EDISON, NJ (Feb. 13, 2024) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, the February 23 men’s basketball contest between Quinnipiac University and Fairfield University has been flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. The game will tip at 9 p.m. at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Connecticut.
The Friday night rivalry matchup will feature the MAAC’s top-two teams in the league standings, with first-place Quinnipiac taking on second-place Fairfield. Both teams had a pair of games flexed to ESPNU last season, including their matchup against one another on February 3 in Hamden. The Stags also had their February 10 game at Rider selected to ESPNU, and Bobcats had their February 17 contest at Siena chosen for ESPNU. The Connecticut rival institutions will be going head-to-head for the second time in less than a month, having played back on January 28 in Fairfield, with Quinnipiac winning the meeting 66-64.
MAAC leader, the Quinnipiac Bobcats (19-5, 11-2 MAAC) own the league’s best overall and conference records, with the team’s 79.2 winning percentage ranking 18
th in the nation. The Bobcats have won 10 out of their last 11 games, owning a 10-1 mark since the start of 2024. Additionally, the squad is 11-1 overall at home this season and a perfect 6-0 in home league games. Scoring 78.8 points per game, Quinnipiac has the top scoring offense in the MAAC, while also posting the highest scoring margin in the conference at plus 6.6. They are also the best team in the league at the charity stripe, knocking down a conference-most 16.1 free throws per clip and recording a 78.3 free throw percentage, the ninth-best free throw percentage in the NCAA. On the glass, the Bobcats are the top defensive rebounding team in the MAAC, grabbing 26.6 defensive boards per outing and ranks second in rebounding margin (3.6) and third in rebounds per game (37.4). Quinnipiac will host Niagara on Sunday, February 18 before the ESPNU matchup.
The Fairfield Stags (15-9, 9-4 MAAC) sit in second-place on the MAAC leaderboard and are the winners of three straight, and six out of the past eight games. Fairfield is second behind Quinnipiac in scoring offense and scoring margin, scoring 76.1 points per outing and posting a plus 4.9 scoring margin. The Stags are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the conference, connecting on 9.0 of the 24.7 three-pointers attempted per game, with both marks leading the MAAC, while also ranking second in both three-point percentage (36.7) and three-point percentage defense (32.3). Fairfield is first in fast break points (11.6) and second in turnover margin (2.3), assist to turnover ratio (1.23), effective field goal percentage (0.531), and free throw percentage (75.9). The Stags will play host to both Niagara (February 16) and Mount St. Mary’s (February 18) prior to the ESPNU date.
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. Future MAAC wildcard matchups will be announced at later dates.
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.