BricksIt Weekly
New name, same corridor
Siena went to Dayton and won by ten
The league that was the MAAC until July is the Metro Conference now. Its first big night of the season belonged to the Saints, 99-89 winners as two-touchdown underdogs.
By the Hardwood Bricks desk
The Metro Conference is the MAAC with a new sign over the door. Same thirteen schools, same stretch of the Northeast from Buffalo to Emmitsburg, a new name since July 1. It joins Hardwood Bricks this week as our fifth edition.
Its loudest week so far came out of Loudonville. Siena went to Dayton on Tuesday night as a 14.5-point underdog and won 99-89. Tim Ibukunoluwa scored 23, Brendan Coyle hit six of nine threes for 21, and Trent Egbiremolen went 12 for 12 at the line for 20.
The Saints are 2-1 after a five-point loss at Bryant and a 14-point win over Princeton. Our model has them 118th in the country, the best rating in the league by a long way. Quinnipiac is next at 181st.
The Bobcats have their own road win to point at. They were 8.5-point underdogs at Vermont on Sunday and won 79-76, with Tai Turnage making all five of his threes. Sacred Heart is 2-1 too, after an 81-76 overtime win at New Hampshire behind 21 points from Jaylen Robinson.
It has been a hard November everywhere else. Nine Metro teams have played at power-conference arenas, ten games in all, and all ten were losses by more than 20 points. That's the price of the guarantee game, and it pays a lot of bills in this league.
Marist defends
The Red Foxes are 1-2, but our model rates their defense 92nd in the country, best in the league. They beat UMBC 88-80 and lost by two at UMass Lowell.
Road wins up the coast
Manhattan won 68-62 at Maine as a small underdog. Fairfield won 68-59 at Bryant. Merrimack won 73-60 at UAlbany. Not every Metro road trip ends in a power-conference arena.
Iona by one
The Gaels opened with a 56-55 win over Vermont, then beat NJIT 72-49. They are 2-2 after losses at St. John's and Fordham.
Still looking for the first one
Saint Peter's and Niagara are the two teams without a win. The Peacocks have lost two of their four by three points or fewer: 58-55 to Binghamton and 54-52 at NJIT.
By the numbers
The pecking order
Our model's rating for every Metro team: points better or worse than an average Division I team over 100 possessions. Record alongside.