EDISON, NJ (Dec. 2, 2025) – The 2025-26 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men’s basketball league slate begins this week with conference action between Wednesday and Sunday, December 3-7. All 13 MAAC men’s squads will take the court twice during the December stanza.
The MAAC campaign will begin with a pair of standalone games on both Wednesday, December 3 and Thursday, December 4. On Wednesday, defending MAAC champion, Mount St. Mary’s University, will hosts Sacred Heart University at 7:00 p.m. in Emmitsburg, MD. Both teams enter league play with two overall wins. Thursday will be a matchup between Merrimack College and Rider University in Norh Andover, MA at 7:00 p.m. Merrimack will look to remain unbeaten at home in the contest while Rider will be in search of its first road victory of the season.
League play resumes on Friday, December 5 with five games on the docket, all tipping at 7:00 p.m. Highlighting league contests on Friday is a top five matchup between defending MAAC Regular Season champions and preseason favorites, Quinnipiac University visiting Iona University in New Rochelle, NY. The Gaels enter MAAC play with a 6-2 overall record (2
nd in MAAC) while being a perfect 3-0 at home, and the Bobcats hold a 5-3 overall record (tied for 4
th in MAAC). Both teams scored the biggest statement wins in MAAC non-conference action with Iona defeating Oregon State on November 22 in double overtime (91-84) and Quinnipiac scoring an upset road win over Pitt on November 23 (83-75).
Opening week will conclude on Sunday, December 7 with a full, six-game schedule. A pair of key matchups on Sunday that tip at 2:00 p.m. will include Siena University welcoming Canisius University to Albany, NY and Marist University taking on Manhattan University in Poughkeepsie, NY. The Saints currently sit atop of the MAAC standings at 7-2 and look to extend on their current five game winning streak. The contests between Marist and Manhattan features two quarterfinalists from a season ago who both finished top five in the MAAC in 2024-25.
All MAAC basketball home games will air on ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service.
For the full 2025-26 MAAC Men’s Basketball schedule visit
maacsports.com.
The 2025-26 campaign culminates with the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 5-10 at Historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 2026 will be the seventh consecutive year Boardwalk Hall will host the annual championship dating back to 2020. For the second straight season, the championship field will feature the conference's top 10 teams. Additionally, with the shift of the basketball championship schedule to a week earlier, the women’s championship game will be a standalone contest on Monday, March 9, while the men’s championship game will air live nationally on ESPN or ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 10. For all information regarding the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on X.
Air Force Reserve
The mission of the Air Force Reserve is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace, whenever and wherever needed. As a critical component of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve supports global operations while remaining ready to respond to domestic emergencies and humanitarian efforts. It is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Reserve Citizen Airmen to execute a wide range of missions that contribute to national defense and global security.
The Air Force Reserve offers part-time and full-time service options, enabling individuals to serve while maintaining civilian careers or pursuing higher education. Each year, the Reserve recruits thousands of enlisted and officer personnel across core specialties including Aviation, Maintenance, Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, Security Forces, and Logistics. This flexibility allows members to develop valuable skills, gain leadership experience, and serve their country with pride.
More information about Air Force Reserve careers and opportunities is available at:
https://www.airforce.com/ways-to-serve/air-force-reserve.
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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 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 University.
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