Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Schedule, Odds & Picks

• The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 7th, and runs through Saturday, March 11th
• Iona is the No.1  seed, while Rider sits at No. 2
• Keep reading for the MAAC Tournament odds, format, and predictions

Tuesday, March 7th marks the beginning of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey. All the action runs through Saturday, March 11th, with the winner of the tourney earning an automatic bid to March Madness. Find the MAAC Tournament odds below.

Saint Peter’s is the reigning champion, beating Monmouth in the final before their Cinderella run in the Big Dance. Iona is the most successful program in this tournament though, winning it a total of 13 times. That includes five titles in six seasons between 2016 and 2021 (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19).

MAAC Tournament Odds

Iona is the heavy favorite to win it all again at -200 odds after going 17-3 in conference play and 24-7 overall. The next-closest is Quinnipiac at +400 odds, while Rider, who finished second in the MAAC behind the Gaels, comes in at +800.

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Odds as of March 5th from DraftKings Sportsbook.

MAAC Tournament Format

Seeds 1-5 will get an automatic bye to the second round, while seeds 6-11 have to play in the opening round. Although Iona is the top seed and the favorite, if they do not win, they will get a bid to the NIT instead. The MAAC doesn’t typically earn any berths to the Big Dance outside of the tourney winner.

The 2023 MAAC Tournament Bracket. pic.twitter.com/G8dbkmfVKT

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 5, 2023

All of the games will take place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and can be seen on ESPN+.

Iona the Deserving Favorite

While the Gaels are typically the frontrunner for this tournament and usually a regular in the March Madness bracket, it’s for good reason in 2022-2023. They were easily the most dominant team in the conference and have three of the most talented players in the MAAC.

Walter Clayton Jr and Daniss Jenkins form a lethal backcourt duo, averaging over 15 PPG apiece. Jenkins is also dishing out 5.5 dimes per night and both can really shoot it from deep. There’s also big man Nelly Junior Joseph who is an absolute force down low, putting up 15.4 points and grabbing 9.5 rebounds per contest. Iona is on an 11-game winning streak heading into the conference tourney as well, where they face either Canisius or Mount Saint Mary’s in the quarterfinals.

#GAELSWIN!

DJ scores a game-high 22 points to lead Iona to a road win over Rider in the regular season finale!#GaelNation | #MAACHoops pic.twitter.com/Xcxd7IfIpZ

— Iona Men’s Basketball (@IonaGaelsMBB) March 5, 2023

Rider is another team to watch. The No. 2 Broncs lost a nailbiter to Iona on Saturday by a score of 80-78 and could meet the Gaels in the final. Guard Dwight Murray is the leading catalyst with an impressive line of 15.9 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 39% shooting from deep. However, they’ve lost four of their last six coming into the tournament.

Quinnipiac, who have the second-best odds to win the MAAC tourney, clinched the No. 3 seed after beating Marist over the weekend and got some help with Saint Peter’s upsetting Siena. The Bobcats scored the second-most points in the MAAC this season and led the conference with a 36.7 three-point percentage.

MAAC Tournament Prediction

I personally don’t see anyone competing with Rick Pitino’s Iona. They’ve been dominant all season long and I expect that to continue this week. -200 might not offer a whole lot of value, but it’s worth a healthy bet.

Pick: Iona (-200)