Five Things to Know: Men's Basketball Takes On Fairfield in MAAC Tournament Opening Round

Game No. 32
2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship - Opening Round
Canisius (11-20, 7-13 MAAC) vs. Fairfield (14-17, 8-12 MAAC)
Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Atlantic City, N.J. | Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Video Broadcast: ESPN+
Talent: Eddy Occhipinti (pxp), Steve Eggink (color) and Chris Williams (sideline)
Live Audio: Golden Griffin Broadcast Network; GoGriffs.com
Talent: Andy Helwig (pxp)
Live Stats: Through MAACSports.com
Twitter: @Griffs_MBB | #Griffs; #MAACHoops

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Canisius Opens MAAC Tournament Play Tuesday
The Canisius men's basketball team moves on to the postseason Tuesday night, as the Golden Griffins square off with Fairfield in the opening round of the 2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The game is set to tipoff at 7 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

2. Series History vs. Fairfield
Tuesday will be the 93rd all-time meeting between these two Jesuit schools, with Fairfield leading the series 52-40. The Stags have won three straight over the Griffs, including an 80-76 overtime victory back on Feb. 14 in Bridgeport, Conn. Tuesday will mark the fifth time these two schools have met in the league's postseason event, and it will be the first tournament game between the program's since 2010 in Albany, N.Y. Both schools have two wins in the previous four tournament meetings, highlighted by Canisius' victory over Fairfield in the 1996 MAAC Championship game.

3. Griffs as the No. 10 Seed
By holding the head-to-head tie break over Quinnipiac, Canisius enters this year's Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship as the No. 10 seed. This is the third time Canisius has been the No. 10 seed, were the team is 1-3 all-time. Canisius' 64-59 win over Iona in the 2008 MAAC Tournament made the Blue and Gold the first No. 10 seed in league history to win a game in the conference's postseason tournament.

4. MAAC Championship Tidbits
This will be Canisius' 58th all-time game in the Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship, where the Griffs are 26-31 all-time... The Griffs hold a 13-6 all-time record in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament... Canisius is 0-2 in the two previous tournaments held in Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

5. Canisius in the Close Ones
Canisius' 67-64 victory over Siena on the final day of the regular season improved the Griffs to 6-4 this year in games decided by five points or less. In six seasons under head coach Reggie Witherspoon, the Griffs are 34-31 in games decided by five points or less, and the team holds a 2-3 record in MAAC Tournaments games in that time span when the final score has been decided by five points or fewer.

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