ESPN Announces MAAC Wildcard Game for February 23
EDISON, NJ – ESPN has announced that the matchup between Manhattan College (11-13, 6-6 MAAC) and Iona College (15-9, 9-3 MAAC) on Friday, February 23, is scheduled to air on ESPNU at 9 p.m. The Gaels host the Jaspers at the Hynes Athletics Center in New Rochelle, NY in what will be their second matchup of the season.
Iona defeated Manhattan on Saturday, January 27, in game three of the MAAC Tripleheader at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Gaels were paced by junior guard Schadrac Casimir, who scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
The Jaspers defeated Siena College, 51-47, in their last game on Friday, February 2, at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. Manhattan ranks second in the MAAC in scoring defense (68.0 ppg), fourth in field goal percentage defense (43.6%), third in three-point percentage defense (34.2%), and second in blocks per game (3.6).
Senior guard Rich Williams leads Manhattan in scoring with 13.6 points per game, which is tied for 10
th in the MAAC. Sophomore forward Pauly Paulicap leads the league in field goal percentage (57.7%), blocks per game (2.5), is tied for first in offensive rebounds per game (2.8), and tied for sixth in rebounds per game (6.4).
Iona, the back-to-back MAAC Men’s Basketball Champions, are winners of its last two games. The Gaels defeated Marist College, 98-64, in their last outing on Sunday, February 4. The 34-point margin of defeat is the most in a single MAAC game this season and the second-most overall (Rider defeated Hartford, 89-53).
Iona leads the MAAC in scoring margin (+4.5), field goal percentage (46.6%), three-point field goal percentage (39.7%), three-pointers made (245), and three-pointers made per game (10.2). Senior guard Deyshonee Much is second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), sixth in the MAAC in three-pointers made (59), sixth in three-pointers made per game (2.5), and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (43.1%).
The MAAC has five Fridays (January 5, 19, 26; February 2 & 23) during the regular season in which any game scheduled on that date can be flexed onto ESPNU as the MAAC Wildcard Game.
ESPN will televise the 2018 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinal Games on Sunday, March 4. Semifinal No. 1 airs live on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. and will re-air at 11:30 p.m. on ESPNU, tape delayed. Semifinal No. 2 airs at 9:30 p.m., live, on ESPNU.
The 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships are held at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY on March 1-5, 2018. All four men’s basketball quarterfinal games are on ESPN3. The 2018 MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship Game on Monday, March 5, airs on ESPNU at 2:30 p.m. The MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Game airs on ESPN or ESPN2 on Monday, March 5, at 7 p.m. This is determined 7-10 days prior to the championship.
The wildcard format allows ESPN to pick any game scheduled for the selected date to air on the designated platform. ESPN will announce which game has been selected for the wildcard telecast 21 days out. This format enables the MAAC and ESPN flexibility to showcase the best possible matchups throughout the season.
The MAAC & ESPN enter the first-year of an eight-year agreement. MAAC institutions will produce additional games on ESPN3.
For all information on the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit
maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.