Men's Basketball

2021-22 Men’s Basketball Season Begins Today

EDISON, NJ (Nov. 9, 2021) – The 2021-22 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men’s basketball regular season tips off today Tuesday, November 9. All 11 member schools will take the court on opening day.
 
The season gets underway at 3 p.m. in Riverdale, New York with Manhattan College hosting Division III member Manhattanville at Draddy Gymnasium. Under the leadership of two-time MAAC Championship winning head coach Steve Masiello and on the floor by all-conference selections, Ant Nelson and Warren Williams, the Jaspers will be looking to return to the top of the MAAC for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

Heading to Richmond, Virginia to battle VCU will be the Saint Peter’s Peacocks at 6 p.m. Under the leadership of fourth year head coach and 2020 MAAC Coach of the Year, Shaheen Holloway, the Peacocks have posted back-to-back top-three finishes in the MAAC standings, winning over 10 league games in each of the last two seasons. Preseason Player of the Year KC Ndefo and All-MAAC junior Daryl Banks III will be the floor generals for Saint Peter’s this year.
 
The 7 p.m. time slot features six matchups – one home contest and five road games – headlined by unanimous preseason favorite and defending MAAC Champions, Iona College hosting Appalachian State. The Gaels secured the program’s league-leading 13th championship in 2020-21 after becoming the first No. 9 seed to win the conference tournament. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino and last season’s Rookie of the Year Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona will be seeking its seventh MAAC Championship crown dating back to 2013.
 
The five road warriors with a 7 p.m. tip include Fairfield, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, Rider, and Siena.
 
The Fairfield Stags travel to Providence, Rhode Island to battle the Providence Friars in the season-opener for the second straight year. Coach Jay Young along with preseason All-MAAC senior guard Jake Wojcik will look to improve on last season’s 2021 MAAC finals appearance.
 
The Monmouth Hawks find themselves in Charlotte, North Carolina facing Charlotte of the Conference USA. 2020-21 Co-Regular Season Champions, the Hawks and three-time MAAC Coach of the Year King Rice have won three regular season crowns dating back to 2015-16 and will be led this season by preseason all-league choices graduate George Papas and Seton Hall transfer Shavar Reynolds Jr.
 
Visiting B10 powerhouse Maryland, will be the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Fifth year head coach Baker Dunleavy and Quinnipiac’s frontcourt will be guided by the preseason All-MAAC graduate combo of Kevin Marfo and Jacob Rigoni.
 
The Rider Broncs will play in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Duquesne to start the year. Two-time MAAC Coach of the Year Kevin Baggett along with the preseason all-conference duo of Dwight Murray Jr. and Dimencio Vaughn will lead the Broncs in 2021-22.
  
The Siena Saints venture to Olean, New York for a date with St. Bonaventure. The two-time defending MAAC Regular Season champions and head coach Carmen Maciariello have won a league-best 15 and 12 conference contests over the past two seasons.
 
Both Western New York MAAC institutions are set for a 7:30 p.m. starts. Canisius College flies south to Coral Gables, Florida to face Miami of the ACC. Head coach Reggie Witherspoon returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad headlined by preseason all-league choice senior forward Malek Green. Niagara University makes its way to Cincinnati, Ohio for a matchup against Xavier of the Big East. Head coach Greg Paulus’ lineup that led the conference in turnover margin, assist to turnover ratio, and fewest turnovers per game last season is led by preseason First Team All-MAAC recipient Marcus Hammond.
 
The final unit to take the hardwood on Tuesday will be the Marist Red Foxes, playing in the nation’s capital at American University with an 8 p.m. start. In 2020-21, the John Dunne led Red Foxes and All-Rookie Team honoree Ricardo Wright posted the team’s best finish in 14 years.
 
Annual MAAC/ASUN
The second installment of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge will be held on November 19 and 20 in Kissimmee, Florida at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex’s HP Field House at the Walt Disney World Resort. The 2021 MAAC/ASUN field will include Iona and Manhattan representing the MAAC and Liberty and North Alabama of the ASUN. More information on the MAAC/ASUN Challenge can be found on maacsports.com.

Preseason Recap
The MAAC coaches voted Iona as the unanimous preseason favorites heading into the 2021-22 campaign. Saint Peter’s, Marist, Monmouth, and Rider rounded out the top-five spots in the poll. Headlining All-MAAC First Team was Preseason Player of the Year, KC Ndefo from Saint Peter’s. The entire MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll can be found on maacsports.com.
 
Perfect in Tune-Ups
MAAC teams went a perfect 6-0 versus opponents in exhibitions this preseason. With wins coming from Canisius (Wheeling), Iona (Adelphi), Niagara (Cazenovia), Rider (Kutztown), Saint Peter’s (NJCU), and Siena (Saint Rose), the league outscored the opposition by a combined 126 points, winning four out of the six games by double-digits.   

The full 2021-22 slate can be found on maacsports.com. Additional games for opening week can be found below:
 
Tuesday, November 9
  • Manhattan vs. Manhattanville – 6 p.m. – ESPN3
  • Saint Peter’s at VCU – 6 p.m. – ESPN+
  • Fairfield at Providence – 7 p.m. – FS1
  • Iona vs. Appalachian State – 7 p.m. – ESPN3
  • Monmouth at Charlotte – 7 p.m. – CUSA.TV
  • Quinnipiac at Maryland – 7 p.m. – B1G+
  • Rider at Duquesne – 7 p.m. – ESPN+
  • Siena at St. Bonaventure – 7 p.m. – ESPN+
  • Canisius at Miami – 7:30 p.m. – ACC Network
  • Niagara at Xavier – 7:30 p.m. – FS1
  • Marist at American – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
 
Friday, November 12
  • Quinnipiac vs. Western New England – 4 p.m. – ESPN3
  • Manhattan vs. Fordham – 7 p.m. – Jaspers Sports Network
  • Marist at Columbia – 7 p.m. – ESPN+
  • Rider vs. Coppin State – 7 p.m. – ESPN3
  • Niagara at Ohio State – 7 p.m. – B1G+
  • Canisius at East Carolina – 7 p.m. – ESPN+
 
Saturday, November 13
  • Iona vs. Harvard – 1 p.m. – ESPN3
  • Saint Peter’s at St. John’s – 4 p.m. – FS2 (linear)
  • Siena vs. Delaware – 7 p.m. – ESPN3
  • Monmouth at Towson – 7 p.m. – FloHoops (paid wall)
 
Sunday, November 14
  • Fairfield at Boston College – 4 p.m. – ESPN+
  • Canisius at St. Bonaventure – 5 p.m. – ESPN+
  • Rider vs. Delaware State – 5 p.m. – ESPN3
 
The 2021-22 campaign culminates with the 2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 8-12 at Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Stay up to date with all MAAC basketball by visiting MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on Twitter.
 
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 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 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.
 
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.