A month ago, as students returned to campus from semester break, the most frequently asked question among Fairfield basketball fans was whether or not first year Head Coach Ed Cooley’s team would finish with the worst record in school history.
Now, what then seemed unthinkable is becoming more and more reasonable with each passing game: the Stags, who entering Wednesday’s game against Siena had won eight of their last nine games, have as good a chance as any team of winning the MAAC tournament, which begins March 2 at the Arena at Habor Yard.
A tournament title would put the Stags in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
Even if the team falls short in the end, it deserves credit, and so does its coach. With last Sunday’s win over Loyola, Cooley became only the second coach in school history to win at least 50 percent of his MAAC games in his first year as Head Coach.
Here’s to this team taking it a step further, and becoming the first group in a decade to put the word “Fairfield” on NCAA tournament brackets throughout the country.
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