In the perpetually busy college basketball season, this week’s holiday break allowed for a rare respite for teams to rest and evaluate following the first eight-week span of the season.
Using the MBWA's criteria, here’s my current Top-Ten ranking of NYC Metro Area teams:
1) St. John’s: 8-4
Rick Pitino is back in the Big East and after St. John’s has spent most of the last two decades as an afterthought in the Big East, the buzz is back in Queens.
Anchored by the return of Preseason All-Big East First Team selection Joel Soriano (17.7p, 10.8r, 2.3b), the Red Storm look like a good bet to finish the regular season at or above .500 in conference play for just the second time this decade.
With twelve new pieces and a deeply experienced roster (5th nationally in D1 experience, according to KenPom) there is an undeniable depth and ceiling of this squad, especially with UMass transfer RJ Luis returning following a shin injury.
2) Princeton: 11-1
I’ll be honest: following the graduation of First Team All-Ivy forward Tosan Evbuomwan and the transferring out of Ryan Langborg (Northwestern) and Keeshawn Kellman (FGCU), I did not expect Princeton to continue their impressive streak as the strongest program in the Ivy.
Early season wins over Rutgers, Hofstra and Duquesne catapulted the ascension of the Tigers’ newest wave of talent, headlined by sophomores Xaivian Lee (16.9p, 3.3a 39.7 3P%) and Caden Pierce (13.5p, 9.0r, 2.8a).
The biggest difference between this season and last is that every key rotation piece can shoot from three, providing the Tigers with elite spacing potential for Pierce to work his magic inside the Princeton offense.
3) Rutgers: 7-4
The Mawot Mag effect is real.
Between last season and the start of this season, the Scarlet Knights are 18-8 with Mag on the floor and 8-11 in his absence. The 6’7 senior is the heart and soul of Rutgers’ vaunted half-court defense with a motor and switchability that has earned him the title as one of the best defenders in the nation.
In what Rutgers lacks in star power, they make it up in depth – ten players average between 12 and 28 minutes per game. In order for Rutgers to take the next step as a potential tournament team, its guards need to vastly improve their offensive efficiency – Noah Fernandes, Derek Simpson and Jamichael Davis all shoot under 38% from inside the arc.
4) Seton Hall: 8-5
It has been a strange two weeks for Seton Hall: a trying victory over Monmouth followed by its best shooting game of the season against Missouri followed by a home thrashing of UConn followed by a twenty-point loss to Xavier.
There’s a legit mystery of this team – what exactly is this Seton Hall team? Their physicality, size and athleticism is never easy to play against, but are they more than a middling Big East squad?
5) Hofstra 7-5
Hofstra’s solid start comes as no surprise. The offense still hums smoothly, led by the dynamic duo of Tyler Thomas (22.1p, 3.3a, 39.5 3P%) and Darlingstone Dubar (17.8p, 40 3P%). They are a fantastic shooting team, especially from three, and they move the ball beautifully and play solid interior defense.
Hofstra’s non-conference schedule, which ranks within the 80th percentile nationally, according to KenPom, was highlighted by winning the Gulf Coast Showcase, which was immediately followed by a home win over South Florida and a road victory over Iona.
Just one game away from CAA conference play, the Pride are amongst the upper echelon of their conference, alongside UNCW, Charleston, Drexel and Delaware, so Saturday’s matchup against St. John’s is an opportunity to finish the calendar year with fireworks.
6) Monmouth 7-5
It’s only December and Monmouth already has as many wins as last season, highlighted by non-conference victories over West Virginia and Belmont.
The biggest difference between this season and last? Bucknell transfer Xander Rice (19.3p, 3.6a) has brought swagger, fearlessness and star power to the Hawks’ offense while Tulsa grad transfer Nikita Konstantynovskyi is a steady and reliable low-post security blanket.
After a trying first season in the CAA, Monmouth has got the talent and depth to hover around the .500 mark during conference play and they’ve got a projectable ceiling considering the impressive development of homegrown underclassmen Jack Collins, Jaret Valencia and Cornelius Robinson.
7) Marist 7-3
5-1 in their last six games, and nearly beating a struggling Notre Dame team, Marist keeps on winning.
Are the underclassmen this good? Is the strong shooting start legit? With the seventh easiest non-conference record in the nation, one cannot help but wonder whether the Red Foxes’ recent success is a mirage.
That being said, the MAAC is the least predictable it has been in recent memory, so a physical, defensive team like Marist has as good of a shot as any to finish the season as the top team in the conference.
8) Fairfield 6-6
It has been a tale of two seasons for Fairfield – a late offseason coaching change and injuries across the lineup sputtered the Stags through a 1-6 start, but Fairfield has been winners of their last five games, highlighted by a road win against Yale and a dominant victory over in-town rivals Sacred Heart.
While freshman big Peyton Smith has played admirably following the injuries to portal additions Alexis Yetna (Seton Hall) and Birima Seck (New Mexico), the Stags’ resurgence has been sparked by its backcourt, with returning guards Jalen Leach, Brycen Goodine, Caleb Fields, alongside JUCO addition Jasper Floyd, all scoring double-digit averages per game.
Yetna has yet to return, but Seck’s return earlier this month has provided the Stags with athleticism and length unforeseen in the frontcourt this season. Once Yetna returns, Fairfield will be one of the most dangerous squads in the wide-open MAAC.
9) Columbia 8-3
8-1 in their last nine games, the Columbia Lions are amidst its best start since the 1978-79 season.
Yes, only three teams have faced a weaker non-conference schedule than Columbia, according to KenPom, but the Lions’ synergy on offense are the fruits of the labor of Jim Engles and his staff’s steady construction of this year’s lineup, which features four three-star recruits.
Last year’s lineup was one of the greenest in the nation, but those growing pains helped Columbia enter this season with the most minutes’ continuity entering this year.
The biggest difference between this year’s rotation is Engles’ embracing of small ball, which has increased the skill level on the floor both in the Lions’ ability to shoot from three – a 37.2 3P% ranks within the top 50 nationally – and share the ball smoothly – a 60% assist to field goal made ratio ranks within the top 40.
Between Princeton, Yale and Cornell, the top of the Ivy is excellent, but Columbia has an outside shot to sneak into the fourth and final Ivy Madness spot, which will be hosted at Levien Gymnasium, Columbia’s home court.
10) Iona 5-7
Jim Valvano. Jeff Rutland. Tim Cluess. Rick Pitino.
Following his championship tenure at St. Thomas Aquinas and rise to national prominence after FDU’s tournament win over top seed Purdue, Tobin Anderson was a universally praised hire as Gael Nation hopes that Anderson becomes the next great head coach in New Rochelle.
However, despite their brand new roster and starting the season with Osborn Shema on the shelf, few expected the Gaels to enter the new calendar year with a losing record.
In order for the Gaels to solidify themselves as one of the favorites in the MAAC, Anderson needs to discover his most dangerous lineups while still leaning on the team’s depth to best utilize the full court press.
After a twenty point win against Colgate and a visiting tilt this Saturday against the 8-3 Harvard Crimson, there is potential for Iona to enter the new year with positive momentum.
Just missed the cut:
Fordham 5-7
Recent home losses against NJIT and CCSU have questioned the defensive potential of this year’s squad.
Stony Brook 6-6
4-1 in their last six was highlighted by wins over Bryant and Norfolk State.
No comments:
Post a Comment