starting in 1993, the maac went back to the previous setup for eight teams, 1 vs. 8, 4 vs. 5, 3 vs. 6, and 2 vs. 7. this system was used until 1998, when the maac expanded yet again, adding marist and rider from the nec. with ten teams, a first round play-in format was used, with the bottom four teams playing a first round "play-in" game. the 1 seed would play in the quarterfinals against the highest remaining seed from the first round. this format was used until 2003, when the maac implemented a new format, and expanded to the bottom six teams playing in the first round, and giving the 1 seed a bye into the semifinals. the reasoning was to place a significant premium on in-season play. in 2007, they ended the change, citing the nit awarding bids to conference regular season champions who fail to win their conference's tournament championship. instead of the 1 seed playing the highest remaining seed from the first round, the maac used a basic bracket style. 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9 in the first round, with the 8/9 winner facing the 1 seed, and the 7/10 winner facing the 2 seed. this continued through 2013, when the maac expanded once more.