MAAC conference tournament preview

This is part 8 of a 32-part series.

Standings:
Iona 12-6
Canisius 11-7
Quinnipiac 11-7
Rider 11-7
Siena 11-7
Monmouth 10-8
Manhattan 8-10
Marist 7-11
St Peter's 6-12
Fairfield 6-12

Niagara 6-12

Format:  March 7 to March 11 at a neutral site in Albany.  The quarterfinals are played over two days, for reasons.

The matchups:
1) Iona vs. 8/9) Marist/St Peter's
4) Rider vs. 5) Siena
3) Quinnipiac vs. 6/11) Monmouth/Niagara
2) Canisius vs. 7/10) Manhattan/Fairfield

The stakes:
This is by far the saddest thing to happen to college basketball this year.  Only a few years ago, they were consistently putting teams in at-large contention, and actually got one through.  Then Monnouth got robbed.

This year, the MAAC was 29th in CNET.

Twenty-friggin-ninth.

Rider is your NET leader at 197.  No team won more than 16 regular season games.  3 teams above .500.  WHAT HAPPENED.  This isn't a tailspin like the one the MVC had.  This is catastrophic levels of failure, going from legitimate mid-major conference to awful.  What in the world happened.

The champion here is going to Dayton.  Iona is your regular season champion, and they're 14-15.  I mean, come on.  Rider might, MIGHT miss the PIG if enough big upsets happen elsewhere, but that's all the hope they have.  Get your act together, MAAC.