ESPN Announces February 6 MAAC Wildcard Games
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – ESPN has announced the two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball wildcard matchups for Feb. 6. Iona College will welcome the Siena Saints to the Hynes Center on ESPNU at 7 p.m., and Canisius will travel to Riverdale, New York, to face the host Manhattan Jaspers on ESPN3 at 7 p.m.
The Gaels and Saints met earlier this season on Jan. 4, as Iona came away with an 86-72 victory at the Times Union Center. The MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, David Laury, led four Gaels in double-figures with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double effort. Laury scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.
The ESPNU game will be the second of the season for Iona, as the Gaels will also appear on the network on Friday, Jan. 16 against Niagara. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the ‘Taps’ Gallagher Center.
Canisius looks to split the regular season series against the Jaspers after falling, 63-60, on Jan. 4 at the Koessler Athletic Center. Manhattan junior Shane Richards recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Jaspers held Canisius to just two points in the game’s final 6:06
A total of 47 games will be nationally televised on the ESPN networks during the 2014-15 campaign, which includes 37 regular season contests and 10 contests at the 2015 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.
This season’s MAAC television schedule features an all-time high of 11 wildcard games. The wildcard format allows ESPN to pick any game on schedule for the selected date to be air on the designated platform (ESPN2, ESPNU, or ESPN3). ESPN announces which game it selects for the wildcard telecast 21 days out. The format enables the MAAC and ESPN flexibility to showcase the best possible matchups.
The 2015 season culminates at the 2015 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York March 5-9. Tickets for the championships are available online at ticketmaster.com.
For the full men’s basketball schedule, visits maacsports.com and remember to follow the conversation on twitter using #MAACHoops and #MAACHoops15.