Regular season MAAC play has come to its inevitable conclusion. The final day offered a few surprises as Rider beat Fairfield at home, Loyola (MD) pulled out a squeaker over Manhattan and Marist went off on Niagara. All of those results have been included in this final edition of the tempo-free MAAC and will also impact the projected tournament results that I will unveil on Tuesday afternoon. It’s been quite the ride. For some more reading on the MAAC, checkout out this Q&A Siena Saints Blog did with MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor.
Tempo-Free Standings:
1. Iona (15-3) — +0.215
2. Manhattan (12-6) — +0.114
3. Fairfield (12-6) — +0.100
4. Loyola (MD) (13-5) — +0.062
5. Rider (10-8) — +0.016
6. Siena (8-10) — -0.040
7. Niagara (8-10) — -0.043
8. Marist (7-11) — -0.068
9. Canisius (1-17) — -0.169
10. St. Peter’s (3-15) — -0.188
Yup, that’s St. Peter’s, winners of three games in conference, below Canisius, winner of one. That’s what allowing a 31-point run in the middle of your final game can do to your tempo-free statistics. Also, those teams from 6-8 in the standings are not created equal. Siena and Niagara have below average variances. They are who they are. Marist on the other hand has the second highest variance in the conference behind only enigmatic Rider. The Red Foxes are the team that are most likely to pull an upset if they get the chance. (Yes, I realize that’s going to be against Iona.)
Superlatives:
Best Offense: Iona at 1.19 points per possession
Best Defense: Fairfield at 0.91 points allowed per possession
Worst Offense: St. Peter’s at 0.87 points per possession
Worst Defense: Canisius at 1.10 points allowed per possession
Luckiest: St. Peter’s at 2.3 wins above expected
Unluckiest: Manhattan at 2.2 wins below expected
Highest Variance Offense: Marist
Highest Variance Defense: Manhattan
Highest Variance Team: Rider
Lowest Variance Team: Loyola (MD)
It’s time to get ready for Springfield, MA and the MAAC tourney!
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