The women’s basketball side of the MAAC has traditionally sent only one team into March Madness — the conference champion. The last time two MAAC teams made the NCAA Tournament was in 2001, when Siena and Fairfield represented the conference.
“If you look at the history of women’s basketball in the MAAC, we’ve received an (automatic qualifier) and also an at-large bid,” Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “And then you had Marist run through and get to a Sweet 16 for 10 years. And then you had Quinnipiac get to a Sweet 16. I think this is exactly what you want.”
Now, 24 years later, the MAAC becoming a two-bid league could become a reality. Fairfield and Quinnipiac could both join in the mix, bringing the MAAC to national status.
Fairfield already has punched its ticket to the dance, winning the conference championship to cap off a 28-win season by defeating Quinnipiac 76-53 on March 15. Sophomore road runner Megan Anderson led the way with 27 points and junior guard Sydni Scott was perfect from behind the arc with six three-pointers.
After the loss to Fairfield, it’s a question mark for the Bobcats to make the 68-team field, but their track record and resume this season have sparked conversations.
“There’s a lot of talk around three teams from the Ivy League and things like that,” Fairfield head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. “(Quinnipiac) beat two of those Ivy League teams. So in my opinion, they deserve to be in the tournament.”
The Bobcats finished the year with 28 wins, including 18 in conference, their most in the MAAC since the 2018-19 season, where they finished undefeated.
Quinnipiac’s resume includes four wins over teams ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25: No. 4 Harvard, No. 8 Princeton, No. 16 Fairfield and No. 21 Southeastern Louisiana. According to ESPN analyst Charlie Creme’s bracketology, Quinnipiac has defeated four teams currently projected to make the tournament — Harvard, Princeton, Vermont and Fairfield.
While Quinnipiac has a strong case for an at-large bid, its NCAA’s Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking is one critique. As of March 16, the Bobcats sit at No. 100, despite wins over higher-ranked opponents.
The Bobcats finished the season with just four losses — two in overtime against Miami University and Mount St. Mary’s, and two in regulation to Fairfield. The two “bad losses” in this group include the overtime loss to the Mount, which finished as the No. 4 seed in the tournament and the 23-point loss in the MAAC Championship to Fairfield.
Quinnipiac’s success stems from a balanced and united team. MAAC Player of the Year Gal Raviv took the basketball world by storm in her first year in Hamden, averaging 18.3 PPG for second-best in the MAAC. The Kadima, Israel native showcased her ability to score at the rim and from behind the arc making the defenses question how to defend her.
But Raviv wasn’t alone in powering the Bobcats; sophomore center Anna Foley earned
All-MAAC Second Team honors and senior guard Jackie Grisdale earned All-MAAC Third Team, joining Raviv All-MAAC representatives.
Senior forward Grace LaBarge, junior forward Ella O’Donnell and sophomore guard Karson Martin also delivered key performances when their numbers were called. The Bobcats have earned praise from MAAC coaches, who have called on the selection committee to include Quinnipiac in March Madness.
“Watch them,” DuDonis said. “I mean, you can’t tell me, there are 64 teams better than them. Watch them. They are skilled. Gal Raviv is one of the best players in the country hands down. And they’ve got a really balanced team, they’ve got a great point guard, they’ve got inside game, they’ve got great shooters.”
While Quinnipiac will have to wait until 8 p.m. to see if it can sneak into March Madness, it has both the resume and the team to back up an at-large bid.
