NCAAB · 2 years ago

MAAC Tournament Betting Guide: Who’s Worth the Gamble in AC?

David Connelly

Host · Writer

MAAC Tournament Best Bet: Niagara (+2000)
Niagara has a great path to the semifinals. The Purple Eagles first take on a historically bad Siena team that has all but mailed it in on 2023-24. They then face a Marist team they handled at home and came 0.1 seconds away from beating over the weekend after a buzzer-beater from Luke Bumbalough was narrowly waved off. They would then likely get Fairfield, whom they swept in the regular season. The draw is great and the price feels a touch high on Niagara. Take the flyer here.
MAAC League Overview
The MAAC has commonly been known as an incredibly unpredictable league, and 2024 feels no different. While Iona has constantly been the team at the top, the rest of the field has always been a logjam, and with the Gaels not being at their best this season, the unpredictability is sure to rear its head down in Atlantic City. That uncertainty on who will step up is shown in the price of the favorites, with Fairfield at a high +270 price despite being the favorite. We take a look at the Stags, along with Quinnipiac and our favorite dark horse in the bracket.
MAAC Tournament Favorite: Fairfield (+270)
The Stags have been a light show on offense this season with the best group of guards in the entire league. Caleb Fields and Jalen Leach lead the way as the team's leading scoring tandem, each at 16 points per game. Brycen Goodine has been an electric spark plug off the bench, an elite scorer who has gone for 37 and 40 on separate occasions this season. High-major transfer Alexis Yetna mans the paint and has looked increasingly comfortable as the season has gone on. The area where the favorites could be had is the defensive end. Ranking ninth in the conference in defensive efficiency, it's been the bugaboo of this team in many losses this season.
MAAC Tournament Challenger: Quinnipiac (+330)
Quinnipiac bucks the trend of scrappy, low-scoring affairs that the MAAC typically provides. Head coach Tom Pecora has instilled pace and scoring into this team, the fastest tempo in the league. Conference Player of the Year Matt Balanc has an NBA bag with his isolation moves and is capable of rocking the rim if he's given the open floor. One of the more underrated guards in the country, Savion Lewis is the engine of the offense, ranking third in the nation in assists per game at 7.3. This veteran backcourt, paired with some strong free-throw shooting across the board, is exactly what you want to see out of a team heading into the high-leverage volatility of March.
MAAC Tournament Dark Horse: Niagara (+2000)
The Purple Eagles have a combined 3-1 record over our two favorites above this season, their only loss coming to Quinnipiac in overtime back in early December. A lot has changed since then, and Niagara is up nearly 40 spots in KenPom since that meeting. Sophomore seven-footer Harlan Obioha has really come into his own down the stretch of the season as an X factor. The center had just four games in double-figures in the first 16 games of the season. In the final 14, he ended in double-digits in ten of those games. He is a matchup nightmare with massive size in a league that doesn't typically boast seven-footers and could play a pivotal role in Atlantic City for this team.
MAAC Tournament Best Bet: Niagara (+2000)
Niagara has a great path to the semifinals. The Purple Eagles first take on a historically bad Siena team that has all but mailed it in on 2023-24. They then face a Marist team they handled at home and came 0.1 seconds away from beating over the weekend after a buzzer-beater from Luke Bumbalough was narrowly waved off. They would then likely get Fairfield, whom they swept in the regular season. The draw is great and the price feels a touch high on Niagara. Take the flyer here.
MAAC League Overview
The MAAC has commonly been known as an incredibly unpredictable league, and 2024 feels no different. While Iona has constantly been the team at the top, the rest of the field has always been a logjam, and with the Gaels not being at their best this season, the unpredictability is sure to rear its head down in Atlantic City. That uncertainty on who will step up is shown in the price of the favorites, with Fairfield at a high +270 price despite being the favorite. We take a look at the Stags, along with Quinnipiac and our favorite dark horse in the bracket.

MAAC Tournament Betting Guide: Who’s Worth the Gamble in AC?

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