ESPN Broadcasts Highlight Final Week of Season
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. –This year’s final regular season weekend of MAAC basketball promises to be an exciting one and will include league teams making ESPN2 and ESPNU appearances, plus five games on ESPN3.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, Quinnipiac will host a men’s-women’s doubleheader on ESPN3, At 6 p.m., the Bobcats’ women’s team will host Iona, while at 8:30, the men’s team will entertain Siena.
The MAAC will be center stage nationally on Friday, Feb. 28 when the Iona men’s team visits Manhattan at 7:00 p.m. in a game to be televised by ESPN2. At 9:00 p.m., Canisius will be at Rider in an ESPNU telecast.
On March 2, Iona will host an ESPN3 doubleheader, opening with its women’s team facing Marist at noon, followed by the men’s team playing Rider at 3:00 p.m. Also on Sunday, Manhattan will host Canisius at 4:30, also on ESPN3.
The Quinnipiac men’s team is currently 14-4 and in second place in the MAAC, and is riding a seven game win streak. The Bobcats are 19-8 overall and with one more win, they’ll have their third 20-win season in Coach Tom Moore’s seven years at the helm. Siena, picked to finish 10th in the MAAC Preseason Poll, is tied for fifth with Rider at 9-9, and is battling for one of the first round byes that the top five teams in the league receive.
The Iona women’s team is currently 17-1 in league play (24-3 overall) and in first place, and will bring a five game streak into Thursday’s showdown with fourth place Quinnipiac, which is 13-5 in its first season in the MAAC. The Bobcats are 18-10 overall, and are bidding for their fifth 20 win-season under head coach Tricia Fabbri.
Friday’s schedule features the Manhattan men’s team hosting first-place Iona, on ESPN2. The Jaspers are currently 13-5 and in a tie for third-place in the MAAC with Canisius. Iona is the hottest team in the MAAC with a 16-2 league record and an 11-game win streak.
At 9:00 p.m. on Friday, Canisius will visit Rider in an ESPNU telecast. Canisius is tied for third place with the Jaspers with a 13-5 record in league play (19-10 overall), while Rider is currently in fifth place with a 9-9 mark (13-14 overall).
Iona will host a doubleheader on Sunday, March 2, when its women’s team faces Marist at noon, and the Gaels’ men’s team plays Rider at 3:00. The Marist women’s team, currently in second place with a 16-2 record in league play (22-6 overall), will look to avenge a 73-71 loss back in January to the Gaels.
The Iona men’s team is currently 10-2 at home, and at 19-8 overall, it is one win away from its fourth consecutive 20-win season under fourth-year head coach Tim Cluess.
The regular season wraps up when Canisius visits Manhattan at 4:30 on Sunday, in a game to broadcast on ESPN3. Both teams enter the week in a tie for third place with 13-5 records. Manhattan is currently 20-7 overall and has posted its second 20-win season in Steve Masiello’s third season as head coach. Canisius enters the week with a 19-10 record, and needs just one victory for a second straight 20-win season under head coach Jim Baron.