Metropolitan area college basketball will always be the greatest thing in the world.  Even during a season like this one.  There have not been many bright spots thus far for our local teams.  Yet, there have been some nice surprises!

Kevin Willard’s Iona Gaels are on fire.  They were 3-0 last week and Kyle Smyth won his 2nd MAAC Rookie of the Week Award.  Iona is clearly the talk of the MAAC right now.  This team that was picked to finish at the bottom of the league; has quietly swept the preseason number 2 & 3, Rider Broncs & Niagara Purple Eagles.  Iona is 13-6 overall and in 3rd place behind Siena and Fairfield.  The scary part…Willard returns nearly the entire team.  He has 9 freshmen and sophomores.

In the preseason a lot of analysts liked Seton Hall’s chances this season.  I was one of them.  I liked the lineup they returned and I knew Gonzo would have this team playing hard and defending.  But we’ve been waiting a little bit too long for their first big win this year.  They’ve had some good battles and tough losses - but other than the Cincinnati win, Gonzo’s Pirates haven’t really done much in the past month at all.  And in with a rare 7 days off during January, Seton Hall returns to action tomorrow night for the first time since their loss at Georgetown.  The bad news is that it’s against Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals.  Louisville has lost a few heartbreakers recently so they’re going to be looking for blood.  The good news for The Hall is that the game is New Jersey.  The ROCK will be rocking indeed tomorrow night.  This game is huge for both teams right now.

And this is some task these days.  If you’re a Rutgers fan, I feel for you right now.  The Scarlet Knights have not won a game since they beat St. Peter’s on December 22nd.  They are 0-5 in Big East play and it doesn’t look to be getting any easier.  Jay Wright and Villanova enter the RAC tonight in Piscataway.  The Cats are ranked #4 in the country and are playing their best basketball of the season right now.  Then, Rutgers has to play at Georgetown and at Marquette.  Marquette just beat Providence by the way by 30 points in Milwaukee - and Providence will finish at the bottom of the league this season.  Then it’s back to the RAC to face Mike Brey and Notre Dame.  Unless an upset takes place, Fred Hill has to circle February 2nd-home vs St. John’s on his calendar as a very important date….and possible win.

The Jaspers are in the basement of the MAAC Standings and it’s only mid-January.  Barry Rohrssen’s team is 7-11 and 2-6 in the league - good for 9th place in the MAAC.  Here’s why I’m concerned….2 out of the team’s top 3 scorers will be graduating this season.  Darryl Crawford and Antoine Pearson will graduate with good careers, but not many MAAC Tourney wins.  However, there is a bright spot….newcomer Rico Pickett seems to be the leading scorer in every box score and he returns for next season.  The Jaspers play red hot Iona at home this Friday night on ESPNU.  After that game, Manhattan plays 2 out of their next 3 on the road.

Things could be a lot worse in St. John’s land fans.  The Red Storm are 12-5 overall and after starting off 0-3 in Big East play - beat both Cincinnati and DePaul recently.  There’s not many teams in the area that have won two conference games in a row in any league.  But things start to get tough for Norm Roberts soon.  How about these next 3 games….at UConn, Nova at home and at Pitt.  February 2nd’s game at Rutgers will be big for both teams, for many reasons….but we’ll save those topics for next month.  The thing I like most about Norm’s team is the balanced scoring.  St. John’s averages almost 70 points per game and only has two guys that score in double figures.  After DJ Kennedy at 15ppg and Dwight Hardy at 11ppg….9 players then average between 8.6ppg and 2.6ppg.

I recently had the chance to spend some time Hofstra coach Tom Pecora.  He was a little down because these days he’s lucky if he dresses 8 guys for a game.  The Pride….who are 9-11… have really been hit hard with injuries and eligibility issues this season.  And it has shown in the win-loss column indeed….Hofstra lost at home last night to George Mason by 18.  Pecora’s team has lost 6 out of their last 7 and need to stop the bleeding quick.  He feels that their offense will improve greatly when 6′0 shooter Brad Kelleher from Australia can finally step on the court and play.  Stay patient, that time should be coming very soon Hofstra fans.

Let’s face it.  This season is a wash for Fordham Basketball.  A.D. Frank McClaughlin will hopefully retire soon and this program can start from scratch at the end of the season.  Jared Grasso’s Rams are 2-14 overall and may not win a game in A-10 play.  They need to just stay positive and try to get some moral victories along the way. They are still fighting hard and there have some ‘moral moments’ - Fordham lost a tight one at UMass and gave Dayton a game for a half at the Garden last week.  But most importantly, they need to hang their hat on Chris Gatson most likely being the A-10 Rookie of the Year.  He leads the team in scoring nearly every night and is playing extremely well.  Now just make sure he doesn’t leave like Jio Fontan did!

1. Iona - The Gaels are 9-2 in their last 11 games.  Kevin Willard’s team is by the far the hottest in the area right now.

2. St. John’s - The Red Storm have won back to back conference games but have some tough tests ahead.

3. Seton Hall - Gonzo’s team needs a Big East win bad, but are still 10-6 overall.

4. Hofstra - Pecora’s team gave both UConn and St. John’s a tough game earlier in the season.  They get the nod over Rutgers right now.

5. Rutgers - It could get ugly at the RAC tonight the way Big East Player of the Week Scottie Reynolds is playing.

6. Manhattan - Thing are not good for the Jaspers right now.  They need more guys to step up on both ends of the floor.

7. LIU - Sorry Fordham, moral victories can only last so long.  LIU has won 3 out of their last 4 and are 5-1 in league play.

-Vin Parise has been the college basketball analyst for WFAN since last March. His analysis can be read throughout the season on WFAN’s college basketball blog. During March Madness, Parise has been on with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, among others, giving insight and predictions.

Parise is also the host of “Tip Off”, a pre-game basketball show that airs on Cox Sports New England prior to all Providence & URI basketball games. In addition, Parise is a color analyst for MSG-Varsity Television and Iona College Men’s Basketball Radio. Besides blogging for wfan.com, Parise has his own blog at vphoops.com– one of the hottest new metropolitan area basketball blogs around. Parise was a college basketball coach for 8 seasons at Iona, Rutgers & Fairleigh Dickinson.

Vin lives in New Rochelle, NY with his wife Amy and son Dylan.