Monmouth loses to Siena in MAAC semi's

[Briancuse]

Yes, and some say, will get the UNC job when roy leaves.

Nothing against him, but you have to think Unc is looking at much bigger names.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Monmouth losing has zero impact on the bubble. 1 bid league all the way. I have had siena seasons for years. Really felt for the Monmouth kids last night. They had a better overall resume last year and lost in the conference tourney, better team, better wins, closest a mid major will get to an at large. This years team is talented, win the reg season Maac. This Siena squad underachieved all year, veteran talented team hanging around.500. We (Siena) had a player, Nico Clareth, score 27 in the second half with a bum knee. We scored 62 points in the second half and overcame a 17 pt second half deficit. That said, there is something wrong with the system when monmouth is clearly the best team for 4 months and then must beat a siena team in their house in front of 8k for the 3rd time. College hoops is so much about what you do in march and that just totally discredits and waters down Nov-Feb.

Big talk about this today on ESPN radio.

Is it time to do away with tourney champions getting the auto bid? If UVM loses this week, it destroys their season with a perfect conference record. At least the America East got rid of the rotating conference tourneys and now just allow the higher ranked team to play on their home floor. Just because Siena sells more tickets in downtown Albany, they shouldn't have been rewarded with the conference tourney home court advantage.

 

[cuseincincy]

Apparently it was basically a home game for Siena. More reason for regular season winners to host conference tournaments.

Not very practical. You can't decide where your conference tournament will be the weekend before it starts. One game on home courts (like the MAC) is one thing but not an entire tournament. I would venture to guess that most schools are not located somewhere that can host 8+ other teams and their fans (probably a small #) for several days of a tournament. Don't give up 64 points in a half or a 14 point lead.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Not very practical. You can't decide where your conference tournament will be the weekend before it starts. One game on home courts (like the MAC) is one thing but not an entire tournament. I would venture to guess that most schools are not located somewhere that can host 8+ other teams and their fans (probably a small #) for several days of a tournament. Don't give up 64 points in a half or a 14 point lead.

You're thinking like a P5 fan, not a mid major or smaller conference.

 

[cuseincincy]

You're thinking like a P5 fan, not a mid major or smaller conference.

No, I am thinking like a mid major fan who went to a mid major school with 25,000 students. Trust me, even in most MAC cities there are not enough hotel rooms to host a conference tournament in. They hold their football championship in Detroit, which does not have a MAC school in it. Monmouth's arena seats 4100 and Time Union Center seats 15,000. Oh and by the way, playing Siena in Albany didn't stop Iona from winning the tournament and going to the dance so Monmouth just needs to suck it up and get ready for the NIT. They choked in one of the very few games they played this year that actually mattered.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

No, I am thinking like a mid major fan who went to a mid major school with 25,000 students. Trust me, even in most MAC cities there are not enough hotel rooms to host a conference tournament in. They hold their football championship in Detroit, which does not have a MAC school in it. Monmouth's arena seats 4100 and Time Union Center seats 15,000. Oh and by the way, playing Siena in Albany didn't stop Iona from winning the tournament and going to the dance so Monmouth just needs to suck it up and get ready for the NIT. They choked in one of the very few games they played this year that actually mattered.

I understand that.

I didn't realize until just now that the Times Union Center is actually Siena's home court. If they wanted a bigger arena, they should hold it at an actual neutral location, don't you agree? If we won the ACC title outright by 4 games and the tourney was held in Raleigh, wouldn't we all be griping?

 

[cuseincincy]

I understand that.

I didn't realize until just now that the Times Union Center is actually Siena's home court. If they wanted a bigger arena, they should hold it at an actual neutral location, don't you agree? If we won the ACC title outright by 4 games and the tourney was held in Raleigh, wouldn't we all be griping?

If we won the ACC title outright by 4 games we'd have a #1 seed all sown up and couldn't care less about where the ACC tournament is played.

Now if my school, Ohio, won the MAC by 4 games and had to play the conference tournament in Buffalo I might be a little bent. Because Buffalo is about the only MAC school in a town big enough to host a conference tournament(Toledo and Akron too) .

 

[CuseFaninVT]

If we won the ACC title outright by 4 games we'd have a #1 seed all sown up and couldn't care less about where the ACC tournament is played.

I knew that comparison wouldn't work. Dangnabit! Regardless, people here would still complain about not being afforded the chance to win the conf. tourney as well.

Until a few years ago, the America East conference tourney rotated between a few cities. Albany got it a lot because of the TU Arena (or whatever they call that now). Unlike many on here, I hated seeing UVM win the regular season outright but then lose to Albany in the tourney because they had home court advantage despite being finishing behind UVM in the regular season. It's simply not fair in a single game elimination tourney. That's why they have series in the pros.

If UVM loses on Saturday despite going undefeated through the entire regular season, then at least they have no one to blame but themselves if they lose at tiny little Patrick Gym.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I understand that.

I didn't realize until just now that the Times Union Center is actually Siena's home court. If they wanted a bigger arena, they should hold it at an actual neutral location, don't you agree? If we won the ACC title outright by 4 games and the tourney was held in Raleigh, wouldn't we all be griping?

The MAAC prides itself on being a quality mid major conference with some very good basketball schools and very good basketball fans. A lot of very good coaches have spent time at MAAC schools. So the MAAC wants to have a nice tournament and hopefully make some money on it. They have tried other locations. Springfield, Buffalo, Bridgeport, Trenton, the Meadowlands Arena. The only place it draws anything decent is in Albany. Historically it has not proven to be a home court advantage for Siena so the other programs keep going back to Albany. In fact, Iona has now won five MAAC tournaments in Albany and Siena has only won four. Also, the Women's teams hold their event concurrently with the Men's so fans can attend a ton of games if they would like. It's a nice event so I'm not sure why all the fuss over nothing.

MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament - Wikipedia

 

[Ish88888]

Big talk about this today on ESPN radio.

Is it time to do away with tourney champions getting the auto bid? If UVM loses this week, it destroys their season with a perfect conference record. At least the America East got rid of the rotating conference tourneys and now just allow the higher ranked team to play on their home floor. Just because Siena sells more tickets in downtown Albany, they shouldn't have been rewarded with the conference tourney home court advantage.

Totally agree, yes, its a better tourney when siena is good and can make a run. More juice. The only argument to having the tourney in albany is more tickets sold, and when your mid major conference gets a championship game on espn, 8k look better than some city like buffalo or Springfield that doesn't have a maac team and ot looks like a ghost town on tv. Last night's game was great for tv and maac exposure. But in all fairness, siena never comes from 17 down on sunday on a neutral court. Hell, look at the horizon final tonight, 11-23 Milwaukee is making a 4 day run and could ruin the 4 month resume of 23-10 northern Kentucky. The process is way imperfect.

 

[Ish88888]

No, I am thinking like a mid major fan who went to a mid major school with 25,000 students. Trust me, even in most MAC cities there are not enough hotel rooms to host a conference tournament in. They hold their football championship in Detroit, which does not have a MAC school in it. Monmouth's arena seats 4100 and Time Union Center seats 15,000. Oh and by the way, playing Siena in Albany didn't stop Iona from winning the tournament and going to the dance so Monmouth just needs to suck it up and get ready for the NIT. They choked in one of the very few games they played this year that actually mattered.

I get your argument but sorry, these weekend tourneys make the reg season a borderline waste of time. They had 7,800 last night and iona overcame the siena home game, but 4 months of league dominance by monmouth shouldn't land them in siena backyard. But its all about the $$$ like anything else. If it wasnt they would have kept the tourney in buff or Springfield and played their championship game in front of 500-1000 fans.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I have nothing against conference tournaments. They are exciting. The Big East tournament helped us enhance our seeding in 2006, 2009, and 2013, but there is no doubt they are just glorified fundraisers. A lot of these small conferences have their tournament champion earn the NCAA bid because that's how they sell tickets. This isn't mandated by the NCAA.

 

[Funk Doc]

Milwaukee with 23 losses is in a six point game in the Horizon final!

 

[KaiserUEO]

The Knick should get a 1st and 2nd round of the big tournament every other year.

Albany loves college hoop.

I'm tired of watching non sold out games where the ending is just fluckin stoopid.

Put it in Albany and u get a sell out.

 

[Cusefan95]

The Knick should get a 1st and 2nd round of the big tournament every other year.

Albany loves college hoop.

I'm tired of watching non sold out games where the ending is just fluckin stoopid.

Put it in Albany and u get a sell out.

I lived in Albany for years...it is a HUGE stretch to say the city loves college hoops.

 

[donniesyracuse]

... than some city like buffalo or Springfield that doesn't have a maac team and ot looks like a ghost town on tv.

Canisius and Niagara play in the MAAC.

 

[Cusefan95]

Big talk about this today on ESPN radio.

Is it time to do away with tourney champions getting the auto bid? If UVM loses this week, it destroys their season with a perfect conference record. At least the America East got rid of the rotating conference tourneys and now just allow the higher ranked team to play on their home floor. Just because Siena sells more tickets in downtown Albany, they shouldn't have been rewarded with the conference tourney home court advantage.

Personally I was disappointed when America East dropped the rotating tourney - I loved going to it every year.

The MAAC has tried moving their tourney to other locations and it's never worked out. It's a tough spot - low-major conferences like America East and the NEC do the higher seed at home thing - legitimate conferences don't. So the MAAC either takes a perception hit by going to a low major format, play in alternate places (who knows where, because at this point it's well established that they can't draw) and accept the tourney isn't a revenue stream, or play in Albany. Since they won't try the first option and have abandoned the second on multiple occasions, it's pretty obvious it's going to be in Albany.

ESPN radio has talked about dropping the auto-bids for two decades. It was stupid and unworkable 20 years ago, it's stupid and unworkable now. They'll be talking about it in 2037...and it will still be stupid and unworkable.

 

[Ish88888]

I get that, but the Buffalo sight wasnt their home court and they both draw 1k on a good night. Siena consistently draws 6k for home games.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I get that, but the Buffalo sight wasnt their home court and they both draw 1k on a good night. Siena consistently draws 6k for home games.

Yep, I was just clarifying that Buffalo has a MAAC team since your post implied that it didn't.

 

[Ish88888]

Yep, I was just clarifying that Buffalo has a MAAC team since your post implied that it didn't.

Yup, i get it, and they both play in hs gyms like iona, Manhattan and most of the maac, minus Fairfield and Quinnipiac. That's part of the reason the tourney is held in albany.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Yup, i get it, and they both play in hs gyms like iona, Manhattan and most of the maac, minus Fairfield and Quinnipiac. That's part of the reason the tourney is held in albany.

Yep, I get it.