Who cares about the MAAC, The Summit League, and the NEC? I do care and quite enjoy small conference play but why you should care is because these small schools could be the teams that pull off the big, exciting, "never-thought-of" upsets when March comes around.
8:00 PM EST
6-9 (3-3) Siena
at 8-7 (3-3) Canisius
PW's MAAC Game OF Night
6-9 (3-3) Siena
Solid Wins:
-St. Bonaventure 73-70 (Road)
-Quinnipiac 88-67 (Home)
-Fairfield 68-67 (Road)
Conference Losses:
-Rider 80-68 (Road)
-Iona 86-72 (Home)
Last Game:
-Loss To Fairfield 79-67 (Home)
Key Players:
---#33 Rob Poole (SR)
-14.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
---#1 Marquis Wright (SO)
-12.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.8 APG, & 2.1 SPG.
---#24 Lavon Long (SO)
-11.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#5 Evan Hymes (SR)
-9.3 PPG.
---#0 Javion Ogunyemi (SO)
-8.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, & 1.3 BPG.
8-7 (3-3) Canisius
Solid Wins:
-Vermont 64-60 (Home)
-Saint Peter's 60-57 (Road)
-Niagara 77-64 (Road)
-Stony Brook 60-59 in Overtime (Home)
Conference Losses:
-Monmouth 73-68 (Home)
-Manhattan 63-60 (Home)
Last Game:
-Loss To Iona 79-76 (Road)
Key Players:
---#1 Zach Lewis (SO)
-14.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, & 1.8 SPG.
---#22 Phil Valenti (SO)
-9.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#50 Josiah Heath (SR)
-7.9 PPG & 5.5 RPG.
Prediction:
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is not just competitive this year but REALLY COMPETITIVE! Coming into tonight's action, the MAAC has three teams with five conference wins (Iona, Rider, and Monmouth) and another with four victories (Manhattan). With that being said, most likely whoever losses tonight's game will have all chances of a regular season conference title eradicated since four losses would in most cases be too many for the crown. Both teams are coming in off of losses in their last game as Siena was downed by Fairfield at home and Canisius was narrowly defeated by conference front-runner Iona, 79-76. The teams are mere-opposites of each other as the Saints score about 73 points per game while giving up about the same number since they have a weak defense and the Griffins score around 64 points a game but have a very good defense. Normally I pick teams with as many key contributors and scorers Siena has but tonight I see Canisius will get the win for two reasons: they have a good defense and all three of their conference losses have came in close games against teams above them in the standings. The point is the Griffins know how to play against tough opponents and could have been undefeated in conference play if a few of the breaks would have went their way.
---Canisius 67, Siena 61
8:00 PM EST
7-9 (2-3) Western Illinois
at 11-6 (3-1) North Dakota State
PW's Summit League Game of Night
7-9 (2-3) Western Illinois
Solid Wins:
-Idaho 78-75 (Home)
-Alabama State 78-68 (Home)
-IPFW 73-67 (Home)
Conference Losses:
-South Dakota State 75-44 (Road)
-Oral Roberts 66-57 (Home)
Last Game:
-Loss To Denver 68-54 (Road)
Key Players:
---#31 Garret Covington (SO)
-16.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, & 2.3 APG.
---#1 Jabari Sandifer (SO)
-9.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, & 4.8 APG.
---#14 J.C. Fuller (JR)
-8.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, & 2.1 APG.
11-6 (3-1) North Dakota State
Lunardi's Bracketology: 16 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Hampton 74-66 (Home)
-Akron 55-46 (Home)
-Oral Roberts 72-66 (Home)
-South Dakota State 72-69 (Home)
Questionable Losses;
-Southern Mississippi 78-65 (Road)
-Montana 69-57 (Road)
Last Game:
-South Dakota 71-67 (Road)
Key Players:
---#12 Lawrence Alexander (SR)
-17.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, & 1.8 APG.
---#21 A.J. Jacobson (FR)
-11.1 PPG & 4.3 RPG.
---#22 Kory Brown (JR)
-10.4 PPG & 4.7 RPG.
---#40 Dexter Werner (SO)
-10.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, & 1.5 BPG.
MATCHUP TO WATCH:
WIU's #31 Garret Covington (SO)
vs.
NDST's #12 Lawrence Alexander (SR)
Prediction:
North Dakota State lost to South Dakota? You are joking right? Unfortunately for Bison fans, I am not as Wednesday night North Dakota State went into The DakotaDome and were defeated by the University of South Dakota Coyotes by the score of 71-67. Bison star Lawrence Alexander struggled shooting and finished the game seven for twenty-one from the field. He must shoot better tonight against Western Illinois to avoid a two-game losing stream. The Leathernecks were defeated in their last game as well after being outscored 21-12 to start the second half against the Denver Pioneers. I know I made a big deal about the South Dakota loss for North Dakota State because it shocked me when I saw it but really the Coyotes aren't a bad team and will compete for the automatic birth in the "The Summit." So maybe North Dakota State has a bit of an excuse for losing, but Western Illinois does not and does not have the quality of team their opponent tonight has. I predict the Bison will dominate behind a big performance from Lawrence Alexander. Although Alexander got his points (20), I see him shooting more efficiently and controling the game for his team from the tip while being the best player on the floor for the whole 40 minutes.
---North Dakota State 70, Western Illinois 57
9:00 PM EST-ESPNU
9-8 (3-1) St. Francis (NY)
at 7-9 (3-1) Robert Morris
PW's NEC Game of the Night
9-8 (3-1) St. Francis (NY)
Lunardi's Bracketology: 16 Seed in First Four.
Solid Wins:
-Monmouth 71-46 (Road)
-Columbia 72-64 (Home)
-Bryant 63-47 (Home)
Questionable Losses:
-NJIT 68-66 (Road)
-Delaware State 72-64 (Home)
Last Game:
-Loss To Mount St. Mary's 71-61 (Road)
Key Players:
---#5 Jalen Cannon (SR)
-14.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, & 1.3 BPG.
---#1 Brent Jones (SR)
-13.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, & 2.2 SPG.
---#0 Tyreek Jewell (JR)
-9.8 PPG & 3.9 RPG.
7-9 (3-1) Robert Morris
Solid Wins:
-Bradley 68-61 (Road)
-UL Monroe 71-54 (in Chattanooga)
-Duquense 75-59 (Home)
-Mount St. Mary's 70-45 (Home)
-Wagner 77-73 (Road)
Conference Loss:
-St. Francis (PA) 66-59 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Central Connecticut State 72-60
Key Players:
---#2 Marcquise Reed (FR)
-13.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, & 2.1 SPG.
---#11 Rodney Pryor (JR)
-13.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#22 Lucky Jones (SR)
-13.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, & 1.5 SPG.
Prediction:
Like the MAAC, the NEC is tight at the top. After tonight, three teams will be tied for first with the record of 4-1 in conference, Bryant, St. Francis (PA), and the winner of tonight's showdown, while two teams will be tied at 3-2, Mt. St. Mary's and the loser. So in other words this game is as important as it could be this early in the conference season. This is showdown that should not be missed as the two teams are very evenly matched. Personally I believe whichever trio (listed above) that scores the most will lead their team to victory, but the reason will pick Robert Morris is that thy have shot the ball very well in their past two games (50%) and they are at home.
---Robert Morris 62, St. Francis (NY) 60
PW's Prediction Record Coming into Today: 76-32 (18-7 in the MVC)
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