Pregame Shootaround 1.25.13: Atlantic Sun, MAAC battles headline light slate

Game of the Night: Canisius at Rider (7:00 p.m.)

There are just six games on the schedule tonight but the matchup between Canisius and Rider is one of Friday’s best. After a rough start to the season Kevin Baggett’s Broncs are playing their best basketball of the season as they’ve won five straight games and sit just a game out of first place in the MAAC. Rider features four players averaging double figures with guard Anthony Myles (12.5 ppg) leading the way, and forward Daniel Stewart has been of the MAAC’s best front court players.

Jim Baron’s Golden Griffins can be a tough team to slow down given weapons such as Billy Baron and Harold Washington, and senior guard Isaac Sosa has scored 43 points in Canisius’ last two games (both wins). With first-place Niagara visiting a reeling Siena this game becomes even more important for both teams, especially Canisius (two games back).

Mid-Major Matchup of the Night: Stetson at Florida Gulf Coast (7:05 p.m., ESPN3) 

Belmont’s departure to the OVC led to many believing that the Atlantic Sun race would be a wide-open affair and that’s certainly  been the case. The top five teams in the standings are separated by just one game in the loss column with Stetson in a first place tie with Jacksonville. Senior center Adam Pegg leads four Hatters averaging double figures while also grabbing a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game, and his matchup with FGCU forward Chase Fieler will go a long way in determining the outcome. FGCU guard Sherwood Brown and Bernard Thompson combine to average nearly 29 points per game, and if the Eagles can take advantage of Stetson allowing opponents to shoot 46.9% from the field they stand a good chance of defending their home floor.

Who’s getting upset? Loyola (MD) (at Manhattan, 7:00 p.m. ESPNU) 

This season’s been a rough one for Steve Masiello’s Jaspers due in large part to the injury bug. Manhattan’s been without George Beamon for much of the season and Michael Alvarado has also missed time, and the end result has been a team that’s had to play slower than it would like. But Manhattan still has forward Rhamel Brown, who is averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He’ll have his hands full with Loyola’s Erik Etherly, but don’t sell Manhattan short at home especially with Loyola’s Dylon Cormier out with food poisoning. If they can turn this into a sloppy contest Manhattan can pull off the upset.

Five Facts 

1) One of the nation’s highest scoring guard tandems will be in action as Niagara visits Siena. Juan’ya Green (16.2 ppg) and Antoine Mason (18.4) are averaging more than 34 points per game, and given how fast the Purple Eagles like to play this one could get ugly for Mitch Buonaguro’s squad.

2) The good news for Siena is that Rob Poole (flu) is expected to return to the floor after missing the Saints’ last four games, and they also regained the services of Trenity Burdine (academic suspension). But given the Saints’ luck this season, of course Imoh Silas (ankle), Rakeem Brookins (back) and Ryan Oliver (knee) will all miss tonight’s game.

3) Iona enters tonight’s game against Saint Peter’s averaging 81.5 points per game and they’ll be looking to bounce back from a poor offensive performance in their loss at Rider last Sunday. The Gaels shot 5-of-24 from three and 33.9% overall in the loss to the Broncs.

4) There’s also a Horizon League rivalry game on the docket as Green Bay visits Milwaukee. The Panthers have struggled offensively, shooting 37.6% from the field, and that’s a big reason why Rob Jeter’s team is 1-5 in league play.

5) Keifer Sykes and Alec Brown lead the way offensively for Green Bay, who is 0-8 on the road this season. Currently tied for third in the Horizon League standings, the Phoenix can’t afford to lose a game like this if they’re to grab the highest seed possible for the conference tournament.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.