BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The road to the NCAA Men's and Women's Tournaments begin this week for the majority of our Big 4 teams as they get ready to play in their respective Conference Tournaments. Here's where things stand for every Big 4 team ahead of this week's play.
MAC Tourney (Mid-American Conference):
The UB men have grabbed the no. 5 seed and will begin play this Thursday in Cleveland. The Bulls' first game will be against no. 4 Akron, a team they fell to back on January 1st by a score of 88-76. The Bulls finished out the regular season strong, winning 9 of their final 11 games. Three players [Jeenathan Williams, Ronaldo Segu, and Josh Mballa] are averaging more than 10 points a game. Thursday's quarterfinal game is set to tip off at 1:30 p.m.
The UB women have earned the no. 2 seed and will begin play this Wednesday in Cleveland. Their first game will be against no. 7 Western Michigan who they beat 71-64 back on February 7th. The Lady Bulls finished the regular season with a 16-4 conference record which included six straight wins to wrap things up. Dyaisha Fair is averaging 23.1 points a game which is good for 4th in the nation. Wednesday's quarterfinal game is set to tip off at 4 p.m.
MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference):
The Canisius women are the no. 11 seed and will be opening up play on Tuesday in Atlantic City. The Golden Griffs will face no. 6 Monmouth, a team they lost to twice during the regular season by an average of 11 points. Canisius only won three conference games but played a lot of close contests, including seven losses that were ten points or less. Dani Haskell has led the Golden Griffs all season, averaging more than 14 points a contest, and is the only player averaging double digits. Tuesday's 1st round game will begin at 1:30 p.m.
The Canisius men are the no. 10 seed and will also open up play on Tuesday in Atlantic City. The Golden Griffs will face no. 7 Fairfield, a team they lost to in their conference opener by six points and again later in the season in overtime. Canisius finished conference play with a 7-13 record which included three wins to close out the regular season. They're led by Armon Harired, Jordan Henderson, and Malek Green who are all averaging 11 points a game. Tuesday's 1st round game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
The Niagara women have grabbed the no. 4 seed and will begin play on Thursday in Atlantic City. The Purple Eagles will face no. 5 Siena, a team they beat twice during the regular season by an average of 10 points. Niagara wrapped up conference play with an 11-9 record, their first winning conference record since the 2004-2005 season. The Parker sisters have been heavily relied on this season as Angela and Aaliyah are both averaging more than 10 points a game. Thursday's quarterfinal matchup will begin at 2:30 p.m.
The Niagara men have grabbed the no. 5 seed and will begin play on Thursday in Atlantic City. The Purple Eagles will face no. 4 Monmouth, a team they split a pair of games with during the regular season. Niagara wrapped up conference play with a 9-11 record which included winning their final two games. Marcus Hammond has led the way, averaging 18.1 points a game. Thursday's quarterfinal matchup will begin at 9:30 p.m.
A10 Tournament (Atlantic 10):
The St. Bonaventure men have earned the no. 4 seed and will begin play on Friday in Washington, D.C. The Bonnies could face one of three opponents in Saint Louis, La Salle, or Saint Joseph's. The Bonnies beat all of those teams during the regular season; Saint Louis and Saint Joseph's twice and La Salle once. The Bonnies closed out the regular season with a 12-5 conference record but some could say it was a disappointing season after they were ranked in the AP Top 25 poll before their first game. All five of the Bonnies' starters [Jalen Adaway, Jaren Holmes, Kyle Lofton, Dominick Welch, and Osun Osunniyi] are all averaging more than 10 points. Friday's quarterfinal game is set to begin at 2:30 p.m.
The St. Bonaventure women played in their conference tournament last week as the no. 13 seed and fell to no. 12 George Washington 54-49.
