The 2011-12 basketball season is finally here and all nine America East squads will hit the floor for the first time on Friday, including four on home courts.
Vermont will get things started with the second game of the season in all of Division I. The Catamounts visit Columbia for a noon-time matinee.
The preseason favorite UMBC Retrievers will host Morgan State at 5 p.m. as part of a double-header with the men's team. UMBC went 12-1 last year at RAC Arena, including 8-0 in confernece play.
The Retrievers are ranked 21st in the College Insider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, checking in at 21. The other two America East squads receiving votes-- Hartford with 16 votes and Boston U. with four -- will also host home games Friday night.
Boston U. will welcome Providence to Case Gym at 7 p.m. after the Terrier men's game against Northeastern.
The Hawks will be raising the 2011 America East Championship banner
Friday night before playing Manhattan in a preseason WNIT game at 8 p.m. Should
Hartford win, it will face the winner of LIU and Drexel, but regardless
of Friday's outcome, the Hawks are guaranteed a minimum of two more
games in the tournament's format.
Binghamton and Mt. St. Mary's square off at the Events Center where the Bearcats will see the return of first-team all-conference guard Andrea Holmes who missed the final three games of last season with injury. First tip is at 7 p.m.
The newest head coaches in America East will make their debut for Stony Brook and Maine, respectively, Friday night on the road. Coach Beth O'Boyle and the Seawolvves will be at Fairfield, while Richard Barron and the Black Bears will meet Central Connecticut in New Britain. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
Later in the evening, New Hampshire will begin the season against Brown at 7:30 p.m. and Albany will play at Fordham with first tip at 8 p.m.
View the full Daily Update here.
Friday, November 11
Vermont at Columbia, 12:05 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
Morgan State at UMBC, 5 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
Stony Brook at Fairfield, 7 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
Mt. St. Mary's at Binghamton, 7 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
Providence at Boston U., 7 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
Maine at Central Conn., 7 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
New Hampshire at Brown, 7:30 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio (Brown) l
Manhattan at Hartford (WNIT), 8 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l
Albany at Fordham, 8 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio (Fordham) l