What Is 1987 MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament

Overview

The 1987 MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament marked the first-ever postseason championship for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), establishing a new tradition for its member schools. Held from March 6 to March 8, 1987, the event crowned a conference champion and awarded the winner an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

This inaugural tournament featured a small field of teams due to the conference's size at the time, with only six of the MAAC's nine members eligible to participate. The competition culminated in a final showdown between La Salle and Fordham, two historically strong programs in the Northeast.

• La Salle emerged as champions after defeating Fordham 74–66 in the final game, securing their first MAAC title.
• The tournament was held at the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, a neutral site chosen to host the inaugural event.
• As the winner, La Salle earned the MAAC’s automatic bid to the 1987 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
• Only six teams participated, reflecting the MAAC’s limited membership and postseason eligibility rules at the time.
• This tournament was the first of its kind for the MAAC, which had been founded just two years earlier in 1985.

How It Works

The structure of the 1987 MAAC Tournament reflected the conference’s early format, with a limited number of teams and a straightforward bracket system leading to a single-elimination final.

• Format: The tournament used a single-elimination format with six teams, seeded based on regular-season performance. The top two seeds received byes to the semifinals.
• Eligibility: Only teams with winning conference records were eligible, excluding some members due to subpar performances during the regular season.
• Championship Game: The final was held on March 8, 1987, at the Civic Center, where La Salle defeated Fordham 74–66 in front of a regional audience.
• Automatic Bid: The winner received the MAAC’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament, a crucial incentive for competitive balance.
• Seeding: Teams were seeded based on regular-season conference records, with tiebreakers used to determine final placements in the bracket.
• Host Venue: The Civic Center in Hartford was selected as a central, neutral location to ensure fairness and maximize attendance from member schools.

Comparison at a Glance

Below is a comparison of the 1987 MAAC Tournament with later editions and other mid-major conferences at the time:

The 1987 tournament was modest in scale compared to later years and power conferences. While the Big East featured high-profile programs and MSG as a venue, the MAAC was establishing its identity. Over time, the MAAC expanded its tournament format and membership, but the 1987 edition remains a foundational moment in conference history.

Why It Matters

The 1987 MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament was more than just a championship—it was a milestone in the development of the conference and mid-major college basketball.

• Established conference legitimacy by creating a formal postseason structure, helping the MAAC gain recognition among NCAA Division I leagues.
• Provided national exposure when La Salle advanced to the NCAA Tournament, increasing visibility for MAAC programs.
• Set a precedent for future tournaments, with the MAAC continuing the tradition annually, expanding to include more teams over time.
• Highlighted regional rivalries, particularly between La Salle and Fordham, two Philadelphia-area schools with strong basketball histories.
• Influenced conference expansion, as success in the tournament encouraged other schools to join or remain in the MAAC.
• Created a blueprint for mid-major tournaments, showing how smaller conferences could build competitive postseason events.

The 1987 tournament laid the groundwork for future growth, proving that even a small conference could produce a compelling and meaningful championship event.