The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 158 is Siena basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Siena basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 4
- Bids: 7
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 15.2
- Bids per season: 0.10
- AP Polls: 13
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 0
- Conference Players of the Year: 8
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 11
- Conference tournament titles: 7
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 2
Overall scoop on Siena basketball
It might not be the house that Gerry built, but Siena got some national praise this past March Madness as head coach Gerry McNamara led them to the NCAA Tournament and had 1-seed Duke on the ropes for most of the game.
But this was not nearly the only time Siena basketball has made some noise in March Madness. In their first-ever tournament, in 1989, the 14-seed Saints upset 3-seed Stanford. That was a high-scoring group, as stars Jeff Robinson and Marc Brown both averaged over 19 points per game on the season. It was also under coach Mike Deane, who, from 1986-94, went 166-77 with Siena and brought them three regular season conference titles.
Siena would become a stepping stone for coaches to get jobs at different programs. Paul Hewitt coached them from 1997-2000, going 66-27 and leaving for Georgia Tech. Louis Orr only stayed one season, going 20-11, and left for Seton Hall.
But Fran McCaffery had the best showing, with a 112-51 record in five seasons. Each of his last three seasons in town, Siena won the MAAC regular season and conference tournament titles. In 2008, as a 13-seed, they knocked off Vanderbilt, falling to Villanova in the round of 32.
But the 2008-09 squad was the most special in Siena basketball history. The Saints went 27-8 overall, playing a very tough non-conference schedule. They were battle-tested, as a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament, took down Ohio State, and gave 1-seed Louisville all they could handle.
In the time between Fran and Gerry, Siena had some low moments, but still had some things that count as bragging rights. In 2014, the Saints won the CBI Invitational.
But even further back, Siena had some outstanding teams. In 1949-50, the Saints went 27-5 and won the National Catholic Invitational Tournament. It was a postseason tournament that only lasted a few seasons, along with the NIT and NCAA Tournament. To win, Siena knocked off Providence, Loras, and St. Francis (NY). During that season and a few more to come, head coach Dan Cunha often even had the Saints ranked in the AP Poll. Cunha’s tenure didn’t end well, but during a solid five-year stretch, they were big winners.
For a program with no pro players to really brag about, Siena basketball has done just about everything a mid-major program can in college basketball. And they enter a new era now with Nevada Smith on the sidelines.