EDISON, NJ (Dec. 1, 2021) – The 2021-22 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men’s basketball league slate officially tips off tonight Wednesday, December 1, with Iona College and Marist College.
 
Selected first and third, respectively, in the 2021-22 Coaches’ Preseason Poll, Iona and Marist will meet in Poughkeepsie, New York at the McCann Center at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. The Gaels (6-2), which rank seventh in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, won its first six games of the seasons, including an upset win over No. 10 Alabama on Thanksgiving Day. The Red Foxes (2-3), have collected victories over Columbia and VMI during the season.
 
Conference play for the other nine MAAC teams begin on Friday, December 3 and continue on Sunday, December 5. The full December slate of conference games can be found below:
 
Friday, December 3

• Fairfield at Canisius – 7 p.m. – ESPN3
• Manhattan at Siena – 7 p.m. – ESPN3
• Monmouth at Niagara – 7 p.m. – ESPN+
• Rider at Iona – 7 p.m. – ESPN3
• Saint Peter’s at Quinnipiac – 7 p.m. – ESPN3 

Sunday, December 5

• Monmouth at Canisius – 1 p.m. – ESPN3
• Fairfield at Niagara – 1 p.m. – ESPN3
• Siena at Saint Peter’s – 2 p.m. – ESPN3
• Quinnipiac at Manhattan – 2 p.m. – ESPN3/+
• Marist at Rider – 2 p.m. – ESPN+ 

The full 2021-22 MAAC men’s basketball schedule can be found on maacsports.com.
 
Non-Conference Notables:
MAAC Standings
Six MAAC schools enter the December league schedule with records of .500 or above. Sitting atop of the standings after the initial month of the season are both Manhattan and Monmouth with identical 5-1 records, and Iona follows with a 6-2 overall mark. Holding even .500 records are Fairfield, Niagara, and Quinnipiac. The entire 2021-22 MAAC men’s basketball standings can be found on maacsports.com.
 
Perfection at MAAC/ASUN Challenge
The second installment of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge featured both Iona and Manhattan going a combined 4-0 against Liberty and North Alabama of the ASUN 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.

Home Court Advantage
MAAC men’s teams have posted a combined home record of 20-5 thus far during 2021-22, with six squads remaining unbeaten at home. Of the 10 schools that have had a home game, nine boast a winning record.  
 
Knocking off the Big Wigs
During non-conference action, the MAAC scored two huge upset wins over high profile programs. First, Iona earned the biggest win in MAAC history, picking up the league’s first ever win over an AP top-10 team in No. 10 Alabama on Thanksgiving Day. Two days later on Nov. 27, Monmouth knocked off Cincinnati on the road 61-59.
 
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.