It has been quite a run of dominance in MAAC basketball for Iona. Even before former Power conference coach Rick Pitino took over the program, the Gaels were piling up MAAC Tournament championships. Each of the last five conference tournaments that have been contested has been won by Iona, including last year under Pitino’s watch. The Gaels were once again the class of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season and head to Atlantic City as the 1-seed. Will it be another Iona coronation? Or will challengers like St. Peter’s and Siena rise to the occasion with a bid to March Madness at stake? The following contains the MAAC Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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MAAC Basketball Standings
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Iona | 17-3 | 25-6 | 1 seed |
| St. Peter’s | 14-6 | 16-11 | 2 seed |
| Siena | 12-8 | 15-13 | 3 seed |
| Monmouth | 11-9 | 19-12 | 4 seed |
| Niagara | 9-11 | 14-15 | 5 seed |
| Marist | 9-11 | 14-16 | 6 seed |
| Fairfield | 8-12 | 15-17 | 7 seed |
| Manhattan | 8-12 | 15-15 | 8 seed |
| Rider | 8-12 | 13-18 | 9 seed |
| Canisius | 7-13 | 11-21 | 10 seed |
| Quinnipiac | 7-13 | 13-16 | 11 seed |
MAAC Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 8-12
TV Schedule: ESPN+ (First Round, Second Round, Quarterfinals); ESPNEWS (Semifinals); ESPNU (Championship Game)
Venue: Boardwalk Hall — Atlantic City, NJ
Byes: Top 5 receive single bye
Defending Champion: Iona
MAAC Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (11) Quinnipiac 77, (6) Marist 52
- (7) Fairfield 72, (10) Canisius 50
- (9) Rider 79, (8) Manhattan 67
Quarterfinals
- (9) Rider 71, (1) Iona 70
- (2) St. Peter’s 77, (7) Fairfield 63
- (11) Quinnipiac 77, (3) Siena 71
- (4) Monmouth 61, (5) Niagara 58
Semifinals
- (2) St. Peter’s 64, (11) Quinnipiac 52
- (4) Monmouth 72, (9) Rider 68
Championship
- (2) St. Peter’s 60, (4) Monmouth 54
St. Peter’s advances to NCAA Tournament
MAAC Conference Breakdown
All signs point towards Iona capturing yet another MAAC Tournament title this season. One would have to go all the way back to 2015 to find the last time a team other than the Gaels represented the conference in March Madness. Taking things a step further, no current MAAC basketball member school other than Iona or Manhattan has won the conference tournament since St. Peter’s in 2011. Despite losing to the Gaels twice this season, the Peacocks did manage to secure the 2-seed in the MAAC Tournament bracket. Niagara, Siena and Manhattan were the only teams to beat Iona in league play during the regular season.
When dissecting the Metro Atlantic Atheltic Conference from a statistical standpoint, three distinct tiers emerge. The only team to finish the season with a top-100 ranking in the College Basketball NET was Iona. Rick Pitino has the Gaels in a tier all their own atop the conference. Tier 2 is comprised of the two other teams who managed top-200 NET rankings, St. Peter’s and Monmouth. The rest of the MAAC basketball tournament bracket can really be considered an eight-team log jam. Heck, 3-seed Siena only finished six spots higher in the NET than 11-seed Quinnipiac!
The MAAC basketball preseason poll featured a clean sweep of all 11 first-place votes for Iona. While that prediction proved to be accurate, there were several other teams who shuffled around in the final MAAC basketball standings compared to the poll. 3-seed Siena was actually one of the conference’s top overachievers after only being picked to finish eighth. Niagara also overachieved by earning the 5-seed after being picked tenth. On the flip side, Rider is only the 9-seed in the MAAC Tournament bracket after being pegged for a top-four finish in the preseason poll.
Team Stats | 2022 MAAC Basketball Tournament
(1) Iona Gaels
Net Ranking: 86 (No. 1 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 90 (No. 1 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 108.1 (No. 92)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 99.4 (No. 97)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.60 (No. 189)
(2) St. Peter’s Peacocks
Net Ranking: 133 (No. 2 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 128 (No. 2 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 98.9 (No. 264)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 95.6 (No. 39)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.39 (No. 209)
(3) Siena Saints
Net Ranking: 234 (No. 7 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 244 (No. 9 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 98.4 (No. 274)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 104.7 (No. 201)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.29 (No. 229)
(4) Monmouth Hawks
Net Ranking: 142 (No. 3 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 167 (No. 3 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 102.3 (No. 197)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.0 (No. 145)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -0.92 (No. 165)
(5) Niagara Purple Eagles
Net Ranking: 203 (No. 4 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 196 (No. 4 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.6 (No. 236)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.8 (No. 161)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -2.67 (No. 215)
(6) Marist Red Foxes
Net Ranking: 218 (No. 6 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 218 (No. 6 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 101.3 (No. 225)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 104.9 (No. 203)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -4.30 (No. 263)
(7) Fairfield Stags
Net Ranking: 205 (No. 5 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 217 (No. 5 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.7 (No. 232)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 104.1 (No. 188)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -4.48 (No. 266)
(8) Manhattan Jaspers
Net Ranking: 257 (No. 10 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 270 (No. 10 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 100.9 (No. 228)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 109.4 (No. 283)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.57 (No. 237)
(9) Rider Broncos
Net Ranking: 245 (No. 9 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 238 (No. 7 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 98.4 (No. 273)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 104.1 (No. 191)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -3.54 (No. 235)
(10) Canisius Golden Griffins
Net Ranking: 261 (No. 11 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 271 (No. 11 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 97.7 (No. 283)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 106.3 (No. 238)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -1.62 (No. 191)
(11) Quinnipiac Bobcats
Net Ranking: 240 (No. 8 in MAAC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 239 (No. 8 in MAAC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 103.5 (No. 180)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 109.4 (No. 284)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -4.42 (No. 264)
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