McCaffery Discusses Siena Schedule

Lake Buena Vista, FL - By late July most college basketball schedules for the coming season are typically in place.  But that's not the case for Siena.  Thanks to their recent run of success, and the fact that Edwin Ubiles, Ronald Moore, and Alex Franklin will be back for their senior seasons, it seems nobody wants to play the Saints.

"We're having trouble getting guarantee games", Siena head coach Fran McCaffery said Monday night while attending the 2009 AAU 17-under Super Showcase at Disneyworld.  "Normally it's pretty easy because people want our RPI on their schedule. But they don't want to have to return the game."

Siena still has two holes to fill in its schedule for 2009-2010.  It's likely to be one home game at the Times Union Center, and one road game.  But at this point it's a struggle.

"Fortunately (Georgia Tech head coach) Paul Hewitt stepped up and he's gonna play us in a guarantee game.", McCaffery added.  "But beyond that, we're in the Philly Classic.  Our schedule, while we try to make it as difficult or more difficult, actually is probably not quite as difficult just as a result that people aren't ready to play us right now."

Back to back MAAC Championships, and back to back trips to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament have made Siena a likely pre-season Top 25 team.  But it has also made the small Catholic school from Loudonville a very big risk for BCS schools to play.