LOUDONVILLE, NY – The next installment of the I-87 rivalry between Siena Basketball and Marist will be a nationally televised primetime affair. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and ESPN have announced that the Siena at Marist matchup on Friday, Jan. 31 at McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, New York has been flexed to a 9 p.m. tip-off on ESPNU.
 
This marks the first time in two seasons in which Siena has been selected for a MAAC Wildcard Game on ESPNU. The Saints were featured by the MAAC on ESPNU three times during the 2022-23 season, two of which were flexed to the network as part of the MAAC Wildcard Package.
 
Siena could be selected to be featured up to three additional times on ESPNU this season, all of which are home games at MVP Arena – Thursday, Feb. 6 vs. Saint Peter's, Friday, Feb. 14 vs. Marist, and Friday, Feb. 21 vs. Niagara. However, unlike the Jan. 31 ESPNU MAAC Wildcard matchup at Marist which was shifted to 9 p.m., should any of those games be selected, tip-off would remain at 7 p.m. ESPN and the MAAC will announce the remaining wildcard matchups 10 days prior to the scheduled games.
 
ESPNU is available to Spectrum subscribers in the Capital Region on Channel 370, and can also be found on DirecTV Channel 208 and DISH Channel 141. ESPNU can also be accessed through the ESPN app and online at espn.com/watch (subscription required).
 
Siena currently sits at 8-10 overall and is part of a five-way tie for fifth-place in the MAAC Standings with a 3-4 league mark. Led by first-year head coach and former National Champion and Syracuse legend Gerry McNamara, the Saints have already doubled their win total from all of last season. Siena has been paced by the dynamic backcourt of Justice Shoats and Major Freeman who both rank in the top-10 in the MAAC in scoring.
 
Marist is currently 13-3 overall and tied for second in the MAAC Standings with Merrimack at 6-1 in league action. The Red Foxes recently had a nine-game win streak – the second longest during the program's Division I era – and opened MAAC play with six straight wins for the first time ever. Led by one-time Siena assistant John Dunne (1999-01), the Red Foxes are paced by Josh Pascarelli who currently ranks third in the MAAC in scoring (16.8) and fifth in made threes per game (2.50).
 
Siena has dominated the all-time series with Marist, holding a 63-31 advantage over their I-87 rivals. However, 13 of the past 15 meetings in Poughkeepsie have been decided by single digits, with the average margin of those 15 games being just 5.7 points (Siena: 9-6 record).
 
The Saints return to action when they host Mount St. Mary's Thursday at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena.