A-10 Tempo Thursday: March 3, 2022

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Game statistic sheets today provide an area for time leading, but enjoying the lead for most of a game does not guarantee a victory. You must have the lead when the clock strikes 0:00.

Davidson has held the Atlantic 10 lead for virtually the entire campaign. Bob McKillop’s Wildcats, in the driver’s seat, still had to take care of business against George Mason and Dayton. On Wednesday, George Mason was defeated, leaving a trip to Dayton on Saturday to finish up the regular season.

The race for the top four and the accompanying coveted double bye in next week’s A-10 tournament is still not decided. Davidson, VCU, Dayton and St. Bonaventure lead the way. Saint Louis closely follows.

Less than a week of regular season play remains. Questions beg to be answered. It’s been that type of year. Expect to see more of it in Washington.

Efficiency and Records

1) Dayton (+17, 13-4)

2) Davidson (+13, 15-2)

3) VCU (+10, 14-3)

4) Saint Louis (+10, 11-6)

5) St. Bonaventure (+7, 11-5)

6) Richmond (+3, 10-7)

7) George Mason (0, 7-8)

8) Rhode Island (-3, 5-11)

9) Saint Joseph’s (-5, 4-13)

10) George Washington (-6, 8-8)

11) Fordham (-6, 7-10)

12) UMass (-9, 6-11)

13) La Salle (-9, 4-13)

14) Duquesne (-20, 1-15)

Offensive Efficiency Leaders

1) Davidson 113 

2) Saint Louis 109 

3) Dayton 107 

4) St. Bonaventure 105

5) George Mason and Richmond 104

Davidson also leads the way in effective field goal percentage (54 percent), and has the second-best turnover rate at 15 percent. Think of Davidson and you think of its multiple perimeter threats. Interestingly, the Wildcats are sixth in 3-point percentage, yet lead the A-10 with a 55 percent rate for shots from inside the arc.

Defensive Efficiency Leaders

1) Dayton 90 

2) VCU 91 

3) Rhode Island and Fordham 96 

5) St. Bonaventure 98

Dayton is still on top of the conference here. The Flyers’ strong suit is an effective field goal defense of 45 percent, second in conference. They lead the conference in a defensive mark of 43 percent for shots inside the arc. Dayton does not force many turnovers, however, it will lock you down defensively, especially inside.

Tempo

Fastest: UMass 70 possessions per game

VCU, George Washington and Rhode Island 69 

Saint Joseph’s 68

Deliberate: Dayton 63 possessions per game

Davidson, George Mason, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure 66

A few teams are pushing the pace, but none are at a breakneck, NASCAR-like tempo. UMass and Saint Joseph’s have been among the leaders all season. On the opposite side Dayton has also been a consistent leader in the most deliberate category. Anthony Grant, having a very young team, arguably opted for this to be an optimum pace to play. The last two seasons, Dayton’s tempo was 66 and 67 possessions per game, respectively. Numbers do not seem like a drastic difference from the 63 of this season. Measuring possessions, it is significant. The Flyers have put it in low gear tempo-wise. Who can argue with the results?

St. Bonaventure had a seven-game win streak snapped at VCU on Tuesday. The host Rams defeated the Bonnies by a resounding 74-51 count as Osun Osunniyi sat out the game with an ankle injury suffered with just over eight minutes remaining in the win at Saint Joseph’s the previous Saturday.

With the season winding down, it’s time to take a closer look at the percentage of team minutes the Bonnies’ starters are on the floor. Coach Mark Schmidt has utilized a short rotation during his years in Olean. In recent seasons, the rotation was seven or eight-deep. This season, Schmidt has rolled with virtually an iron five, as noted by the following list with the percentage of team minutes each starter has logged individually:

Jaren Holmes: 95 percent

Dominick Welch: 92 percent

Jalen Adaway: 90 percent

Kyle Lofton: 84 percent

Osun Osunniyi: 72 percent

Among the nation’s leaders, Holmes is ranked fourth. Welch 10th and Adaway 21st. Lofton’s numbers would be higher except for a three-game early season hiatus due to an ankle injury. Osunniyi, as noted, missed the VCU game. The senior also was off the floor several times during the year due to foul trouble.

Now, taking a look at the A10 leaders:

1) Jacob Gilyard, Richmond: 95 percent

2) Jaren Holmes, St. Bonaventure: 95 percent

3) Dominick Welch, St. Bonaventure: 92 percent

4) Jalen Adaway, St. Bonaventure: 90 percent

5) Taylor Funk, Saint Joseph’s: 88 percent

6) D’Shawn Schwartz, George Mason: 88 percent

7) Jordan Hall, Saint Joseph’s: 87 percent

8) Kyle Lofton, St. Bonaventure: 84 percent

9) James Bishop, George Washington: 84 percent

10) Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis: 84 percent

Coach Billy Lange wants Funk and Hall on the floor as much as possible. The St. Joe’s rotation falls decidedly short of the Bonnies in percentage of minutes played, though. Last season, an A-10 commentator half-jokingly said Schmidt could not coach in the NBA because he would not deal with load management. If you’re ready, you play, each game and virtually all of it.

The 3-pointer is a weapon. Individually, here are the A-10’s top five:

1) Rich Kelly, UMass: 48 percent

2) Michael Jones, Davidson: 46 percent

3) Ace Baldwin, VCU: 44 percent

4) Tyson Scuff, Duquesne: 44 percent

5) Foster Loyer, Davidson: 44 percent

Keep an eye on these top marksmen, two from A-10-leading Davidson, during tournament play.

Quick Hitters

Minus Osunniyi, an inside force and rim protector, St. Bonaventure gave up 44 points in the paint at VCU.

Dayton was outrebounded, 38-29, in its loss at La Salle on Saturday. Anthony Grant’s Flyers got back on track, winning the battle of the boards 39-29 in Tuesday’s win at Richmond.

Prior to defeating Duquesne on Saturday, Rhode Island dropped eight of its previous nine games, the lone victory coming against Davidson.

Out with an injury most of last season, Chuba Ohams came back with a vengeance. The Fordham senior center recorded a double-double in 19 of Fordham’s 29 games.

Duquesne has scored 62 points or less in 13 of its last 14 games, all losses. Keith Danbrot’s group broke through Wednesday with 93 points in a triple-overtime loss at George Washington. The Dukes are at the bottom of the conference with an efficiency of 89 in A10 play.

In Saint Louis’ 80-74 victory at Rhode Island on wednesday, the Billikens shot better from 3-point range than inside the arc. Saint Louis was 9-of-19 from three and 19-for-44 from 2-point range.

LaSalle won its second straight, defeating Saint Joseph’s, 49-48, on Wednesday. The Explorers swept their Big 5 rivals by holding the Hawks to 12 second-half points. Both were under their offensive efficiency norm with La Salle at 77 and the visiting Hawks checking in at 75.

Davidson keeps on rolling. The Wildcats stopped George Mason, 73-62, on Wednesday. The win was their fifth straight and ninth in their last ten. The Patriots canned 40 percent of their 3-point shots. Davidson answered with balanced scoring and a 39-28 rebounding advantage.

Upcoming Schedule

March 4: Richmond at St. Bonaventure

March 5: Davidson at Dayton

La Salle at Duquesne

George Washington at Fordham 

Rhode Island at Saint Joseph’s 

UMass at George Mason

VCU at Saint Louis

A-10 Tournament at Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. 

March 9: Game 1: #12 vs. #13

Game 2: #11 vs. #14

March 10: Game 3: #8 vs. #9 

Game 4: #5 vs. winner of game 1 

Game 5: #7 vs. #10

Game 6: #6 vs. winner of game 2

March 11: Quarterfinals

Game 7: #1 vs. winner of game 3 

Game 8: #4 vs. winner of game 4 

Game 9: #2 vs. winner of game 5 

Game 10: #3 vs. winner of game 6

March 12: Semifinals

Game 11: Winner of game 7 vs. winner of game 8

Game 12: Winner of game 9 vs. winner of game 10 March 13: Championship

All-KenPom

Josh Oduro, George Mason

Luka Brajkovic, Davidson

Hyunjung Lee, Davidson 

Vince Williams, VCU

Tyler Burton, Richmond

Aggregate Stats

Efficiency: 101

Tempo: 68 possessions per game

Effective field goal percentage: 50

Turnover percentage: 18

Offensive rebound percentage: 27

2-point field goal percentage: 49

3-point field goal percentage: 34

Home winning percentage: 60

Close game percentage: 24 

Blowout percentage: 17

The home court edge shows a marked difference from early in the season. In the first weeks of January, the host team barely broke even, with the winning percentages right around .500. Through February, now into March, that homecourt advantage is more pronounced. Blowouts under 20 percent and nearly a quarter of the games being close attests to better competitive balance.

Johnnies send seniors out on high note with win over Xavier in home finale

Tareq Coburn had senior day to remember, with 20 points and five 3-pointers as St. John’s exploded past Xavier. (Photo by Vincent Dusovic/St. John’s University Athletics)  

By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

NEW YORK — From the emotion of senior night to the honoring of a school legend in Marcus Hatten, St. John’s made sure to send its most experienced players and faithful fans happy Wednesday after a 81-66 thrashing over Xavier, completing a season sweep of the Musketeers.

And on a night where Tareq Coburn got the ceremony he was denied last year at Hofstra with the absence of fans in the stands, it was only fitting that the Queens native lit up Xavier for a game-high 20 points, torching the nets by making five of his seven 3-point attempts for what was far and away his best game with the Red Storm, eclipsing the first meeting St. John’s had against the Musketeers, where he went for 13 points.

“I don’t know if i’m ever going to play a college game here again, so I had to make it count,” Coburn reflected. “My teammates and coaches had the ultimate confidence in me.”

It wasn’t just Coburn who had the stat sheet filled up, as four other Johnnies scored in double figures, an effort that has come few and far between but was one of the few glimpses of what has been seen this season when everything is clicking for the Red Storm, now 16-13 and 8-10 in Big East play.

Offensively the game started slow, with both teams having trouble scoring initially. Xavier started the game 2-of-15 from the field as St. John’s took a 34-29 halftime lead. The Red Storm came out of the intermission getting exactly what it wanted in the second half, quickly taking a 12 point lead. But after head coach Mike Anderson rested Coburn and Aaron Wheeler, Xavier took advantage, breaking out an 11-2 run to cut the lead to three. This was as close as Xavier would get, though, as St. John’s responded with big threes from Coburn and Wheeler upon their reinsertion into the lineup, followed by Julian Champagnie hitting a jumper and then stealing the ensuing inbounds — which he converted to a layup — all within a span of five seconds. The Carnesecca Arena crowd exploded, giving Champagnie a standing ovation on what could be his final game on his home floor. St. John’s would use the momentum and close out the game from this point on.

This is the type of performance that had the Red Storm picked fourth in the Big East preseason poll: Balanced scoring, suffocating defense, stars producing. And while it may be frustrating to think a win like this could have been the one to seal an at-large bid, the focus now shifts to Saturday’s regular season finale at Marquette, before returning to Madison Square Garden for a last-ditch effort at resuscitating St. John’s NCAA Tournament hopes if it can make a run in the Big East tournament.

“There’s no time to look back,” Champagnie said. “What could have been is what could have ,been and what's not is what’s not. What it comes down to is four or five-point games that we could have won, so it’s not necessarily everyone always contributing, although that obviously helps.”

Peacocks stifle Manhattan, stay alive for #2 seed

KC Ndefo powers past Manhattan as Saint Peter’s dominated Jaspers to move ahead of Siena for second place in MAAC. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW YORK — Defense, as has often been suggested, wins championships.

And even in a conference with a Hall of Fame coach, the owner of the best defense in the league proved yet again it could beat anyone on its best effort.

Using a spate of 20 unanswered points as part of a 29-4 run from the end of the first half through the beginning of the second period, Saint Peter’s did to Manhattan Tuesday what it has done to countless other opponents this year, freezing the Jasper offense in a 73-51 drubbing at Draddy Gymnasium.

“We understand this time of year, what it’s about,” head coach Shaheen Holloway assessed just two days after the Peacocks (15-11, 13-6 MAAC) held Niagara to just 36 points Sunday — the lowest output yielded to an opposing team since the former Seton Hall point guard and assistant replaced John Dunne in 2018 — to move a half-game ahead of Siena for second in the MAAC standings. “We’re not worried about seeds, we’re just worried about playing well.”

“I thought early in the year, we kind of thought we were an offensive team. We forgot who we are. We got embarrassed by Rider, then we went to Siena and they embarrassed us. We had a meeting, and the guys understand we’ve got to get back to doing the little things, playing Saint Peter’s basketball.”

Among said little things? Holding Jose Perez, the MAAC’s leading scorer who averages over 22 points per game in league play and 19 overall, to just six points on 1-of-11 shooting. Perez only managed a half-dozen markers in the first meeting between the schools on January 28, but was ejected in the first half, making the display more impressive as a result.

“It was a team effort,” Holloway said of defending Perez, who has made just eight of his last 45 field goal attempts in Manhattan's last three games. “He’s a good player, he makes them go, him and Ant Nelson. And we understood that. The game plan was to make sure they had tough shots, don’t give them nothing easy. I thought the guys did a great job with that.”

Adding to the misery for Manhattan was Anthony Nelson leaving the game in the first half with what appeared to be a left leg injury. The senior limped to the bench and was in visible pain before being helped to the locker room, unable to put weight on his limb. Perez later exited the game as his right elbow was being tended to late in the second half. Head coach Steve Masiello did not provide an update on the status of either Nelson or Perez for Thursday’s regular season finale against Iona, but even in the face of a three-game losing streak that dropped the Jaspers to .500 at 14-14 overall (7-12 MAAC), remains optimistic in his group’s ability to deliver while the chips are down.

“I always feel confident,” he reassured. “I always know what we’re capable of, know what we can do, know how to put the recipe together.”

As for Saint Peter’s, the Peacocks can clinch the No. 2 seed in next week’s MAAC tournament with a win over Fairfield Saturday and a Siena loss to either Niagara or Canisius this week. But while teams are jockeying for position in Atlantic City, Holloway is content to let that play out naturally, devoting all his attention to the Stags at the moment.

“Right now, we’re just focused on Saturday,” he reiterated. “Saturday’s very important, it’s senior day for KC (Ndefo), he’s been here for four years with me. We’ve got to make sure we come out and play against a good Fairfield team who defends. We’ve got to try to get prepared for them. Next week is next week, but you know what? I think we’re getting there. As a coach, you always want to get better and do better, and I think we’re getting there.”

Updated MAAC tournament scenarios: March 1, 2022

Updated after Saint Peter’s 73-51 win at Manhattan Tuesday, here are the latest Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament scenarios for each team, listed in order of current standings from first to last:

Iona (16-2): Has clinched regular season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship and automatic bid to National Invitation Tournament. The Gaels will play the #8 or #9 seed in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9, at 7 p.m.

Saint Peter’s (13-6): Has clinched a first-round bye and will finish as #2 or #3 seed. The Peacocks can clinch the #2 seed with a win vs. Fairfield Saturday AND a Siena loss at Niagara Thursday or Canisius Saturday.

Siena (12-6): Has clinched a first-round bye and will finish as #2 or #3 seed. The Saints control their own destiny for the #2 seed, and can clinch it with wins at Niagara Thursday and Canisius Saturday, OR with one win AND a Saint Peter’s loss to Fairfield Saturday.

Monmouth (10-8): Has clinched a first-round bye and will finish as #4 or #5 seed. The Hawks will play in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10, at 9:30 p.m., and control their own destiny for the #4 seed. Monmouth can clinch the #4 seed with wins vs. Quinnipiac Thursday and at Rider Saturday, AND a Marist loss at Canisius Thursday or Niagara Saturday.

Marist (9-9): Can finish as #4, #5, #6, or #7 seed. The Red Foxes can clinch a first-round bye with a win at Canisius Thursday OR at Niagara Saturday, and can clinch the #4 seed with wins at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday AND a Monmouth loss vs. Quinnipiac Thursday or at Rider Saturday, OR with a win at Canisius or Niagara AND Monmouth losses vs. Quinnipiac and at Rider.

Quinnipiac (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Bobcats can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins at Monmouth Thursday and Iona Saturday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, AND a Niagara loss THURSDAY vs. Siena.

Fairfield (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Stags can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins vs. Rider Thursday and at Saint Peter’s Saturday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, AND a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona.

Rider (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Broncs can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins at Fairfield Thursday and vs. Monmouth Saturday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, AND a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona.

Niagara (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, or #10 seed. The Purple Eagles can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins vs. Siena Thursday and vs. Marist Saturday, a Marist loss THURSDAY at Canisius, a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona, a Manhattan loss Tuesday vs. Saint Peter’s OR Thursday vs. Iona, a Rider loss Thursday at Fairfield OR Saturday vs. Monmouth, AND a Fairfield loss Thursday vs. Rider OR Saturday at Saint Peter’s.

Manhattan (7-12): Can finish as #6, or #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Jaspers will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 8.

Canisius (5-13): Can finish as #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Golden Griffins will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 8.

These scenarios will be updated both on this site and on Twitter (@DalyDoseOfHoops) in the days leading up to the first tournament game on Tuesday, March 8.

Hofstra survives battle with Charleston, preps for tourney rematch

Aaron Estrada pulls up in traffic for jumper as Hofstra outlasted Charleston Monday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Speedy Claxton admitted he was not a fan of Hofstra’s final regular season game Monday, a rescheduled clash with Charleston, the Pride’s Colonial Athletic Association tournament quarterfinal opponent this Sunday.

But, like the veteran he is, he pulled his team through the matchup rescheduled from the first week of January due to COVID protocols, needing every clutch shot down the stretch to outlast a scrappy Cougar team by the final of 89-84 inside the Mack Sports Complex.

“It’s tough, because you don’t want to show them everything,” Claxton admitted, citing the impending rematch in the postseason setting of Washington D.C. “I dialed back the playbook and kind of just kept it simple, but it’s not an ideal situation. I really didn’t like it.”

“Charleston’s a physical team, so the biggest key against them is toughness. I thought we had that toughness tonight, and we’re going to need that same toughness on Sunday.”

Hofstra (21-10, 13-5 CAA) played a full 40 minutes with fortitude, feasting on Charleston’s inability to control the basketball. All told, the Pride forced 28 turnovers, at one point registering a takeaway on over 40 percent of defensive possessions as the transition game that has become a fixture of the past decade on Long Island ramped up at the most opportune of times.

“We got stops and rebounded,” Claxton said. “If you don’t get stops and rebound, you can’t get out. They’re a high-turnover team, so coming into the game, we expected that they were going to turn it over.”

However, there was one characteristic the first-year head coach felt needed improvement.

“The 50-50 (balls), man,” Claxton said of loose ball opportunities against a Charleston team that pushes tempo and predicates itself on catching opposing teams off kilter. “Our kids have to get on the floor a little bit more and we’ve gotta win the 50-50 battle.”

In the winning effort, Aaron Estrada — who scored 30 points in Hofstra’s first meeting with the Cougars — led all scorers with 28 markers, and in true Estrada fashion, supplemented his offense with seven assists and six rebounds as he fortified his case for not only CAA Player of the Year honors, but also for the Haggerty Award, bestowed upon the best player in the metropolitan area. No Hofstra player has captured that honor since Charles Jenkins won it three straight years, from 2009 to 2011.

“The next time we play them, they’re probably going to try to do a different game plan,” Estrada quipped. “The first time we played them, I had 30, this time, I had 28. I feel like they’re going to change the way that they play, but I’m going to play my game still, try to do what I do and provide for the team.”

“It gives me a big confidence boost. The last couple games, I was struggling shooting the ball, wasn’t really efficient. I never got too low on myself or anything like that, but this game really did give me a lot of confidence going into the tournament.”

And for a team two years removed from cutting down the nets before the pandemic halted the NCAA Tournament dreams that were about to become a reality, Hofstra has a simple goal of getting back again, starting with a familiar foe this weekend.

“We’re just focused right now,” Claxton declared. “We have a goal at hand. We want to be cutting down those nets, so I’ll give these guys the proper rest, get their bodies right, get their minds right and get ready to play again this Sunday.”

MAAC Monday: Seeding scenarios, stat leaders, power rankings

The penultimate MAAC Monday of the 2021-22 season opens, as it always does in the next-to-last edition of the weekly Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference recap, with a look at all possible seeding scenarios for next week’s MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship, held at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City from March 8-12, 2022. Presently, Iona has already clinched the regular season championship and NIT autobid, while three other teams — Siena, Saint Peter’s and Monmouth — have each clinched first-round byes into the quarterfinals. In addition, six teams remain in contention for the fifth and final bye at this time. Only Canisius, with five conference wins at the moment with only two games to play and fifth-place Marist already owning nine league wins, cannot mathematically clinch a bye. Updated stat leaders and power rankings will follow the seeding scenarios, which will be listed in order of the present MAAC standings, from first to last:

Iona (16-2): Has clinched regular season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship and automatic bid to National Invitation Tournament. The Gaels will play the #8 or #9 seed in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9, at 7 p.m.

Siena (12-6): Has clinched a first-round bye and will finish as #2 or #3 seed. The Saints control their own destiny for the #2 seed, and can clinch it with wins at Niagara Thursday and Canisius Saturday, OR with one win AND a Saint Peter’s loss to Manhattan Tuesday or Fairfield Saturday.

Saint Peter’s (12-6): Has clinched a first-round bye and will finish as #2 or #3 seed. The Peacocks can clinch the #2 seed with wins at Manhattan Tuesday and vs. Fairfield Saturday, AND a Siena loss at Niagara Thursday or Canisius Saturday.

Monmouth (10-8): Has clinched a first-round bye and will finish as #4 or #5 seed. The Hawks will play in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10, at 9:30 p.m., and control their own destiny for the #4 seed. Monmouth can clinch the #4 seed with wins vs. Quinnipiac Thursday and at Rider Saturday, AND a Marist loss at Canisius Thursday or Niagara Saturday.

Marist (9-9): Can finish as #4, #5, #6, or #7 seed. The Red Foxes can clinch a first-round bye with a win at Canisius Thursday OR at Niagara Saturday, and can clinch the #4 seed with wins at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday AND a Monmouth loss vs. Quinnipiac Thursday or at Rider Saturday, OR with a win at Canisius or Niagara AND Monmouth losses vs. Quinnipiac and at Rider.

Quinnipiac (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Bobcats can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins at Monmouth Thursday and Iona Saturday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, a Niagara loss THURSDAY vs. Siena, AND a Manhattan loss Tuesday vs. Saint Peter’s OR Thursday vs. Iona.

Fairfield (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Stags can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins vs. Rider Thursday and at Saint Peter’s Saturday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona, AND a Manhattan loss Tuesday vs. Saint Peter’s OR Thursday vs. Iona.

Rider (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Broncs can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins at Fairfield Thursday and vs. Monmouth Saturday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona, AND a Manhattan loss Tuesday vs. Saint Peter’s OR Thursday vs. Iona.

Niagara (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, or #10 seed. The Purple Eagles can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins vs. Siena Thursday and vs. Marist Saturday, a Marist loss THURSDAY at Canisius, a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona, a Manhattan loss Tuesday vs. Saint Peter’s OR Thursday vs. Iona, a Rider loss Thursday at Fairfield OR Saturday vs. Monmouth, AND a Fairfield loss Thursday vs. Rider OR Saturday at Saint Peter’s.

Manhattan (7-11): Can finish as #5, #6, or #7, #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Jaspers can clinch a first-round bye and the #5 seed with wins vs. Saint Peter’s Tuesday and Iona Thursday, Marist losses at Canisius Thursday and Niagara Saturday, a Quinnipiac loss Thursday at Monmouth OR Saturday at Iona, AND a Niagara loss THURSDAY vs. Siena.

Canisius (5-13): Can finish as #8, #9, #10, or #11 seed. The Golden Griffins will play in the opening round on Tuesday, March 8.

These scenarios will be updated both on this site and on Twitter (@DalyDoseOfHoops) in the days leading up to the first tournament game on Tuesday, March 8.

Scoring Leaders

1) Jose Perez, Manhattan (19.0 PPG)

2) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (17.6)

3) George Papas, Monmouth (15.4)

4) Jao Ituka, Marist (14.2)

5) Walker Miller, Monmouth (14.9)

6) Tyson Jolly, Iona (14.7)

7) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (14.5)

8) Colby Rogers, Siena (14.2)

9) Ricardo Wright, Marist (14.0)

10) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (13.9)

Rebounding Leaders

1) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (10.4 RPG)

2) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (8.1)

3) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (8.1)

4) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (7.9)

5) Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth (7.8)

6) Anthony Gaines, Siena (7.1)

7) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (7.0)

8) Jackson Stormo, Siena (6.8)

9) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (6.6)

10) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (6.4)

Assist Leaders

1) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (4.6 APG)

2) Jose Perez, Manhattan (4.5)

3) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (4.1)

4) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (3.6)

5) Elijah Joiner, Iona (3.4)

6) Ahamadou Fofana, Canisius (3.3)

7) Matthew Lee, Saint Peter’s (3.0)

8) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (3.0)

9) George Papas, Monmouth (2.9)

T-10) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (2.8)

T-10) Dezi Jones, Quinnipiac (2.8)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (.712)

2) Jordan Jones, Marist (.654)

3) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (.544)

4) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (.539)

5) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (.538)

6) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (.534)

7) Jao Ituka, Marist (.531)

8) Jackson Stormo, Siena (.531)

9) Malek Green, Canisius (.505)

10) Walker Miller, Monmouth (.478)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders

1) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.894)

2) Doug Edert, Saint Peter’s (.891)

3) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (.861)

4) George Papas, Monmouth (.852)

5) Quinn Slazinski, Iona (.843)

6) Taj Benning, Fairfield (.833)

7) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (.828)

8) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.826)

9) Jose Perez, Manhattan (.805)

10) Mervin James, Rider (.795)

3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Doug Edert, Saint Peter’s (.425)

2) Colby Rogers, Siena (.413)

3) Tyson Jolly, Iona (.398)

4) Caleb Green, Fairfield (.397)

5) Tyrese Williams, Quinnipiac (.397)

6) Nick Hopkins, Siena (.395)

7) Ricardo Wright, Marist (.394)

8) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.378)

9) Matthew Lee, Saint Peter’s (.373)

10) TJ Long, Fairfield (.370)

Steal Leaders

1) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (1.9 SPG)

2) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (1.7)

3) Nick Hopkins, Siena (1.6)

4) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (1.4)

5) George Papas, Monmouth (1.4)

Blocked Shot Leaders

1) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s (2.6 BPG)

2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (2.0)

3) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (1.3)

4) Jackson Stormo, Siena (1.3)

5) Jordan Jones, Marist (1.2)

Power Rankings

1) Iona (24-5, 16-2 MAAC)

Last Week: 1

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 at Rider (W 67-61)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.

2) Siena (15-11, 12-6 MAAC)

Last Week: 2

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 vs. Monmouth (W 70-59)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 at Niagara, 7 p.m.

3) Saint Peter’s (14-11, 12-6 MAAC)

Last Week: 3

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 vs. Niagara (W 63-36)

Next Game: Tuesday 3/1 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.

4) Marist (14-13, 9-9 MAAC)

Last Week: 5

Last Game: Friday 2/25 vs. Manhattan (W 74-56)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 at Canisius, 7 p.m.

5) Monmouth (18-11, 10-8 MAAC)

Last Week: 4

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 at Siena (L 70-59)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

6) Rider (11-17, 7-11 MAAC)

Last Week: 9

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 vs. Iona (L 67-61)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 at Fairfield, 7:30 p.m.

7) Fairfield (13-16, 7-11 MAAC)

Last Week: 10

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 at Manhattan (W 66-62)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 vs. Rider, 7:30 p.m.

8) Manhattan (14-13, 7-11 MAAC)

Last Week: 6

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 vs. Fairfield (L 66-62)

Next Game: Tuesday 3/1 vs. Saint Peter’s, 7 p.m.

9) Quinnipiac (12-14, 7-11 MAAC)

Last Week: 7

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 vs. Canisius (L 72-67)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 vs. Monmouth, 7 p.m.

10) Niagara (12-15, 7-11 MAAC)

Last Week: 8

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 at Saint Peter’s (L 63-36)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 vs. Siena, 7 p.m.

11) Canisius (9-20, 5-13 MAAC)

Last Week: 11

Last Game: Sunday 2/27 vs. Quinnipiac (W 72-67)

Next Game: Thursday 3/3 vs. Marist, 7 p.m.

Rutgers looks to bounce off mat one more time in familiar situation at Indiana

Geo Baker and Rutgers look to shoot themselves back onto good side of bubble Wednesday at Indiana. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It may as well be kismet that it comes down to this for Rutgers to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

In each of the past two seasons, the Scarlet Knights have entered their final road game of the regular season in a do-or-die situation, and have twice emerged victorious after Geo Baker pulled Rutgers out of the fire against Purdue and Jacob Young orchestrated similar magic at Minnesota's expense. After being unable to get over the hump Saturday at home against Big Ten leader Wisconsin, Steve Pikiell’s hardwood pugilists now go to Indiana Wednesday in search of a third straight lightning strike. Is such a script fitting for a group who seems to thrive with its collective back against the proverbial wall?

“Unfortunately, it is fitting,” Ron Harper, Jr. conceded. “Life in the Big Ten is tough, and the last two years, back against the wall, we kind of have a funny way of getting it done when it matters.”

“We’ve struggled on the road mightily those two years, last year and the year prior, but when it matters, we seem to get it done, so it definitely gives you confidence going into the game. I think these guys know what we’re going to have to bring to the table to beat Indiana at Indiana, but we’ve been there before.”

National pundits, and even those in the local media, were quick to eulogize Rutgers after non-conference losses to DePaul, Lafayette and UMass in November, and the burial was expedited after a 35-point loss at Illinois to open league play. But as has always been the case, the Scarlet Knights have gone about their business with their usual lunchpail flair, simply looking for a daily 1-0 record and surveying the landscape from there. Needless to say, the results have paid off.

“It’s tough,” a candid Pikiell said. “This league is tough, it’s as good it’s been. And this stretch for us is epic. Six out of seven (ranked teams) in league play is unheard of, but these guys are always ready and I love it. I said I wouldn’t want it any other way. At Rutgers, we grind and we embrace the challenges, and that’s what you’ve got in this league.”

“If we looked at everything the media said about us, we’d be dead in the water,” Harper opined, offering a refreshing look into a player’s perspective wherein he dismissed bracketology as “one of the greatest hoaxes in basketball.” “We just have to take it with a grain of salt and keep pushing. Nobody expected us to be at this point in November, and if you told me after the loss to Lafayette that we’d be here today, I’d be very happy. Me looking at brackets every time we win a game doesn’t make any sense, and me looking at a bracket every time we lose a game doesn’t make any sense. There’s only one Selection Sunday.”

Let us all not forget that at this point four years ago, very few people thought this even possible for Rutgers, still shedding the image of national laughingstock at the time. Pikiell was quick to reference the rebuild that his players — not him or his staff — saw through to its completion, and made no bones about that process being a driving factor in leading the program to where it is today.

“Their experience has put us in this place,” he proclaimed. “I think back to last year, every kid had an opportunity to go somewhere else and transfer. These guys have stayed, and look at what they’ve helped build. We’re looking forward to the last two games, and these guys know it’s never been easy. It’s always hard, and it’s always hard when you play in a great league. You’ve gotta fight and you gotta be ready, but they’ve been there before. I like the way this team’s been all year.”

And will the sense of déjà vu help Rutgers in its next conquest?

“Most definitely,” Caleb McConnell projected. “Just like Pike said, we wouldn’t want it any other way. Ever since me and Ron have been here, our backs have always been on the wall and we know how to get up off the wall. We know how to bounce back, and that’s what we’re going to do. It’s really about just focusing about now and thinking about what we’re going to do now. We’re gonna go in with that mindset of we have to get this game, and that’s going to give us an extra boost.”

Canisius goes into last three of regular season hoping to find momentum entering MAAC tourney

Reggie Witherspoon has been frustrated with Canisius’ inconsistency, but believes Golden Griffins can carry momentum into MAAC tournament. (Photo by The Buffalo News)

This time of year, luck tends to play its way into conversations surrounding teams and their postseason chances, and with good reason.

As the calendar flips to March, good fortune is just as essential to success as wins and losses, with one bounce of the basketball making a bigger difference than any other factor. And while some schools have reaped the benefits of positive breaks, perhaps no team has been more snakebitten this season than Canisius.

At 4-13 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, the Golden Griffins are assured of playing in the opening round of the MAAC tournament one week from Tuesday in Atlantic City, but that does not necessarily mean the Griffs are a pushover. In fact, Canisius has competed in every game, with 10 of the 13 defeats coming within single digits. While that may be a hard pill to swallow, it comes with the added side of knowing the team has been able to play its way into victory if it executes fit a full 40 minutes.

“It’s frustrating, but we just try to look at these areas of the game and see where we can get better,” head coach Reggie Witherspoon reflected. “We knew that we weren’t going to be able to come in and just dominate teams every day. We’ve got to approach it like, ‘okay, we’ve gotta find a way to get better.’”

“What I told the team was we did some good things, but until we can learn from those good things and the things that we need to improve at, then you don’t accomplish anything. And if we can learn from them and get better, then we’ve made some headway.”

Canisius’ frontcourt, thought of as a potential strength this season, has been ravaged by health and injury concerns as of late, forcing Jacco Fritz and Malek Green to carry a larger share of the load than initially intended, along with freshman Xzavier Long. The three, with Scott Hitchon and Siem Uijtendaal unavailable Friday against Iona, were forced into greater playing time, but Witherspoon has seen the optimism behind that circumstance as a way to get his big men more seasoned heading into March.

“We have five bigs that we play, and it seems like of late, every day, someone’s sick or hurt,” he said. “Those two guys played a lot of minutes (Friday), probably more than normal, and gave us some really good minutes…Jacco with 12 points and 10 rebounds, he made some mistakes defensively, but 34 minutes is a lot. I don’t know that he’s played more than 34 minutes in a game this year.”

Three games remain for the Griffs before the MAAC tournament, a road trip to Quinnipiac on Sunday before closing the regular season at home later this week against Marist and Siena. And while time may have run out to move into the top half of the standings, the clock remains very much on Canisius’ side in terms of making a late run and potentially playing spoiler at Boardwalk Hall to an unsuspecting foe looking past the scrappy bunch from Buffalo. 

“We’ve got to get ourselves in a mindset of seeing where it is,” Witherspoon cautioned. “We’ve really got to play with a better purpose and consistency so that it doesn’t much matter where we’re playing. That’s got to be what we’ve got to get to, and that’s a hard place to get to. But we can, because most of these games have been really close games that we’ve had some really good minutes. In order for us to sustain a high quality of play, we’ve got to be more consistent.”

Iona downs Canisius, clinches MAAC regular season

Elijah Joiner led Iona as Gaels defeated Canisius to clinch MAAC regular season championship. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The accolades have started to roll in for Iona. The next order of business is now backing them up.

The Gaels, having already clinched the automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday when Monmouth defeated Siena to assure Iona the No. 1 seed in next month’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, added to their haul Friday by clinching the regular season MAAC championship — the program’s first since 2019 — outright with a 72-63 victory over Canisius inside the Hynes Athletics Center.

“I think we played pretty well in spurts,” Elijah Joiner, who recorded 16 points and seven assists, remarked. “They’re last in our conference, but they could have beat us if this was a game on the road or if we didn’t make plays late in the game. This is a lesson for us that we’ve got to get better, mature as a team on the court and just play hard, no matter what the situation is.”

“We were up 15 and we let them back in the game. Coach talks about teams like Gonzaga, Gonzaga runs their conference and when they get up 15, they go up 20-25 points. I think that’s the point that we’ve got to get to. When we’re up 15, we can’t let teams back into the game. We’ve got to step on their necks and keep on them.”

Iona (23-5, 15-2 MAAC) did indeed hold a 30-15 cushion late in the first half after emerging from a grind-it-out style in the opening minutes, where it struggled to control the basketball in tallying 11 of its 15 turnovers before halftime against the visiting Golden Griffins, who used a 20-4 run bridging the end of the initial stanza with the beginning of the second act to briefly forge a 35-34 lead after consecutive 3-pointers from Ahamadou Fofana and Jacco Fritz poked the Griffs’ head in front.

The lead was short-lived, though, as the Gaels counterpunched with a 16-4 spurt by forcing Canisius into miscues and turning their takeaways into points to hold the lead for the remainder of the evening while the visitors tried to stay within earshot.

“This is their style,” Canisius head coach Reggie Witherspoon said of Iona. “It’s not by accident. They’re going to try and force you in situations like that, where you’re turning it over for touchdowns. It goes the other way, and those are shots they almost can’t miss. And then when you do that, the pressure seems to mount because instead of being aggressive offensively, you’re trying not to turn it over. I think that was the biggest part for us in terms of what went wrong.”

With the top seed in Atlantic City locked up, Iona can afford to look at its three remaining contests — road games at Rider and Manhattan before hosting Quinnipiac in the regular season finale a week from Saturday — with a modicum of comfort knowing most scenarios have already been determined. However, the man responsible for overseeing the potentially historic campaign says maintaining focus is not a major concern.

“I think we practice so hard that it’s not a problem,” Rick Pitino admitted. “I think when you look at this game tonight, it’s a matter of missed free throws, it’s a matter of turnovers. We had 15 turnovers against a team that doesn’t turn you over, but you turn it around defensively and they shoot 38 percent for the game and 18 percent from three, so that’s what wins it on a given night. I don’t think it’s a problem with focus for us.”

Latest Groundhog Day moment for Johnnies an indictment on Anderson

As Mike Anderson insists potential is still there for St. John’s, Red Storm’s underachieving ways largely fall on his shoulders. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW YORK — It’s all the same, only the names will change

Every day, it seems we’re wasting away

— Bon Jovi, “Wanted Dead Or Alive”

St. John’s fans have gone into their third decade of hoping against hope, forces of nature and acts of God for their beloved Red Storm to return to the promised land of college basketball. 

From Jarvis to Roberts, Lavin to Mullin, glimmers of bright futures have appeared on the corner of Union and Utopia, only to be washed away in a deluge of here-we-go-again moments where the program, for some strange reason, can seemingly never get out of its own way. And after two uptick years under the current caretaker, year three has become more of the same as incoming talent and star incumbents have never found the same synergy for 40 minutes at a time.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

So it was again Wednesday for the Johnnies, who spent between 25 and 30 minutes controlling Creighton and flustering the Bluejays all over Carnesecca Arena before and after point guard Ryan Nembhard went down with a season-ending broken wrist midway through the second half. But a confluence of missed shots and questionable substitutions left St. John’s with yet another plate of cookie crumbs when searching for a filet mignon, seeing another resume opportunity fly by the wayside in a deflating 81-78 loss.

“We didn’t deliver on our part, and I think a big part of it was just executing going down the stretch,” Mike Anderson said as he mumbled through an explanation for the latest in a litany of woulda-coulda-shoulda finishes for the star-crossed Red Storm. “We didn’t do a good job. We’ve seen this over the course of the year, where we don’t make proper plays going down the stretch. If you look at the last five possessions, we didn’t execute the things we wanted to do. We just came up a little short.”

Coming up short has been, in essence, a microcosm of the season in Queens, especially on an evening where Julian Champagnie and Aaron Wheeler shot a combined 4-for-26, forcing Posh Alexander to carry a heavier offensive load among St. John’s triumvirate of leaders. Only this time, compared to other past games, the supporting cast stepped up despite being handcuffed by its coach’s rotations.

O’Mar Stanley authored the best game of his young career with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting, but did not play the final 8:45 of regulation. Stef Smith added 13 points off the bench, too, but was used sparingly even as a Ryan Hawkins-led Creighton team found the weak spots in the Johnnies’ sets and exploited them at will. Esahia Nyiwe (seven points, five rebounds) chipped in admirably as well, yet in crunch time, neither of the three were to be found.

“I don’t think we went away from them,” a defiant and evasive Anderson said as he defended his play call on the third-to-last offensive possession, where he looked to draw a foul or get an open shot down one with 17 seconds remaining in regulation, yet watched as Montez Mathis’ driving layup was snuffed out. “They got back in there and they tried to make a difference. We had other guys out there that were playing. I guess Tez is not a scorer, huh?”

“I thought tonight, we showed the potential, because other guys came in and played well. Stef played well. O’Mar came in and gave us good minutes. Esahia got in and gave us some quality minutes, so we got scoring from other guys, and that’s what I talked about. So from that standpoint, we had other guys that I thought stepped up, and are capable of doing it. But you’ve got to be able to make plays. That’s the bottom line.”

St. John’s has made plays, albeit not consistently. And with essentially six months — counting the offseason — to develop a roster with nine new players, it should not fall on Champagnie and Alexander to constantly pull a team with the documented upside the Red Storm has out of the fire. Instead, Wednesday’s failure to execute is an indictment on Anderson either not trusting his roster enough or being too stubborn to adapt a system that, at times, comes off as antiquated in contrast to more athletic opposition, to his players’ strengths.

“We just had some misfortunes that we didn’t execute on the other end,” he reflected. “Your players gotta step up and make plays. We didn’t. Defensively, I thought we were good at times, but at the same time, you’ve got to score, you’ve got to get to the free throw line. That’s something we’re trying to do going down the stretch.”

“I thought our bigs played really well, but then you look at your scoring forwards — your leading scorer and your third-leading scorer — they go 4-for-26. That’s hard to overcome.”

With the right adjustments, it is not. A look within the Big East over the past week alone saw Ed Cooley put his Providence players in position to come back from a 19-point hole to defeat Butler, and just Wednesday night, erase a late-game deficit to upend Xavier in triple overtime. St. John’s has the horses to win heavyweight fights, that is not up for debate. The circumstances that counteract talent, though, may be.

“I don’t think it’s one particular thing,” Stef Smith said as he searched for an answer for the latest maladies within the St. John’s program. “I think the positive to this is we know we can play with these teams if the game is this close, so going down the stretch moving forward, we’re just going to have to figure out a way to win. That’s what it comes down to.”

And with three regular season games remaining in an underwhelming campaign where any shot of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament has vanished, winning is what the Red Storm needs to do. It just becomes harder for a program and fan base preconditioned to disappointment. But after all, everyone associated with the Johnnies would drive all night just to get back home to the place in the sun that St. John’s still holds.