Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall Thrives With Lively Atmosphere During MAAC Basketball Championship

The city of Atlantic City gets its fair share of criticism, but it had a good showing this weekend at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.

I went to games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights with each night getting more and more people in the building.

The atmosphere was very good, with the acoustics of Boardwalk Hall showing off during the key moments of the Championship game. Mount St. Mary's fans erupted for the Mountaineers as they punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and made their presence felt throughout much of the second half of the game.

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Between the sound of the band, the crowd, and the passion of the players, there was a positive vibe inside Boardwalk Hall.

There was a social media post about the games being at Boardwalk Hall with many favorable responses from college basketball fans about the venture.

I was happy to see the crowds later in the week, which grew as the tournament went on.

Here are some listeners of The SPorts Bash who reached out and said they enjoyed the games!

Next year, the crowds could be even better.

The MAAC is moving from a Tuesday-Saturday schedule to a Thursday-Tuesday schedule thanks to its new partnership with ESPN. The men’s and women’s basketball semifinals taking place on Sunday, March 8, the MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship game on Monday night March 9, and the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship game being played on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

The hope is that the 10 participating schools will all be willing to spend a weekend in Atlantic City, allowing students and fans to come and enjoy more games at the hall. If their favorite team advances to the finals, they can hang out for another night.

Locals should also be able to catch more of the action.  It's tough to make it out for games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - but with most games being on weekends next season, more locals should be able to support this awesome event.