Bobcats head into MAAC tourney opener with intent to prove they belong despite close calls

After having close calls that went both ways in regular season, Baker Dunleavy has Quinnipiac focused on finishing games in MAAC tournament. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Of Quinnipiac’s 12 losses this season, three have come by one possession, with another four being decided by single digits to put the Bobcats in somewhat of a compromising position on paper.

But with that said, don’t discount the effort that one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s deepest and deceptively talented rosters brings to the floor on a nightly basis. Or if you do, do so at your own risk.

“I think we’re good enough to beat some good teams,” head coach Baker Dunleavy assessed as Quinnipiac opens its postseason journey in the first round of the MAAC tournament Tuesday against Iona, a team the Bobcats defeated in Hamden on February 17 in the MAAC’s only single game of the season. “We have to learn to get incrementally better and not beat ourselves sometimes. We’ve got to tighten things up, but certainly, the ability to have contributions from different guys is there and the ability to be a good team is there. We know that. There’s no team we feel like we can’t compete with.”

Quinnipiac will play its third game in six days Tuesday, hoping to draw a similar parallel to a stretch in February where the Bobcats played three in five days, earning a trio of victories in the aforementioned contest against Iona before going to New Jersey and sweeping Rider.

“I think we’ll use that as a confidence builder,” Dunleavy suggested. “I think everybody at this point of the year is longing for an opportunity to rest, but I think there’s advantages and disadvantages.”

“Last year, we didn’t actually get to play our game because we were in the 4-5 game, but it’s a long wait to Thursday night. We want to win every game, and I wish we ended up with that bye, but we’ll have to look for the advantages of playing quick and take advantage of that.”

The Bobcats have the pieces, with three players — Jacob Rigoni, Tymu Chenery and Luis Kortright — earning all-conference recognition in some respect. That is only half the battle, with the need to execute being the other.

“I feel like we’re a great team,” Kortright declared. “Any team that steps out in front of us, we’re going to give it our all and compete. We’ve seen we can compete at our highest level, so no matter if a team is first, last, whatever, we’re going to bring the same energy we always bring.”

“It’s not a situation where we’re wondering if we can beat teams,” Dunleavy reiterated. “We’ve beaten some good teams in this league, we’ve been in battles with some of the best teams in this league even though we haven’t shown the ability to close out games as well as we would like. I wouldn’t say it’s something we draw confidence from. It’s there. We’re not backing down from anybody.”