New for the 2011-2012 seasons, the America East Daily Word, a collaboration between AmericaEast.com and AExtra, will recap the previous day's games and on goings on our nine campuses and provide links to previews, recaps, features and exclusive coverage.
Preseason
tournaments, non-conference showdowns and banner raising ceremonies – all terms
that can describe one of the best days of the year. Teams from all over the
country open the college basketball season tomorrow.
All
of the America East men’s and women’s squad hit the hardwood tomorrow night, or
at least at some point this weekend. The Hartford women’s squad hosts a game in
the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament, an 8 p.m. tilt with the
Jaspers from Manhattan. The Hawks will also raise a 2011 Conference
Championship banner.
Nine
of the 16 teams in this year’s field are coming off postseason berths last
season including the Hawks, who made their sixth appearance in the NCAA
Tournament a year ago. Friday night’s contest is one of three guaranteed games
in the WNIT for Hartford. If the Hawks were to win against Manhattan, they
would move on to the second round to face the winner of the Long Island-Drexel
matchup.
Manhattan
leads the all-time series against Hartford, 4-2.
Some other news out
of Hartford this week, the Connecticut 6 Classic will be hosted by the
University of Hartford in 2012. The one-day, three-game, six-team event is in
its third year of existence and is held annually at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The
announcement came on Tuesday that the Reich Family Pavilion would host the six
Division I mid-major men’s basketball teams next season. Take a look at a video
from the tip-off breakfast in downtown Hartford.
For more of the Daily Word, check out the AExtra blog.