MAAC Basketball: Iona, Canisius top seeds in 2019 conference tournament
By Pan Karalis
Quarterfinals
#1 Iona vs. #9 St. Peter’s
I don’t think there’s much of a conversation to be had here. Iona is cutting through the MAAC like a knife through warm butter, and beat St. Peter’s handily in their only meeting thus far. Shaheen Holloway’s team would need a special kind of miracle to knock off the league’s top seed for a second consecutive season.
Winner: Iona
#2 Canisius vs. #10 Fairfield
The Golden Griffins of Canisius are very serious title contenders. Canisius was just as disappointed as Rider about missing out on the regular season title, a team they shared it with last year. Buffalo native Takal Moslon is an absolute baller, and the Grifs shouldn’t have a problem with Fairfield. They beat the Stags twice by an almost identical margin already, and I expect them to do the same in the tournament.
Winner: Canisius
#3 Quinnipiac vs. #11 Niagara
This game, should it happen, will be a load of fun. It’ll feature Cam Young and Rich Kelly going up against perhaps the strongest bottom seed in any conference tournament in the country, a Purple Eagles team that could be primed to shock the conference with a few big wins. Like we’ve mentioned, they know how to knock off the toughest teams in the conference, and already took down the Bobcats on the road. But I can’t pick against this talented Quinnipiac group facing 6-12 Niagara. I think they move on to a massive semi-final against Canisius.
Winner: Quinnipiac
#4 Rider vs. #5 Siena
The Saints might be a popular pick to make noise in this tournament, and I understand why; they finished with one of those 11-7 records, tied for second in the league, they’ve got wins over the other two major contenders on their side of the bracket, and they’ve got the MAAC tournament on their home court one more time. They’ve got an explosive talent in freshman Jalen Pickett, and they’re a great story after being picked to finish dead-last in the conference by the league’s coaches.
But, I’m taking Rider here. The Saints beat both Rider and Iona during extended losing streaks for both teams, and the Times Union Center hasn’t helped the Saints get over the hump yet in this tournament, even with really good teams in the past. Rider could still be the most talented team in the league, and their only loss in their last five was to the buzzsaw that became Iona.