The MAAC conference tournament is another one to add to the list of the chaos of championship week. There was only going to be one bid in the MAAC, but the top three teams were always thought to be a tier ahead of the rest of the league. The Joke is on us, I guess because enter Mount St. Mary’s, who was not one of the teams in the upper tier of the league but went out and beat 3rd-seeded Marist, then 2nd-seeded Merrimack before finally beating conference powerhouse and 5th-seeded Iona in the conference championship game. The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers got the 20th automatic bid into the NCAA tournament by winning the MAAC.
The Mountaineers are making their 7th appearance in the Big Dance. It is the Mount’s first appearance since the 2020-2021 season. It has been a fantastic year for the Mountaineers and their first-year head coach, Donny Lind. No one expected much out of them after getting gutted in the transfer portal last season. The Mountaineers still came up with 20 wins. The Mount heads to the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 22-12 and finished 12-8 in MAAC.
Mount St. Mary’s was given a 16, which is the only seed the Mountaineers have ever received in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the committee sent them to Dayton to take part in the First Four. Mount St. Mary’s can win a game in the NCAA Tournament which would be their third in school history. Here are some reasons why the Mountaineers can win a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Balanced Scoring
This one seems like I am grasping at straws, but it does have some real context. Teams that have one star are sometimes easier to scout because it is easier to tell where the ball is going. The Mount has five guys who are all averaging at least 10 points and who all get at least six shots a night. No one dominates the looks on offense, and the ball moves. The Mountaineers are without a true star but have five guys who can all put the ball in the basket. It keeps defenses honest and ensures that the Mountaineers will all be covered on defense. It is a different guy every night for Mount St. Mary’s and each of them do different things on the offensive end of the floor. They don’t play fast, but having a balanced attack on offense is a way to keep constant pressure on the defense and force them to defend.
Defense
It has been remarkable to watch the Mountaineers play defense this year. They do give up a lot of shots, but nothing is ever an open look. Mount St. Mary’s doesn’t force many turnovers, they don’t block shots, and they don’t run teams off the three-point line. So then, how does the defense look so good? The Mountaineers pack the paint and force to kick out for open threes, the threes have been contested and are usually bad shots that teams are not making. Not allowing teams to get to the rim and having them settle for contested jump shots is a plan that a lot of teams have utilized. It is working wonders for the Mountaineers this year. They will frustrate offenses because when the offense does get to the rim, they have help, and the shot is contested, and The Mount rarely fouls. The defense will need to be good in the First Four for them to advance to the round of 64.
Xavier Lipscomb
Lipscomb is not one of the five guys who averages 10 points or more, but he is the point guard for the Mountaineers, and he contributes a lot without scoring. Lipscomb leads the team in assists and is always one of the better rebounders on the floor as one of the smallest guys on the floor. Mount St. Mary’s has a penchant for turning the ball over a lot, but Lipscomb has a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is the best on the team. He is going to have the ball in his hands during crunch time and he usually makes the right play. He is going to need to be great for the Mountaineers to advance but everything suggests he will be and will do all he can to get the Mountaineers to the round of 64.
Mount St. Mary’s made the Tournament after winning a chaotic MAAC tournament. First year head coach Donny Lind is the only coach in Mountaineer history to make the tournament his first year at the helm. The Mountaineers are an interesting team that doesn’t do anything flashy and turns the ball over a lot, but they still win games because of how disciplined they are on offense.