EDISON, N.J. – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, that the Friday, January 30 men's basketball contest between Saint Peter's University and Mount St. Mary's University, has been flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. The primetime contest will tipoff at 8 p.m. at Run Baby Run Arena inside of the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, NJ.
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.
The matchup puts the last two MAAC Championship teams – winners in three of the past four overall – against each other, with Mount St. Mary's winning the league crown in 2025 and Saint Peter's hoisting the league trophy in 2022 and 2024. For Saint Peter's, the Friday night tilt will be the fourth ESPNU wildcard selection dating back to 2021-22, with the last home ESPNU game for the Peacocks occurring back on February 4, 2022, against Quinnipiac. The Mount earns its program's first ESPNU selection since joining the conference in 2022-23. The January 30 matchup will be the second regular season meeting this season between the two sides, with the first game happening on January 9 in Emmitsburg, MD, at Mount St. Mary's, resulting in a 70-65 win for the Mountaineers.
The Saint Peter's Peacocks (11-6, 8-1 MAAC) currently hold a first place tie on the MAAC standings, and the program is off to its best start in league action since the 1990s. The Peacocks 8-1 MAAC record is the program's best record since the 1994-95 campaign and the team's 9-1 record at Run Baby Run Arena is the best mark since the 1996-97 season. Saint Peter's is riding a four game winning streak and have been victorious in seven out of the last eight games, with the lone defeat being the aforementioned contest against the Mount on January 9.
Traditionally known as a defensive unit, Saint Peter's ranks third in the MAAC in scoring defense (67.5) and the Peacocks are the top ranked MAAC squad in steals per game (9.9), turnover margin (+3.3), and turnovers forced per game (14.71), while ranking third in field goal percentage defense (41.8). They are also one of the league's top free throw shooting units, attempting a league-most of 21.4 free throws per game and making 16.1 shots at the charity stripe per outing, which is the second-most in the MAAC. Additionally, the Peacocks rank second in the conference in both bench points and fastbreak points. Before Saint Peter's host the January 30 nationally televised game, the team will travel to North Andover, MA for a date against the team they share first place with, in Merrimack College.
The Defending MAAC Champions, Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (8-12, 4-5 MAAC) sit just outside of the top five of the MAAC standings, currently tied for sixth place with Iona. Most recently, Mount St. Mary's topped Canisius and Niagara last week, earning a sweep of the Western New York trip for the second year in a row and picking up back-to-back double digit road wins for the first time since 2018 when they were members of the Northeast Conference. The Mount has now won three out of their last four games, which includes the victory over Saint Peter's.
Overall, the Mountaineers are one of the top rebounding teams in the MAAC. The Mount ranks third in defensive rebounds per game, grabbing 25.9 per outing and are fourth in both rebounds per game (36.25) and rebound margin (+2.2). In conference play, Mount St. Mary's has been one of the better defensive teams, holding MAAC opponents to 69.2 points per game, 38.6 field goal percentage shooting and 32.6 three-point field goal percentage, which all rank in the top half of the MAAC leaderboard. Mount St. Mary's will host a pair of home contests in Emmitsburg, MD before the ESPNU game, welcoming Quinnipiac on January 22 followed by Rider on January 24.
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 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.
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.
