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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Iona
- Saint Peter’s
- Marist
- Monmouth
- Rider
- Fairfield
- Manhattan
- Siena
- Quinnipiac
- Niagara
- Canisius
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-It was a crazy year last year with Iona playing just nine regular season games under first year coach Rick Pitino, but they won the conference tournament and the auto bid before losing to Alabama. They did lose two starting guards, but they have some key transfers coming in and should once again have strong guard play and play intense pressure defense.
-Saint Peter’s has all five starters back and that experience could lead to a successful season and another big step forward for the program. This is another team that can play really tough defense and that should help with their success this year.
-Marist is another team with a lot of experience coming back. Four starters return for a team that was playing fairly well down the stretch, and if they can carry that momentum into this year they should once again be able to finish in the top-three or top-four of the league.
-Coach King Rice has done a fantastic job at Monmouth, but he’s tasked with replacing what was probably their best player in Deion Hammond. Fortunately three starters are back and they did get some key transfers so chances are they’ll still finish in the top half of the league.
-Rider really struggled last year and won just six games, which is way below what we are used to seeing out of them. They do add a few key transfers to the roster and that should help them improve this year.
-If you’re looking for a dark horse then you may want to consider Fairfield. They have all five starters back, and while they certainly had an unspectacular season a year ago they actually weren’t all that bad down the stretch. They actually advanced all the way to the MAAC Championship game before losing to Iona, so they should at least have some confidence with all the starters back.
-Manhattan had a rough year last year, but four starters are back along with some key transfers, so we should see some improvement this season.
-Siena finished in a tie for first place a year ago, but they also lost most of their key players and are in reset mode right now. The long term health of this program is pretty solid, but this may be a long year for the Saints as they try to rebuild.
-Quinnipiac, Niagara, and Canisius are all teams that return quite a bit of experience, but they’re also all coming off the kinds of seasons where you wonder if the experience they’re returning is going to help them.