Metro Conference men's basketball tournament

The Metro Conference men's basketball tournament (formerly known as the MAAC Tournament) is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Metro Conference (Metro). The tournament has been held every year since 1982, the conference's first season. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The MAAC did not receive its automatic bid from the NCAA until 1984.

The conference, originally known as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, changed its name to Metro Conference on July 1, 2026. It should not be confused with the other Metro Conference which operated from 1975 to 1995 before merging with the Great Midwest Conference to form the current Conference USA.

History The tournament has used several formats in its history, though seeding in all formats has been based strictly on conference record (with tiebreakers used as needed). When the tournament began in 1982, the conference had six members: Army, Fairfield, Fordham, Iona, Manhattan, and Saint Peter's. It used a standard single-elimination bracket that gave the 1 and 2 seeds a first-round bye into the semifinals, with the bottom four seeds playing in the first round at the highest seeded team's home court. The semifinals, and championship games were played at the Meadowlands Arena until 1990, when it was moved to the Knickerbocker Arena. The conference used this setup in the 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, and 1989 tournaments. After the 1989 tournament, each game would be played at a venue chosen by the league. 1982, 1984, and 1985 also implemented a consolation game played by the losers of the semifinal round.

In 1984, the conference expanded to eight teams, adding La Salle and Holy Cross, and no longer giving the 1 and 2 seeds first round/quarterfinal byes. In 1990, the conference expanded again, adding Canisius, Loyola MD, Niagara, and Siena to bring the number of teams to twelve. To compensate for this, the MAAC was broken into North and South divisions. 1991 saw the conference lose Army, Holy Cross and Fordham to the Patriot League, thus bringing the total number of members to nine. This tournament setup used an 8 vs 9 play-in game in the first round. This setup continued for two seasons until La Salle left the MAAC for the Mid Western Collegiate Conference, bringing current membership to eight teams again.

Starting in 1993, the MAAC went back to the previous setup for eight teams, 1 vs. 8, 4 vs. 5, 3 vs. 6, and 2 vs. 7. This system was used until 1998, when the MAAC expanded yet again, adding Marist and Rider from the NEC. With ten teams, a first round play-in format was used, with the bottom four teams playing a first round "play-in" game. The 1 seed would play in the quarterfinals against the highest remaining seed from the first round. This format was used until 2003, when the MAAC implemented a new format, and expanded to the bottom six teams playing in the first round, and giving the 1 seed a bye into the semifinals. The reasoning was to place a significant premium on in-season play. In 2007, they ended the change, citing the NIT awarding bids to conference regular season champions who fail to win their conference's tournament championship. Instead of the 1 seed playing the highest remaining seed from the first round, the MAAC used a basic bracket style. 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9 in the first round, with the 8/9 winner facing the 1 seed, and the 7/10 winner facing the 2 seed. This continued through 2013, when the MAAC expanded once more.

In the spring of 2014, the MAAC added Monmouth and Quinnipiac from the Northeast Conference, while losing Loyola MD to the Patriot League. This brought the MAAC to eleven members, and the first round was again expanded to include the bottom six teams competing in the play-in round. As of 2022, this is the current system being used.

List of finals Year Champion Score Runner-up Tournament MVP Location198266–61 OTSaint Peter'sRory Grimes, IonaCampus Sites – first roundMeadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey) – semifinals and finals198354–53IonaMark Murphy, Fordham1984Iona72–61FordhamSteve Burtt, Sr., IonaNew Haven Coliseum (New Haven, Connecticut) – first roundMeadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey) – semifinals and finals1985Iona57–54FordhamTony Hargraves, IonaMeadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey)1986Fairfield67–64Holy CrossJim McCaffrey, Holy Cross1987Fairfield73–70 OTIonaKevin Houston, Army1988La Salle79–70FordhamRich Tarr, La SalleCampus sites – first roundMeadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey) – semifinals and finals1989La Salle71–58Saint Peter'sLionel Simmons, La Salle1990La Salle71–61FordhamKnickerbocker Arena (Albany, New York)1991Saint Peter's64–58IonaMarvin Andrews, Saint Peter's1992La Salle79–78ManhattanRandy Woods, La Salle1993Manhattan68–67NiagaraKeith Bullock, Manhattan1994Loyola80–75ManhattanTracy Bergan, Loyola1995Saint Peter's80–78 OTManhattanRandy Holmes, Saint Peter's1996Canisius52–46FairfieldMichael Meeks, Canisius1997Fairfield78–72CanisiusGreg Francis, FairfieldMarine Midland Arena (Buffalo, New York)1998Iona90–75SienaJohn McDonald, IonaPepsi Arena (Albany, New York)1999Siena82–67Saint Peter'sMarcus Faison, SienaMarine Midland Arena (Buffalo, New York)2000Iona84–80SienaDyree Wilson, IonaPepsi Arena (Albany, New York)2001 Iona74–67CanisiusNakiea Miller, IonaMarine Midland Arena (Buffalo, New York)2002Siena92–77NiagaraDwayne Archbold, SienaPepsi Arena (Albany, New York)2003Manhattan69–54FairfieldLuis Flores, ManhattanSovereign Bank Arena (Trenton, New Jersey)2004 Manhattan62–61NiagaraPepsi Arena (Albany, New York)2005 Niagara81–59RiderJuan Mendez, NiagaraHSBC Arena (Buffalo, New York)2006 Iona80–61Saint Peter'sSteve Burtt Jr., IonaPepsi Arena (Albany, New York)2007 Niagara83–79SienaTyrone Lewis, NiagaraArena at Harbor Yard (Bridgeport, Connecticut)2008 Siena74–53RiderKenny Hasbrouck, SienaTimes Union Center (Albany, New York)2009 Siena77–70Niagara2010Siena72–65 OTFairfieldAlex Franklin, Siena2011Saint Peter's62–57IonaJeron Belin, Saint Peter'sWebster Bank Arena (Bridgeport, Connecticut)2012Loyola48–44FairfieldErik Etherly, LoyolaMassMutual Center (Springfield, Massachusetts)2013Iona60–57ManhattanLamont Jones, Iona2014Manhattan71–68IonaGeorge Beamon, Manhattan2015Manhattan79–69IonaAshton Pankey, ManhattanTimes Union Center (Albany, New York)2016Iona79–76MonmouthA. J. English, Iona2017Iona87–86 OTSienaJordan Washington, Iona2018Iona83–71FairfieldZach Lewis, Iona2019Iona81–60MonmouthRickey McGill, Iona2020Canceled due to the coronavirus pandemicBoardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, New Jersey)2021Iona60–51FairfieldAsante Gist, Iona2022Saint Peter's60–54MonmouthKC Ndefo, Saint Peter's2023Iona76–55MaristDaniss Jenkins, Iona2024Saint Peter's68–63FairfieldCorey Washington, Saint Peter's2025Mount St. Mary's63–49IonaDola Adebayo, Mount St. Mary's2026Siena64–54MerrimackGavin Doty, Siena

Results by team All records are completed through championship game of 2021–22 season

Team win–loss records

School Games W L Winning Pct. Avg.seed Years Iona 89 61 28 Saint Peter's 77 40 37 Fairfield 74 35 39 Siena 67 40 27 Manhattan 66 30 36 Canisius 57 25 32 Niagara 56 26 30 Rider 41 17 24 Marist 36 11 25 Loyola MD † 33 11 22 Fordham † 21 13 8 La Salle † 20 14 6 Monmouth † 17 9 8 Army † 14 5 9 Quinnipiac 13 5 8 Holy Cross † 11 4 7 † No longer a member of the Metro Conference

Championship game team win–loss records

School Games W L Winning Pct. Last Championship Last Game Iona 21 14 7 2023 2025 Siena 10 6 4 2026 2026 Fairfield 10 3 7 1997 2024 Saint Peter's 9 5 4 2024 2024 Manhattan 9 5 4 2015 2015 Niagara 6 2 4 2007 2009 Fordham † 5 1 4 1983 1990 La Salle † 4 4 0 1992 1992 Canisius 3 1 2 1996 2001 Loyola MD † 2 2 0 2012 2012 Monmouth † 3 0 3 2022 Rider 2 0 2 2008 Mount St. Mary's 1 1 0 2025 2025 Holy Cross † 1 0 1 1986 Marist 1 0 1 2023 Merrimack 1 0 1 2026 Army † 0 0 0 Quinnipiac 0 0 0 † No longer a member of the MAAC

Team head-to-head results   Army † Canisius Fairfield Fordham † Holy Cross † Iona La Salle † Loyola MD † Manhattan Marist Monmouth † Niagara Quinnipiac Rider Saint Peter's Siena vs. Army † – 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–0 4–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 0–0 vs. Canisius 0–0 – 3–2 0–0 0–0 6–3 0–0 1–6 0–2 3–3 2–0 3–4 1–0 4–1 4–1 5–3vs. Fairfield 0–1 2–3 – 2–0 0–1 4–4 3–1 5–0 5–7 1–2 1–1 1–4 0–1 1–2 7–7 7–1 vs. Fordham † 1–2 0–0 0–2 – 0–1 3–2 3–1 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–3 0–0 vs. Holy Cross † 0–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 – 3–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 vs. Iona 0–4 3–6 4–4 2–3 2–3 – 0–0 0–4 4–3 2–4 0–3 5–3 0–1 2–4 4–8 0–11 vs. La Salle † 1–0 0–0 1–3 1–3 1–1 0–0 – 0–1 0–3 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–1 0–2 vs. Loyola † 0–0 6–1 0–5 1–0 0–0 4–0 1–0 – 4–1 0–0 0–0 3–2 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 vs. Manhattan 1–0 2–0 7–5 1–0 0–0 3–4 3–0 1–4 – 0–2 0–0 1–4 0–1 3–1 5–7 9–2 vs. Marist 0–0 3–3 2–1 0–0 0–0 4–2 0–0 0–0 2–0 – 0–0 5–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 6–0 vs. Monmouth † 0–0 0–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–3 0–1 1–2 2–0 1–0 vs. Niagara 0–0 4–3 4–1 0–0 0–0 3–5 0–0 2–3 4–1 2–5 3–0 – 1–1 0–3 2–1 5–3 vs. Quinnipiac 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 – 1–0 1–0 0–2 vs. Rider 0–0 1–4 2–1 0–0 0–0 4–2 0–0 0–1 1–3 1–1 2–1 3–0 0–1 – 6–3 4–0 vs. Saint Peter's 2–1 1–4 7–7 0–0 0–1 8–4 1–2 1–1 7–5 1–1 0–2 1–2 0–1 3–6 – 2–2 vs. Siena 0–0 3–5 1–7 0–0 0–0 11–0 2–0 1–1 2–9 0–6 0–1 3–5 2–0 0–4 2–2 – Total 5–9 25–32 35–39 13–8 4–7 61–28 14–6 11–22 30–36 11–25 9–8 26–30 5–8 17–24 40–37 40–27 † No longer a member of the MAAC

Championship game team head-to-head results   Army † Canisius Fairfield Fordham † Holy Cross † Iona La Salle † Loyola MD † Manhattan Marist Monmouth † Niagara Quinnipiac Rider Saint Peter's Siena vs. Army † – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Canisius 0–0 – 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Fairfield 0–0 1–1 – 0–0 0–1 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 vs. Fordham † 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Holy Cross † 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Iona 0–0 0–1 1–2 1–2 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 0–3 vs. La Salle † 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 vs. Loyola † 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Manhattan 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 vs. Marist 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Monmouth † 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 vs. Niagara 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–1 0–0 2–1 vs. Quinnipiac 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 vs. Rider 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 – 0–0 1–0 vs. Saint Peter's 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 1–0 vs. Siena 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 0–0 0–1 0–1 – Total 0–0 1–2 3–6 1–4 0–1 13–6 4–0 2–0 5–4 0–0 0–3 2–4 0–0 0–2 4–4 5–4 † No longer a member of the MAAC

NCAA Tournament appearances