Four Men's Basketball Teams in the Postseason
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - For the second year in a row, the MAAC has four men's basketball teams participating in postseason action - Iona and Loyola in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, plus Fairfield and Manhattan in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Loyola (24-8), the 2012 MAAC Champion, will play Ohio State (27-7) on Thursday in Pittsburgh, Pa., at the CONSOL Energy Center in the NCAA Second Round. The Greyhounds earned a No. 15 seed, while the Buckeyes are the East Region's second seed. The game is slated to tip-off at 9:40 p.m., and it will be broadcast nationally on TNT with Kevin Harlan calling the play-by-play, and Len Elmore and Reggie Miller providing analysis.
The Greyhounds are making their second all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the MAAC last Monday. Loyola defeated Fairfield University, 48-44, in the title game to claim the league's automatic bid. Loyola's only other trip to the NCAA Tournament came in 1994 as a No. 15 seed when the late Skip Prosser led the Greyhounds to their first MAAC crown and a date in the first round against the University of Arizona. The Wildcats defeated Loyola, 81-55, in Sacramento, Calif., en route to their second Final Four appearance.
Iona (25-7) earned the MAAC's second at-large bid in the 31-year history of the conference and will take on BYU (25-8) in the in the First Four at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton Ohio. The Gaels will play the Cougars on Tuesday, March 13 at 9:00 p.m. on truTV. The winner of Tuesday night's game will move on to take on third-seeded Marquette in the second round on Thursday, March 15 in Louisville.
This marks Iona's seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament, with the last appearance made in 2006 when the Gaels fell to Final Four participant LSU.
Fairfield (19-14) will host a first-round game in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Wednesday, March 14 at Webster Bank Arena against Yale (19-9). The game tips off at 7 p.m.
The Stags participated in the 2010 CIT and advanced to the second round following its road win over George Mason. Fairfield overcame a 27-point second-half deficit to defeat the Patriots in overtime, 102-96. It marked the greatest Division I postseason comeback in NCAA history. Fairfield went on to drop its second round match up at Creighton. Last year, Fairfield participated in the National Invitation Tournament, beating Colorado State on the road and falling to Kent State at home.
Making its first postseason appearance since 2006, Manhattan (20-12) is paired with Albany (19-14) in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Jaspers and Great Danes will meet for only the second time in the programs' history and for the first time at the NCAA Division I level on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at SEFCU Arena on the campus of the University at Albany.
Manhattan crossed paths with Albany in November as both squads were sent to Syracuse as part of the North Regional of the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Jaspers and Great Danes each defeated Brown at the Carrier Dome and fell to the Orange, but never met each other in the four-team pod.
Last season, the MAAC had four teams advance to the postseason. Saint Peter's made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1995 after winning the MAAC crown. Fairfield earned a spot in the NIT, while Iona and Rider were both chosen to play in the CIT. The Gaels reached the finals of the CIT, bowing to Santa Clara in the title game played in New Rochelle.