UALBANY AT IDAHO

The University of Idaho tried for two decades to play at the highest level of college football, the Football Bowl Subdivision.

It didn’t work out.

Back in the friendlier ranks of the Football Championship Subdivision, fourth-seeded Idaho (9-3) is a title contender that will face No. 5 UAlbany (10-3) in a quarterfinal at 10 p.m. Saturday in Moscow, Idaho.

“It’s been good,” Idaho second-year coach Jason Eck said. “I think it’s been a really good transition and winning certainly helps. Having success, no matter what level, you’d rather be a really good FCS team than a bad FBS team.”

After the 2017 season, Idaho became the first school to drop from FBS to FCS The Vandals averaged 3.7 wins per season during their 20 years at the FBS level. The Sun Belt Conference cut loose Idaho, which opted to return to the FCS and the Big Sky Conference rather than face an uncertain future as an FBS independent.

The Vandals played in the Big Sky from1963 to1995 before moving up to FBS, which allows a maximum of 85 scholarships per team compared to the FCS’ 63.

Idaho parted ways with head coach Paul Petrino in 2021 and hired Eck, a former Wisconsin offensive lineman. Eck served as a South Dakota State assistant coach for six years and helped the Jackrabbits become a dominant FCS program.

In his first year, Eck guided the Vandals to a 7-4 record and their first FCS playoff appearance since 1995.

He was Idaho’s offensive line coach from 2004 to 2006 during its FBS days. He said the Moscow community is enjoying its return to the lower level.

“I think they’ve embraced it,” Eck said. “When I first got hired, I know they were warning me in my first press conference, ‘You might get some questions about people who are still angry we moved down. I think most people have gotten over that, or if they haven’t gotten over it, they’re not telling me that. Our attendance has been way up.”

Idaho is averaging 11,234 fans per game this season inside its 16,000-seat PIFCU Kibbie Dome, a dramatic jump from 4,878 two years ago. The Vandals drew 9,224 for last Saturday’s 20-17 overtime win over Southern Illinois in a second-round game.

“I’ve been very happy with how the community, the alumni base, the boosters have really rallied to support our team,” Eck said. “I think it’s a good fit for us. I think the Big Sky Conference is a great conference just like the CAA (UAlbany’s league) or the Missouri Valley. It’s neat to have regional rivalries where we’re playing the Montana schools or Eastern Washington. I think those are neat rivalries, no different than when you guys (Albany) play Stony Brook or Villanova or something.”

Eck noted UAlbany doesn’t play in any domed stadiums within the Coastal Athletic Association, which could work to Idaho’s advantage on Saturday. He did observetheGreatDanesplayed indoors at North Dakota State and Syracuse in 2021.

The Vandals are 4-1 this season at the Kibbie Dome, which was the smallest stadium in FBS, but is almost twice the size of UAlbany’s Casey Stadium (capacity 8,500).

“We’ve got a great challenge in front of us,” Eck said. “Obviously, the best thing we’ve got going for us is the Kibbie Dome. So we need to have a great crowd and get everybody to come out and support us. … They (UAlbany) are 4-3 on the road. All four of their road wins were in front of pretty small crowds, so I think our fans could be a factor in this game and we need you to come down.”

LOUDONVILLE — The Siena men’s basketball team is coming off its latest blowout loss. The Saints ranked last among the nation’s 362 Division I teams through Monday, according to the NCAA’s NET Rankings.

That’s a lot for the potentially fragile psyches of a very young team to absorb. Freshman guard Michael Evbagharu said the Saints can’t allow themselves to lose faith entering Wednesday’s nonleague game against Bryant at MVP Arena.

“Just got to move on and continue to believe in ourselves,” Evbagharu said. “That’s all it is. Can’t really get down on ourselves. Yeah, we’re a younger team. We all know that. I’m pretty sure a lot of other people know that as well. But it’s nothing to get down on ourselves. Just have to keep that same belief.”

Siena (2-6) lost 80-48 at Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday, the Saints’ third defeat of more than 30 points this season. They also lost by 42 at Richmond and 35 at home to the University at Albany in the Albany Cup. That doesn’t even include a 20-point setback at American.

Those one-sided losses help explain why Siena sat at rock bottom in the NET Rankings, which includes scoring margin in its formula.

Against Mount St. Mary’s, Siena was shorthanded without sophomore guard Michael Eley and freshman forward Michael Ojo, both out with ankle injuries. The Saints were making a long road trip less than 48 hours after a narrow home victory over Rider in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener.

However, redshirt sophomore forward Giovanni Emejuru didn’t want to hear excuses.

“I feel like we have enough to win,” Emejuru said. “It’s just about guys having to step up off the bench, being able to go to the bench and being able to get guys to play hard and being able to contribute to us winning. It’s essentially what we need.”

The Saints did rebound from the UAlbany blowout to beat MAAC preseason favorite Rider last Friday.

Siena head coach Carmen Maciariello said Eley and Ojo remain day-to-day. Regarding Eley, last year’s MAAC Rookie of the Year, Maciariello said it’s not clear whether he’ll be 100 percent the rest of the season. Maciariello said he encourages Eley and other injured players to be honest with him about whether they need more rest.

“You have to figure out what you can deal with, what you can’t,” Maciariello said. “Is it hurt, are you injured, is there anything wrong. And so it’s where is that threshold for him. Every person’s threshold is different.”

Evbagharu, averaging 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds, acknowledged he’s playing through a sore back suffered in a fall against the University at Albany.

Bryant (5-4) of the America East Conference won at 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic on Nov. 18. The Bulldogs most recently prevailed Friday 69-66 at Brown, a Rhode Island rival. Head coach Phil Martelli Jr. took over in November from Jared Grasso. Fifth-year guard Sherif Gross-Bullock, a La Salle transfer, leads Bryant at 18 points per game.

“They’re more like Rider than they are Mount St. Mary’s,” Maciariello said. “I would say, more or less, their top seven guys are all guards. ... They’re going to look to drive you. They’re going to look to space you out. They’re going to play some 3-2 zone. They’re going to press. They’re going to switch everything on defense.”

Tekin’s parents support Maciariello

The parents of Siena sophomore guard Zek Te-kin sent a supportive email to Maciariello, who apologized Saturday for making physical contact with Te-kin in a timeout huddle during Friday’s win over Rider.

Zek’s father, Mustafa, confirmed in an X message they sent the email backing Maciariello.

“His parents wrote me a nice email saying they saw nothing wrong with it and coaches in Turkey do it 100 times worse,” Maciariello said. “I said, ‘Yeah, did not mean to put my hands on him.’ So, yeah, I think that’s a friendly reminder just in today’s day and age with everything on social media, especially, just to be really mindful of that. Zek’s my point guard and he said, ‘Coach, it got me to play hard and it worked.’ ”

Toys for Tots drive at Siena games

Siena will hold its annual Toys for Tots drive at Wednesday’s game vs. Bryant and the women’s contest at 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Fordham at UHY Center.

Fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy will receive a voucher to buy one ticket, get one free of equal or lesser value to a future Siena men’s or women’s home game this season. The first 50 fans to donate at each game will also receive a $5 Dunkin card redeemable at any local participating franchise.

SIENA VS. BRYANT When: 7 p.m. Wednesday Where: MVP Arena, Albany Radio: JAMZ 96.3 FM

ALBANY — When the University at Albany football team crushed Monmouth 41-0 in the regular-season finale, there was no shortage of candidates for player of the game.

The Great Dane coaching staff chose Brian Abraham, a graduate linebacker and defensive end, who had three sacks against the Hawks.

The performance continued the late-season surge of Abraham, in his only season with UAlbany after transferring from Yale.

“It’s been awesome,” UAlbany head coach Greg Gattuso said. “He’s been fun. When he first got here, he was feeling his way a little bit. We didn’t know where he was going to play. We just kind of set him in and said, ‘All right, you’re playing here play our stand-up defensive end.’ Every week, Brian gets better and better and better.”

Abraham provides another pass-rushing weapon for the fifth-seeded Great Danes (9-3), who lead the Football Championship Subdivision with 42 sacks entering Saturday’s second-round playoff game against Richmond at Casey Stadium.

“When you spot the ball, you play football, you know what I mean?,” Abraham said. “It doesn’t really matter. You just find a way to get the guy on the ground, get the ball out of the guy’s hands and play football.”

Abraham, who is 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, backs up senior defensive end AJ Simon, fourth in the nation with 10 1 /2 sacks. Senior defensive end Anton Juncaj is second with 13 sacks.

“(Abraham) has been tremendous the past couple of weeks,” Juncaj said. “Every time he’s in there, he’s making a play.”

Abraham said he followed the advice of Edward Freeley, one of his coaches at Xaverian Brothers High in Westwood, Mass.

“He told me, ‘Your biggest thing is your versatility,’” Abraham said. “’You’re an athlete. You can play anywhere on the field. You can play center, you can play guard, you can play literally anything.’ So I took that the whole time and it’s paying off right now.”

Abraham entered Yale as a cornerback and later played outside linebacker. He appeared in 30 games for the Bulldogs and made 31 tackles. He graduated with a degree in political science.

With a year of eligibility remaining, and graduate students unable to compete in the Ivy League, Abraham entered the transfer portal.

“I wasn’t the most highly-touted person to come out of the portal,” Abraham said. “I didn’t really worry about that. I kind of just had to believe in myself, so I reached out to a bunch of people and kind of placed a little bit on myself. I told myself just to make sure I stayed with it and had faith something would show. UAlbany showed. They showed a lot of love.”

Abraham is friends with former UAlbany running back Caylin Parker, who transferred from Dartmouth. With Parker’s encouragement, Abraham contacted UAlbany assistant coach Darrin Walls.

“I knew it was a good spot for me,” said Abraham, who’s pursuing his master’s degree in Africana studies.

Abraham also visited Butler University. He considered transferring to Butler with Yale teammate Jack Biestek. But UAlbany offered a full scholarship and Butler didn’t.

“My buddy was like, ‘Yo, it’s a full scholarship opportunity. You can’t pass that up,’” Abraham said. “I had to do what I had to do.”

Abraham has 25 tackles and 4 1 /2 sacks this season. He caused and returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown in a 37-21 win Oct. 28 at Maine.

At Yale, Abraham never had the chance to play in the FCS playoffs because the Ivy League doesn’t send a representative. Now he’s in the hunt for a national championship to go with UAlbany’s first Coastal Athletic Association title.

“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I’m here for the ring.”

ALBANY — The blowout win over Siena could lure fans to Wednesday’s home opener. A $12 million, refurbished arena will make them comfortable.

Now it’s up to the University at Albany men’s basketball team to christen the building with a victory over Boston University at the renovated Broadview Center on campus.

The Great Danes (3-3) enter the game with the momentum of a 35-point blowout of Siena in Sunday’s Albany Cup at MVP Arena.

“If I was being honest, obviously, the game against Siena was a huge thing for us in the community to tell people what kind of team are we, what are we capable of,” UAlbany head coach Dwayne Killings said. “Now we have the new arena. I think there’s some interest about the arena, our team, so you’ve got to take another step. You’ve got to perform.”

At the same time, Killings cautioned his team needs to do more than just step on the court that’s been rotated 90 degrees from its old position, when the building was still known as SEFCU Arena.

“The message to our team is, it’s not about performing tomorrow at 7,” he said. “It’s about practice, it’s about preparation, it’s about the film work, about the things we need to do, the habits we’re trying to build. But it’s a big-time opportunity. I’m very grateful for our president, our athletic director, putting this project forward because I think it’s a huge statement about how important basketball is and what we’re trying to do on our side of town.”

UAlbany sophomore guard Marcus Jackson, an Albany Academy graduate, was part of last year’s team that played its home games at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy during the makeover.

“I’m excited,” Jackson said. “Personally, I can say the same thing for (Jonathan) Beagle (sophomore forward from Hudson Falls). We’ve never had the opportunity to play a home game at UAlbany, even being here a year already. It’s actually pretty dope.”

The Great Danes have practiced inside Broadview Center, which has a new seating capacity of 3,800, a reduction of 700 after the reconfiguration with additional chair-back seating and hospitality areas.

“I’d definitely say it feels like a home court,” Jackson said. “We’ve been able to be in there for a good amount of time now. We’ve been getting in there a little bit early while certain technical stuff was getting worked on. But definitely feels like a home court and we’re appreciative of it.”

Jackson said it hasn’t been an adjustment to the shooting background or lighting at Broadview Center. Teammate Sebastian Thomas, a junior guard, did notice at least one thing.

“Got to get used to the rims,” Thomas said. “The rims are a little bit stiff. But like Marcus said, it’s just basketball. Ball and a hoop. Hopefully the ball goes in tomorrow night for us.”

Thomas didn’t have to go through last year’s trials because he was at the University of Rhode Island.

“Multimillion dollar project, I’m just excited to see all the fans,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, it gets packed out. I think the atmosphere will be great tomorrow.”

Fans will get another look at red-shirt sophomore guard Amar’e Marshall, a Hofstra transfer who scored a career-high 33 points against Siena.

“Being a transfer student, the guys telling me the gym they were coming from, and having the opportunity to be the first guy to play on that court is definitely an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to get it started,” he said.

Boston U. (2-4) of the Patriot League has beaten Bryant, an America East rival of UAlbany. The Terriers have no one averaging in double figures in points, but freshman guard/forward Makai Baptiste (8.3 ppg) won his league’s Rookie of the Week Monday.

Note: UAlbany redshirt sophomore forward Justin Neely (ACL) said he won’t make his season debut on Wednesday. He has another doctor’s appointment this week.

UALBANY VS. BOSTON UNIVERSITY

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Broadview Center, Albany

Radio: WTMM 104.5 FM