The 2026 MAAC basketball tournament schedule takes place March 5-10, 2026. The 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship will award the champion with the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament runs from Thursday, March 5 through Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at the historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This marks the seventh straight year the event is held in Atlantic City, with all games in one venue for a fun fan atmosphere on the Boardwalk.
The top 10 teams from the MAAC (out of 11 total members) qualify, based on regular-season conference standings. The winner earns the league’s auto-bid to the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Seeding and exact first-round matchups will be finalized after the regular season ends (typically early March), with the bracket released closer to tip-off.
Key Dates for the 2026 MAAC Men’s Basketball Tournament
Here are the key dates for the 2026 MAAC men’s basketball tournament schedule and bracket for you.
- Tournament Dates: Thursday, March 5 – Tuesday, March 10, 2026
- Location: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
- Format: Single-elimination, top-10 teams (seeds 1–6 receive byes to quarterfinals; 7–10 play first-round games)
- First Round: Thursday, March 5 (two games: #8 vs #9, #7 vs #10)
- Quarterfinals: Friday, March 6 (two games) and Saturday, March 7 (two games)
- Semifinals: Sunday, March 8
- Championship Game: Tuesday, March 10 (standalone national TV slot on ESPN or ESPN2)
- Note: Men’s title game is on March 10; women’s championship is separate on March 9.
Participating MAAC Teams for the 2025-26 Season
The 11 MAAC member schools (top 10 qualify for the tournament):
- Canisius Golden Griffins
- Fairfield Stags
- Iona Gaels
- Manhattan Jaspers
- Marist Red Foxes
- Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
- Niagara Purple Eagles
- Quinnipiac Bobcats
- Rider Broncs
- Saint Peter’s Peacocks
- Siena Saints
2026 MAAC Men’s Tournament Broadcast & Streaming Info
- Early Rounds (First Round & Quarterfinals): ESPN+
- Semifinals: ESPN+
- Championship Game: ESPN or ESPN2 (national TV, exact network TBA closer to event)
- Streaming: All games available via ESPN+ (subscription required); check MAAC site or ESPN app for live links.
- Note: Spring training overlap with MLB, but MAAC provides solid mid-major coverage.
2026 MAAC Basketball Tournament Schedule & Bracket
Here’s the 2026 MAAC basketball Tournament schedule. The full bracket (with seeds, matchups, and progression) is available as a downloadable PDF on the official MAAC site:2026 Men’s Basketball Bracket (PDF) when updated. We have a local copy for you here in image format too.
Here’s a quick printable-friendly overview of the tournament structure (fill in teams/seeds as announced; times ET, subject to change):
| Round | Date | Session/Game | Time (ET) | Matchup (Seed) | TV/Stream | Notes |
| First Round | Thursday, Mar 5 | Game 1 | 6:00 pm | #8 vs #9 | ESPN+ | Opening games |
| First Round | Thursday, Mar 5 | Game 2 | 8:30 pm | #7 vs #10 | ESPN+ | |
| Quarterfinals | Friday, Mar 6 | Game 3 | 6:00 pm | #1 vs Winner Game 1 | ESPN+ | |
| Quarterfinals | Friday, Mar 6 | Game 4 | 8:30 pm | #2 vs Winner Game 2 | ESPN+ | |
| Quarterfinals | Saturday, Mar 7 | Game 5 | TBA | #3 vs Winner Game (TBD) | ESPN+ | Additional QFs |
| Quarterfinals | Saturday, Mar 7 | Game 6 | TBA | #4 vs Winner Game (TBD) | ESPN+ | |
| Semifinals | Sunday, Mar 8 | Game 7 | TBA | Winner Game 3/4 vs Winner Game 5/6 | ESPN+ | |
| Semifinals | Sunday, Mar 8 | Game 8 | TBA | Remaining semifinal | ESPN+ | |
| Championship | Tuesday, Mar 10 | Game 9 | ~7:00 pm | Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8 | ESPN/ESPN2 | Auto-bid on the line |
(Times and exact pairings finalized post-regular season; use the official PDF for the blank bracket to fill in predictions or track live.)
The MAAC Tournament is known for upsets, passionate crowds, and March magic—perfect for mid-major fans chasing Cinderella stories. Tickets are on sale now (single-session and all-session options via Ticketmaster or MAAC site). Follow @MAACHoops on X for real-time updates, stories, and bracket reveals.
Printable 2026 MAAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket
Here’s the printable 2026 MAAC Men’s basketball tournament bracket for you. The PDF is available from the tournament site here.
Tie-In to March Madness & Regional Buzz
As we head into the full 2026 March Madness schedule (Selection Sunday: March 15 things will only heat up; First Four: March 17-18 in Dayton; Final Four: April 4-6 in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium),
For more NCAA Tournament resources:
- 2026 March Madness Schedule: Dates, Locations, TV, Printable Bracket & Key Info (Updated January 2026)
- Printable 2026 March Madness Bracket: Download Your Free NCAA Tournament Template
- 2026 March Madness Women’s Schedule; Times, TV Broadcasts
- Printable 2026 Women’s March Madness Bracket; Schedule and Results
Early 2026 March Madness Odds & Predictions
Use our tools to analyze lines:
- Free Odds Converter – Convert moneyline to decimal/fractional for MAAC games or NCAA matchups.
- Free Parlay Odds Calculator – Build brackets with MAAC champs or March Madness multis.
- Implied Probability Calculator
