With 2024 ending, we’ve seemingly approached the midway point of the 2024-25 college basketball season. While nothing is set in stone yet, which teams are hot and which are not is becoming clearer and clearer by the day. Even in a conference like the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), where there’s a tight race for the top spot every year, we can start to see these patterns emerge.
Before games kick off in 2025, it’s best to review the start of each team’s season to see what they did well and what they can improve on in the final half of the season.
Canisius Golden Griffins
One of only four winless teams in the NCAA (as of Jan. 1), Canisius has not had a great season by any stretch of the imagination. Having an 0-13 record and losing by a margin of almost 17 points a game, the team’s closest game has been an 84-79 loss to Maine. Even in MAAC play, the team has lost slightly over 10 points a game.
Outside of their 81.4% free throw percentage, a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal season for the Golden Griffins has been junior guard Paul McMillan IV. In 13 games so far, McMillan has averaged 19.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and about 2.6 points a game. He currently leads the team in points and is in the top five in almost every other statistic, seemingly being the heart of this Canisius team.
While the remainder of the season still gives the team a chance to turn things around, unless everyone on the team, not named McMillan or Tana Kopa, can step up, I don’t see the season getting much better.
Rider Broncs
One of the other teams that are winless in MAAC play through two games, the Broncs have had a better season than the last-place Griffins. With a 4-9 record through 12 games, Rider has picked up wins against San Diego, Coppin State, Bucknell, and Navy.
Throughout all their games, regardless of the result, the team has been really good at rebounding the ball, outrebounding their opponents by almost half a rebound per game. While it hasn’t led to much success in terms of shot opportunities, with the Broncs’ opponents getting more shots up and in, the rebounding advantage will eventually pay off for the Broncs.
While the team hasn’t had a singular star player on the roster, multiple players have stood out. T.J. Weeks Jr. has led the team with 11.8 points per game, while Tariq Ingraham has led the team in rebounds and blocks, with 6.3 and about one, respectively.
For Rider, I feel like it’s more of a matter of time before things start to click for the Broncs, and maybe this new year will help them get there.
St. Peter’s Peacocks
The best team to not have won a game in MAAC play, the Peacocks are actually 5-5, with wins against Saint Elizabeth University, Fairleigh Dickinson, Duquesne and Delaware.
Despite only having a 5-5 record, the team’s stats project the team should be much better. A 5.5-point margin of victory and better shooting splits than their opponents show they’ve been trending positively overall.
Three of their players, Marcus Randolph, Armoni Ziegler and Mouhamed Sow, are all averaging above 10 points per game, with Ziegler being second on the team in rebounds and assists.
With only 10 games played, compared to most team’s 12 or 13 games played, the Peacocks can easily catch up to the other MAAC with their impressive play thus far.
Iona Gaels
Arguably the season’s most disappointing team so far, the Gaels have failed to live up to their third-place prediction from before the season. The team has been too turnover-prone, having an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.7. While the Gaels are great on defense, getting a good number of steals, almost 10 per game, and almost three blocks per game.
But, very inconsistent shooting has seemingly taken this team out. In many of their games this season, the team has shot below 40% from the field and below 30% from the 3-point line.
Despite this, DeJour Reaves, Adam Njie and Yaphet Moundi have all been great for the Gaels this season. Reaves is in the top five in the MAAC regarding points, Moundi is within the top 20 in the MAAC regarding rebounds, and Njie is within the top 50 in points per game among freshmen.
While the Gaels still have time to turn things around, the team has had a very disappointing start that will be hard for fans to forget.
Sacred Heart Pioneers
In their debut season in the MAAC, the Pioneers have achieved a 5-8 record and currently have a 1-1 record in conference play. With wins over New Hampshire, Central Connecticut, Boston University, Iona and Manhattanville, Sacred Heart has already beaten some names within Division 1 basketball.
Throughout all their games, the Pioneers have really only been able to keep up with their opponents rather than beat them or lose to them in any notable fashion.
Sacred Heart’s most notable player has been freshman Mekhi Conner. Despite not leading the team in points, he’s been the best player for the team overall. Averaging 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and about 1.5 steals, this puts him seventh, fifth, first and first on the team, respectively.
Given Sacred Heart’s performance so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish surprisingly high by season’s end.
Fairfield Stags
Also having a 5-8 record, with a 1-1 record in the conference, the Fairfield Stags achieved victories over New Hampshire, John Jay, Vermont, Fairleigh Dickinson and Rider.
While the team has been lackluster on offense, they’ve been really good at forcing turnovers, forcing about three more turnovers and getting a bit over two more steals a game than their opponents.
Behind that defensive stand has been their star player, Prophet Johnson. The junior guard leads the team in points, rebounds, and steals with 12, 7.5, and 1.2, respectively.
If the team can finally overcome their offensive woes, their defense can help them become a top team in the MAAC.
Siena Saints
The Siena Saints started out the season hot, going 4-1 through their first five games. However, they’ve only won two of their next eight games since then.
Regardless of win or lose, the team has been shooting more 3s and getting to the line more than their opponents, shooting about 0.3 more 3s and about a half free throw more per game. The team is also great at blocking shots, blocking almost two more shots a game than their opponents.
The guard combo of Major Freeman and Justice Shoats leads the Saints. Freeman leads the Saints in points with 14.2 points, while Shoats leads the team in assists and steals, with 3.3 and 1.2, respectively, and is second on the team with points, averaging 14 a game.
If the team could get the momentum they had at the beginning of the season, they could very easily rise to the top of the MAAC.
Niagara Purple Eagles
Niagara is 6-7, but none of their stats indicate much positive from their record. They are being outshot, outrebounded and generally outplayed by their opponents on average.
The team’s star player is wing Olumiude Adelodun, who leads the team in points and rebounds and is second on the teamin steals.
It’s unclear where Niagara will end their season, but if all goes well, they could be at the top of the MAAC come season’s end.
Manhattan Jaspers
One of three teams above .500 in the MAAC, Manhattan is the team closest to it, with a 6-5 record.
The Jaspers have been really good at getting to the free throw line, shooting three more shots from the line per game than their opponents at above 5% more efficiency, which has helped them close wins against Fordham and Army early in the season.
Manhattan’s star player has been freshman forward Will Sydnor, whose stat line of 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, one steal and about 1.5 blocks per game leads the Jaspers in all those statistics.
The big question about Manhattan is what happens if one of the members in their usual seven-man rotation goes down with an injury, as the players that have played less than 11 games have only scored 12 points combined. However, if the injury bug doesn’t hit the Jaspers, they’ll be fine for the rest of the season.
Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers
The Mountaineers, who have an 8-5 record, had the most notable win by an MAAC team this year when they beat Miami (Fla.), 78-74, in overtime on Dec. 21.
Much like their win against Miami, the Mountaineers have been very selective about what shots they choose to take, leading to a 43% shooting percentage and almost 16 shots a night at the free throw line.
While there’s no singular player has stood out for the Mountaineers, Dola Abedayo has been the best player for the team, averaging 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and a bit over one block per game, the latter two stats leading the team.
If the Mountaineers can keep up their momentum from their best month or so of games, they can easily become a force to be reckoned with in the MAAC.
Merrimack Warriors
One of two newcomers to the MAAC this season, the Warriors have had a great start to their first season. Despite having a 5-8 record overall, the team is 2-0 in the MAAC, which makes them one of three undefeated teams through the first two games of conference play.
This year’s Merrimack team is single-handedly powered by sophomore guard Adam Clark, whose 20.1 points per game leads both Merrimack and the conference in that statistic. In addition to that, he also leads the team in assists, with 5.2 a game, steals, with almost two a game, and free throw percentage, shooting 88.3% from the free throw line.
Despite the hot start, whether or not it will last is extremely uncertain. If the teams can figure out how to guard Clark, they will seemingly not have much going on offense outside of him. So, unless there’s a player who hasn’t gotten the opportunities that Clark has gotten, Merrimack’s hot start can fall apart very quickly if Clark stops his great performance this season.
Quinnipiac Bobcats
One of the other three teams undefeated in MAAC play is the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Predicted to finish first, the team has gotten off to a 6-7 start to start the season.
Despite being outshot, both in terms of volume and efficiency, the team has made up for it with the ability to force turnovers, with their opponents having 13.5 turnovers a game, with about nine of them coming from steals.
The Bobcats are led by the combo of Paul Otieno and Preseason Player of the Year Amarri Monroe, who leads the Bobcats in everything except assists.
With great support outside of those two from players like Savion Lewis, who leads the team in assists, Khaden Bennet and Jaden Zimmerman, it’ll be easier for the Bobcats to keep up their dominance in the MAAC.
Marist Red Foxes
Currently, the best team in the MAAC overall, the Red Foxes are on a five-game win streak going into their game with Iona on Jan. 3, with notable wins in that period coming over Mount St. Mary’s and Stony Brook, which gives them a 9-2 record overall.
Marist is great at moving the ball around, averaging 13.2 assists per game, while only getting the ball stolen from them about six times a game. The team also tends to get a lot of their points from inside the arc, with about 20 shots a game coming from inside the arc and shooting about 53% from that range.
Marist has been led by two players, Josh Pascarelli and Jaden Daughtry. Pascarelli leads the Red Foxes in points, while Daughtry leads the team in blocks, steals, rebounds, and 3-point percentage.
The Red Foxes are extremely well-rounded and can easily win both the regular season and postseason championships if they can keep up the pace of their recent hot streak.
