MAAC Monday: Non-conference review, stat leaders, power rankings

By Jaden Daly (@jadendaly) and Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)

On this last day of 2018, MAAC Monday makes its return for the first time this season, presented once again in its standard three-segment format today and every Monday to follow until the end of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season. Before we go any further, there is a major change noticeable in the byline, as Vincent Simone -- who joined us this offseason following the departure of NYC Buckets from the mid-major landscape to assist on coverage of both the MAAC and Hofstra -- will be a regular contributor this feature moving forward. As a result, the power rankings you see in the last segment will be an average of both his and Jaden Daly's rankings. Before the traditional middle segment of stat leaders, we'll raise the curtain with a review of the non-conference season for each team before league play commences Thursday. Monmouth and Niagara still have one more non-conference game to play, for those of you scoring at home. Each team here is listed in the order in which it was picked in October's preseason poll:

Rider: The Broncs came into the year the consensus favorites in the MAAC after returning nearly everyone from a roster which took home the regular season title a season ago, and they remain a major threat entering league play despite a losing record in the non-conference slate. Four of Rider’s losses have come against teams in the KenPom top 100, including a 90-79 defeat at VCU Sunday night to close out non-conference play. That fact makes the record easier to look out, but the lone head-scratcher loss against KenPom No. 310 Cal State Northridge in the Las Vegas Classic sticks out like a sore thumb. The formidable quartet of Jordan Allen, Dimencio Vaughn, Frederick Scott, and Stevie Jordan has picked up where it left off last season, with all averaging double figures in scoring while Jordan continues to set himself apart as one of the top mid-major point guards, dishing out 4.2 assists per game. Despite another year of experience under Rider's belt, free throws remain an issue, and have actually managed to get worse for this year’s outfit. After connecting at just a 60.8 percent clip from the charity stripe a year ago, that figure has dipped to 59.1 percent for the Broncs this season. - Vincent Simone

Canisius: Isaiah Reese may not be playing like the best player in the conference as we all expected a couple of months ago, but Takal Molson has thus far avoided a sophomore slump and given the Golden Griffins a major boost. Last season’s MAAC Rookie of the Year, Molson has raised his team-leading scoring average to 16.4 points per game, but has thus far struggled from behind the arc, connecting on just 14 of 70 three-point attempts. Reese, meanwhile, has yet to crack the 20-point threshold this season, but his 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game lead the Griffs in each category, and along with his 11.3 points-per-game average, lend testament to the junior’s vast skill set. Under third-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, Canisius’ trademark has been moving the ball with effectiveness. In each of the last two seasons, the Golden Griffins finished among the top 10 nationally in assist rate according to KenPom. This season, however, they stand 152nd. Shooting struggles have limited Canisius as well, with a paltry 28.6 percent mark on three-pointers and a 46.6 percent effective field goal percentage. - VS

Iona: Three-time defending MAAC champions, the Gaels have labored through an uncharacteristic beginning to the season, entering Thursday's MAAC opener against Monmouth at 2-9 after concluding the non-league slate with a loss to Holy Cross Sunday afternoon in just Iona's second contest on its home floor this year. Having to retool the roster has been more adverse for Tim Cluess this season than in any of his previous eight, with the loss of Roland Griffin in late October proving to be a blow from which the perennial powerhouse has yet to recover. Regardless, its architect sees a rainbow in the midst of the current storm, even if he remains displeased with the current product.

"Non-conference always matters," he said Sunday. "That's the reality of it, and it gives a good point of reference to where you are. And right now, we're not very good. I know it's a rough time for the program right now, but we're going to fight through this and get better. I think there'll be a number of games like this where we're going to have an opportunity. If we're willing to up our energy and effort, and care more about the little things that, right now, we don't care about for 40 minutes, then we'll have a chance in a lot of those games."

The inconsistency of newcomers Isaiah Still and Asante Gist has plagued the Gaels as Cluess searches for ancillary options behind Rickey McGill and E.J. Crawford, but the arrival of junior Tajuan Agee, who posted a double-double Sunday, has ushered in a new glimmer of hope, as Cluess highlighted a bright future for the Chicago native, citing a similar learning curve Griffin had last season en route to a conference championship. - Jaden Daly

Quinnipiac: The Bobcats have put together a decent 5-6 record through the non-conference slate, but when you dig deeper, you will find four of those five victories have come against teams in the 300+ range on KenPom, with the best win coming on the road at Dartmouth, ranked 217th. Fifth-year senior Cameron Young has moved to the forefront of the MAAC Player of the Year discussion, with his team-leading 18.4 points per game ranking second in the league. Quinnipiac was without sophomore point guard Rich Kelly for the first five games as he recovered from an MCL sprain, but he has since returned to average 9.2 points and 4.7 assists per game over the last six contests. Of the newcomers for Baker Dunleavy’s squad, forward Kevin Marfo has been a stout presence inside, pulling down 9.3 rebounds per game. Additionally, Marfo’s offensive and defensive rebounding percentages rank among the top 10 nationally according to KenPom. - VS

Monmouth: Just about everything that could go wrong this season for the Hawks unfortunately has done exactly that, as the 55 wins and national headline-grabbing upsets of high-major giants now seem like halcyon days for a program clearly reeling from the early departure of Micah Seaborn. Ray Salnave has thrived in a larger role for Monmouth this season, leading the team in scoring, assists, and steals, while sophomore Deion Hammond has carved out a solid start to his second campaign as King Rice's second double-figure scorer to date on a team still searching for its first win of the season after getting off to an 0-12 start. The development and emergence of Mustapha Traore has been a welcome sight in West Long Branch as well, but Rice is still counting on some of his other experienced bigs to step in and help shoulder the load down low for a team that could use any type of pick-me-up it can get heading into an ominous league opener Thursday evening against Iona. - JD

Marist: At 5-7, the Red Foxes' record is just one of the many tangible improvements under MAAC veteran -- but Poughkeepsie newcomer -- John Dunne as he prepares for his first conference campaign away from Saint Peter's. Also of key significance is the defense that was largely nonexistent under Dunne's predecessor, Mike Maker. Marist is yielding less than 69 points per game through its first twelve contests this year, a figure that checks in at just over 1.02 points per possession. Dunne will undoubtedly look to lower that number further as the season goes on, but he has to be encouraged with the play of each of his top four scorers (Brian Parker, Ryan Funk, Isaiah Lamb and David Knudsen) along with newcomer Darius Hines, whose early sample size at the point guard spot suggests he could be a potential All-Rookie selection, and perhaps even a stalwart similar to what Dunne had at Saint Peter's in Trevis Wyche. - JD

Fairfield: The pieces are there for Sydney Johnson’s squad, but they have yet to come together in the 2018-19 season. Neftali Alvarez will remain a regular name in the race for MAAC Rookie of the Year honors, while junior college product Landon Taliaferro has quickly developed into the premier perimeter threat in the conference. Alvarez was a heralded recruit for Johnson out of Puerto Rico, and has thus far been the focus of Fairfield’s offense, leading the squad in scoring (13.8 points per game) and assists (3.4 per game) while adding 3.9 rebounds per game to his ledger. However, operating as the primary point guard and scorer, Alvarez has committed 3.3 turnovers per game while making just 56.3 percent of his free throw attempts, and has yet to find his stride from the perimeter, connecting on just 28.6 percent of three-point attempts. Taliaferro's 46.3 percent mark from the perimeter leads the MAAC, and he has given Alvarez terrific support with a 12.7 points-per-game average. Inside the arc, Jonathan Kasibabu has been a force, posting 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds a night, but the Stags lack a true backup for the senior. That lack of depth has already reared its ugly head, with Kasibabu fouling out of three contests and finishing five others with four fouls. - VS

Manhattan: Steve Masiello has been down the road of a rough non-conference start before, so he would be the last person to be fazed by the Jaspers' 2-10 record heading into Thursday's MAAC tipoff against Quinnipiac. However, the biggest problem for the eighth-year mentor and two-time conference champion has been finding a consistent scoring stroke for his burgeoning offense, as Manhattan has eclipsed the 60-point plateau just twice this season, in losses to Stony Brook on December 5 and Albany on December 20. Managing just 54 points per game on average and lacking a double-figure scorer, the Jaspers' exploits with the ball in their hands have been suboptimal to say the least, but with that said, the potential is there. Should Pauly Paulicap and Warren Williams play together for stretches during conference play, Manhattan will have one of the more formidable interior presences in the league to complement the flashes of brilliance from Ebube Ebube and Tyler Reynolds on the perimeter, along with the hard-nosed and underrated point guard play of Bud Mack. A note of caution, though: The rest of the league, especially its bottom tier, seems to be evolving at a faster rate, so Masiello and his group could very well be navigating a slippery slope sooner rather than later. - JD

Niagara: The Purple Eagles have done something no other MAAC team has been able to accomplish over the first half of the season: Post a winning record. Chris Casey’s squad has won five of its last six, and is the lone MAAC team to take down an opponent listed among the KenPom Top 100, that being No. 83 Pittsburgh. The early favorite for MAAC Player of the Year resides in western New York, but he’s wearing purple, not gold. Marvin Prochet failed to garner All-MAAC honors despite leading the league in rebounding last season, so the senior forward has responded by leading the conference in points as well. Prochet’s 18.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game have paced the Purple Eagles thus far, and given junior guard James Towns the stability down low to take hold of a larger role in the backcourt following the graduations of Matt Scott and Kahlil Dukes. Senior forward Dominic Robb’s return to status as a premier shot blocker has also provided the squad a major boost. Robb’s 3.2 blocks per game is far and away the top mark in the conference, and ranks among the top 10 nationally. - VS

Saint Peter's: Shaheen Holloway promised a different look for the Peacocks than what fans had become accustomed to seeing under John Dunne, and through twelve games, the longtime Seton Hall assistant has not contradicted himself. Saint Peter's is playing at a much faster tempo on the offensive end, but with the uptick in pace has come a defense allowing nearly 76 points per game, a number almost never seen in Jersey City over the past decade. The Peacocks have also been a cardiac outfit through the non-conference season, as evidenced by four overtime games through the first two months, including each of the year's first two contests, one of which was the emotional double-digit comeback against Lafayette in the season opener to give Holloway his first win as head coach. As expected, having a head coach who was a former point guard has done nothing but benefit Davauhnte Turner, whose 17.4 points per game leads Saint Peter's by a wide margin and is among the top averages in the MAAC, but freshmen KC Ndefo and Dallas Watson have quickly made strides to assure that the future is indeed bright. - JD

Siena: Picked last of eleven two months ago, the Saints will be anything but cellar-dwellers. Such has been the impact of Jamion Christian, whose contagious enthusiasm and infectious positive energy has already permeated the Siena locker room. The loss of Khalil Richard for the season may have put the Saints in a hole on paper, but Jalen Pickett moving from the wing to the point guard spot has been an absolute godsend for the prohibitive MAAC Rookie of the Year favorite. The Rochester native's averages of 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds per game have instantly made him the most impressive rookie in the Capital Region since Kenny Hasbrouck in the mid-2000s, and coupled with the unleashing of Evan Fisher (15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a true center, a far cry from the perimeter role he played under Jimmy Patsos), Siena has a pair of gamers to rely on while Kevin Degnan and Sloan Seymour become deceptively strong shooters behind the arc. - JD

Scoring Leaders
1) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (18.8 PPG)
2) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (18.4)
3) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (17.4)
4) Takal Molson, Canisius (16.4)
5) E.J. Crawford, Iona (16.1)
6) Evan Fisher, Siena (15.7)
7) Jalen Pickett, Siena (15.1)
8) Brian Parker, Marist (14.7)
9) Jordan Allen, Rider (14.3)
10) Neftali Alvarez, Fairfield (13.8)

Rebounding Leaders
1) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (9.6 RPG)
2) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (9.3)
3) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (7.3)
4) Evan Fisher, Siena (6.5)
5) Tajuan Agee, Iona (6.4)
6) Dominic Robb, Niagara (6.3)
7) Quinn Taylor, Saint Peter's (5.8)
8) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (5.8)
9) Mustapha Traore, Monmouth (5.6)
10) Kevin Degnan, Siena (5.5)

Assist Leaders
1) Jalen Pickett, Siena (7.0 APG)
2) Rickey McGill, Iona (5.5)
3) James Towns, Niagara (4.7)
4) Stevie Jordan, Rider (4.5)
5) Brian Parker, Marist (3.8)
6) Neftali Alvarez, Fairfield (3.4)
7) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (3.3)
8) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (3.2)
9) Malik Johnson, Canisius (2.8)
10) Dallas Watson, Saint Peter's (2.7)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Dominic Robb, Niagara (.552)
2) Evan Fisher, Siena (.543)
3) Samuel Idowu, Saint Peter's (.523)
4) Mustapha Traore, Monmouth (.514)
5) Warren Williams, Manhattan (.513)
6) Stevie Jordan, Rider (.512)
7) Tajuan Agee, Iona (.505)
8) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (.500)
9) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (.480)
10) Brian Parker, Marist (.469)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Nehemiah Mack, Manhattan (.897)
2) James Towns, Niagara (.826)
3) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (.818)
4) Takal Molson, Canisius (.800)
5) E.J. Crawford, Iona (.792)
6) Rickey McGill, Iona (.772)
7) Ray Salnave, Monmouth (.763)
T-8) Asante Gist, Iona (.758)
T-8) Malik Johnson, Canisius (.758)
10) Dominic Robb, Niagara (.757)

Three-Point Field Goal Leaders
1) Landon Taliaferro, Fairfield (.463)
2) Andrija Ristanovic, Iona (.462)
T-3) Tajuan Agee, Iona (.429)
T-3) Stevie Jordan, Rider (.429)
T-3) David Knudsen, Marist (.429)
6) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (.424)
7) Kevin Degnan, Siena (.420)
T-8) Isaiah Lamb, Marist (.417)
T-8) Tyler Reynolds, Manhattan (.417)
10) Jordan Allen, Rider (.411)

Steal Leaders
1) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (2.7 SPG)
2) Rickey McGill, Iona (2.2)
3) Jalen Pickett, Siena (2.0)
4) Neftali Alvarez, Fairfield (1.8)
5) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (1.7)

Blocked Shot Leaders
1) Dominic Robb, Niagara (3.2 BPG)
2) Samuel Idowu, Saint Peter's (1.7)
3) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter's (1.4)
4) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (0.8)
5) Kevin Degnan, Siena (0.8)

Power Rankings
1) Niagara (7-5)
Last Game: Saturday 12/29 vs. Norfolk State (W 83-75)
Next Game: Monday 12/31 vs. Albany, 3:30 p.m.

2) Rider (5-7)
Last Game: Sunday 12/30 at VCU (L 90-79)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.

3) Canisius (3-8)
Last Game: Saturday 12/29 vs. Buffalo (L 87-72)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 at Marist, 7 p.m.

4) Siena (5-8)
Last Game: Saturday 12/29 vs. Cal Poly (W 75-54)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 at Saint Peter's, 4 p.m.

5) Iona (2-9)
Last Game: Sunday 12/30 vs. Holy Cross (L 78-71)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 vs. Monmouth, 7 p.m.

6) Marist (5-7)
Last Game: Saturday 12/29 at Hartford (L 65-56)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 vs. Canisius, 7 p.m.

7) Quinnipiac (5-6)
Last Game: Saturday 12/22 vs. Stony Brook (L 76-73)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.

8) Fairfield (3-9)
Last Game: Saturday 12/22 at New Hampshire (W 63-57)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.

9) Saint Peter's (3-9)
Last Game: Saturday 12/29 vs. Hampton (W 83-80, OT)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 vs. Siena, 4 p.m.

10) Manhattan (2-10)
Last Game: Sunday 12/23 at St. Francis Brooklyn (L 72-56)
Next Game: Thursday 1/3 vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

11) Monmouth (0-12)
Last Game: Thursday 12/20 vs. Yale (L 66-58)
Next Game: Monday 12/31 at Penn, 1 p.m.