Griffs, Purple Eagles Square off For Second Time

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-Round two of one of Western New York's top rivalries takes place Tuesday night at the Koessler Center when Canisius host Niagara. The Griffs won the first time the teams met this year at Niagara 77-64.

While the Purple Eagles are having a tough season, they have won two straight, just the second time that's happened this season. Niagara comes into the game with a 6-21 record on the season. Canisius which has won three straight is 15-12 on the season.

Preseason prognosticators picked Canisius 10th in the eleven team MAAC. That's something that Golden Griffins head coach Jim Baron reminds his team of every chance he gets. "No question about it. I just use the Bad News Bears mentality you know and gotta continue to defend, rebound, execute on offense and we really got to keep in front of them so that they don't do what they like to do and that's score the ball and attack the bucket so we have our work cut out for us but we're looking forward to the challenge." Baron told Two On Your Side's Stu Boyar.

Players have received his message loud and clear. Zach Lewis told Stu "he definitely reminds us that we didn't get as much respect as he thinks we deserve. We just come out and play hard. At the end of the day that's what he tries to tell us. Come hard, play hard and be ready for whoever is next on our list."

Josia Heath said "I feel like them its always a scrappy game. You are never out of it with them with the crowd going back and forth so I think guys are going to be everywhere playing defense, switching up defensive schemes, and I think its going to be a very intense game."

 

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Things are looking up for the Big 4 men?s basketball teams with two weeks left in the season. There are big games Tuesday. The University at Buffalo plays host to Akron. Niagara visits Canisius. Here?s a look ahead at the week in the Big 4:

UB (8-6, 17-9) This week: Tuesday home vs. Akron (8-6, 17-10). Saturday at Kent State (10-4, 19-8). Next week: home against Ohio (4-10) and Bowling Green (9-5). KEY INJURY: It appears Akron starting point guard Noah Robotham is out for the season with a torn knee ligament.

Outlook: UB can clinch a top-four seed in the Mid-American Conference by closing the season 4-0. That?s going to be tough. UB should be able to get a top-four seed by going 3-1, as long as the loss is against Kent or Ohio. A 2-2 finish won?t get it done. UB is very unlikely to catch Toledo (10-4) and Central Michigan (10-4), because it went 0-3 against them. Beyond that, it?s still very hard to predict where the race is going. Supposedly bad Miami (6-8) has won three straight, over Ohio, Bowling Green and Akron. Again, if UB wins its home games (Akron, Ohio, BG) it?s in great shape. MAC teams that don?t finish in the top four must win five games to win the conference tournament. MAC

POY: UB?s Justin Moss still leads the MAC in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (9.2). His main threat for player of the year, from this perspective, is Toledo point guard Julius Brown, second in scoring (16.7) and third in assists.

Ranking: UB is No. 42 in the RPI and No. 61 in Pomeroy analytics. Toledo is 64 in RPI, 71 in Pomeroy. Central Michigan is 78 and 82. Kent State is 85 and 103.

ST. BONAVENTURE (7-7, 14-11) This week: Bona is at George Washington (7-7) Wednesday and home vs. Duquesne (4-10) Saturday. The Bona schedule is favorable, with games against St. Louis (3-11) and Fordham (3-11) next week.

Outlook: Bona already has surpassed last year?s Atlantic 10 win total (6-10). Bona is in a three-way tie for seventh with GW and LaSalle at 7-7. It already has lost to LaSalle, but LaSalle has a tougher finishing schedule (Fordham, URI, SJ, Dayton). So seventh place is not out of the question. No. 7 meets No. 10 and No. 8 meets No. 9 in the first round of the A10 tournament.

Ranking: Bona is No. 128 in both RPI and Pomeroy. The A10 has five teams in the top 64 in one or the other: VCU (12 RPI, 28 Pomeroy), Dayton (35-51), Davidson (57-37), URI (63-48), Richmond (76-59).

CANISIUS (10-8, 15-12) This week: Home vs. Niagara (5-13) Tuesday, home vs. Fairfield (5-13) Friday.

Outlook: The surprising Griffs have clinched at least fifth place and a first-round bye in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Canisius has won three straight. The Griffs likely are locked into fifth and are looking at a quarterfinal meeting with Manhattan (11-6). They lost twice to Manhattan, but it was close.

Ranking: Canisius is No. 158 in RPI and No. 156 in Pomeroy. Iona has clinched the No. 1 seed and is No. 45 in RPI and No. 90 in Pomeroy.

Coach of Year: If the Griffs? Jim Baron doesn?t win coach of the year, there oughta be an investigation.

NIAGARA (5-13, 6-21) This week: At Canisius Tuesday, home vs. Fairfield Sunday.

Outlook: Niagara has won three of its last four and is tied for Fairfield for ninth in the 11-team MAAC. The bottom six play in the first round. Niagara is looking at a first-round game against either the eighth or 10th-place finisher.

Ranking: Niagara is 297 in RPI and 304 in Pomeroy.