EDISON, N.J. – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, that the Sunday, March 1 men's basketball contest between Marist University and Saint Peter's University, has been flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. in Poughkeepsie, NY inside of McCann Arena.
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 top five matchup will feature a pair of MAAC contenders which have already clinched postseason berths in second place Saint Peter's and fifth place Marist. The Red Foxes will be playing in their fifth ESPNU wildcard game over the past three seasons, following two flexed games in 2023-24 and a pair of ESPNU chosen games last season. The Peacocks – which earns its fifth wildcard selection since the 2021-22 season – will be playing in its second ESPNU flexed game of the year, having last played on the network on January 30 at home against Mount St. Mary's. When Marist and Saint Peter's meet in the regular season finale on the national network, it will be the second contest of the 2025-26 series between the two teams. The teams' first meeting of the season came at the start of the new year on January 2 in Jersey City, NJ, with the Peacocks defeating the Red Foxes, 69-59.
The Marist Red Foxes (16-10, 10-7 MAAC), which currently sit in fifth place on the MAAC standings, secured a spot in the MAAC Championship field on Feb. 7. With 10 MAAC wins this season and 16 overall wins, Marist has won 10 or more league games and 16 plus total games in three straight seasons. Despite the success, the Red Foxes have dropped three straight games after posting a four game winning streak to start the month. Additionally, head coach John Dunne is one win shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in MAAC history.
Marist entered the week leading the MAAC in seven statistical categories. The Red Foxes rank first in assist to turnover ratio (1.35), assists per game (15.2), field goal percentage defense (40.2), free throw percentage (79.6), scoring defense (63.5), scoring margin (6.6), and three point percentage defense (27.6). Three of the marks are top five in the NCAA, with their three point percentage defense ranking second, the free throw percentage ranked third, and the scoring defense ranking fourth. Additionally, Marist is second in the MAAC in turnovers forced, defensive rebounds per game, field goal percentage and bench points per game. Ahead of the March 1 game, Marist travels to Manhattan on February 20 and will host Sacred Heart on February 22.
The Saint Peter's Peacocks (15-9, 12-4 MAAC) sit in second place on the MAAC standings, after the program's best start in league action since the 1990s when the team opened its league slate 8-1. Saint Peter's, which clinched its playoff spot on Feb. 7, is coming off a home victory over Fairfield on Sunday, the team's 10th straight win at home. The only other time the Peacocks won 10 straight games at home was during the 1983-84 season when that Peacock unit finished 14-0 in Jersey City.
The Peacocks are the top ranked MAAC squad in bench points (28.83), fastbreak points (12.88), free throw attempts per game (21.8), free throws made per game (16.3), steals per game (9.3), turnover margin (+2.9), and turnovers forced per game (14.00), while ranking second in offensive rebounds per game (14.04). They are also the fourth ranked MAAC squad in rebounds per game, scoring defense and scoring margin. Saint Peter's will play in a trio of games before the regular season finale, visiting Iona (February 20) and Siena (February 22), before its final home game against Manhattan (February 27).
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.
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