It’s mid-February, the Super Bowl has come and gone, and that means we’ve reached the business end of the college basketball season.
Connecticut has several mid-major programs not only in the mix to join the UConn men and women in March Madness, but to make some real noise when they get there. After a non-conference season that saw dizzying highs like the Central Connecticut State men knocking off Boston College and Rutgers, and Quinnipiac’s upset of Pittsburgh, there’ve been a flew slip-ups of late. Both the Bobcats and Blue Devils have stumbled a bit, and Yale is in a dogfight in the Ivy League.
It’s not quite last season, when the Yale, Quinnipiac and Central men and Fairfield women all won their respective regular-season conference titles, but this March could still very much be a big one for schools in the Basketball Capital’s suburbs.
Here’s a look at how Connecticut’s mid-major programs are faring.
Men
1. Yale (18-4, 6-2 Ivy)
The Bulldogs have been impressive in Ivy League play, with just two slip-ups so far– a head-scratching 16-point loss to middle-of-the-pack Princeton on Jan. 10, and a two-point loss to league co-leader and arch rival Harvard on Jan. 31. Senior forward Nick Townsend leads Yale in almost every statistical category (17.2 ppg, 8 rpg, 4.2 apg), and could be conference player of the year. Before the era of Ivy Madness, each of Yale’s six remaining games would have felt like a playoff. Now, all the Bulldogs have to do is finish in the top four in the conference standings. With a two-game lead over third place, anything short of that would be a collapse. The Ivy League tournament begins March 13.
2. Quinnipiac (17-9, 10-5 MAAC)
The Bobcats suffered a bit of a wobble, starting out 5-1 in league play before losing four of six. But they’ve responded with three straight wins to move into a tie for fourth in the crowded MAAC standings. QU was the consensus preseason favorite to win the league for a third straight year, but Merrimack (12-2), Saint Peter’s (11-3), Siena (10-4) and Marist (10-5) had other ideas, and each looks like a legit contender for the conference title. Maybe that will take a little pressure off of the Bobcats when they convene in Atlantic City for the conference tournament beginning March 5.
3. Fairfield (16-10, 8-7 MAAC)
The Stags have won five of six in a topsy-turvy MAAC, and have gone from a disappointing season to one with some promise. Senior guard Braden Sparks (17.5 ppg) and freshman forward Brandon Benjamin (14.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg) have been key in the turnaround, and playing as well as anyone in the league. We’ll find out if this hot streak is the start of something bigger, as the Stags travel to Saint Peter’s on Sunday and face Quinnipiac Feb. 22 and Siena Feb. 27.
4. Central Connecticut State (13-10, 7-4 NEC)
After a storybook non-conference season in which it beat both Boston College and Rutgers, it looked like Central was once again the class of the NEC. But the Blue Devils have been usurped by Long Island, as the Sharks have raced out to a 10-1 start in the league. CCSU face-planted with four losses in five games in January, and though they’ve won two straight, there’s now virtually no chance the NEC Tournament will run through Detrick Gymnasium for a third straight year. If CCSU wants to reach the Big Dance for the first time since 2007, they’ll have to win on the road– something opponents did in New Britain each of the last two postseasons.
5. Sacred Heart (10-16, 6-9 MAAC)
After months of suffering close losses, it looked like Anthony Latina‘s Pioneers had turned the corner, getting up off the mat following a six-game losing streak and suddenly winning five in a row, including an impressive 98-91 win at Quinnipiac. But the Pios have abruptly lost three straight again, and are now adrift near the bottom of the MAAC standings. Given their competitiveness in most games, it wouldn’t be a stunner to see them win a game or two in the conference tournament, but that’s the only thing that could save this season now.
6. New Haven (10-14, 5-6 NEC)
Give props to New Haven for being immediately competitive in its first year in the NEC. Ted Hotaling‘s squad won three straight NEC games in January, knocking off FDU, Wagner and Chicago State. They’ve got Central on Thursday in the second-ever edition of the state’s newest D-1 rivalry.
Junior guard Kason Martin smiles as she dribbles on the wing in Quinnipiac’s win over Fairfield. (Photo: Izzy DiBari)
Women
1. Quinnipiac (20-4, 15-0)
The Bobcats delivered a statement win at Fairfield on Jan. 29, knocking off the Stags 72-58 in the first of what could be three showdowns between the MAAC’s two clear-cut best teams. The Stags come to Hamden on Saturday, and that may be the only thing standing between QU and a perfect conference season. Of course, the meeting that matters most will come in the MAAC tournament in Atlantic City, beginning March 5. While Fairfield has done it with some star power, Quinnipiac is winning with defense and good decision-making— the Bobcats rank third nationally in points allowed per game (52.3), sixth in turnovers (11.2) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.49). Six players average at least 9.5 points per game– led by senior guard Jackie Grisdale at 12.9 per.
2. Fairfield (20-4, 14-1)
Fairfield’s loss at QU signaled a potential changing of the guard in the MAAC, where the two southern Connecticut schools have dominated over the past decade-plus. Tricia Fabbri’s Bobcats won four league titles from 2015-19, and Carly Thibault-DuDonis’ Stags have won three of the last four since 2022. If there’s a third showdown with QU in Atlantic City, Stags fans can take heart in the fact that it’ll be tough to stop Kaety L’Amoreaux (19 ppg, 4.6 apg) and Meghan Andersen (16.7 ppg) three times.
3. Sacred Heart (11-13, 9-6 MAAC)
The MAAC standings were looking like these rankings as the Pioneers won five of six in January to move to 9-3 in the league, but they’ve since lost three straight games to fall back under .500 overall.
4. New Haven (7-16, 5-7 NEC)
The Chargers have been feisty in their first season in D-1, and own conference wins over Central, Stonehill, Chicago State, and a sweep of Saint Francis. You’ve got to hand it to head coach Debbie Buff for making this group tough to beat.
5. Yale (5-16, 1-7 Ivy)
The Bulldogs won four of their five games during a stretch at the end of non-conference play, but the wheels have since fallen off, with nine losses in 10 games.
6. Central Connecticut State (0-23, 0-12 NEC)
Needless to say, it’s been a rough campaign for the Central women. They’ve got six more chances to earn a win this season– including the regular-season finale against New Haven at home.
