LOUDONVILLE, NY – Two-time defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion Siena Men's Basketball is primed to prove the skeptics wrong once again this winter. The league's 11 head coaches have predicted the Saints to finish eighth according to the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Defending MAAC Tournament Champion Iona is the unanimous favorite to repeat, after receiving all 11 first-place votes and the maximum 121 points in the polling. Saint Peter's was selected second (91 points), and followed by Marist (75), Monmouth (74), and Rider (73) to round out the top-five. Last season's MAAC Tournament runner-up Fairfield was chosen sixth (62), followed by Manhattan (58), Siena (54), Quinnipiac (53), Niagara (39), and Canisius (26) to conclude the polling.
 
Two-time reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year KC Ndefo of Saint Peter's is the 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. No Saints were named to the 15-member Preseason All-MAAC Teams.
 
Siena, which has secured the MAAC Regular Season title in each of head coach Carmen Maciariello's first two seasons at the helm, will look to surprise the coaches in a similar fashion to Maciariello's first year when the Saints won the regular season crown after only being projected to finish sixth. The Saints head into the 2021-22 season invigorated by a versatile and explosive roster, highlighted by the additions of nine talented newcomers featuring six upperclassman transfers and three true freshmen.
 
Fans will get their highly anticipated first glance at the new-look Saints when they host crosstown foe Saint Rose in an exhibition matchup this coming Monday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center. Tickets start at just $10 for adults, and $5 for children ages 12 and under.
 
Season tickets for the 2021-22 Siena Basketball season start at just $75, and fans looking to either renew or purchase new season tickets can do so conveniently by contacting the Siena Fan Relations Management Center by phone at (518) 487-2202, by e-mail at sienatickets2@siena.edu, or online at sienasaints.com/tickets. Existing season ticket holders looking to renew can do so likewise, or simply utilize Ticketmaster's account manager tool.