The Merrimack men’s basketball team will compete for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship against Siena on Tuesday, March 10, at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
This matchup gives Merrimack a chance to secure both the regular season and tournament titles in the MAAC. The Warriors have reached a conference championship game for the third time in four seasons. In previous years, they played in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship games, winning in 2023 but not advancing to the NCAA Tournament due to their transition period to Division I.
Head Coach Joe Gallo has led Merrimack to a strong record of 7-2 in Division I conference tournament play. Under his leadership, the team has won four conference regular season championships over seven years at the Division I level. In their most recent game, Tye Dorset scored a career-high 23 points as Merrimack edged Marist 58-57 in the MAAC Semifinals. Kevair Kennedy contributed 16 points and Ernest Shelton added 13.
Kennedy has been recognized as both MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year—the first player ever to receive both honors in one season. Gallo was named MAAC Coach of the Year, while KC Ugwuakazi earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. Kennedy and Shelton were also selected for First-Team All-MAAC.
Kennedy leads the league with an average of 18.5 points per game and has scored at least 20 points in six of his last eight games. He is also among league leaders in assists and steals, ranking second nationally in free throws made and attempted this season. Shelton is second on Merrimack’s roster with an average of 15.9 points per game and ranks high nationally for three-point field goals made per contest.
The Warriors have won eleven out of their last twelve games and are undefeated when scoring seventy or more points this season. Their defense ranks among national leaders for turnovers forced, steals, blocks per game, scoring defense, and three-point field goal defense.
