2025 MAAC Conference Basketball Tournament

The 2025 MAAC Conference Tournament is back at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ for the fifth straight season. This year’s version will be slightly different as only 10 teams will be in action down the Jersey shore. 

Since 2016, this tournament has been dominated by Iona, winning six championships, and Saint Peter’s grabbing two of the last three. During that same time frame, the regular season winner has earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament just three times (all Iona).

 

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How to Watch the MAAC Conference Tournament

When: March 11-15

Where: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ

Format: Only 10 teams make the tournament with Seed 7 playing Seed 10 and Seed 8 playing Seed 9 in the opening round; other six seeds start play in the Quarterfinals. 

Watch: ESPN+, Championship Game on ESPNU on Mar. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings

MAAC Conference Tournament Bracket

MAAC Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

1. Merrimack (+260)

2. Quinnipiac (+290)

3. Manhattan (+600)

4. Iona (+600) 

5. Mount Saint Mary’s (+950)

6. Sacred Heart (+1100)

7. Marist (+1200)

8. Siena (+1600)

9. Rider (+5000)

10. Fairfield (+1200)

(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win MAAC Conference Tournament

Quinnipiac comes in as the No.1 seed, just as the preseason poll predicted, but No. 2 seeded Merrimack sets foot on the boardwalk as the favorite. Similar to the WCC, where second-seeded Gonzaga is the odds-on favorite. An interesting analytical based decision in the MAAC that takes into account the Bobcats 13th overall ranking in KenPom’s Adjusted Tempo that hasn’t translated into impressive overall offensive stats. Tom Pecora’s club averages 73.6 points while defensively they give up 71.0. Also they average over 13 turnovers a game and shoot just 29.4% from behind the arc.

Merrimack is a grind it out defensive-minded team that wants games played in the low 60s but can score in the mid-70s when needed like the Warriors have done in their last four games. 

Quinnipiac, the back-to-back regular season winners, has never made the NCAA Tournament. Merrimack is playing in its first ever MAAC Tournament.

MAAC Conference Tournament Darkhorse

In a field where the teams are so similar in terms of statistical output, with most being defensive-centric, it is hard to distinguish favorites from darkhorses. Taking a contrarian approach to this common denominator makes Manhattan a viable longshot. The Jaspers come into the tournament on a four-game winning streak where they scored at least 77 points in each game. 

Manhattan’s Offensive Efficiency numbers certainly aren’t spectacular but they are tops in the conference. 

The big issue for any offensive-minded team in the tournament (Sacred Heart) is the way the games are consistently played and officiated. All those Iona and SPU championships resulted from them dealing with a lot of clutching and grabbing along the way.

Players to Watch in MAAC Conference Tournament

In a conference where pushing and shoving plays such a large role, Adam “Budd” Clark stands out for what he does on the offensive end. The Merrimack sophomore guard won the conference regular season scoring crown (20.2 PPG), tops in steals (85) and was third in the MAAC in assists (5.8 APG). Not a surprise for the diminutive Clark who last season was the Northeast Conference’s Rookie of the Year. Bryan Etumnu also is a key part of the Merrimack defense leading the league in blocks (69). 

For Quinnipiac, the top gun is Amarri Monroe (17.7 PPG). The 6-foot-7 forward also leads the team in rebounding. The Bobcats also have forward Paul Otieno who comes close to also delivering a double-double on a regular basis (13.4 PPG & 8.6 RPG). In the backcourt, Savion Lewis runs the show handing out 6.2 assists per game.

The Red Foxes offense centers around Josh Pascarelli with his 16.4 PPG. The 6-foot-3 guard shoots over 42% from behind the arc. Three-point shots are what fuel the Sacred Heart offense with Nyle Ralph-Beyer (43.4 3PT%), Tanner Thomas (14.8 PPG) and Anquan Hill (12.8 PPG) the ones most likely to launch it. 

Behind SHU, Manhattan is the league’s second top scoring team. The Jaspers rely on a balanced approach with five players averaging double digits including team leader Will Sydnor (14.5 PPG). 
The other scorers to keep an eye on include Iona’s DeJour Reaves (16.6 PPG) and Justice Shoats (15.8 PPG) of Siena.

Betting Pick to Win the MAAC Conference Tournament

This might be one of the hardest postseason tournaments to handicap since all 10 teams are motivated to win in this low-major one-bid league. At the same time, there really isn’t a discernible difference between the top seven seeds. 

The last few tournaments have been short on whistles allowing a physical play to take over. That tendency ultimately favors Merrimack. 

Pick: Merrimack +260

Makinen Power Ratings for MAAC

  • The smallest of favorites have been the most successful of late in the MAAC tournament, with those laying 2 points or fewer going 15-2 SU and 14-3 ATS (82.4%) since 2014.
  • Other single-digit MAAC tourney favorites (-2.5 or higher) are just 32-23 SU but 20-33-2 ATS (37.7%) since 2017.
  • Byes have not been a huge reward lately for the MAAC’s top teams as those teams off of byes playing against teams that have played already are just 11-10 SU and 6-14-1 ATS (30%) since 2016 in this bracket.
  • MAAC Championship game favorites are on an 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS (70%) surge, although St. Peter’s won last year as a 3-point dog.
  • The last five Metro Atlantic tourneys have trended massively Under on totals, 30-15 (66.7%) in fact.
  • The highest totaled games (154+) in the MAAC tourney have trended significantly Under, 12-1 (92.3%) in the last 13. However, there hasn’t been such a game since 2018.

More Steve Makinen Conference Tournament Betting Trends.

Check out the other previews in our 2025 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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