ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Marist men’s basketball is set to begin its MAAC Tournament run tonight at 6 p.m. against No. 4 Quinnipiac. The teams split two games during the regular season and align for an intriguing quarterfinal matchup.
Both teams scuffled their way through the end of the regular season. Quinnipiac lost three games in a row for the first time all season before rebounding to beat Canisius in the season finale, while Marist lost four of its last six.
A Look at Quinnipiac
The Bobcats are laden with stars. They had a representative on each postseason All-MAAC Team: senior forward Amarri Monroe earned first team and all-defensive team, sophomore guard Jaden Zimmerman earned second team, senior guard Asim Jones earned third team and freshman forward Keith McKnight earned all-rookie team honors
Five Quinnipiac players averaged double-figure scoring, while Monroe and Zimmerman averaged over 15 apiece. Monroe won the MAAC Player of the Year last year and is one of the conference’s premier players. In addition to his scoring, he ranked third in the MAAC with 8.2 rebounds per game. He also had the second-most steals per game at 2.3. The one clear weakness in Monroe’s game is 3-point shooting — he made 26.8% of his looks from downtown.
Luckily for Quinnipiac, they make up for it elsewhere.
The Bobcats finished the regular season third in the MAAC in 3-point shooting at 34.4%. Redshirt freshman Samson Reilly and Jones ranked first and second in the conference in 3-point shooting at 48.1% and 47.9%. Reilly plays relatively limited minutes, but is capable of coming off the bench and making a big shot, while Jones parlayed his 3-point efficiency into 12.7 points per game. Freshman guard Tai Turnage, sophomore forward Grant Randall and Zimmerman are also capable of knocking down triples.
“They got some really talented guys that can kind of get off,” Marist head coach John Dunne said of Quinnipiac after the Red Foxes’ Sunday loss to Saint Peter’s. “You just [have] to hope those guys don’t explode for big games.”
Quinnipiac wrapped up the regular season averaging 75.4 points per game, good for second in the conference. But while 3-point shooting is one of the Bobcats’ strengths, defending beyond the arc is also one of Marist’s strengths. Marist’s defensive abilities are well-documented, and they are the second-best 3-point defense in the entire country. Opponents shot a measly 27.8% from 3-point land — only UT Arlington had a better rate in Division I.
Marist’s Keys to Victory
The Red Foxes held their opponents at or below 25% from deep 14 times this season; they went 10-4 in those games. Similarly, Marist went 17-1 in games in which they scored 64 points or more and 1-9 in games in which they did not.
Both games against the Bobcats fit those trends. In the first game on Dec. 29, the Bobcats shot 33.3% from deep and Marist scored only 58 points. Quinnipiac won. On Jan. 24, the Bobcats shot 25% and Marist scored 71 points. Marist won.
As in every game, Marist needs its MAAC-best defense to show up in Atlantic City. Between injuries, inconsistency from graduate student guard Rhyjon Blackwell down the stretch and an offense that is simply not among the best in the MAAC even at full strength, the Red Foxes cannot afford to let Quinnipiac have its way offensively. Marist managed to do just that on Jan. 24, but that was with the now-injured senior guard Elijah Lewis and redshirt sophomore center Jason Schofield — the big man’s status for Saturday’s game remains unclear.
In what shapes up to be a dog-fight, Marist is certainly capable of sneaking away with a win and a trip to the semi-finals. But, they need to control the game and keep the high-powered Bobcats within striking distance.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought rock fight, man,” Dunne said.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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