Thank you for recognizing the quality of the Siena men's basketball team. They are an outstanding team, and I don't see how Niagara defeated them in your mock MAAC tournament. Also, the Saints should get the at-large bid over Notre Dame.
The only reason [the Fighting Irish] can still get a tourney bid is because they were ranked well in the preseason. If Siena started on level ground with Notre Dame, I don't think there would be any question of who would be in the tournament.
Siena is 21-6 and 15-1 in conference play, and that includes the fifth-toughest nonconference schedule in the nation. This was a schedule that included road games against Kansas (which it lost to by just seven and outscored by six in the second half), then-No. 3 Pittsburgh, and games in the Old Spice Classic against Tennessee and Oklahoma State. They also recently defeated Northern Iowa in a nationally televised game on BracketBusters Saturday.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Joe Lunardi | email
Senior Writer, ESPN.com- Resident college basketball bracketologist for ESPN
- Contributor to SportsCenter, ESPN Insider
- Published first public bracket in 1995
ABOUT THIS BLOG
College Basketball Experts
Fran Fraschilla is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at New Mexico, St. John's and Manhattan.
Joe Lunardi is the resident bracketologist for ESPN.
Seth Greenberg is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at Virginia Tech, South Florida and Long Beach State.
