Quinnipiac won the regular-season title last year, but can the Bobcats finally punch a dance ticket?
Some leagues at the lower levels of Division I basketball are about retention and taking big swings in the league when your guys develop together, playing a cohesive, idiosyncratic style. Other leagues have a bit of variance on finishing order, with rosters comprised of unique talents from basketball hotbeds looking to make a name for themselves. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is undoubtedly the latter, as a low-major league that sees talent turnover yearly. Players are constantly arriving on the scene fresh from the junior college and high school level, ready to make talent evaluators look silly.
That is evident by the turnover from freshman classes, which we see almost yearly now, thanks to the transfer portal. Three members of last year’s MAAC all-freshman have found themselves in greener pastures in the Big Ten, SEC and A10. It’s worth a reminder that players like Walter Clayton Jr. and Daniss Jenkins were first found in the Metro Atlantic, too.
That bevy of unearthed talent is what makes the MAACtion so fun. Three different schools have won the regular-season title over the last five seasons, and three teams in that same span stole the league bid to the NCAA tournament in their conference tourney. Parity is rampant in this league and with the additions of Merrimack and Sacred Heart, the chaos will only grow.
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Projected Order of Finish
1. Quinnipiac Bobcats
The Bobcats are among the few teams in this league where some semblance of last season’s core remains on the roster. They return four starters, although they will be adjusting to life without MAAC Player of the Year Matt Balanc.
The player most capable of replacing Balanc’s offense is 6-7 forward Amarri Monroe. The junior excelled in his first year in Hamden, Connecticut, averaging 12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Those numbers ballooned to 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals in conference play. He can score from the perimeter and at the rim, shooting 35 and 55 percent at those spots, respectively. The utility forward can guard multiple positions and provides athleticism and bounce that makes him a joy to watch.
Monroe will need help from returning grad student Savion Lewis (8.5 ppg, 7.3 apg) to replace Balanc’s impact. Lewis, a 6-1 guard, made the All-MAAC second team alongside Monroe last season. He is a maestro point guard, and if he can also fill the bucket, Quinnipiac should once again sit atop the league.
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