The Metro Conference revealed its 2026-27 schedule for men’s basketball on Thursday through an official press release. Every program is slated to play 20 league matches, and the top 10 teams will advance to the Metro Conference Tournament hosted in Atlantic City.
According to prior reporting by Mid-Major Madness, the first matchup of the season features Saint Peter’s facing Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 2 in Riverdale. A rematch of the conference title game is also scheduled for the first weekend, with defending regular-season champions Merrimack visiting the reigning tournament champions, Siena, on Friday, Dec. 4. This contest will additionally mark Nevada Smith’s premiere Metro Conference game as Siena’s head coach.
Every squad is scheduled to play eight different opponents both at home and on the road, while playing another two exclusively at home and two solely on the road. Below is the complete list of these single-game matchups.
HOME ONLY
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Canisius: Iona, Quinnipiac
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Fairfield: Manhattan, Saint Peter’s
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Iona: Rider, Mount St. Mary’s
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Manhattan: Canisius, Niagara
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Marist: Manhattan, Fairfield
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Merrimack: Iona, Sacred Heart
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Mount St. Mary’s: Merrimack, Saint Peter’s
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Niagara: Siena, Fairfield
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Quinnipiac: Mount St. Mary’s, Marist
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Rider: Sacred Heart, Merrimack
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Sacred Heart: Niagara, Quinnipiac
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Saint Peter’s: Marist, Siena
ROAD ONLY
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Canisius: Manhattan, Siena
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Fairfield: Niagara, Marist
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Iona: Canisius, Merrimack
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Manhattan: Fairfield, Marist
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Marist: Quinnipiac, Saint Peter’s
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Merrimack: Rider, Mount St. Mary’s
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Mount St. Mary’s: Iona, Quinnipiac
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Niagara: Sacred Heart, Manhattan
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Quinnipiac: Sacred Heart, Canisius
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Sacred Heart: Rider, Merrimack
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Saint Peter’s: Fairfield, Mount St. Mary’s
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Siena: Saint Peter’s, Niagara
Opening Nights
After the Saint Peter’s vs. Manhattan opener on Dec. 2, the remaining Metro programs will start their schedules on Friday, Dec. 4. The opening night schedule features:
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Mount St. Mary’s at Niagara
Following the first weekend of action (Dec. 2, 4, and 6), programs will shift to non-conference play for three weeks. League action will resume on Tuesday, Dec. 29. On New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, fans can look forward to a full slate of six games, highlighted by Saint Peter’s playing at Quinnipiac and Siena hosting Iona.
Saturday Slates
The Metro Conference featured three Saturday matchdays during the 2025-26 run, but has scaled down to just two for 2026-27. These will take place on the Saturday preceding MLK Day and the Saturday immediately leading up to the Super Bowl.
A number of league representatives expressed dissatisfaction with the standard of refereeing during last year’s Super Bowl Saturday. Securing elite game officials is particularly challenging on Saturdays due to heavy competition from power conferences and other mid-majors. Because Fridays and Sundays feature far fewer games, the league can more easily attract top-tier referees on those days.
MLK Day
For the second year in a row, the Metro has scheduled games on MLK Day. The matchups for MLK Day include
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Mount St. Mary’s at Saint Peter’s
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Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart
Rivalry Games
The scheduled dates for several premier Metro Conference rivalry games are as follows:
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Siena-Marist: Sunday, Jan. 31 (at Poughkeepsie) and Sunday, Feb. 28 (at Albany)
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Manhattan-Iona: Friday, Feb. 5 (at New Rochelle) and Friday, Feb. 19 (at Riverdale)
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Niagara-Canisius: Sunday, Jan. 24 (at Lewiston) and Thursday, Feb. 11 (at Buffalo)
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Saint Peter’s-Rider: Sunday, Jan. 3 (at Jersey City) and Sunday, Jan. 24 (at Lawrenceville)
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Fairfield-Quinnipiac: Sunday, Jan. 24 (at Hamden) and Saturday, Feb. 13 (at Fairfield)
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Fairfield-Sacred Heart: Friday, Feb. 5 (at Pitt Center) and Sunday, Feb. 28 (at Mahoney Arena)
Regular Season Conclusion
League play for the Metro Conference regular season wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 28.
Metro Conference Tournament
Atlantic City will host the Metro Conference Tournament for the eighth straight season. This is part of a fresh contract extension announced last February, ensuring the championship tournament remains at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall through 2031.
The postseason event will continue to feature only the top 10 squads, kicking off on Thursday, March 4 with the 8/9 and 7/10 matchups. The men’s title game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9.
Extra Details
This campaign marks Fairfield’s final season in the Metro before they transition to the CAA. The league lost nearly all of its All-Conference players—the sole exception being Quinnipiac’s Asim Jones, who confirmed his return just weeks ago following the Colorado court decision—though a pair of All-Rookie team selections, Declan Wucherpfennig of Fairfield and Keith McKnight of Quinnipiac, are back. Nevada Smith of Siena is the only new head coach in the league, taking over for Gerry McNamara, who accepted an assistant coaching role at Syracuse.
