Thanks Niagara. You might have done Siena a big favor.

Again.

When the Saints visited Monteagle Ridge a year ago, Niagara ran them out of the Gallagher

Center, 100-85. What followed was a five-game stretch that saw Siena roll through the Metro

Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and knock off Ohio State in the first round of the

NCAA Tournament.

Last Friday, the Purple Eagles ended the nation's longest winning streak at 15 games by

handing Siena an 87-74 defeat.

So will history repeat itself? Will Friday's loss at Niagara be the wake-up call that

propels Siena to another memorable late-season run?

"I sure hope so," said Siena coach Fran McCaffery.

The last two days gave him reason to be encouraged. Instead of the usual light practice

following a night game, McCaffery conducted a rigorous workout Saturday morning.

On Sunday, his players responded with an impressive 74-57 victory over Canisius at the

Koessler Center.

This was not the same Siena that stumbled at Niagara. Against the Golden Griffins, the

Saints looked like the focused bunch that easily clinched the MAAC regular-season title.

After romping to a 14-0 start in conference play, including 10 double-digit wins, the

Saints appeared to be in mental cruise control. Then Niagara provided a reality check.

Canisius gave it all it had Sunday, but with a roster limited by injuries, it couldn't hang

with a Siena team that had its act together, thanks to Niagara.

"I think the professional way we approached [Saturday] morning, from the first meeting, to

the second meeting, to the practice, to the third meeting, to the fourth meeting, you could

sense that OK, maybe we got a little comfortable," said McCaffery, whose team has won 10

straight against the Griffs. "We strayed a little bit from some of the things we've been

doing. I'm hopeful that we understand that we have to play well right from the start."

Siena is going to be hard to beat in the MAAC tourney. This is a deep, talented squad with

plenty of experience. It wouldn't surprise me if they won a game or two in the NCAAs.

Keeping the Saints out of the Big Dance will be doubly tough because the MAAC tourney is

played on their home court at the Times Union Center in Albany. No team in the conference

enjoys a greater home-court advantage than Siena, which owns the nation's second-longest

active home win streak (34 games).

"I'm not going to use the word daunting because I don't think we have to," Canisius coach

Tom Parrotta said of facing Siena in Albany. But clearly, it's an advantage to be playing it

there because there is going to be 7 to 8,000 people cheering for you, and no matter what they

are going to get behind the team. That means you have to play that much better on somebody

else's home floor."

Siena is far from unbeatable. Anything is possible in postseason basketball. All it takes

is one team getting hot at the right time. When clicking, Niagara can beat anyone in the

league. So could Iona, Fairfield and Rider. Even Canisius can be a dangerous foe come

tournament time if healthy.

"This league from top to bottom is the best it has been," McCaffery said. "You just can't

show up and win. There are just too many good players. If we're going to beat Niagara,

Canisius, Rider, Fairfield, Iona — you name it — in the tournament we've got to

play more like we played today."

If Siena builds on Sunday's win, it can thank Niagara for providing the motivation.