Siena 2009 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Siena Saints - Metro Atlantic (26-7, 16-2)

Seed: #9 - Midwest Region

RPI: 18

Big Wins: 1/24 Niagara (82-65), 2/21 Northern Iowa (81-75), 3/9 vs Niagara (77-70)

Bad Losses: 11/28 vs Wichita State (70-72), 2/7 at Rider (88-90), 2/27 at Niagara (85-100)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2008, Second Round loss to Villanova

Probable Siena Starters:

• Ronald Moore, Junior, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.5 rpg

• Kenny Hasbrouck, Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.0 spg

• Edwin Ubiles, Junior, Guard, 14.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg

• Alex Franklin, Junior, Forward, 13.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg

• Ryan Rossiter, Sophomore, Forward , 10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.9 bpg

Key Siena Roleplayers:

• Kyle Downey, Freshman, Guard, 3.7 ppg

• Josh Duell, Senior, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg

• Clarence Jackson, Sophomore, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg

• Owen Wignot, Freshman, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Why The Saints Can Surprise:
Few teams have as much experience and production in their backcourt as Siena. This is practically the same group that knocked off Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year and that tournament experience will do nothing but help the Saints this time around. Kenny Hasbrouck, a 6-3 senior, is one of the most prolific scorers in Siena history. He is the best outside shooter on the team and a solid slasher.

Edwin Ubiles is not as good of an outside shooter as Hasbrouck, but he scores just as effectively by getting to the basket. At 6-6, Ubiles has good size for a wing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and that makes it very easy for him to finish around the basket. Ronald Moore is the point guard and will set up Hasbrouck and Ubiles. Moore dishes out 6.3 assists per game and his quickness and offensive mindset will put stress on the opposing defense.

Why The Saints Can Disappoint:
Surprisingly for a team that depends on its guards, Siena is not a great three-point shooting team. Hasbrouck will connect on a few shots from beyond the arc, but the only other legitimate outside shooting threat is sixth man Clarence Jackson. Not only do they not hit a lot of three-pointers, but the team shooting percentage from long range is pretty dismal as well. If Siena finds themselves behind and has to connect on some three-pointers, Hasbrouck and Jackson better be ready.

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Who To Watch:
The starting frontcourt has done a solid job complimenting the talented backcourt this season. Junior Alex Franklin has had another great year and is always a threat to score in the paint. His 13.6 points per gameis actually down from last year, but he is still an effective and consistent scorer. Ryan Rossiter was a roleplayer as a freshman last season and now he has turned into a solid scoring threat around the basket and a superb rebounder. The Saints are not a great rebounding team, but Franklin and Rossiter are tough forwards who work hard on the glass. It is the lack of experienced depth behind Franklin and Rossiter that is a major problem and players like Owen Wignot and Josh Duell need to be more productive during their limited playing time.

Siena By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 77.7 (31st in nation, 1st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 70.0 (222, 8)

Field-Goal Percentage: 47.4 (34, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 44.0 (207, 9)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.2 (261, 7)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.4 (192, 3)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.7 (238, 4)

Rebound Margin: -0.2 (186, 4)

Assists Per Game: 15.2 (53, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.1 (109, 2)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Ohio State

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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