Previewing the MAAC and Southern Conference Title Games
Today is always one of the most weird days during conference tournament week(s) for me. You have a busy Sunday with three to four bids always being handed out that day. You then turn around and have nothing but mid-major tournaments today as most fans are getting ready for the power conferences. Throw in the Big 10 playing yesterday and it just makes today feel even more weird. That said, we are handing out two more bids tonight including one from the Southern Conference – which has been one of the more strong and intriguing mid major conferences in America this year.
MAAC Tournament – Albany, NY
No. 4 Iona vs No. 6 Fairfield – 7:00pm
After a crazy couple of days in Albany for the MAAC Tournament, we’re back with Iona in the title game again. Sort of crazy that Iona hasn’t lived up to expectations from the preseason – as many thought Iona would win the MAAC regular season and ended up as the No. 4 seed. But, that’s all irrelevant as the Gaels are just one win away from an NCAA Tournament berth. They’ll be playing Fairfield tonight, a team they split the regular season with. Both games were earlier in the year as Iona won by 19 at home in early January before losing by two at Fairfield in late January. Both teams played fairly close games yesterday, with Fairfield having the late game.
The key in this game is going to be who can get a stop. Both offenses want to get up and down and look to outscore you. Fairfield has a star in Tyler Nelson while Iona has Rickey McGill. In terms of what to watch from the offensive side of the ball, look to see who has the advantage from behind the arc. Iona ranks 85th in 3PA/FGA while Fairfield ranks 44th in 3PA/FGA. On the flip side both teams are actually above average at running teams off the 3-point line. Something has to change there. I think you see Iona really settle into this game and force Nelson into some uncomfortable shots. You can bother Fairfield like we saw Quinnipiac do in the second half of the game yesterday so I’m going to take Iona here tonight.
Southern Conference – Asheville, NC
No. 1 UNC Greensboro vs No. 2 East Tennessee State University- 9:00 pm
Yeah, sign me up for this game. This is a rematch from last year’s title game which was absolutely awesome and incredibly physical. I expect more of the same here tonight. Last year ETSU was able to get the win and this year it was a split in the regular season with each team winning at home. This is absolutely going to be a defensive battle as both teams rank in the top-50 on KenPom. Really the only category that both teams don’t rank above average in is fouling – hence the physical part.
If you’re looking for an individual matchup, keep an eye on Desonta Bradford vs Francis Alonso. Bradford is a combo guard of sorts as he can break down defenses to both score and attack. He’s putting up over 15 per game while averaging nearly 6 rebounds per game and 4 assists per game. He’s not a great outside shooter at just 31% from three, so you really need to keep him out of the paint. On the flip side Alonso is shooting 41% from the three point line while averaging about 16 per game. Whatever star has the better game will ultimately win this game.
I’m going to take East Tennessee State here. Both of these coaches are absolutely awesome as Steve Forbes will likely be coaching in a major conference next year while Wes Miller will be there shortly. Another important thing here is who can take care of the ball. Both teams rank sub-200 in turnover rate offensively while also ranking top-75 in forcing turnovers. Between that and the individual matchup, there are the two things to watch.