Busting Brackets
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MAAC basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament Preview

By Brad Cavallaro

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: Head coach King Rice of the Monmouth Hawks reacts against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: Head coach King Rice of the Monmouth Hawks reacts against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – NOVEMBER 13: Malik Johnson
LEXINGTON, KY – NOVEMBER 13: Malik Johnson /

Predictions and Bracketology

First Round: Monmouth over St. Peter’s, Siena over Quinnipiac, Fairfield over Marist

Quarterfinal: Rider over Monmouth, Iona over Manhattan, Niagara over Fairfield, Canisius over Siena

Semifinal: Rider over Iona, Niagara over Canisius

Final: Rider over Niagara

A Rider-Niagara final would be a compelling matchup that would feature two of the fastest teams in the country. They rank 13th and 14th respectively in terms of Tempo (per KenPom) and points would certainly be scored.

I would give Rider the edge in this matchup since Niagara is one of the worst defensive teams in the country (320th). Rider’s roster is filled with talented and versatile players at each position who will take advantage of this deficiency.

Related Story: Bracketology

Iona and Canisius would also be interesting to see as the MAAC’s lone NCAA Tournament representative which gives the conference four legitimate threats. Rider has the NIT automatic berth to fall back on, but that won’t cause them to ease up. The NCAA Tournament is the ultimate prize, and while the NIT is a nice consolation for a mid major regular season champ, there is nothing like competing on the biggest stage.

In terms of seeding, Rider’s extremely high RPI ranking (62) will allow them to climb as high as a 13 seed, depending on how other league tournaments shake out. A 14 seed is more realistic. Teams like Canisius and Iona would be around a 14-15 seed while Niagara is more of a 15-16 seed.

As for the other tournaments, Rider would be a 6 or 7 seed in the NIT while Canisius, Niagara, Iona, and even Fairfield, Manhattan, and Monmouth will be in the mix for CBI/CIT berths.

Next: Ranking all 32 Conference Tournaments

MAAC fans better get used to seeing Rider on top as they have zero seniors in their rotation. The Broncs could enjoy a Monmouth esque run over the next few seasons, but hopefully they reach the NCAA Tournament which was something those great Hawks squads were unable to accomplish.