2009 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Predictions

The 2009 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament gets underway Friday March 6th and continues through Monday March 9th with the championship game being broadcast on ESPN 2. The Siena Saints brought home the trophy for the second time this decade in 2008 and are the favorites to bring it home again. Jimmy Boyd makes his tournament predictions in this article. Bet the 2009 MAAC Conference Tournament at BetUS and receive up to 145% in sign up bonuses.

The Favorite: Siena Saints
The Saints won the regular season title by two games with a 16-2 conference record. Siena was a perfect 14-0 at home this season but won’t have its home court to protect it in the conference tourney. Still, you have to like Siena’s chances. The Saints get a first round bye as the tournament’s No. 1 seed and will face either Loyola or Canisius in the second round. The Saints are a perfect 4-0 against those two schools this season so I don’t expect them to be getting knocked out early. Siena is clearly the most talented team in this league and has played several major conference schools, namely Kansas, to very close contests this season. 6’3” guard Kenny Hasbrouck leads the way with 14.8 points per game, but the Saints are very balanced with Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin also averaging 14.7 and 13.8 points per game respectively.

Another Team That Can Win: Niagara Purple Eagles
The MAAC was a top heavy league this year with Siena, Niagara, and Rider being the only three teams to collect double digit conference wins. Niagara finished two games back of Siena in the final standing but sent the Saints a message with a 100-85 win in its second to last game of the season. Niagara was sensational down the home stretch, winning 10 of its last 11 games. Its dominant 14-point win over the Missouri Valley’s Illinois State Redbirds in a bracket buster contest came as a shock to many. Niagara boasts a balanced attack as well with four players averaging double figures, but guard Tyrone Lewis leads the way with 16.3 points per game. The Eagles aren’t as talented as the Saints, but they are hot right now and could ride their momentum to a third MAAC Tournament title this decade.

2008 MAAC Tournament Recap:
The Siena Saints hadn’t taken home the MAAC Tournament title since 2002, but they struck again in 2008 with wins over Manhattan, Loyola, and Rider to claim the trophy and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Saints made their presence felt in the Big Dance, crushing No. 4 seed Vanderbilt 83-62 in road one. The Saints were then edged out by Villanova in round two. The Wildcats were a No. 12 seed and had upset Clemson in the first round. While both the Wildcats and the Saints had their time to shine in the Midwest bracket, Stephon Curry and Davidson upstaged them both, advancing to the Elite Eight and coming within two points of upsetting eventual national champion Kansas.

Beat the college basketball odds this March with Jimmy Boyd’s NCAA basketball picks. Jimmy Boyd’s basketball betting tips are here to help you win big.