EDISON, NJ (Jan. 30, 2025) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, that the Thursday, February 6 men’s basketball contest between Marist University and Fairfield University has been flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. The primetime game will take place at Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Fairfield, CT, with opening tip set for 7 p.m.
The top five MAAC battle will be the eighth combined wildcard game between the two programs over the past two years. For Marist, this is the second selection this season, which includes its upcoming game tomorrow, Friday, January 31 against Siena College, in addition to a pair of flexed games last season. Fairfield earns a wildcard spot on ESPNU for the fourth time dating back to last year when the Stags had three games flexed to the network in consecutive weeks from February 23 through March 7. The Thursday night clash will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams, with the two squads first contest concluding on January 12 with Marist defeating Fairfield, 61-51 in Poughkeepsie, NY.
The Fairfield Stags (8-12, 4-5 MAAC) currently sit in a five-way tie for fifth place on the MAAC standings. Last week, the Stags edged Manhattan University, 87-84 in overtime on Thursday, before falling to first-place Merrimack College, 75-54 at home on Saturday. Fairfield is top three unit in the MAAC in six statistical categories heading into the weekend. They rank second in assist to turnover ratio (1.24), bench points per game (27.2), fastbreak points (11.6), and turnovers per game (10.6), while sitting in third place in offensive rebounds per game (13.0) and turnover margin (1.4). Fairfield will be on the road this weekend, with road contests at in-state rival Quinnipiac University (January 31) and Iona University (February 2).
The Marist Red Foxes (15-3, 8-1 MAAC) remain atop of the MAAC standings, boasting a league-best 15 overall wins, while the team’s 8-1 conference mark is tied for first place along with Merrimack and Quinnipiac. The Red Foxes began the 2024-25 league slate with a 6-0 start, the best in the program’s 28-year history as a member of the MAAC. Marist currently leads the MAAC and ranks 16
th nationally in winning percentage, with its .833 percentage. The team also owns the top scoring margin (4.9), and field goal percentage (.461) in the league. Additionally, the Red Foxes rank second on the conference leaderboard in scoring defense (63.6) and defensive field goal percentage (.402), while the team’s scoring defense is 17
th best in the NCAA. Last time out, Marist swept the Western New York road trip for just the third time in program history, taking down Niagara University, 67-65 in overtime on Thursday and Canisius University, 70-47 on Sunday. The January 31 ESPNU game against Siena, will be the lone game on the docket for the Red Foxes ahead of the February 6 ESPNU matchup against Fairfield.
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 2024-25 campaign culminates with the 2025 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 11-15 at Atlantic City's Historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the sixth consecutive year dating back to 2020. For all information regarding the 2025 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 13 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 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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