Siena
When My Team Wins, It’s Better
I know that the best games were the upsets by WKY and USD, but it’s time to put a Siena spin on things. What you [Duke, UNC, Texas, UCLA, Georgetown] fans DO NOT understand is that when my team gets in, it’s much more exciting. Siena, a place with fewer undergraduate students than employees for ESPN, had a chance to make a name for itself last night, a chance for everyone to know that Siena is spelled with one ‘n’. As a matter of fact, the ESPN ticker boasted that 90.9% of SportsNation thought they wouldn’t, and all week you tried to convince yourself, “I’m just biased”.
Those who truly understand, can recognize that Siena’s moment was Selection Sunday. Just to see those five letters appear on national television was an honor. Most Siena fans were content with ‘getting in’. It’s all about your expectations, set them low and you can’t be disappointed. You’re not expected to win, but if you do, you’ll think; “I knew they could”, 
while they will all say; “hey I picked you!”
It’s nothing like watching a perennial UNC team or a Kansas team blow out their 16th ranked opponents, it’s a completely different game. It’s a feeling where whatever happens, fans hold their heads up high. They may enter as the 52nd ranked team among 65, it’s still a victory. You certainly can’t say the same for any other sport.
I have to admit, I have never received so many text messages – emails – IMs on a single day in my life. Even if you add up every birthday I’ve had since I’ve owned a cellphone, it would still be a very close call. Everybody from my parents, close friends, co-workers, to long lost acquaintances were text messaging or e-mailing last night to send their congratulations and say, “hey, I picked them!” That’s the magic of the tournament. Not only does the school send a team to the most prolific sports tournament of the year; they send the band, the cheerleaders, the student body, and every alumni since its existence. It must be an amazing scene in Albany, NY tonight. (Siena v. Vandy Recap)
Have one for me.
Site Goes Green
To the few of you who actually look at this site, you may have noticed that theme has changed from blue to green. This is both in honor of St. Patricks Day and the Siena Saints. I had planned on ‘going green’ for spring but these two events pushed up the plans. I also just purchased sienasaintsblog.com, look for a new site coming soon.
The Hero
The hero of the MAAC title game, senior captain Tay Fisher is carried off the court by his teammates. Fisher came off the bench and hit six threes, and left with a total of 21pts in his last appearance on the floor of the Times Union Center.
Coach Fran’s Cut
Fran’s third team he has brought to the NCAA Tournament (Lehigh, NC-Greensboro, Siena). This is his third year coaching the Siena Saints.
MAAC Championship
The Siena Saints return to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship for the second year in a row, this time with unfinished business. They will square off against the Rider Broncs with whom they share the MAAC Regular Season Title. The number 1 ranked Saints (by virture of a better RPI), are coming off a dramatic 65-63 win (recap) over the Loyola Greyhounds, a team that beat them handily twice during the regular season. Rider has been led by the MAAC Player of the Year Jason Thompson, a 6’11″ senior who averages a double double per game (20.5pts, 12rebs, 2.8asts).
The teams met twice this year; the first game being a thrashing by Rider (recap), and the second, a dramatic last second win by Siena. Trailing by 8 points with 1:58 to go, Siena went on an 11-2 run, closed by a Josh Duell 3 pointer with 1.3 seconds left (recap). Tonight, Siena has a chance to dance for the first time since 2002, and Rider’s Thompson will look to lead his team to victory in front of the NBA scouts that he has impressed all season long. The Saints will be in front of it’s home crowd at the Times Union Center in Albany, expecting attendance numbers around 12,000 from the New York State capital region.
Tune in tonight at 7PM on ESPN2 or on ESPN360.com.
instagr.am
Tags
Search
me
