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On March 10, 2026, Siena University men’s basketball completed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent mid-major history, dominating top-seeded Merrimack 64–54 to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The win delivered Siena its seventh MAAC tournament title, an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, and a long-awaited return to March Madness after a 16-year absence from the court on college basketball’s biggest stage.
Two years ago, Siena University was staring at the bottom of the Division I standings. The program had just finished a 4–28 season in 2023–24, a low point that triggered a coaching change and deep questions about the future of Saints basketball.
Enter Gerry McNamara, the former Syracuse guard whose own college career included a national title, countless big-game shots and a reputation for toughness. Hired as Siena’s head coach ahead of the 2024–25 season, McNamara inherited a team with bruised confidence and a fan base hungry for a reset.
In his first year, Siena dramatically increased its win total and engineered one of the better single-season turnarounds in the nation, setting the stage for what followed in 2025–26. The Saints carried that momentum into a 23–11 overall record and a 13–7 mark in MAAC play, finishing as the league’s No. 3 seed.
Behind a core group that largely returned from McNamara’s debut season, Siena University steadily grew into a legitimate contender. The Saints fought through a competitive conference schedule, then arrived in Atlantic City confident, tested and clearly improved from the group that had been near the bottom of Division I just two seasons earlier.
As the No. 3 seed, Siena’s route to the title game was neither cushioned nor simple. The Saints opened the MAAC tournament by getting past Mount St. Mary’s, then followed with a win over Fairfield to reach their first conference championship game in nine years.
Waiting in the final was Merrimack, a team that had swept Siena in the regular season and entered with the league’s best record. The Warriors came into the championship at 23–11 overall, including a 17–3 mark in conference play. They were led by standout freshman guard Kevair Kennedy, who had just been honored as both MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
On paper, the matchup tilted toward the top seed. In reality, Siena University’s commitment to defense, rebounding and physicality flipped the script.
Merrimack struck first, taking a small early lead as both teams settled in. But the Saints wasted no time wrestling control of the tempo.
Siena ripped off a stunning 22–3 run over just more than seven minutes in the first half. What began as a narrow deficit turned into a 24–9 Siena advantage, the result of relentless defense, attacking the paint and a raucous Saints crowd that filled the seats behind their bench in Atlantic City gold.
The Saints dictated pace and pushed Merrimack away from its comfort zone on offense. Yet the Warriors made clear why they were the MAAC’s top seed. They answered Siena’s surge with one of their own, scoring the final 10 points of the half to cut the deficit to 33–30 at the break.
On the scoreboard, it was a one-possession game. On the floor, Siena University had already revealed its formula: control the glass, wall off driving lanes, and use its size to dominate the interior.
The championship was effectively decided in the opening minutes of the second half, when Siena produced its best defensive stretch of the season at the moment it mattered most.
Coming out of the locker room, the Saints locked in and turned the game into a defensive clinic. Merrimack did not score for the first nine minutes and two seconds of the second half, missing its first 15 shots of the period as Siena smothered every cut, contest and drive.
During that stretch, Siena mounted a 12–0 run, stretching its lead from three points at halftime to 45–30 with 12:39 remaining. Every stop fueled confidence. Every contested shot pushed Merrimack further out of rhythm.
This was not an accident. During the regular season, Siena University had ranked among the national leaders in scoring defense, and in Atlantic City that identity was on full display. The Saints’ length, discipline and rotations turned Kennedy and Merrimack’s normally efficient attack into a struggle.
If the nine-minute shutout was the emotional heart of Siena’s win, its statistical backbone was rebounding and rim protection.
Siena finished with a season-high 50 rebounds and a staggering 50–26 edge on the glass. The Saints’ starting five each grabbed at least eight rebounds, a rare and telling display of collective commitment to the boards.
The Saints also outscored Merrimack 32–12 in the paint, using their size and physicality to control both ends of the floor. Siena tied a program MAAC tournament record with 10 blocked shots, turning the lane into a no-fly zone and forcing Merrimack into contested perimeter looks.
Forward Francis Folefac drew the primary assignment on Kennedy, the conference’s most decorated player. He held the freshman star to 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting, limiting him to just four free throw attempts. That was a stark contrast from the regular season, when Kennedy had frequently lived at the line against Siena and torched defenses with his ability to create contact and finish through it.
On this night, Siena University’s scheme and effort took away the easy points and forced Merrimack into low-percentage shots.
Even with all of Siena’s dominance on the glass and at the rim, Merrimack refused to go quietly. The Warriors had one last run in them.
Trailing by double digits in the second half, Merrimack strung together a 12–2 surge to cut Siena’s lead to 51–47 with under four minutes remaining. The game that had felt all but decided after the Saints’ early second-half run was suddenly back in doubt.
That was the moment when sophomore guard Gavin Doty delivered the kind of closing performance that defines tournaments.
Already in the midst of a strong night, Doty scored six of Siena’s next seven points, calmly seizing the spotlight. The signature shot came on a deep three-pointer from the right wing that pushed Siena’s lead back to seven with just over two minutes left. That dagger effectively settled the outcome and sent the Saints’ bench and fan section into celebration mode.
Doty finished with 23 points on 7-for-17 shooting and went 7-for-8 at the foul line. Eighteen of his points came in the second half, a testament to his poise in pressure moments and ability to step into the void when Merrimack threatened.
For his performance throughout the tournament, Doty was named MAAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
The box score told the story of a team effort, especially in the frontcourt.
Graduate student center Riley Mulvey, who transferred home to New York’s Capital Region to conclude his collegiate career at Siena University, delivered his first collegiate double-double on championship night. He posted 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, matching Siena’s MAAC tournament record for blocks in a game.
Mulvey’s presence was felt on both ends. He erased shots at the rim, cleared defensive boards to ignite transition and finished through contact inside. For a local player returning to represent his home area, it was a fitting breakthrough performance on one of the biggest stages of his career.
Fellow starter Brendan Coyle added a double-double of his own, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. His work alongside Mulvey formed the backbone of Siena’s rebounding dominance and interior scoring edge.
Folefac, tasked with slowing Kennedy, contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists, showcasing his versatility. Guard Justice Shoats chipped in nine points and eight boards, proving once again that guard rebounding can be a huge differentiator in postseason play.
Doty, Mulvey and Shoats were all named to the MAAC all-tournament team, underscoring that this was not a one-man performance but a complete, balanced effort.
The significance of this championship for Siena University extends far beyond the box score.
Historically, Siena has punched above its weight in March. The Saints own NCAA tournament victories in 1989, 2002, 2008 and 2009, and their men’s basketball program has long been a flagship for both the school and the broader Albany-area community.
Yet the program had not taken the floor in an NCAA tournament game since 2010. Although Siena earned the MAAC’s automatic bid in 2020 when the postseason was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saints never had the chance to play. For players, coaches and alumni, there was always a sense of unfinished business.
That made this run especially meaningful. The 2026 MAAC title ended the 16-year gap between NCAA tournament appearances and symbolized a full-circle moment for a community that had kept showing up, even through lean years.
The timing also dovetails with broader institutional changes. Siena had been known for decades as Siena College, but in 2025 the institution formally rebranded as Siena University. The name change reflects an expanded academic and institutional vision, and for many around the program, the men’s basketball resurgence feels like the athletic counterpart to that new era.
For prospective students and recruits, the combination of a university rebrand and a visible March Madness presence matters. Research from the NCAA and external analysts has long noted that schools appearing in the NCAA tournament often see boosts in applications and national visibility, a phenomenon sometimes called the “Flutie Effect.” NCAA studies and coverage by outlets like The New York Times have highlighted how tournament runs can translate to tangible admissions and branding gains.
Siena’s 2026 run positions the university to harness that momentum at exactly the right time.
When the 2026 NCAA tournament bracket was announced, the selection committee did not ease Siena into its return to March Madness.
The Saints were placed as the No. 16 seed in the East Region and matched with overall No. 1 seed Duke in Greenville, South Carolina. For any mid-major, drawing a blueblood as the tournament’s top overall seed is a daunting assignment, but it also brings a national platform and a chance, however slim, to join the short list of programs that have pulled off a 16-over-1 upset.
Since the field expanded, a 16-seed has beaten a 1-seed just once in the men’s tournament, when UMBC stunned Virginia in 2018, as documented widely across college basketball histories and media coverage. That statistical reality underscores the challenge that awaits Siena, but it also frames the opportunity.
For McNamara and his players, simply being back in that conversation is a milestone. After all, two seasons ago, the program was far removed from the NCAA bubble, let alone a 68-team bracket.
For high school athletes, parents and coaches following this story, Siena University’s men’s basketball revival offers several important lessons about the college recruiting and development journey.
Siena’s jump from 4–28 in 2023–24 to a 23–11, tournament-winning team in 2025–26 shows how quickly a program’s trajectory can change with the right coaching hire and cultural reset. Recruits considering a rebuilding program should look closely at:
McNamara’s group retained a core, developed them quickly and established a clear defensive identity. That blueprint is what many mid-major prospects should look for when evaluating fit.
Siena’s 2026 MAAC title was not built on hot shooting alone. It hinged on national-caliber defense: a nine-minute second-half shutout, a 50–26 rebounding edge, 10 blocks and the ability to hold the league’s most decorated scorer to 5-for-18 from the field.
For recruits, this reinforces the value of picking a program where defense is emphasized and taught. Coaches at the next level recruit players who can impact winning without the ball, whether by guarding multiple positions, rebounding from the guard spot or protecting the rim.
If you are a prospect trying to understand how your game fits, tools like Pathley’s College Fit Snapshot can help you evaluate your on-court profile, academic record and campus preferences against specific programs. Seeing that on one clear report can make it easier to decide whether a defense-first system like Siena’s aligns with your strengths.
Mulvey’s story highlights another key theme: community roots. Returning to New York’s Capital Region to finish his career, then anchoring a championship frontcourt, created a powerful connection between team and fan base.
For many recruits, playing close to home or in a region that feels familiar can be a major factor in long-term happiness and performance. Alumni support, local media coverage and hometown pride all amplify the impact of wins like Siena’s.
If you are weighing a local option against a farther-flung program, exploring a full college directory like the Pathley College Directory can help you compare options by geography, size and athletic offering before you commit to visits or conversations.
Siena University is far from the only mid-major with a strong basketball tradition and an upward trajectory. For families and athletes trying to discover similar programs, a structured search process matters as much as raw exposure.
Many players know the high-major names, but overlook high-quality Division I programs that offer real playing time, strong coaching and postseason opportunities. Tools that help you search beyond your immediate radar can open doors.
On Pathley, the sport-specific hub for basketball is designed exactly for that kind of exploration. The Basketball Pathley Hub centralizes college basketball programs, ranking lists and context so you can:
From there, you can narrow your list further and cross-reference with tools like Pathley’s Compare Two Colleges feature, which lets you evaluate academic fit, athletic opportunities, campus vibe and cost side by side.
Regardless of how the matchup with Duke unfolds, Siena’s 2025–26 campaign will hold a permanent place in program history.
It ended a 16-year wait for an NCAA tournament appearance, validated a high-profile coaching hire, and gave a rebranded institution a marquee athletic moment to share with prospective students and alumni alike. It also reconnected the present-day roster with a proud lineage of Saints teams that made noise in earlier tournaments.
For the players, it is tangible proof that sticking together through a rebuild can pay off. For recruits, it is evidence that choosing the right culture, even at a moment of transition, can lead to meaningful wins on big stages.
For families just starting the recruiting journey, the story underscores the importance of doing deep research on fit, not just name recognition. Exploring resources like the Pathley platform can help you uncover programs on the rise, understand where you match best, and build a plan that puts you in position to thrive, whether you land at a rising MAAC power like Siena or another strong-fit school.
In Atlantic City, the Saints showed what is possible when vision, defense and belief align. Now their challenge shifts to the NCAA tournament, where the rest of the country will have a chance to rediscover Siena University on the March stage it has long believed it deserved.
