Mount St. Mary’s basketball defeated Iona to advance to their seventh all-time tournament appearance, and first since joining the MAAC.
General Information:
Team: Mount St. Mary’s
Location: Emmitsburg, Maryland
Record: 22-12 (12-8)
Head Coach: Donny Lind (1st season)
What to know about Mount St. Mary’s basketball:
Mount St. Mary’s basketball advanced through the MAAC Tournament as the 6 seed, defeating Iona 63-49 in the conference championship game. In the win, they were led by Dallas Hobbs who had 18 points and 7 assists.
On the season, the sophomore was the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.6 points per game. The Mountaineers also have three other players averaging in double-figures with Dola Adebayo leading the team with 13.2, and Terrell Ard Jr. and Jedy Cordilia in that group as well.
Mount St. Mary’s basketball had the second-highest field goal percentage in the MAAC at 44.2%. However, they are not known for their offensive efficiency, ranking outside the top 290 in that category according to KenPom. The Mountaineers also sit in the middle of the table in both defensive efficiency and tempo.
In the MAAC, the Mountaineers led the conference in opponent field goal percentage, which will help them in their quest to advance past the First Four. However, they have struggled at times this season turning the ball over. Through 34 games this season, they rank 3rd in the conference with 15 turnovers per game.
NCAA Tournament prediction for Mount St. Mary’s basketball: First Four exit
Actual seed: 16
Mount St. Mary’s basketball comes into their First Four matchup with American, after winning four-straight and five of their last six games. After running through the conference tournament as a 6-seed, it is easy to see that the Mountaineers are peaking at the right time.
On paper, American and Mount St. Mary’s basketball are very similar. The two main differences are pace and turnovers. American plays at a much slower pace than the Mountaineers, which may give them an advantage if they control the tempo. However, even with Mount St. Mary’s turnover struggles, American has not been effective in forcing turnovers.
If the Mountaineers can limit turnovers and be efficient in transition, they will have a chance to move past the First Four. But either way, I expect this to be a closely contested game, especially with the momentum of both sides coming into the NCAA Tournament.