Still no fans
MAAC policy for rest of season, tournament still to be determined
The MAAC, which includes Siena, extends its ban on fans at basketball games through at least the end of January because of the pandemic./
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which includes Siena, has extended its ban on fans at basketball games through at least the end of January because of the coronavirus pandemic, league commissioner Rich Ensor tweeted Tuesday.
Ensor said the decision was made at a recent MAAC Committee on Athletic Administration meeting. Possible fan attendance in February and at the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City in March are still to be determined, according to Ensor.
Ensor said that determination will be made based on infection rates, state policies and, in the case of the league tournament, what the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is allowed by the state to do at Boardwalk Hall, the site of the tournament.
The Siena men are playing their home games on campus at Alumni Recreation Center instead of Times Union Center for the time being with no fans allowed because of the pandemic. The Siena women play almost all their home contests at the ARC, anyway.
The Siena men have just two more scheduled home games through the end of January —
Jan. 22 and 23 against Saint Peter’s. The Siena women’s remaining four games in January are all on the road.
TU Center general manager Bob Belber said last week he’s hopeful the state will allow the arena to open to a limited number of fans in February, using the admittance of fewer than 7,000 fans into Buffalo Bills’ playoff games as a precedent.
Whether a similar exception will be made for college basketball — played indoors, unlike football — remains to be seen with COVID -19 numbers still rising. There was an 8.9 percent positive seven-day rolling average in testing in Albany County as of Monday, according to state figures.
The Siena men have six home games scheduled in February, while the women have six in February and March.
Note: The Siena men’s basketball team’s game against Saint Peter’s on Jan. 22 at Alumni Recreation Center will be televised nationally on ESPNU, the schools announced Tuesday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. The Friday night game was selected as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Wildcard game, flexed to ESPNU. It was originally scheduled to be shown locally on WNYA, also known as My4 Albany. ESPNU is on Ch. 370 on Spectrum in the Capital Region. It’s the third straight year the Saints have been chosen for a Wildcard game. The Saints (4-0 overall, 4-0 MAAC) have won 14 straight games, the second-longest winning streak in the program’s Division I history, entering their series at Rider on Friday and Saturday. Saint Peter’s is 6-5, 3-3 and coming off a pause for COVID-19 contact tracing heading into games at Iona on Sunday and Monday. The Peacocks are the last team to beat Siena, an 85-80 victory in Jersey City, N.J. last Feb. 2.