Loyola senior forward Michael Tuck will be the first to acknowledge Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference cellar dweller Canisius is much better than its record indicates.
“They?re a dangerous team,” he said. “Their record doesn?t show the kind of team they are. They are athletic, and I think they have just had trouble on the road.”
The Greyhounds (17-12, 11-5) escaped Buffalo, N.Y., with a 74-62 win over the Golden Griffins (5-22, 2-14) behind 20 points from Tuck on Feb. 3. Loyola led just 37-30 at intermission, but used a balanced attack to pull away in the second half. Canisius, however, outrebounded the Greyhounds, 33-25, and was led by forward Tomas Vazquez-Simmons? 15 points and 10 rebounds.
But with a MAAC title and the Greyhounds? first postseason berth since making the NCAA Tournament in 1994 hanging in the balance tonight at 7 at Reitz Arena, Coach Jimmy Patsos is confident his team will be ready.
“The last breakthrough is the toughest,” he said. “To get to third or fourth is not easy, but to get to first is really tough.”
The Greyhounds joined three teams in a first-place tie with a 73-68 win over Rider (19-9, 11-5) on Feb. 16. Siena (17-10, 11-5) and Niagara (18-8, 11-5) also are atop the standings and vying for the conference?s regular season title. Finishing in first place guarantees a team ? at worst ? an automatic bid in the National Invitation Tournament, regardless of how it finishes in the conference tournament from March 7-10 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
Loyola finishes its regular season on Sunday afternoon at 2 at Marist (15-12, 9-7), which it defeated at Reitz Arena earlier this season.
If Loyola finishes tied with Niagara, it loses the tie-breaker because of two loses against the Purple Eagles. The Greyhounds, however, swept Siena. Rider and Loyola split their two meetings, meaning it?s too early to speculate which squad would win a three or four-teamtie-breaker.
The conference race, however, should clear up significantly heading into this weekend, as Niagara visits Siena on Friday.
Loyola knows it must rebound against the Golden Griffins and establish a low-post presence. The Greyhounds are led by Tuck (11.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and senior guard Gerald Brown (18.8 pgg, 5 rpg), but have received a boost from junior guard Marquis Sullivan (11.6 ppg) and his 77 three-pointers off the bench. The trio has to contain Vazquez-Simmons (5.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and forward Frank Turner (12.7, 4.2 rpg).
“We have to go inside with the ball ? pound it inside ? and run our offense,” Tuck said. “If we do that, we will pull out wins.”
