along with a 45.6 three-point percentage. Last year’s all-MAAC freshman guard Schadrac Casimir has struggled to start the season playing in just four games, averaging 6.3 points per game. The Gaels have started strong in MAAC play winning two straight. They are looking to make 2015-16 their third consecutive regular season championship.
Next three games: 12/22 @ UC Santa Barbara (Las Vegas, NV),12/23 @ Akron (Las Vegas, NV), 1/2 @ Quinnipiac.
3. Siena (7-4, 1-1 MAAC), Fourth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 81-80 @ Cornell, W 89-54 vs. Manhattan, W 78-70 vs. Albany
The Saints have played some pretty stiff competition this season including both of the teams in last year’s National Championship game, Duke and Wisconsin. Brett Bisping has had a solid season returning from injury for the Saints, averaging 32.6 minutes per game, and just over 13 points per game. The team finishes up play before the New Year against perennial NCAA tournament teams St. Bonaventure and Vermont before getting in to the heart of conference play.
Next three games: 12/22 vs. St. Bonaventure, 12/29 @ Vermont, 1/2 vs. Niagara
4. Saint Peter’s (3-6, 2-0 MAAC), Second in MAAC
Previous three games: W 72-68 vs. Siena, L 72-46 @ Seton Hall, L 87-74 @ George Washington
Saint Peter’s has had a tough stretch out of conference, losing five of its first six non-conference matchups, despite winning its first two conference games. The two wins in conference keeps the Peacock’s in the top five. In order to stay with the top teams in the MAAC, the defense will have to get better as they are allowing 73.2 points per game while scoring just 69.8 points per game.
Next three games: 12/23 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, 12/28 vs. Cornell, 1/4 @ Marist
5. Fairfield (4-5, 1-1 MAAC), Fifth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 101-77 @ Iona, W 74-70 vs. Rider, W 76-64 vs. Wagner
The Stags have had an up-and-down start to their season, losing their first three games before winning the next three. The Stags have gone 1-2 in their last three matchups, allowing 82.3 points in those three games. In just seven games this season, senior Marcus Gilbert is averaging 18.3 points per game to lead Fairfield for the third straight season. If the Stags want to keep winning games, Gilbert is going to have to play at the top of his game for the rest of his senior campaign.
Next three games: 12/22 vs. Loyola (Md.), 12/27 @ Bucknell, 1/2 @ Manhattan
6. Canisius (4-6, 1-1 MAAC), Seventh in MAAC
Previous three games: L 81-67 @ Penn State, L 84-77 @ Kent State, W 84-68 vs. Boston University
With seven of 11 teams in the conference sitting at 1-1 in conference play, it is tough to pick where each team goes simply because conference play matters so much more than non-conference play when it comes to mid-major basketball. The reason Canisius sits at six in my rankings is because they were the only MAAC team to defeat, in my opinion, the best team in the conference in Monmouth. With four players averaging over 12 points per game, the Golden Griffins have a balanced scoring attack that is bound to pay dividends when conference play resumes. Canisius also has the best offense in the conference averaging 83.9 points per game.
Next three games: 12/22 @ ULM (Las Vegas, NV), 12/23 vs. TBA (Las Vegas, NV), 1/2 @ Marist
7. Quinnipiac (4-6, 1-1 MAAC), Sixth in MAAC
Previous three games: W 68-66 @ Hartford, L 64-57 vs. Boston University, L 82-61 @ Oregon State
Tom Moore’s squad has started off slow to start this season, including being outscored by 18 points in the second half against Oregon State. More than a week after losing to the Boston University Terriers at home, in which the Terriers outscored the Bobcats 30-10 in the final 15 minutes of the game, the Beavers did much of the same to the Bobcats. With sophomore Chaise Daniels sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Bobcats will continue to rely on senior guard Giovanni McLean for the majority of the scoring, despite McLean still battling back from a knee injury. With just one game before the Bobcats welcome the Iona Gaels to Hamden, they will have to tighten things up on both ends of the floor to stand a chance in conference play.
Next three games: 12/29 @ Maine, 1/2 vs. Iona, 1/4 vs. Rider
8. Marist (3-6, 1-1 MAAC), Eighth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 75-53 vs. Albany, L 79-70 vs. Delaware, W 89-83 vs. Army West Point
The Red Foxes are led by point guard Khalid Hart who is only one of two players in the conference to average over 20 points per game. Marist is still towards the bottom of the pack in both scoring and defense, and will have to find consistency on both ends of the floor if they wish to make a run at a bye in the MAAC tournament.
Next three games: 12/22 @ Brown, 12/29 @ Jacksonville, 1/2 vs. Canisius
9. Manhattan (3-7, 0-2 MAAC), 10th in MAAC
Previous three games: L 89-57 @ Memphis, W 71-60 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, L 78-66 @ Morgan State
Yes, the Jaspers sit second-to-last in the conference, but I just can’t get myself to put the Jaspers any lower than ninth because of their previous history in the MAAC Tournament. The Jaspers have won the last two MAAC Championships. Senior Shane Richards is leading the team with 18.7 points per game, good for fourth in the conference. Even with a slow start out of conference, don’t count the Jaspers out as even though they may not have the best record right now, Steve Masiello and Co. know how to win when it matters.
Next three games: 12/29 @ Eastern Kentucky, 1/2 vs. Fairfield, 1/4 vs. Siena
10. Niagara (3-8, 1-1 MAAC), Ninth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 56-42 vs. Monmouth, L 48-44 @ St. John’s, L 80-79 vs. LIU Brooklyn
Not much has gone right for Niagara to start this season, but the defense has played fairly well. The Purple Eagles’ defense is allowing just 71.3 points per game so far this season, third in conference. Niagara needs to improve its three-point shooting in order to pick things up as conference play resumes. The Purple Eagles have shot just over 27 percent from deep to start the year.
Next three games: 12/23 @ Albany, 12/30 @ St. Bonaventure, 1/2 @ Siena
11. Rider (2-9, 0-2 MAAC), 11th in MAAC
Previous three games: L 57-52 vs. Cleveland State, W 67-56 vs. Houston Baptist, L 73-65 @ Providence
To say the least, the Broncs have struggled in the beginning part of the season. One thing going for the Broncs is the fact that they have the best scoring defense in the MAAC, allowing just 68.5 points per game. But their offense is the worst in the conference at just 62.9 points per game. The Broncs are going to have to change things around to get back to their level of play from last season, which seems like a stretch at this point.
Next three games: 12/23 @ Morgan State, 12/30 vs. Hartford, 1/4 @ Quinnipiac
Women’s Basketball MAAC Power Rankings
By: John Franklin
1. Canisius (7-3, 2-0 MAAC), First in MAAC
Previous three games: W 57-55 @ Lamar, L 92-62 @ Texas, W 68-57 @ Northeastern
The Golden Griffins have gotten off to a hot start this year boasting a 7-3 record overall, and a 2-0 mark in conference play. The team has outscored opponents 629-586, and is shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. They have a tough road ahead facing an undefeated St. Bonaventure squad at home.
Next three games: 12/29 vs. St. Bonaventure, 1/2 vs. Fairfield, 1/4 vs. Siena
2. Manhattan (5-6, 2-0 MAAC), Second in MAAC
Previous three games: L 58-44 @ Holy Cross, W 61-53 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, L 52-48 @ American
It’s a surprise to see Manhattan this high up after winning just three games last season, but head coach John Olenowski has his team heading in the right direction. The Jaspers are 2-0 in conference play and have an overall record of 5-6. Being outscored by their opponents by eight points this season, let’s see how long the Jaspers can hang on to such a high spot.
Next three games: 1/2 @ Iona, 1/8 @ Fairfield, 1/10 @ Siena
3. Iona (5-7, 2-0 MAAC), Third in MAAC
Previous three games: W 62-51 vs. North Texas, W 81-75 @ Saint Joseph’s, L 70-65 @ George Washington
Not much of a difference here between Iona and Manhattan except for the fact that Iona is being outscored 648-635 by Manhattan this season. The Gaels are also 2-0 in MAAC play and are 5-7 overall. The Gaels are shooting 37.7 percent from the field, and similar to the Jaspers, I see falling in the future.
Next three games: 12/29 vs. East Tennessee State, 1/2 vs. Manhattan, 1/4 @ St. Peters
4. Quinnipiac (5-5, 0-2 MAAC), Seventh in MAAC
Previous three games: L 52-42 vs. Manhattan, W 71-60 @ Northeastern, L 62-49 @ Drexel
I know, sue me for putting a team winless in conference play this high up, but Quinnipiac is 5-5 on the season with an impressive win against Temple. Head coach Tricia Fabbri’s shooting style has plagued the Bobcats of late, but if history is any indicator of what is to come, the three point arc will soon become the answer to the Bobcat’s questions. A young team with talent is just not winning games they should right now.
Next three games: 12/28 @ Florida Gulf Coast, 1/2 @ Monmouth, 1/6 vs. Rider
5. Marist (3-8, 2-0 MAAC), Fifth in MAAC
Previous three games: W 72-57 @ Fairfield, W 73-54 @ Boston University, L 71-67 vs. Hofstra
Marist is sitting at 3-8 this season and is undefeated in MAAC play, but don’t let those eight losses fool you. The Red Foxes have lost to name brand schools like Creighton, Louisiana State, Delaware, Louisville, and St. John’s. The tough out-of-conference schedule will allow for Marist to make a big conference push moving forward, which makes them my pick to win the conference this season.
Next three games: 12/29 vs. Princeton, 1/3 vs. Rider, 1/7 @ Iona
6. Siena (4-6, 2-0 MAAC), Fourth in MAAC
Previous three games: W 59-58 OT vs. Saint Peter’s, W 57-53 @ New Hampshire, L 61-42 vs. Albany
Another team under .500 with an undefeated record in conference. The Saints found their stride with a four-game winning streak in early December, but saw it come to an end against rival Albany on Dec. 12. The Saints are going to have to find another streak soon to ensure more success.
Next three games: 12/28 @ Colgate, 12/30 @ Fairleigh Dickinson, 1/2 @ Niagara
7. Monmouth (2-7, 1-1 MAAC), Sixth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 81-70 vs. Princeton, L 78-68 vs. Eastern Michigan, L 81-75 @ Fairleigh Dickinson
The Hawks own a 2-7 record this season but are led by reigning MAAC rookie honoree McKinzee Barker. The only thing keeping the Hawks toward the middle of the pack is their conference win against Niagara.
Next three games: 12/29 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, 1/2 vs. Quinnipiac, 1/6 @ Saint Peter’s
8. Fairfield (4-5, 0-2 MAAC), Eigth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 59-35 @ Cornell, W 74-62 vs. IPFW, L 73-54 @ St. Johns
The Stags have one of the better overall records in the MAAC at 4-5, but have yet to post a conference win. The Stags are led by junior Kelsey Carey who is averaging 13.6 points per game. The tough out-of-conference schedule will enable Fairfield to prevent more tallies in the loss column.
Next three games: 12/28 vs. Harvard, 1/2 @ Canisius, 1/4 @ Niagara
9. Rider (3-6, 0-2 MAAC), Ninth in MAAC
Previous three games: L 73-64 vs. Canisius, W 61-60 OT vs. Lehigh, L 75-44 @ Pittsburgh
The Broncs are shooting just 29.1 percent from downtown. A three-win team, but not poised to turn any heads this year.
Next three games: 12/28 vs. Central Michigan, 1/3 @ Marist, 1/6 @ Quinnipiac
10. Niagara (1-8, 0-2 MAAC), First in MAAC
Previous three games: L 83-60 @ Monmouth, W 60-47 @ Dartmouth, L 57-48 @ Buffalo
The only thing keeping Niagara from the bottom spot is two more losses. No conference wins, and its being outscored by opponents by over 100 points.
Next three games: 12/23 @ St. Bonaventure, 12/29 @ Mount St. Mary’s, 1/2 vs. Siena
11. Saint Peter’s (1-9, 0-2 MAAC), 11th in MAAC
Previous three games: L 59-58 OT @ Siena, L 73-52 @ Fairleigh Dickinson, L 81-65 @ Seton Hall
Saint Peter’s has yet to win a single conference game. Looking forward there is not much lower the Peacocks can get so that means they can only go up from here. Right?
Next three games: 12/30 vs. Brown, 1/4 vs. Iona, 1/6 vs. Monmouth
