Atlantic City Successfully Welcomes Back MAAC Tournament
On Saturday afternoon, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall hosted its first college basketball conference tournament final game since 2012. The matchup, between Fairfield and Iona, was a satisfying conclusion for the Mid-American Athletic Conference (MAAC) who had their conference tournament cut short last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Entering Boardwalk Hall on March 13, 2021 was a reflection of the current state of our world which requires everyone to mask up and makes media covering the event, like myself, get temperature checked twice (once upon entering the parking garage, and a second time at a check point before walking along the designated pathway towards my assigned seat).
Thrilled to play: Siena stops Niagara in MAAC first round By Ray Floriani on Mar 9, 2021, 6:46pm EST +
Siena, the ninth seed upset eighth seed Niagara 74-65 in the MAAC opener Tuesday at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Siena advanced to 4-8 while Niagara fell to 4-7.
The game was at warp speed. A 78 turnover uptempo affair. Siena committed 23 turnovers for an extremely high 30% turnover rate. Niagara didn’t fare much better turning it over 22 times at a 28% rate. They (Niagara) sped us up, Siena coach Ali Jaques said. Our defense was good second half as our players locked in. It’s been tough with shutdowns to get experience. But we will definitely learn from this.
Tuesday Night marked the return of March Madness to Boardwalk Hall when Manhattan s Ethan Lasko nailed a 30-foot three point jumper right before the buzzer to tie the game at 50, sending the First Round MAAC Tournament Game into Overtime. Yes, there were games played earlier in the day, but Boardwalk Hall seemed to come alive with a feeling that had not been seen in Atlantic City in 12 months. At that moment, it didn t matter if you were a fan of Manhattan or Fairfield or if you were working security or if you were seated at the Socially Distanced Media Row, every person reacted when Lasko hit the shot and it was in that moment I knew for sure: Normalcy is almost back in South Jersey.
Monmouth coach King Rice and Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway have concerns about having a limited number of fans for the MAAC Tournament, where teams will stay in casino environments.