maac basketball predictions 2020
Though he was a low usage player in 2019-20, Ings showed flashes of his potential, particularly off ball screens where he could use his quickness to get to the hole. Pickett particularly excels in the pick-n-roll, a staple of Maciariello’s offense, scoring 0.972 PPP (91st percentile nationally) as the ball handler off ball screens in 2019-20. 2019-2020 MAAC men’s basketball predictions 1. New season, new players and new highlights will descend upon Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament in March. The Red Foxes should be tough on this end again in 2020-21 – Cubbage and Saint-Furcy form a long, intimidating perimeter shell while the likes of Jones, Bell, and Enoh should be plenty to hold off opponents on the interior. Key Returners: Daryl Banks III, KC Ndefo, Fousseyni Drame, Doug Edert, Hassan Drame, Matthew Lee, Dallas WatsonKey Losses: Aaron Estrada, Quinn Taylor, Derrick Woods, Nazeer Bostick, Cameron Jones, Majur MajakKey Newcomers: Noah Kamba (Murray State)***, Zarique Nutter, Marty Silvera, *** Noah Kamba is awaiting a waiver to become immediately eligible. Curry started six games for the Titans two years ago proving to be an active rebounder and reliable post scorer. Golson has a DI ready frame and is a strong forward who should contribute in a year or two. Monmouth’s aggressive style of play results in copious amounts of fouls but it also creates transition opportunities. Quinnipiac’s defense has been horrendous under Dunleavy, ranking 313th, 310th, and 300th nationally in adjusted efficiency the past three seasons. Quinnipiac had a solid regular season spoiled in an upset loss to Monmouth in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament in 2019. He’ll anchor the Stags on both ends of the floor but still has much progress to make in the realm of offense and weight gain. In the meantime, the Peacocks will have to rely on Cameron Jones to clinch a third-straight tournament upset and make an unlikely push to the top of the MAAC. Kratholm, a former Duquesne Duke, started 20 games last season thanks in large part to him being the biggest body on the roster. The Bobcats administer very little pressure and instead prefer to sit back in a matchup-y 2-3 zone that opposing offenses had no trouble picking apart in 2019-20. Harried was a regular starter as a freshman but desperately needs to improve on his .413 / .239 / .569 (2P / 3P / FT) shooting split to see that type of run this year. Powell should take on a larger role this year and compete for starts, but he’ll need to drastically improve his shooting numbers to maintain a consistent place in the rotation. Partnering with Camper in the frontcourt will be 6’9” sophomore Kyle Young, Rhode Island transfer Dana Tate, and Detroit transfer Harrison Curry. Poor defense is difficult to overcome for any school at any level and there’s little reason to expect Niagara to improve by leaps and bounds on this end this season. Herasme ranked second on the squad in rebounding and ranked 6th in the MAAC in 3P% - like Saint-Furcy, Herasme racks up a fair amount of steals defensively and provides plenty of floor spacing for Cubbage on offense. The worst his Broncs have finished in conference play in eight seasons is T-7th, and Rider has only finished below .500 twice during his tenure. 6:00 ESPN+ Line: Kent State -6, o/u: 62. 6’6” senior Jacob Rigoni and 7’1” sophomore Seth Pinkney will man the starting 4 and 5 spots, respectively. 2020-21 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll 1. With three starters returning and several other key rotational pieces, the Hawks will have another legitimate shot at the MAAC crown and that elusive auto-bid. He’s quick off the dribble and should fit the Marist system well. Marist vs. Niagara odds, line: 2020 MAAC Tournament picks, predictions from proven computer simulation The SportsLine Projection Model has a … Bottom Line: Iona replaces a college basketball legend with another college basketball legend. With plenty of production left behind, Ings is a good candidate to put up a double-figure scoring average while taking on the lion’s share of point guard responsibilities. 2021 MAAC tournament site: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ 2021 MAAC tournament dates: March 8th-13th, 2021 When the page first loads, this table shows advancement odds calculated before the Quarterfinals. Niagara Purple Eagles (9-21, 5-15 MAAC) Key Player: sophomore guard Marcus Hammond. Cruz is clearly a talented player, but he is wildly inconsistent. Cubbage is a talented player, a big point guard who led the Red Foxes in scoring, rebounding, and assists last season. Papas is one of the best offensive players on the roster and provided a nice spark to the Hawks off the bench last season. Junior guard Tyrese Williams is likely the leading candidate to fill the primary ball handler role, but Dunleavy could also opt to start 6’1” sophomore Savion Lewis and play Williams more off the ball. The system is there for this team to be successful, the players just need to execute. Nearly everyone returns from last year’s squad, which means we can likely expect Niagara to have another quite potent offense paired with a porous defense. 6’4” wing Jaelen McGlone has the bounce and size to play at the DI level and carve out a rotation spot in 2020-21. Ebube Ebube should also be in the mix for a starting frontcourt spot. Akron (2) – 115 points 4. Its regular season, however, will be an interesting one. A decent core returns for Young in 2020-21 led by two of his best players from last season, Jesus Cruz and Taj Benning. Ross, formerly of UMKC, led the MAAC in eFG% and TS% last season after shooting a ridiculous 47% from three-point land in league play. Further, from a KenPom perspective, Baggett’s worst Rider team ranked 223rd – he consistently has his program around the 160 – 220 range, and though this might truly be his worst team in nine years, we shouldn’t expect a colossal fall past that range in 2020-21. The Saints take good shots, ranking 29th in the country last season in percentage of shots near the rim, and thanks to Pickett were one of the most efficient PnR teams in the nation last year. Up front, Myles Foster and Klemen Vuga join the fold as freshmen. By Pete Fiutak | November 4, 2020 1:54 am MAC college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 10 of the season. 10. Head coach Kevin Baggett seemed poised to change that, amassing arguably the most talented roster in the MAAC in each of the past three seasons. Follow @SChornobroff for more updates, 2019-2020 MAAC men’s basketball predictions, Saint Peter’s ousts Rider from MAAC Tournament, Rider knocks out Quinnipiac in MAAC tournament for first time in history, Past and present coaches and players reflect on MAAC heartbreak, Graduate student arrested after wild ride on campus, From the Editor: A Rider News interview with President Dell’Omo sparks worry for Westminster, Letter to the Editor: Professor believes musical bond has been broken, Sights from Rider women’s basketball’s upset over Quinnipiac — March 10, 2021, Ciattarelli brings campaign for governor to Rider and pushes Murphy on policy. Rider ranked 17th in the country in FT rate last season, and Baggett’s squads are consistently good on the glass. He is extremely long, barely needing to jump to dunk the ball, and is skilled enough offensively to face-up and hit a mid-to-long range jumper. Bottom Line: Niagara should improve from a national ranking and power rating perspective, but don’t expect the Eagles to necessarily finish better than their 9-11 MAAC mark in 2019-20. All Rights Reserved. Hammond earned 1st Team All-MAAC honors after ranking 3rd in the league in scoring last year, and he’s ranked 4th in each of the past two years in the MAAC in percentage of team shots taken. Rider Broncs (16-14, 13-7 MAAC) Key Player: redshirt junior forward Dimencio Vaughn. Steve Masiello enters his 10th year as head coach in Riverdale; he enjoyed overwhelming success his first four seasons, taking the Jaspers to two NCAA Tournaments and turning his squad into a perennial MAAC contender. SPU’s turnover woes was a major reason it was pressed at the 5th highest rate in the country – opposing teams knew they could disrupt the young Peacock guards early and often. Rider was expected to be the class of the conference in 2018-19 and 2019-20 following a breakout 2017-18 campaign, but results fell far below expectations. The supporting cast behind Pickett will have to overperform to put Siena in contention for the MAAC crown. MAAC Schedule - Mar 10, 2021 - Mar 16, 2021. The difference between SPU’s D-rating and the 2nd best defensive squad in the MAAC was GREATER than the difference between the 2nd best squad and the 8th. Fairfield’s upside is its two preseason all-MAAC stars. Ahemed started six games before going down with a season-ending foot injury – he’s a super long guard with tons of potential for a breakout in 2020-21. Siena is the only MAAC team listed ( #125) but the writeup is good (although somewhat dated as it came out a while back). Given that the Purple Eagles were the worst rebounding team in college basketball, making outside shots was a must to win ball games, which they did on a near-nightly basis. In 2019-20, Cubbage shot just 36.4% from two and 20.8% from three – you simply cannot win many games when your best player is throwing up those percentages. With Burns out of the picture, Young could man the starting five spot all season long in 2020-21. Interim head coach Tra Arnold “led” the Gaels to a 10th place finish in the MAAC adjusted defensive efficiency rankings last year, ranking only ahead of Niagara in that metric. Like most of his mentor’s squads, Jay Young’s Stags were far better on the defensive end of the floor last season than on the offensive. The Peacocks were DOMINANT on this end in MAAC play, posting a defensive rating of 91.5, which would have been the 15th best mark in the country had SPU continued that pace throughout non-conference play. Sophomores Matt Balanc and Brendan McGuire should expect decent spikes in their playing time on the wings this season. 2020-21 men's college basketball preview: Preseason picks, rankings, complete coverage Iowa's Luka Garza said the Hawkeyes held a preseason meeting to … Scandal or no scandal, Pitino can flat out coach and he’s a surefire bet to bring Iona back up the MAAC standings. Monmouth 5. Freshmen forwards Bennett Kwiecinski and Colin Golson, Jr. likely don’t see much run this season. One of the strangest trends of Masiello’s coaching career has been his decision to pump the brakes on his team’s offensive pace. 6’5” junior Berrick JeanLouis and 6’2” sophomore Tahlik Chavez, both out of the JUCO ranks, are both capable of earning starting roles and even making pushes for All-MAAC honors this season. However, Cubbage also has a tendency to take terrible shots. As a freshman, MacDonald knocked down 37.1% of his 89 3PA and was a perfect 22/22 from the free throw line. Rice has an experienced roster highlighted by a mid-major star, more than enough to challenge for a conference championship and a bid to the Big Dance in March. Of those four only sophomore guard Christian Ings is a lock to receive ample playing time in 2020-21. CSUN transfer Rodney Henderson will also compete for starts after playing just three games for the Matadors last season. But it's good to evaluate some of the Jaspers' OoC competition. Siena 6. Buffalo – 109 points 5. Outlook: King Rice enters his 10th year at Monmouth fresh off a season in which his Hawks exceeded preseason expectations and got back to their winning ways. Anytime a mid-major can hire one of the best college basketball coaches in history it has to do it. Key Returners: Deion Hammond, Samuel Chaput, Marcus McClary, George Papas, Melik Martin, Nikkei Rutty, Gob Gabriel, Jarvis VaughanKey Losses: Ray Salnave, Mustapha Traore, Louie Pillari, Sam IbiezugbeKey Newcomers: Donovann Toatley (Chattanooga), Myles Foster, Jack Holmstrom, Myles Ruth, Klemen Vuga. Privacy Policy / Terms of Service / Video Platform powered by CBS Sports All eyes will be on Jalen Pickett, the reigning MAAC POY and one of the best players in the country at any conference level. Vuga is a big Slovenian forward with perimeter skills who could contribute right away. Sophomore forward Allan Jeanne-Rose started 11 games as a freshman and showed his potential to blossom into a solid two-way player down the road. Still, the talent is there for Kamba to develop into a dangerous offensive player in the MAAC – something SPU could really use. Manhattan Jaspers (12-18, 10-10 MAAC) Key Player: sophomore forward Warren Williams. Murray scored and shot well for an atrocious UIW squad – it’s hard to know how he’ll translate to a better team and league, but I’d wager he fills a regular role in the rotation if eligible. The Hawks should be a good ball security team once again this year but will need to improve on one of the country’s worst FG% near the rim. Inconsistency was a major factor in Canisius’s floundering – the Griffs ranked 340th in Haslametrics’ consistency rating, good one night and dumpster fire poor the next. Bottom Line: Monmouth has been one of the better programs in the MAAC since joining the league in 2013-14. Returning CG Nehemiah “Bud” Mack will also be in the mix for backcourt minutes after starting seven games last year. Ten of the league's top men's basketball players were also selected to the preseason All-MAC teams for the East and West Divisions as announced by the league office. Freshmen Myles Ruth, a “true” point guard, and Jack Holmstrom, a lefty shooter, likely ride the pine in their freshman seasons. Pinkney is a shot-blocking extraordinaire who posted an insane 12.8% block rate as a freshman, averaging 1.4 BPG in just 11.1 MPG. The Saints ranked just 7th in the MAAC last season in defensive efficiency after not forcing turnovers, rebounding poorly, and showing little to no resistance inside. He has a real shot to lead the Broncs in scoring in his first season Lawrenceville. This will be the norm for Iona under Pitino – he’ll reel in talented class after talented class and eventually have this program among the best mid-majors in the country. This is a conference that could be in something of a state of flux, though. The official Men's Basketball page for Mid-American Conference Niagara ran a 5-out offense that prioritized shooting above all else to compensate for its diminutive size and ranked 5th in the MAAC in adjusted efficiency. Up front look for 6’10” skinny sophomore Chris Maidoh and St. Bonaventure transfer Tshiefu Ngalakulondi to start at the 5 and 4, respectively. Comments In Channel. Unlike most young 7+ footers, Shema can handle the ball, shoot from the outside, and run the floor. Only four players return from last year’s 12-8 MAAC squad. There’s nothing on the floor Pickett cannot do – he’s led the league in assist rate two straight years, he’s posted very low turnover rates in college, he can shoot, he can score, and he can play defense. Enoh is the one to watch of this group; he played nearly every game for the Tigers as a freshman before barely seeing the floor as a sophomore and sitting out last season with the Red Foxes. The athleticism is improving on this roster, but there’s no reason to believe a massive improvement is coming on this end of the floor. Witherspoon is known for running the continuity ball screen offense, a motion half-court attack predicated on, well, ball screens and tons of cutting. Of course, Papas is most famous for his antics late in the Kansas game on November 15th when he stole the ball in garbage time down 50, dunked it, and proceeded to trash talk the Jayhawks: Given Papas’s size, I’d be surprised if Rice doesn’t start him over one of Toatley or Chaput. Nwandu is a DII transfer who followed Beilein over from Le Moyne – he brings needed size and athleticism to the fold. Case in point, Fairfield played Manhattan four days apart to close out the 2019-20 season; in the first game Cruz poured in 21 PTS on 8/11 shooting, in the second he managed just 6 PTS on 2/9 shooting. This was not a typical college basketball team – the Peacocks’ leading scorer averaged 8.5 PPG and nobody played over 23 MPG. The Hawks ranked 19th in the country in offensive APL and relied heavily on transition to power their scoring attack. Fairfield ranked 4th in the MAAC in defensive efficiency, rebounded the ball well, forced teams to take tough shots, and were solid in just about every defensive category imaginable. legit shot blocker. With his size, Cubbage can really get to the cup with ease, he just needs to learn when to reel it in and make better decisions his senior season. His Cats shoot it well, too, ranking 51st last season in 3P% at a solid 35.7% overall clip. The Eagles were the MAAC’s worst defensive team in 2020-21 and ranked 325th nationally in adjusted efficiency per KenPom. All that aside, this is a fantastic hire for the Gaels. The regular season has not traditionally been a struggle for Canisius, but a plethora of potential uphill battles during the regular season may drain the Golden Griffins and prolong their stretch of failure in the MAAC tournament. Lamar was hurt most of last season but offers plenty of versatility and shooting from the 3 or 4 when healthy. Defensively, this will be one of the best squads in the conference – unfortunately that can only take you so far. He’ll be mostly a slasher offensively and has tons of potential as a defensive stopper with his length and athleticism. Monmouth Hawks (16-14, 11-9 MAAC) Key Player: redshirt junior guard Ray Salnave. On the wing, look for 6’4” sophomore Armon Harried and 6’5” sophomore Akrum Ahemed to compete for starting minutes. With KC Ndefo returning, among others, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Peacocks can be this dominant on the defensive end of the floor in 2020-21. Records include games against Division I opponents only. Rice was the talk of the nation after the 2017 season concluded, having led his Hawks to a combined record of 55-15 (35-5) the two years prior. Like Brandon, though, he’s better off the ball where he’s a deadly spot-up threat. Bottom Line: There’s no question Canisius gets better this season, but I still don’t see the Griffs as a threat to win the MAAC title. Though the team lost its top player from 2019, Cameron Young, juniors Rich Kelly and Jacob Rigoni are more than prepared to make up the slack from Young’s absence and right the wrongs from the 2019 tournament. Dunleavy played for and coached under Jay Wright at Villanova, so it’s no surprise he derives his offensive style from his mentor. The Hawks surprised in the 2019 MAAC tournament, upsetting Quinnipiac and Canisius to make it to the MAAC championship final. The NBA draft-hopeful is not the only key to the Saints’ success. The MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament (popularly known as the MAAC Tournament) is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).