HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac men's basketball is set to host another MAAC contest at M&T Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon, as the Bobcats will square off with Niagara at 2:00 PM (streamed live on ESPN+).
The Bobcats will welcome back former student-athletes to celebrate Alumni Day in Hamden. For more information, CLICK HERE. 2025 Alumni Day in Hamden, CT (Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com) LAST TIME OUT: QU DOWNS CANISIUS FOR MAAC WIN (2/5/26)
Quinnipiac men's basketball defeated Canisius, 75-60, on Thursday night at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden. With the win, the Bobcats move to 9-5 in MAAC play.
Quinnipiac led for 38:38 in total. The Bobcats' largest lead was 27 points.
QU outrebounded Canisius 36-30 in the home win. The Bobcats also knocked down 10 3-pointers.
MAAC SUCCESS
Quinnipiac is 39-15 in regular season MAAC contests over the last three seasons (2023 – current).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Bobcats are 34-8 at M&T Bank Arena since the start of the 2023-24 season.
Quinnipiac enters Saturday's contest with a 9-3 mark at home this year
The Bobcats have shot 44.1% in home games this season, and have forced opponents to shoot at a 40.9% clip.
Jaden Zimmerman leads all Bobcats with 18.1 points per contest in home games this season.
OFFENSIVE ATTACK = TOP OF MAAC
Quinnipiac currently boasts the top scoring offense in the MAAC (77.4 PPG).
The Bobcats also lead the league in fast-break points (13.08 per game).
Quinnipiac ranks 44th nationally in adjusted tempo (70.3) according to KenPom.
WELCOME TO THE JAM
Quinnipiac has made 78 dunks already in 2025-26, 32 more than the second-highest MAAC team (Iona has 46).
That total ranks No. 39 nationally, and is the 10th-highest total of any Division I mid-major program.
2025-26 PLAYER NOTES
Reigning MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe has stuffed the stat sheet so far in 2025-26, averaging 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals & 2.3 assists per game. Monroe has 10 double-doubles already this season, including seven over 14 MAAC games.
Jaden Zimmerman has led the scoring charge in '25-26 for the Bobcats, pouring in 16.7 points per game. He was named MAAC Player of the Week on Dec. 8 after leading the Bobcats to a pair of wins to begin conference play. Zimmerman has scored 15+ points 13 different times.
Transfer guard Asim Jones is up to 12.6 points and 4.2 assists per contest through 25 games. He's shooting an impressive 35-of-69 (50.7%) from 3-point range. Jones has posted 14.9 points per contest in MAAC play.
Grant Randall is averaging 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game so far during a breakout sophomore campaign. He has four double-doubles so far this season. Randall is averaging 12.6 points per game in league action.
Keith McKnight has made an immediate impact during his first season with the Bobcats. He's averaging 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest on 55.0% shooting. McKnight has reached double-figure scoring totals 17 different times.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
Niagara enters at 3-10 in MAAC play. The Purple Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak during their latest contest against Canisius on Tuesday night from the Gallagher Center, defeating Canisius 65-56.
The Purple Eagles are led offensively by Justin Page (21.1 PPG).
Greg Paulus is in his seventh season as Head Coach at Niagara, guiding the Purple Eagles to 84 victories during that span.
Quinnipiac is 14-13 during the Division I era against Niagara, though the Purple Eagles have taken five of the last six meetings.
Niagara won the lone meeting between the two teams last year, earning a 76-75 victory in Hamden.
PRESEASON MAAC FAVORITES
For the second straight season, Quinnipiac has been voted as the favorite in the MAAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats earned 158 total points and eight first place votes in the poll.
This marks the second time in program history that the Bobcats have been selected as the preseason favorites.
BACK-TO-BACK MAAC REGULAR SEASON TITLES
The Bobcats are on the heels of a record-breaking two-year stretch, where Quinnipiac posted two consecutive 20-win seasons during Tom Pecora's first two years at the helm.
The Bobcats went 24-10 in 2023-24, then posted a 20-13 mark last season.
QU captured the league's regular season title during both seasons, posting a 15-5 MAAC record in both 2023-24 & 2024-25.
The Bobcats advanced to the semifinal round of the MAAC Tournament in both years.
REIGNING MAAC POTY MONROE RETURNS TO HAMDEN
Reigning MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe returns to Hamden for his senior season. He is the Preseason MAAC Player of the Year for the second season in a row, and was a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-MAAC First Team.
Monroe paced Quinnipiac during 2024-25, averaging 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game – all of which led the team.
The Newburgh, New York-native impressed in conference play, averaging a double-double (19.8 PPG & 10.5 RPG) over 19 MAAC contests.
He finished 2024-25 as the MAAC leader in rebounds per game (9.1), offensive rebounds per game (6.9), and double-doubles (14).
Monroe recorded 20+ points in 17 different games last year. He also grabbed 10+ rebounds in eight consecutive contests to wrap up the regular season.
ALL-ROOKIE HONOREE ZIMMERMAN ALSO BACK FOR BOBCATS
Fellow Preseason All-MAAC honoree Jaden Zimmerman returns to Quinnipiac for his sophomore season. The guard was chosen to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team.
Zimmerman posted 11.0 PPG & 2.1 RPG over 33 contests during his first season with the Bobcats, earning a spot on the 2024-25 MAAC All-Rookie Team.
He registered 20 different games with 10+ points in 2024-25 as a first-year guard.
The Bobcats have 10 players that are 6-foot-5 or taller.
HEAD COACH TOM PECORA
Tom Pecora is currently in his third season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2025-26.
Pecora – a veteran with 17 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – has won back-to-back MAAC Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Bobcats went 15-5 in league play during Pecora's first season at the helm in 2023-24, then followed up with another 15-5 MAAC record in 2024-25. Pecora has more wins (30) over his first two seasons than any men's basketball head coach in the history of the MAAC.
Pecora just completed his eighth season in total with the Bobcats (previously served as Associate HC from 2017-2023). He was announced as Quinnipiac's next Head Coach on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
He has guided his teams to 318-287 record as a collegiate Head Coach (stops at SUNY Farmingdale, Hofstra, Fordham, and Quinnipiac).
Pecora reached 300 total wins on Feb. 14, 2025 after helping lead the Bobcats to a win over Sacred Heart on ESPNU. Quinnipiac has won 130 total games during Pecora's time on staff (since 2017), tallying double-digit win totals in seven of eight seasons.
Prior to his time at Quinnipiac, Pecora served as the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15). He also served as the associate head coach under Jay Wright for seven seasons before taking the head job at Hofstra, the last two of which resulted in America East Conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
As a head coach at Hofstra, Pecora compiled a 155-126 mark in nine seasons, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI), the most for any New York City team over that nine-year span. In 16 years at Hofstra with Pecora on the staff (nine years as a head coach, seven as an assistant), the Pride averaged 19 wins a season (246-161).
During his time in Hempstead, Hofstra was the winningest program in the Metropolitan New York area. Over his last six years, Hofstra won 121 games, including four 20-win seasons. In 2006 and 2009, he was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) and he also received regional Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY).
Prior to joining the staff at Hofstra, Pecora also had previous experience in running a program, serving as head basketball coach at the State University of New York at Farmingdale from 1989-92. In three seasons at Farmingdale, the Rams posted a 62-24 record, captured the Region 15 championship in 1992 (when they finished 20-9), advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament and were ranked as one of the nation's top 20 junior college programs.
He has coached NBA players at his previous two stops as head coach – Speedy Claxton, Norman Richardson, and Charles Jenkins (at Hofstra), and Eric Paschall (at Fordham).
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