We commiserate every now and again about how fewer conferences in the middle and lower end of the NCAA Division I spectrum seem to value television coverage in recent years, or at least non-ESPN coverage of the regional variety.
Several years back, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference used to have a regular in-house production of a conference game of the week, as well as occasional games on holidays or other nights, that would be shown on regional sports networks in the Northeast such as MSG, SNY or the like. Frequently these games would take place on a Sunday.
Games such as Quinnipiac taking on Siena. And every so often when you have games like these, you just might get a gem, like the one those two schools put on Sunday.
The Bobcats outlasted Siena 107-100 in three overtimes, and with it moved into a tie for first at the ever-changing top of the MAAC standings. Six teams are separated by a single game in the conference now in an absolutely wild race where even the two teams currently tied for seventh (Marist and Manhattan) are just two games out of a tie for first.
Sunday’s story wasn’t just the result, but some monster individual performances. Siena freshman guard Jalen Pickett scored 46 points and also added 13 assists, making 14 of 26 shots (4 of 8 from three) plus 14 of 17 free throws. And yet, those numbers still played second fiddle to Quinnipiac’s Cameron Young, who scored 55 points and added 10 rebounds, making 15 of 24 shots-including 9 of 13 from three-point range-and, like Pickett, spent much of the day at the free throw line, making 16 of 20.
Young set a new MAAC single-game scoring record, and the senior’s point total was the most by a Division I player since North Dakota State guard Ben Woodside (remember him?) scored 60 points in Dec. 2008 against Stephen F. Austin.
Meanwhile, Pickett per ESPN Stats & Info became the first D-I player to finish with at least 45 points and 10 assists in a game since LIU’s Antawn Dobie did it in 2003 against St. Francis (N.Y.). Pickett also tied the previous MAAC single-game scoring record of 46, originally set in 1985 by former Holy Cross star Jim McCaffrey and tied in recent years by A.J. English of Iona (2015) and former Fairfield guard Curtis Cobb in 2017.
The game wasn’t on TV outside the Albany area (it was on TV there at least), and obviously in today’s media climate, many who really wanted to watch this game did so by accessing the video stream. Of course, there’s also no guarantee this would’ve been the one chosen for a conference game of the week.
Still, the benefit of these games on TV, besides a little bit of regional airplay, is that they also are available nationally on DirecTV for any college basketball junkie looking for their fix on a Sunday. There’s also the possibility of reaching the casual sports fan, something that almost certainly will not happen with a stream.
The conference also would no doubt point out its current TV contract with ESPN, which gives it frequent appearances on Friday nights on ESPN2 or ESPNU, as well as many events on ESPN3 streaming. The question that obviously comes to mind is: why not both ESPN and regional outlets?
No one will pretend they’ll pick up huge ratings, but it’s a potential audience being missed, just the same. Even if only a few would’ve watched, those that had would’ve remembered this one for a long time.
Side Dishes:
- There may be no team to make a more drastic in-season improvement than Missouri State. (Monmouth in the MAAC is probably the closest contender) From a 4-7 overall start to 15-12 now, and from 2-4 start in the Missouri Valley, the Bears are now tied for the top spot after a 65-61 win at Loyola Chicago Sunday. Missouri State has won seven of their last eight, including a sweep of Loyola in there, and with three of their final four at home now has a realistic shot at the MVC regular season title. What a first season by Dana Ford, who also engineered a quick turnaround at Tennessee State and whose season took a big turn for the better when Tulio Da Silva was ruled eligible after five games and got going, to the point of now averaging nearly 15 points and seven boards per contest. Of course, MSU has been helped to an extent by an MVC that is loaded with teams that seem incapable of handling success and have a magnetic attraction to keeping records near the .500 mark, but the Bears’ rally is still impressive. It’s also good to see for veterans like Jarred Dixon and Ryan Kreklow who have seen a lot in their long careers at the school.
- Houston rolled again, blowing out hapless Tulane 85-50 on the road. Corey Davis scored 26, Armoni Brooks added 24, and the two combined to hit 14 of the Cougars’ 17 three-pointers. The reputation hasn’t hit nationally yet, but Davis is becoming one of the top scoring guards in the country.
- Michigan State trailed Ohio State by six at halftime. Then the Spartans held the Buckeyes to 13 points over the final 20 minutes and won going away, 62-44. An impressive defensive lockdown, and OSU continues to look very clearly like an NIT team.
- Another rally took place in the Big East, and a surprising one at that as St. John’s came back from 18 down to defeat Villanova 71-65. One wouldn’t expect the Wildcats to give up a lead like that, even on the road, but Justin Simon hit a 3/4-court shot just before halftime and the Johnnies carried the momentum all the way home. Also in the Big East, Seton Hall got a solid road win, taking down Creighton 81-75. As expected, Myles led the Pirates, but this time it was Myles Cale scoring 20 to pace a group of four with at least 16 points, a good sign for SHU finding some help for Myles Powell.
- Cincinnati topped Wichita State 72-62, with Jarron Cumberland scoring 27 and continuing to give the Bearcats at least one explosive offensive weapon. This continues to be a team, though, that we may never know how good it truly is until the NCAA Tournament…or maybe ever.
- Count the Atlantic 10 as another league that’s impossible to figure out this year. George Mason could’ve stayed within a half game of leaders Davidson and VCU with a win at St. Bonaventure on Sunday. Instead, the Patriots lost. That was defensible. Losing 79-56 wasn’t. Freshman Kyle Lofton scored his season high of 32, and the Bonnies have a nice young core that should keep them competitive in the A-10 for years.
- Adding to the chaos in the MAAC was Manhattan winning at Canisius 70-65 and Marist taking down Monmouth on the road, 75-67. Both home teams could’ve been alone in first place with wins. As it is, the Golden Griffins are still tied for the top spot with Quinnipiac.
- Colorado topped Arizona 67-60, and the Wildcats have lost seven in a row. It’s their longest losing streak since 1982-83, when the team went 4-24 under Ben Lindsley. A coach named Lute Olson arrived the next year.
Tonight’s Menu:
- Easily the night’s best game is Virginia at Virginia Tech (7 p.m. Eastern, ESPN). The Hokies have proven they miss Justin Robinson badly, but they still have enough shooters to make shots over the UVA defense.
- The SWAC gets a TV date with Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7 p.m., ESPNU). The host Golden Lions are tied for fourth and in a chase for second behind Prairie View A&M, which has a two-game lead on the field and is at Grambling State.
- Also on TV is the Patriot League with Boston University at Holy Cross (7 p.m., CBSSN). Two teams that are typically in the first division have disappointed, and in fact BU is in the cellar right now at 4-10. Holy Cross did knock off league-leading Bucknell on Saturday, so the Crusaders are definitely still dangerous.
- There’s a big one in the MEAC, where North Carolina A&T is at Norfolk State in a battle for first. The traveling Aggies trail the Spartans by one game. This is their lone regular season meeting.
- Suddenly dangerous Illinois will take its cooking offense to stingy Wisconsin (8 p.m., FS1).
- A pair of Big 12 games round out the night. Both probably looked better before the season than now. Kansas State is at West Virginia (9 p.m., ESPN), which was roasted by Kansas this weekend, while TCU goes to Oklahoma State (9 p.m., ESPNU), where the Horned Frogs will likely keep doing just enough to stay in the NCAA Tournament picture, even as they lost at home to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Have a great start to the week.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
