ALBANY - UAlbany senior Brian Connelly was diagnosed with diabetes during high school, but he found out a few weeks ago he wasn't doing everything he could to fight it.

Connelly said he visited a Diabetic Educator at the Endocrine Group a couple of weeks ago and found out some new things.

"Apparently I wasn't getting the amount of energy I needed the past three years," Connelly said. "I found out and adjusted."

Connelly says instead of reacting to his sugar level and then taking a shot, he takes the shot before he eats.

Basically, he's doing things before rather than after.

"Scientifically, it allows me to get the energy to compete at a higher level," Connelly said.

After a slow start to this season, Connelly says it really is helping him out.

"Now I concentrate on doing it before every game and every practice," Connelly said. "So far, I think it's helped me."

Connelly is averaging 11.8 points per game over the past four games.

"I guess I should stick with it," Connelly said.

While Connelly would have loved to beat Siena once in his career, he thinks the rivalry is great for this area.

"Looking back, I wish we would have won one," Connelly said. "It’s a great thing for the city because a lot of people come out here and pretty much don’t know who to root for. It bring everybody together for friendly competition."

He was one of a number of Great Danes who said that Siena is very good, but not that much better than his squad.

"I think they’re a great team," Connelly said. "I’ve always thought they’re a great team. I think they’re well-coached. I think a lot of their players have a lot of talent, but I don’t think that they’re that much better than us, no."

He also posed the question to me about if the rivalry was played at the SEFCU Arena, something coach Will Brown also mentioned in his postgame press conference.

"What happens if they play at our place?," Connelly said. "Maybe the outcome is different. Even if we play here again, the outcome might be different."

"I would still like to play them twice," Brown said. "Once here and once in the SEFCU, even if it means two losses for us."

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UAlbany sophomore Tim Ambrose was upset with the result on Saturday night and even offered a guarantee that the Great Danes would win one meeting in his next two years.

"Yes," said Ambrose when asked if UAlbany would beat Siena over his next two seasons. "Guarantee."

Okay it was more of an agreement than a direct statement.

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Siena coach Fran McCaffery had nothing but good things to say this week as the matchup approached and he didn't change his tune after his team came out with a 7-point win.

"I’m not just saying this, I can’t imagine a better team in the America East than the team we just played," McCaffery said. "They’re physical, they’re quick, they’re deep, they don’t panic, they make plays and they challenged us on ever possession."

Brown responded by saying to some of the camera that his team wouldn't practice or play against until March if they would just be crowned.

He knows there's a long way to go.

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The Great Danes head out of town tomorrow for Monday's game against Lehigh.

Brown said after the Siena game that the game was supposed to be played later in December but that Lehigh had asked to move the game so they could pick up a guarantee game on that date.