Lucky Number 13
Albany looks to become the second-straight America East team to record a win in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 13 seed. Vermont played the role of Cinderella at the 2005 NCAA Tournament as the No. 13 Catamounts shocked No. 4 Syracuse in overtime, 60-57. UVM became the first America East team to win a game in the NCAA Championship since the Malik Rose-led Drexel Dragons defeated Memphis, 75-63, in the first round of the West Regional at Albuquerque in 1996. America East Champions also received a No. 13 seed in 2001 and 1999.
Why Not Us?
Playing under the mantra of "Why not us?", Albany nearly became the first 16 seed in the history of the NCAA to knock off a No. 1 seed as the Great Danes gave top-ranked Connecticut all it could handle in the 2006 first round. Albany led by 12 points in the second half before the Big East power took over down the stretch, recording a 72-59 win.
NCAA Tournament
America East has never sent more than one team to the NCAA Championship since its inception as a basketball conference in 1980.
NIT
Vermont's partcipation in the 2007 National Invitation Tournament marks the fourth time in the past five years that America East has placed at least one team in the NIT, including two in 2005 for the first time in conference history. Boston University has appeared in the NIT three of the last five seasons, while Vermont is making its first-ever NIT appearance.
Reggie Lewis Award
Albany's Jamar Wilson became just the fourth player in league history to repeat as the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament. Wilson joins Vermont's Taylor Coppenrath (2004, 2005), Hofstra's Speedy Claxton (1998, 2000) and Drexel's Malik Rose (1995, 1996) as the only repeat winners. The Reggie Lewis Award is given each year to the most outstanding player in the America East Men’s Basketball Championship. The award was named in memory of Lewis, the former Northeastern star, prior to the 1993-94 season. Lewis was drafted in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, and was captain of the Celtics at the time of his death on July 27, 1993.
Storied History
Several former America East Champions are still coaching at the collegiate level. Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun won five titles (1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986) while at Northeastern; Mike Brey won back-to-back titles at Delaware (1998, 1999) before moving to Notre Dame and passing the baton to Villanova’s Jay Wright, who was a back-to-back champion at Hofstra in 2000 and 2001. In addition, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino guided Boston University to an America East title in 1983.
Mr. Wilson
Jamar Wilson of Albany became the fifth player in conference history to repeat as America East Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Wilson joined the elite company of Taylor Coppenrath of Vermont (2003, 2004, 2005), Speedy Claxton of Hofstra (1998, 2000), Drexel’s Malik Rose (1995, 1996) and Northeastern’s Reggie Lewis (1985, 1986, 1987) as the only players to repeat as Player of the Year in America East history. Wilson, the 2003 Rookie of the Year, is the program’s all-time leading scorer and currently leads the conference in scoring (18.5 ppg) and ranks second in assists (4.84 apg) and fifth in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
Where there's a Will There's a way
Sixth-year head coach Will Brown has turned Albany into the premier program in America East men's basketball. In his first three seasons on the sidelines of the Great Danes, Brown posted a combined 19-60 (.241) mark and never finished higher than seventh in the conference standings. Since then, Brown's Danes are 57-35 (.620) with back-to-back league titles and subsequent berths to the NCAA Tournament.
It's Pat
Second-year Albany assistant coach Pat Filien could became the first person in America East men's basketball history to win five straight conference titles. Filien has helped guide the Great Danes to back-to-back conference crowns and spent the previous four seasons as an assistant at Vermont under Tom Brennan, where he helped guide the Catamounts to an 89-36 (.712) record and three-straight America East Championships (2003, 2004, 2005). In the 87 years prior to Filien’s arrival to UVM the Catamounts were 860-938 (.478). Albany is 43-19 (.694) in Filien’s first two seasons on the staff, while the Great Danes were just 50-118 (.298) prior to his arrival to the capital city.
Familiar Face
Virginia head coach Dave Leitao is no stranger to America East. A four-year letterwinner (1979-82) at former America East-member Northeastern, Leitao served as an assistant coach at NU for two seasons (1984-86) and was later head coach for two seasons (1994-96), posting a 22-35 (.386) mark. Leitao's most memorable moments in America East, formerly the ECAC North then North Atlantic Conference, came back during the 1982 NCAA Tournament. As captain of the 1982 NU squad, Leitao helped guide No. 11 Northeastern to a 63-62 first round victory over No. 6 St. Joseph's. The senior then logged 54 minutes played in the third-longest game in NCAA tourney history as the Huskies dropped a triple-overtime heart-breaker to Villanova, 76-72, in the second round. Villanova would eventually lose to National Champion, North Carolina, two games later in the Regional Final.
Non-Conference Success
With the non-conference regular-season complete, America East squads sailed past last year's non-conference win total. America East teams are 49-64 (.434) in 2006-07, compared to just 33-69 (.324) a season ago. Forty-nine wins is the most since the league recorded 52 in 1994-95 when there were also nine teams in America East.
? Three league teams are .500 or better in non-conference play on the 2006-07 season. Last season, only Albany (8-8) posted a non-conference mark of .500 or better. Vermont (8-5) boasts the best non-conference record this campaign, followed by Binghamton (7-5), Albany (7-6), Hartford (6-7), Stony Brook (5-7), Maine (5-8) UMBC (4-9), New Hampshire (4-9) and Boston University (3-9).
America East 20th In RPI Report
The Collegiate Basketball News RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) Report was released on Monday (March 12) and America East remained the 20th-ranked league in the nation. Albany moved up 12 spots to 78, while Vermont slipped nine positions to 85 and the two remain the league's top squads.
? As a conference, the league ranks 20th in the country, which is seven spots higher than last season's final RPI of 27, and 10th among other mid-major leagues. Most notably, America East ranks ahead of the MAAC (25th overall/15th among mid-majors) and the Ohio Valley (27th/17th).
? Six of the nine America East members boast higher RPIs than they finished with a season ago. See the list below that compares last year's final RPI with this year's current RPI and the number of spots each school has moved up.
School 2005-06 2006-07 Increase
Vermont 212 85 +127
UMBC 297 214 +83
Hartford 268 226 +42
Albany 116 78 +38
Maine 281 248 +33
Stony Brook 310 281 +29
Close Competition
With the 2006-07 regular-season conference slate complete, the competition around America East was very close. Of the 72 league games played, 40 were decided by 10 points or less and 31 by five points or less. On the season, America East teams have combined to play a total of 258 games with 50.8 percent (131) decided by 10 points or less and 31.4 percent (81) decided by five points or less.
Road Warriors
The biggest component to America East's non-conference success this season has been the ability of league teams to win on the road. Conference teams have combined to win 29 non-conference road games in 2006-07, compared to just nine a season ago. The most notable road victory to date was Vermont's victory at #14 Boston College, but the overall road successes of the league could loom large when the league's automatic qualifier is seeded for the NCAA Tournament and for other postseason candidates as well.
Lights, Camera, Action
America East announced its most comprehensive television schedule in history with more than 50 men’s and women’s basketball games slated for broadcast in 2006-07. Included in the package is the men's basketball title game, which aired live on ESPN2 on March 10.