History: Iona has dominated this tournament over the last several years, winning six of the last seven competitions. In the other year (2022), Saint Peter’s won the championship and became the first #15 seed to make it to the Elite Eight.
Overall, Iona has 14 championships. Manhattan and Siena are tied for second-most with five titles.
Returning Champion: Iona. In his final year as head coach, Rick Pitino‘s squad won three straight games by double-digits. In the title game, the Gaels defeated upstart Marist (the #11 seed) by 21. In the NCAA Tournament, as a #13 seed, they fought UConn hard for a half before the Huskies ran away from them and the entire NCAA Tournament field.
Format: All 11 schools make the field. The top five schools automatically advance to the quarterfinals.
Favorite: Quinnipiac (23-8, 15-5)
The Bobcats have never made it to the NCAA Tournament. This year’s squad scores 78.4 points (62nd in the nation), with senior guard Matt Balanc leading the way (18.5 points/4.8 rebounds). They played one Quad 1 game (a road loss to Florida) and enter this tournament on a 4-game winning streak.
Contenders: Fairfield (20-11, 14-6), Marist (17-12, 12-8), Rider (15-16, 12-8)
Live Long Shot: Mount St. Mary’s (13-18, 9-11)
Preview:
Fairfield has the league’s best NET (163rd) but didn’t play a Quad 1 game. However, the Stags defeated Yale on the road in a Quad 2 game. They finished the season on a 5-1 run. Three senior guards lead the way, with Jalen Leach (16.4 points/4.1 rebounds/3.1 assists), Caleb Fields (16.1 points/3.8 rebounds), and Brycen Goodine (14.6 points). Goodine was a Top 100 recruit for Syracuse years back and also played a few years for Providence.
Marist is not about scoring. The Red Foxes rank 6th in the nation in defensive scoring (62.2) on 41% shooting. This is a young team, with the three top scorers either freshmen or sophomores. In the non-conference, they lost to Notre Dame by four.
Rider was 5-8 in conference play at one point, before they ended the season on a seven-game winning streak that places them squarely amongst the favorites. The Broncs challenged themselves in the non-conference, though they weren’t particularly close to pulling off an upset. The five leading scorers on this squad are seniors, led by forward Marvin James, who averages 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. This university hasn’t made it to the NCAA Tournament since 1994.
Mount St. Mary’s played Maryland within 15 and Ole Miss within nine in non-conference road games. If they win their 8-vs-9 game against Canisius, they will get a shot at top-seeded Quinnipiac. The two schools split their games this year (both were blowouts), with Mount St. Mary’s putting up 96 points back on February 10th. The Mountaineers are 2-5 since.
Bottom Line:
Pick out of a hat. Iona is no longer the beast school here, which opens up a lot of possibilities for a team destined to be a #16 seed.
Winner: Rider is the hot team with the star player.