Today marks the start of the MAAC tournament, and we at Big Apple Buckets thought it would be worthwhile to take a closer look at each team in their quest to represent the MAAC in the NCAA Tournament. Each team makes the trip to Springfield with a different set of pros and cons, and dealing with different sets of highs and lows that go beyond simple numbers. Continue reading “Forecasting the MAAC Tournament”
On Friday night against Marist, Fairfield head coach Sydney Johnson and the Stags will honor lone senior Mo Barrow.
Continue reading “Fairfield’s Johnson on Senior Mo Barrow’s Legacy”
While the Fairfield Stags have one of the youngest rosters in the MAAC, head coach Sydney Johnson can’t help but realize the regression from last season’s senior-laden group to this season’s group of young players.
The third-year head coach said that on some level they haven’t been able to replace their face of the program from last season, Derek Needham, who led the program and scored a total of 1,875 points in his career. Continue reading “Fairfield’s Sydney Johnson on “The Derek Needham Effect””
Fairfield Stags head coach Sydney Johnson knows that his team has been searching for answers since last season’s collapse that led to the seventh seed in the MAAC tournament. Continue reading “Fairfield Sydney Johnson on Question Marks Addressed”
Manhattan got the opportunity to play postseason basketball this season in the CIT. The Jaspers though had to go on the road for at least the first two rounds. After winning in Albany they were given a third shot at conference foe Fairfield. The Stags must have known what was coming, because they defeated the Jaspers 69-57 on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
Continue reading “Manhattan’s season ends at MAAC rival Fairfield”
Iona may have lost a last-second game to Manhattan, but the Gaels are definitely still the team to beat in the MAAC. Iona is the top team in the league in efficiency margin, but it comes with a bit of a caveat, the Gaels have also played one of the easiest schedules in the conference thus far this season. Compare that with Manhattan. The Jaspers have played the third hardest conference schedule thus far. That’s by far the hardest schedule of any contender thus far. It also makes me think that the Jaspers, and their impressive defense, are for real.
Continue reading “Tempo-free MAAC: Iona still in drivers seat”
Next season is shaping up to be a really interesting one in the MAAC. Out of the 10 teams in the conference six will be legitimate postseason candidates and at least three could do damage in the NCAA Tournament if they make it that far.
The first step in evaluating who might come out on top of that logjam is taking a look at returning players. Most observers think that since Iona is returning Michael Glover and Scott Machado the Gaels are the team to beat, but looking at the value added for returning players gives a different result.
The movement of Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson to Fairfield appears to be a little outside of the scope of this site, but it actually brings to light something interesting about two conferences I’ll be covering moving forward. (And the schools missed being included here by about 30 minutes each.) But first let’s get one thing straight, this move isn’t about going to a “better” conference, despite what people will write.
The MAAC and the Ivy League are fairly comparable. For instance, here’s a look at the Ken Pomeroy and Sagarin ratings for both leagues this season:
Yes, the Ivy League was helped by the emergence of both Princeton and Harvard this season, but the bottom of the MAAC is really the anchor. Schools like Manhattan, Niagara and Marist totalled 11 conference wins between the three of them. The Ivy League’s Ancient Eight has a smaller pool to draw from, and thus the futility of Dartmouth failed to anchor down the conference.
Continue reading “Sydney Johnson moves from Princeton to Fairfield”
NYC Buckets Archive 