Siena Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Saints

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 20: The Siena Saints celebrate after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 20: The Siena Saints celebrate after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

The Saints are aiming for the top spot in the MAAC

Siena has a non-conference schedule that will test them from start to finish. They open the season by hosting American, and then prior to Thanksgiving they travel to Cincinnati to take on Xavier then host St. Bonaventure before a key road trip that begins with two games against the Ivy League finalists from last season, Harvard and Yale.

The trip concludes with a game against Patriot League champ Colgate and a trip to California to take on Cal Poly. The Saints’ non-conference schedule concludes with games against two other Patriot League teams, Bucknell and Holy Cross.

The schedule isn’t loaded with cupcake wins, which is probably good for a team like Siena as they already believe they have a team that can compete for a MAAC championship. This schedule will give Maciariello a chance to see how his team stacks up against teams that are pretty close to their level of talent.

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The Saints will rely heavily on their starting unit, but if the reserves can give the team enough minutes with consistent play to give the starters a bit of rest without too much of a drop off in production, Siena should have a chance to contend for the Metro Atlantic title.