EDISON, NJ (Feb. 28, 2024) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, the Thursday, March 7 men’s basketball contest between Fairfield University and Canisius University has been flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. The final wildcard game of the season will be the first ever nationally televised game at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, with opening tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fairfield, Connecticut.
 
The penultimate contest of the regular season will put first-place Fairfield up against Canisius in a matchup that can have postseason implications. For the Stags, this will be a MAAC-leading third straight wildcard selection, but the first ever that will be played at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, which opened up last season in November of 2022. Fairfield’s previous wildcard games this season were both road contest that included a thrilling, 85-81 win over Connecticut Rival and then first-place Quinnipiac last Friday and this upcoming Friday’s clash with Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY at 7 p.m. It is the first flexed home game for the Stags in two seasons, with their last home game on ESPNU taking place on February 18, 2022 against Saint Peter’s at Webster Bank Arena, Fairfield’s previous home venue. For Canisius, it is the program’s first wildcard selection in just over four years, with the team’s last ESPNU flexed contest coming back on February 21, 2020 when the Golden Griffins visited Quinnipiac. Fairfield and Canisius played earlier this season on January 15 in Buffalo, NY where the Stags came away with an 88-63 road victory over the Griffs.
 
Owning sole possession of first-place on the MAAC standings entering this week, the Fairfield Stags (18-10, 12-5 MAAC) are one of the league’s hottest teams, riding a three-game winning streak, and having won six out of the last seven games dating back to February 4. One of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, Fairfield paces the MAAC and ranks top-20 in the NCAA in made three-pointers per game and three-point percentage, making 9.6 triples per outing (19^th nationally) and connecting on 38.3 percent of its shots from beyond the arc (10^th nationally). The Stags also rank first in the league in three-point attempts per contest (25.1) and the team’s 77.0 points per game are the second-most points per game average in the conference. Additionally, Fairfield leads the MAAC in scoring margin (+5.6), fast break points (12.36), and effective field goal percentage (0.534), while ranking second in assist to turnover ratio (1.27), turnover margin (+2.8), and turnovers per game (11.2). The Stags only contest ahead of the Thursday night showdown will be the aforementioned ESPNU game at Marist this Friday.
 
The Canisius University Golden Griffins (11-15, 6-10 MAAC) have won two straight games and three out of its last four, last defeating Western New York rival Niagara, 69-59, on Friday, February 23 at home. Canisius is one of the best MAAC teams on the glass, ranking top-5 in the league in every rebounding statistical category. The Golden Griffins are pulling in 37.1 total rebounds per game, which ranks second in the MAAC, 11.9 offensive rebounds per outing, third in the conference, and 25.2 defensive rebounds along with a rebound margin of +2.9, which both sit fourth among league teams. Canisius will host a pair of games this upcoming weekend, welcoming Mount St. Mary’s on Friday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m. and then Rider on Sunday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m.
 
The MAAC Wildcard Game format allows ESPN to pick any game scheduled for that specific date to air on ESPNU and allows the MAAC and ESPN the flexibility to showcase the best matchups as the season progresses.
 
The 2023-24 campaign culminates with the 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 12-16 at Atlantic City's Historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the fifth consecutive year dating back to 2020. For all information regarding the 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit 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 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
 
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Threads or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.