EDISON, NJ (Mar. 1, 2026) – With the conclusion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season on Sunday, all seeds and matchups have officially been confirmed for the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship. The annual conference tournament will take place from March 5-10 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The top six teams on the league’s final standings will receive first round byes. Team’s clinching byes to the quarterfinals include MAAC Regular Season Champion, No. 1 Merrimack College (21-10, 17-3 MAAC), No. 2 Saint Peter’s (17-11, 14-6 MAAC), No. 3 Siena University (20-11, 13-7), No. 4 Quinnipiac University (19-12, 12-8 MAAC), No. 5 Marist University (18-11, 12-8 MAAC), and defending MAAC Champion, No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s University (15-16, 11-9 MAAC).
First round action begins on Thursday, March 5 with a pair of games on the docket. Tipping off the 2026 championship will be No. 8 Iona University (18-13, 10-10 MAAC) and No. 9 Sacred Heart University (13-18, 9-11 MAAC) at 6:00 p.m. During the lone regular season meeting, the Gaels defeated the Pioneers 81-69 on December 7 in Fairfield, CT. The winner of this contest will move into the quarterfinal round on Friday, March 6 for a date with No. 1 Merrimack at 6:00 p.m.
No. 7 Fairfield University (19-12, 11-9 MAAC) and No. 10 Manhattan University (12-19, 8-12 MAAC) will battle in game two of the first round at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams split the regular season series, with each team winning on its respective home floors. In Riverdale, the Jaspers protected their home court with a 70-66 win over the Stags on December 5. In the second meeting on January 14, the Stags dominated in a 98-62 win over the Jaspers in Fairfield, CT. The advancing team will meet No. 2 Saint Peter’s in the quarterfinal round on Friday, March 6 at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 will feature a pair of predetermined quarterfinal round contests. First at 6:00 p.m., No. 4 Quinnipiac and No. 5 Marist will meet. Both teams finished the regular season tied with identical 12-8 conference marks, with the Bobcats earning the No. 4 seed by virtue of tiebreaker. The sides split the season series in 2025-26 with the home team claiming victories. When the teams met on December 29 in Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac came away with a 64-58 win. On January 24 in Poughkeepsie, NY, Marist was the victor, securing a 71-64 win.
The second confirmed matchup in Saturday’s quarters will tip at 8:30 p.m. with No. 3 Siena and No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s squaring off. In the only meeting during the regular season, which took place on January 11 in Emmitsburg, MD, the Saints came away with a 67-50 road win.
All games during the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship will broadcast live on ESPN+. Tuesday’s championship finale will air nationally on ESPN2 in primetime at 9:00 p.m.
| Round |
Game |
Matchup |
Date |
Times |
Network |
| First Round |
Game 1 |
No. 8 Iona vs. No. 9 Sacred Heart |
March 5 |
6:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
| First Round |
Game 2 |
No. 7 Fairfield vs. No. 10 Manhattan |
March 5 |
8:30 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal |
Game 3 |
No. 1 Merrimack vs. Winner Game 1 |
March 6 |
6:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal |
Game 4 |
No. 2 Saint Peter's vs. Winner Game 2 |
March 6 |
8:30 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal |
Game 5 |
No. 4 Quinnipiac vs. No. 5 Marist |
March 7 |
6:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal |
Game 6 |
No. 3 Siena vs. No. 6 Mount St. Mary's |
March 7 |
8:30 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Semifinal |
Game 7 |
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 |
March 8 |
6:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Semifinal |
Game 8 |
Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 6 |
March 8 |
8:30 PM |
ESPN+ |
| Championship |
Game 9 |
Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 |
March 10 |
9:00 PM |
ESPN2 |
The 2025-26 MAAC basketball season culminates with the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 5-10 at 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 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.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on
X,
Facebook,
Instagram and LinkedIn or visit
MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.