St Bonaventure

Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic 10 Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:29:31 -0500

Poll: How Many Atlantic 10 Teams Will Make NCAA Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:38:00 -0500

Atlantic 10 Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:23:49 -0500

Dayton and Xavier have legitimate Top 25 hopes, while usual standard-bearers like St. Joseph's and Temple may have to make way for up-and-coming programs like Duquesne, La Salle, and Richmond.

Conference Rank: 7th

10 year average: 8th

Conference Page

All-Atlantic 10 Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Kevin Anderson	Richmond	Jr
G	Ricky Harris	UMASS	Sr
G	Rodney Green	La Salle	Sr
F	Andrew Nicholson	St. Bonaventure	So
F	Chris Wright	Dayton	Jr

Player of the Year - Chris Wright Freshman of the Year - Aaric Murray (La Salle)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
All-Americans Chris Wright High-Major All-Americans Chris Wright (1st Team) Kevin Anderson (2nd) Ricky Harris (2nd) Andrew Nicholson (2nd) Lavoy Allen (3rd) Jordan Crawford Rodney Green All-Freshman Team Aaric Murray		Points: Ricky Harris 18.2 Rebounds: Lavoy Allen 9.0 Assists: DiJuan Harris 7.2 Team Points: Duquesne 78.9

A10 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

16	Dayton	A-10	1	NCAA
24	Xavier	A-10	2	NCAA
55	La Salle	A-10	3	NIT
61	Richmond	A-10	4	NIT
69	Duquesne	A-10	5	NIT
91	Saint Louis	A-10	6	CBI/CIT
95	St. Joe's	A-10	7	CBI/CIT
115	Temple	A-10	8	CBI/CIT
126	Charlotte	A-10	9
134	Rhode Island	A-10	10
168	Massachusetts	A-10	11
202	St. Bonaventure	A-10	12
245	George Wash	A-10	13
252	Fordham	A-10	14

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Atlantic 10?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic 10?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:36:40 -0400

2009 CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Team

CHN — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:04:17 -0400

The CollegeHoops.net All-Freshman teams were voted on by staff members: Jeff Borzello, Jeff Fox, Raphielle Johnson, Kevin McNeill, and Shawn Siegel.

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Freshman of the Year:
Tyreke Evans - G, Memphis

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman
G - Tyreke Evans - Memphis
G - Kevin Foster - Santa Clara
G/F - Afam Muojeke - Wyoming
F - Andrew Nicholson - St. Bonaventure
F - Luke Babbitt - Nevada

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Second Team
G - Jio Fontan - Fordham
G - Paul McCoy - SMU
G - Kevin Dillard - Southern Illinois
G - Keion Bell - Pepperdine
F - Paul George - Fresno

High-Major players are from the A-10, CUSA, MWC, MVC, WAC, and WCC, the 6 best non-BCS leagues over the last decade.

Check back tomorrow for CollegeHoops.net's Mid-Major All-Freshman Team.

A10 Tournament: Preview & Odds

Evan Dorey — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:59:30 -0400

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Atlantic-10 Tournament

Held in Atlantic City, NJ, the A-10 tournament features 12 of the league’s 14 teams, with the top four earning a bye directly to the quarterfinals.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Xavier	100.00%	88.67%	60.89%	48.87%
2	Rhode Island	100.00%	67.75%	48.71%	16.23%
3	Dayton	100.00%	58.88%	21.08%	3.92%
4	Temple	100.00%	79.29%	32.52%	22.72%
5	Saint Joseph's	71.34%	17.42%	3.51%	1.55%
6	Richmond	68.91%	32.27%	10.66%	1.80%
7	Duquesne	59.98%	21.43%	12.61%	2.82%
8	La Salle	55.47%	6.82%	1.75%	0.67%
9	St. Louis	44.53%	4.51%	0.99%	0.33%
10	Massachusetts	40.02%	10.82%	5.30%	0.87%
11	St. Bonaventure	31.09%	8.84%	1.64%	0.14%
12	Charlotte	28.66%	3.29%	0.33%	0.08%

Xavier is the clear favorite, but Temple and Rhode Island have a decent shot of taking the title, and Dayton is probably somewhat better than its odds would suggest. The bottom eight teams are separated by a relatively small amount, with Duquesne and Richmond looking like the best bets for a surprise advancements.

#1 – Xavier Musketeers (24-6, 12-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.174

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (Sweet Sixteen)

Xavier has put together an excellent season, but didn’t have a great finish, going 4-4 over the last month, and struggling to get wins on the road. Still, its been the best team in the conference by a mile, putting up the conference’s top offense and defense. The Musketeers are excellent three-point shooters and rebounders, but have committed a lot of turnovers, which has caused them of trouble at times. They also force few turnovers, and foul often on the defensive end, but spectacular interior defending, holding opponents to just 43% from two, makes up for it.

Player to watch:

6-8 JR Derrick Brown, 13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 57.8 eFG% - Brown is Xavier’s leading scorer, and its most efficient offensive option, a very good inside scorer who can complement his game with a strong showing from behind the arc, and the team’s best rebounder as well.

#2 – Rhode Island Rams (22-9, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.087

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

Rhode Island finished atop a three-way tie for second, but in EM, it sits 3^rd in the league, and isn’t particularly strong at either end of the floor. The Rams are excellent three-point shooters, but take most of their attempts inside the arc, where they’ve only been average. Their defensive game also depends on inside play, as they have typically struggled to hold opponents’ scoring down from two-point range. Rhode Island’s been a lot stronger defending the perimeter, forcing a lot of turnovers and shutting down the long-distance shot pretty well.

Player to watch:

6-3 SR Jimmy Baron, 16.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG,60.3 eFG% - Baron is one of the country’s premier shooters, at 45% from behind the arc and 89% at the free-throw line. He also turns the ball over very rarely, and the Rams do a good job by getting him the ball pretty often. There’s few players in the country who can rack up points behind the arc as quickly and effectively as Baron.

#3 – Dayton Flyers (25-6, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.013

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

Dayton is another team that had an excellent start, but fell off towards the end, finishing the season 4-4 after a 21-2 start. The Flyers have been very unimpressive by efficiency margin standards, just barely out-scoring its opponents, and not looking like a top-tier A-10 team. The problem has been their poor offense, struggling with shots from two-point range and from the free throw line, and committing a lot of turnovers. Their defense has been better, but has only been average in stopping shots, and they’ve fouled pretty often.

Player to watch:

6-8 SO Chris Wright, 13.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 49.7 eFG% - Wright leads the Flyers in scoring and rebounding, and while he’s an efficient player, his percentages have really fallen off from his spectacular, injury-interrupted first season. His 51% from two is solid, but he needs to cut out his three-point shots, and while his 67% free throw shooting is decent, but doesn’t allow him to take full advantage of his opportunities.

#4 – Temple Owls (19-11, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.124

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The Owls are the second favorite for the conference title, and will likely face a difficult challenge against Xavier in the semifinals. Their strength is defense, especially inside the arc; they dominate the defensive glass and hold opponents to just 43% from two. They are somewhat vulnerable on the outside, as they don’t get opponents to cough the ball up much, and allow a fairly high percentage of threes. On the offensive end, Temple’s three-point shooting has fallen off a little in conference play, but it’s still been pretty solid overall because it rarely turns the ball over.

Player to watch:

6-5 SR Dionte Christmas, 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 51.5 eFG% - The conference’s joint leading scorer, Christmas is a dangerous player who puts up a lot of shots, and makes percentages that are just good enough to keep him efficient.

#5 – Saint Joseph’s Hawks (16-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.026

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

St. Joe’s started the conference season 7-1, but hit a five-game losing streak in mid-February that dropped it to 5^th in the standings. It’s been above average defensively, holding opponents to fairly low percentages from both two and three, and succeeding despite forcing few turnovers. The Hawks haven’t been as good on the offensive end, as they shoot mostly twos, and not particularly well. They are the conference’s best free throw shooters at 74%, and get a good number of points from the line.

Player to watch:

6-9 SR Ahmad Nivins, 19.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 62.5 eFG% - Leading the conference in both scoring and rebounding, Nivins is the main player in the A-10 who has a real chance of being in the NBA draft, which isn’t surprising when you see just how dominant he is inside, shooting a great percentage and getting to the free throw line seemingly at will, where he converts 79% of chances.

#6 – Richmond Spiders (17-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.002

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

The Spiders had an excellent final game, beating Xavier to left themselves into the four-way tie at 9-7. They have been the weakest of the top eight teams, though not by much, mostly due to struggles on the defensive end. They are the conference’s worst rebounders, and commit far too many fouls, which wastes their ability to force turnovers and their decent inside defending. Richmond is a solid offensive team that leads the A-10 in holding onto the ball, and shoots well from two-point range, but takes most of its shots from outside, where it hits under a third of attempts.

Player to watch:

6-4 JR David Gonzalvez, 15.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 55.4 eFG% - Gonzalvez has slowed down in the final month of the season, but is the team’s best three point shooter, and is the most efficient in a group of solid scoring options.

#7 – Duquesne Dukes (17-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.036

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1977 (1^st Round)

Duquesne has been one of the conference’s better teams overall, and looks like it has the potential to cause some trouble for the higher seeds, though a potential game with Rhode Island would be a tough hurdle to face. The Dukes are have been excellent offensively, using a fast paced style with a lot of three attempts to open up the inside, where they shoot 53%. They make a decent number of those three attempts, but the inside play is the most important part of their offensive game. Of course, the reason that they are 9-7 with this offense is that their defense hasn’t been very good; they have led the A-10 in forcing turnovers, but are the worst team outside of Fordham at defending shots, allowing well over 50% from two and 38% from three.

Player to watch:

6-4 SR Aaron Jackson, 18.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 58.4 eFG% - Jackson was one of the players involved in the unfortunate shooting incident in 2006, and is the only one of the injured players still on the team. He’s notable for much more than that though, as he’s become the conference’s best guard. He’s an excellent shooter, especially from two, where he’s hit 60% of attempts, and has put up a very good assist rate. Jackson has been especially strong over the last month, averaging more than 20 points over his last nine games.

#8 – La Salle Explorers (18-12, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.004

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1992 (1^st Round)

La Salle enters tournament play on a four-game winning streak, and is the last team in the tournament to finish with an efficiency margin above zero. The Explorers have been good at maintaining a possession advantage on the defensive end, solid rebounders who have forced a lot of turnovers in A-10 play, which has compensated enough for their poor defense on threes to give them one of the league’s better defenses. La Salle is also strong on the offensive glass, but they’ve needed to be, as their shooting percentages have been weak, and they have had trouble holding onto the ball.

Player to watch:

6-6 JR Kimmani Barrett, 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 51.9 eFG% - Barrett is second on the team in scoring, and while he doesn’t always end up with a lot of shots, he’s effective when he does shoot, an excellent inside and outside scorer who get to the line well.

#9 – St. Louis Billikens (17-13, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.015

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Billikens had a strong season going until the final three games, when an ill-timed losing streak dropped them all the way to 9^th. They play the slowest system in the league, but it hasn’t really worked offensively, as just average shooting percentages are dragged down by turnovers and poor rebounding. They have been stronger defensively, but are still only average, despite some of the conference’s best defending on the perimeter. Opponents take few outside shots against St. Louis, and it just hasn’t been able to consistently defend the inside well enough to hold opponents’ scores down. As you might expect from a slow paced team, they are good on the defensive glass, but force few turnovers.

Player to watch:

6-2 SR Kevin Lisch, 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 46.4 eFG% - Lisch leads the team in scoring, and is the Billikens’ best three-point shooter, but his appalling two-point shooting, just 32%, undoes a lot of his good work.

#10 – Massachusetts Minutemen (12-17, 7-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.001

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1998 (1^st Round)

UMass is the last of the A-10 teams to sit in this logjam right around the .500 mark, and picked up arguably the conference’s best win when they shocked Kansas in Kansas City. The Minutemen are above average scorers, taking and making a lot of threes, but aren’t great on the offensive glass and rarely get to the free-throw line. Their serious problems, though, have been at the defensive end, where they have the worst record of any team in the tournament. There’s not much Massachusetts does well when defending, it allows opponents to make a lot of shots and struggles to prevent them from having a big possession advantage, with a poor turnover rate and weak rebounding.

Player to watch:

6-8 SR Tony Gaffney, 11.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 3.9 BPG, 51.4 eFG% - Gaffney isn’t the primary offensive focus for UMass, but he’s a good shooter who excels in the other aspects of the game, one of only two A-10 players to average a double-double and an strong defender who has great steal and block totals.

#11 – St. Bonaventure Bonnies (15-14, 6-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.066

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

There doesn’t look to be much too notable in the season for the Bonnies, but after failing to break the four-win barrier for four seasons, this is a nice improvement and a positive sign for the future. They run the conference’s fastest pace, but are the worst offensive team at the tournament, as they do get a good number of high-percentage chances in transition, but are the conference’s worst at turning the ball over, giving it up once of every four times down the floor. Their inability to hit long-range shots further hampers their chances of putting up points. Unlike a lot of fast-paced teams, they force very few turnovers, but are decent defenders because of good rebounding and an ability to lock down the outside.

Player to watch:

6-9 FR Andrew Nicholson, 12.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 60.7 eFG% - The Canadian freshman started his college career with a big season, shooting more than 60% from the field and putting up one of the best block rates in the country. He’s also a good rebounder, but his free throw shooting could use some work.

#12 – Charlotte 49ers (11-19, 5-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.053

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

Charlotte managed to get the last spot in the tournament, despite a 1-4 finish that saw its only win come against Fordham. This is a team that beat Xavier last month, played a close early season game with Clemson, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The 49ers have put up a lot of threes, but when you make only 28% of attempts, that’s not a very good thing. They’ve been OK in the other offensive categories, but with that many wasted shots, they’ve had one of the conference’s worst offenses. It’s a shame for them that opponents don’t have the same problem from long-distance, as they allow 36% on opposition three-pointers. Charlotte does defend well inside, and forces a good number of turnovers, but it hasn’t been enough to keep them out of the bottom part of the conference.

Player to watch:

6-7 SR Lamont Mack, 15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 45.1 eFG% - Mack puts up a lot of shots when he’s on the floor, a nearly Stephen Curry level of importance to the 49ers. However, despite his high point totals, he’s actually a significant detriment to his team, as his poor shooting, especially 43% from inside the arc, means a lot of those shots are wasted.

My statistical all-Atlantic-10 team:

Duquesne SR G Aaron Jackson, 18.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 58.4 eFG%

Temple SR G Dionte Christmas, 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 51.5 eFG%

Saint Joseph’s SR F Ahmad Nivins, 19.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 62.5 eFG%

Massachusetts SR F Tony Gaffney, 11.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 3.9 BPG, 51.4 eFG%

Xavier JR F Derrick Brown, 13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 57.8 eFG%

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Atlantic 10 Championship: Schedule/Matchups

Press Release — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:27:50 -0500

2009 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship
Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City, N.J.

Wednesday, March 11
Game 1 - #8 La Salle vs. #9 Saint Louis - 12:00
Game 2 - #5 Saint Joseph's vs. #12 Charlotte - 2:30
Game 3 - #7 Duquesne vs. #10 Massachusetts - 6:30
Game 4 - #6 Richmond vs. #11 St. Bonaventure - 9:00

Thursday, March 12
Game 5 - #1 Xavier vs. #8/#9 winner - 12:00 (CBS C)
Game 6 - #4 Temple vs. #5/#12 winner - 2:30 (CBS C)
Game 7 - #2 Rhode Island vs. #7/#10 winner - 6:30 (CBS C)
Game 8 - #3 Dayton vs. #6/#11 winner - 9:00 (CBS C)

Friday, March 13
Game 9 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner - 6:30 (CBS C)
Game 10 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner - 9:00 (CBS C)

Saturday, March 14
Finals - 6:00 (ESPN2)

*CBS C - regionalized coverage by CBS College Sports Network. Check local listings.

Atlantic 10: Week in Review

CollegeChalkTalk — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:56:17 -0500

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Tony Gaffney (Sr.), Massachusetts. While others may have scored more points, no player helped his team any greater on both ends of the floor than did Gaffney. For the week, Gaffney averaged a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds per game), and also intimidated opponents by swatting away five shots per outing, including a nine block effort against Boston College. A model of efficiency on the offensive end as well, the senior shot 67% in UMass’ two close defeats. He also narrowly missed a triple-double in the overtime thriller against BC (below). For the year, Gaffney has been an iron man, ranking second in the conference in minutes played (37 per game). He ranks in the Top 10 in seven statistical categories, including leading the league in rebounds (13.1 per game) and blocks (5.0 per game), as well as ranking fourth in steals (2.14 per game).

HONORABLE MENTION: B.J. Raymond, (Sr.) Xavier; Ahmad Nivins, (Sr.) Saint Joseph’s.

GAME OF THE WEEK: December 6, 2008. Boston College 85, UMass 81 (OT)

The Minutemen did everything in this game but win. Ricky Harris crushed his previous career high of twenty-seven points by tallying thirty-five in the losing effort. Tony Gaffney was magnificent; scoring 15 points, pulling down 18 rebounds, and blocking nine shots. UMass even orchestrated a furious rally with 23 seconds to play, coming from five down in that span to force overtime. The teams traded the lead six times in the extra frame, but in the end, the Eagles clawed their way to hard-fought victory in Amherst.

GAME OF THE UPCOMING WEEK: No. 14 Xavier @ Cincinnati: It’s a rivalry renewed, as the 2008 version of the Crosstown Shootout will take place in Cincinnati. The Musketeers and Bearcats will be battling for city-wide bragging rights in a game that always proves full of intensity. Last year, Xavier won a battle at the Cintas Center, 64-59. This year’s contest looks to be highly competitive as well, as the teams have combined for thirteen wins, and just one loss (Cincy’s defeat to Florida State).

HONORABLE MENTION: Temple vs. No. 10 Tennessee

RPI BOOST OF THE WEEK: Charlotte; RPI No. 228 (Up 96 spots from 324 last week): The Niners finally snapped their losing streak and, along with boosting team morale, the win over Southern Illinois in Carbondale boosted their RPI… in grand fashion.

RPI FALL OF THE WEEK: Richmond; RPI No. 172 (Down 74 spots from 98 last week): The Spiders had a 1-1 week, but their win was against a weak Delaware State team (RPI No. 199), and their loss to an even lower ranked (RPI No. 254) Old Dominion squad.

_______________________________________________

Power Rankings (through December 7th, 2008)

Xavier: Holding serve until Holloway returns from injury.
Dayton: Best defense in the league right now (permitting just 54 points per game) has led to the largest scoring margin at plus 14.
Rhode Island: Loss to Providence marks the third time Rhody has lost to a BCS conference team this year (’Nova, Duke). Have a final shot against Oklahoma State on December 20th.
Temple: Victory over a seven-win Penn State team despite just two points from Dionte’ Christmas is a sign of a growing team.
La Salle: Eight days to prepare for nationally ranked Villanova’s arrival at Tom Gola Arena. A huge game in Philly.
Richmond: Twelfth in the league in scoring last season; now second (73-plus points per game) in 2008… without Dan Geriot.
Saint Joseph’s: Lost to Creighton after trailing by twenty-one, rallying late to salvage dignity.
Duquesne: Receiving scoring from freshmen building blocks Melquan Bolding and Eric Evans at six and eight points per game, respectively.
Saint Louis: Liddell and Lisch are combining for twenty-six points per game.
Charlotte: Earned second win of the year against a tough Southern Illinois team on the road. Looking to build momentum.
St. Bonaventure: Backup point guard Ray Blackburn rebounded after a poor outing at Canisius with seventeen points in a win over Princeton.
George Washington: Not ready to hang yet with quality competition, but freshman Taylor’s 33.8 minutes per game and Travis King’s improving health are reasons for optimism.
UMass: Another two-loss week stung, but Gaffney and Harris had stellar games in the overtime loss to BC. Minutemen look for their first D-I win this week at the expense of Holy Cross.
Fordham: Have yet to score over 68 points in a game; shooting just 36% from the floor on the year.

A10 Basketball: 7 Things You Should Know

CollegeChalkTalk — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:48:21 -0500

1.) Dayton is leading the conference in turnover margin. An important development for the Flyers, who finished the 2007-08 campaign tenth in the A-10. This season, UD is plus 4.83 in that department.

2.) The name Brian Conklin. For those not dialed in on Billiken hoops, the 6-foot-6 freshman is getting better with each game (10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds) and has been a model of efficiency for a newcomer. Conklin is averaging an incredible 1.96 points per shot; shooting better from the field (73%) than the stripe (72%).

3.) Jarhon Giddings is providing quality senior leadership at Richmond. After seeing his minutes decrease in both his sophomore and junior seasons, Giddings has been a nice surprise for the Spiders this season. The senior is averaging 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 55% from the field and 81% from the stripe.

4.) St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson is for real. Featured last week in a CCT exclusive, the 6-foot-9 freshman is averaging 10.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in just twenty-two minutes of action. There will be nights where the young fella struggles, but the Bonnies have found a player down low to build around.

5.) Aaron Jackson of Duquesne is the most productive (and most underappreciated) guard in the conference. Competition aside, save for Duke, Jackson is leading the young Dukes while boasting an incredible stat line of 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3 steals per game.

6.) Don’t be fooled by La Salle’s unremarkable record. The Explorers took UConn and Florida State - two teams with a combined 13-0 record - to the wire before falling. Things are improving in the turnover department. Now, the Explorers just need Vernon Goodridge (4.6 fouls per game) to stay on the floor.

7.) GW is receiving scoring from its backcourt. Noel Wilmore (12.0 points per game) and freshman Tony Taylor (9.3 points per game) are combining for over six points more than GW’s backcourt averaged last season. Wilmore is shooting an exceptional 48% from long range, while Taylor is a solid 38% from beyond the arc.

State of '08: New York

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:11:01 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

NEW YORK

SYRACUSE - Led by one of the all-time great coaches, Syracuse has been a perennial power under Jim Boeheim. The Orange have missed the last two NCAA Tournaments, but should be back in 2009.

SIENA - Its been a good decade for Siena, with 3 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NIT trips. Last year, the Saints knocked off Vanderbilt in the opening round, and some pundits even think Fran McCaffery's crew has a chance to finish in the Top 25..

NIAGARA - With the exception of a poor 2006 campaign, Niagara has been very solid in the last decade. They've finished over .500 overall and in MAAC play in 9 of 10 seasons, and advanced to the Tournament in 2005 & 2007.

HOFSTRA - After the amazing job Jay Wright did at Hofstra around the turn of the century, Tom Pecora's tenure has been a bit more pedestrian (but still good for NY standards). The Pride did ride the shooting stroke of Loren Stokes to the 2007 NIT (their 3rd in a row), but were disappointing last year despite the return of Antoine Agudio.

MANHATTAN - Bobby Gonzalez led Manhattan to four postseason trips between 2002 and 2006. Barry Rohrssen hasn't been able to maintain that high standard, though this year's team has potential.

6. ST. JOHN'S - Once one of the game's top programs, St. John's still isn't close to getting out of the mess created by Mike Jarvis. The Storm haven't finished in the RPI Top 100 since 2003, and that futility should continue in 2009.

7. MARIST - Although the Red Foxes haven't had much success in the MAAC tournament the past three seasons, the team has been consistently dangerous and was invited to the 2007 NIT.

8. ALBANY - Unlike Binghamton and Stony Brook, who joined D1 and the AE around the same time, Albany has had some success in recent years. Will Brown, the Great Danes coach for pretty much their entire D1 existence, deserves credit for the job he's done. Brown led the team to the 2006 & 2007 NCAA Tournaments.

9. CORNELL - The Big Red have come a long way under Steve Donahue. When he took over in 2001, the program was one of the worst in the Ivy League. But their RPI has improved every season since 01 (from 311th to 65th in 08), and their Ivy League record has improved each season as well (though you can't top last year's perfect 14-0 run). Most expect Cornell to repeat as Ivy champs in 2009.

10. FORDHAM - Although Dereck Whittenburg has done a nice job getting Fordham back on track since taking over in 2003, there's still been no postseason trips and last year's team failed to meet lofty expectations.

11. WAGNER - With 23 wins last year, the Seahawks set a new record, although they missed out on the postseason. The program had accomplished little in the previous four seasons, unable to follow up on a good 02-03 run that culminated in a Tourney bid.

12. IONA - The Gaels have been all over the place in recent seasons. Great in 2006, with 23 wins and an NCAA bid. Horrendous in 2007 with just a 2-28 record. And then very mediocre last year.

13. BUFFALO - Long one of the country's worst programs, Buffalo is back to their losing ways after a rare winning spike from 2004 to 2006. In 2005, the Bulls were a few points from making their first NCAA Tournament in program history.

14. COLGATE - The Raiders are coming off their best season since 2002, an 18-win campaign that included two wins in the Patriot League tournament. 1996 was the last time they reached the conference finals.

15. BINGHAMTON - Less than a decade into their D1 existence, Bingamton is still looking for a breakthrough on the hardwood. 2nd year coach Kevin Broadus will be relying on a lot of transfers to push the Bearcats up the America East standings.

16. CANISIUS - 2001 was the last time Canisius was any good. 2009 should be another losing season, though fans are at least hopeful some of last year's young talent improves.

17. LIU - There hasn't been much to cheer about in the last decade as last year's 15 wins were the best in a decade. Since taking over in 2002, Jim Ferry's teams have won just one NEC Tournament game.

18. ST. FRANCIS - 2004 was the last time the Terriers were decent, and 2001 was the last time they were good. Last year was one of the worst in the program's history, with an RPI of 313 and a 4-14 NEC record.

19. ST. BONAVENTURE - Early in the decade, the Bonnies had a good run, until a string of poor choices, rules violations, and bad luck destroyed the program. Some progress has been made since the low of 2005 (2 wins), but Mark Schmidt and crew still have a long way to go.

20. COLUMBIA - I'm sure Columbia's good teams at some point in the past, but they were just before my time. Back to back 7-7 Ivy League seasons have been the peak of Joe Jones' five year tenure.

21. STONY BROOK - The Seawolves haven't won 10 games since 2005, and have never finished above 200th in the RPI. Most publications project a finish near the bottom of the AE in 2009.

22. ARMY - From 2003 to 2006, Army was not only the worst team in New York, but arguably the worst team in the country. They won just 11 D1 games in those four seasons, but have since returned to a more mediocre standard. Another sub-.500 season is a lock in 08-09.

Last: New Jersey - Next: North Carolina

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)