In his first two seasons at Canisius, Beilein turned a last place 1991–92 squad into a 1993–94 team that recorded the first undefeated home schedule (15–0) in the school's modern era. The team entered the 1994 MAAC Tournament on a 15-game winning streak, and Beilein earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Beilein's number one seeded Canisius team lost in the second round semi-final contest against and thus failed to make the 1994 NCAA Tournament. Although Canisius failed to be invited to participate in the NCAA tournament, Canisius was invited, along with two other schools from the MAAC, to the NIT tournament, and it was matched up against a taller, more experienced Villanova team. The eventual 1994 NIT champion Villanova prevailed in a 103–79 victory over Canisius in the first round.