An America East-record eight basketball teams will continue their seasons in the postseason this year. With eight games over the next six days, and hopefully even more next week, America East's communications team of Sean Tainsh and Jared Hager are hitting the road to cover all the action. The America East postseason journey will give fans the inside scoop on all eight teams and their postseason experiences, including game coverage, behind-the-scene looks, historical perspective and more!
Sunday, March 24
4:43 p.m.: Albany give No. 3 seed North Carolina all they could handle in this one, but the Tar Heels earned some important extra possessions with offensive rebounds in the final minutes to beat the Great Danes, 59-54. Albany led for most of the game and stayed right with the ACC runner-up. Just a couple better bounces could have seen this one go differently, but a great showing from the America East champ here in Delaware.
4:15 p.m.: The play of Sarah Royals can't be overlooked in this one. After North Carolina tied the game, Royals has shown herself to be the on-court leader. She hit Henry for a layup on a backdoor cut then drew the 4th foul on Tierra Ruffin-Pratt by taking a charge. She has 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as Albany leads 48-44 with less than 9 minutes to play.
3:58 p.m.:Albany has led by as many as eight points in the second half but Megan Craig's third foul has caused some problems on the boards. Shereesha Richards has eight points and four rebounds and has been an important lift off the bench for the Great Danes who lead 39-34 with 15:18 left.
3:38 p.m.:Albany played stifling defense in the first half to hold North Carolina to 27-percent shooting, as the Great Danes lead 28-23 at halftime. Julie Forster already has 10 rebounds in the game while Lindsey Lowrie leads with eight points. Another story line to watch is North Carolina leading scorer Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, who has 11 in the first half, picked-up three fouls in the first half.
3:21 p.m.:Megan Craig has made a big difference down low and has given the Great Danes a 23-19 lead at the final media timeout of the first half. Defensively Albany has forced North Carolina into a lot of tough jumpers by using a 2-3 zone.
2:56 p.m.:Albany has had some early shooting struggles, missing eight of its first nine shots, but the Great Danes still only trail North Carolina 11-8 with 11:51 left in the first half. Lindsey Lowrie has knocked down a couple 3-pointers and Albany has been able to get some good looks in the early going.
2:33 p.m.
2:08 p.m.: Game one just finished up here at the Bob Carpenter Center with host Delaware defeating West Virginia, 66-53. Elena Della Donne had 33 points for the Blue Hens who play the winner of Albany and North Carolina.
12:05 p.m.: Just arrived at the Bob Carpenter Center to check out No. 6 Delaware and No. 11 West Virginia, which will be followed by the Great Danes and Tar Heels at 2:30 p.m.
The Danes will match-up well with the Tar Heels in terms of size, as North Carolina's tallest player comes in at 6-6 while Albany's Megan Craig measures 6-8. The key to the game will be guard play and taking care of the basketball. Albany has a +2.47 turnover margin heading into today's game.
Saturday, March 23
4:47 p.m.: The Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware is a great on-campus facility. The school put a major addition on that included practice gyms and locker rooms, making it a great place to host an NCAA event.
Albany senior Ebone Henry and Julie Forster, along with junior Lindsey Lowrie went into today's press conference with head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. It was easy to see how excited the team was to be there.
"One of our main focuses this year was to get back to this point," said Forster. "After winning the league last year, obviously you want to continue that success."
The practice has been very high-energy. The team is focused and active as they go through their defensive assignments. North Carolina lost in the ACC title game to Duke and is 41-22 all-time in the NCAA tournament, while Albany is making just its second appearance.
4:09 p.m.: After a great season where they earning the program's second-ever posseason win, Boston University fell, 58-44, in the WNIT second round at Fordham. The Terriers finished the year 24-6 and beat Sacred Heart on Thursday to advance to the WNIT second round for the second time.
2:49 p.m.: We made it to Newark and are checked-in at the hotel. We'll be heading over to the Bob Carpenter Center for the Albany press conference at 3:30 p.m. followed by open practice from 4:20-5:50 p.m. Stay tuned for updates and quotes!
7:36 a.m.: A great season for Stony Brook came to an end last night at the hands of Iowa in the second round of the NIT. The Seawolves had a great effort in a hostile environment and had the Hawkeyes on the ropes midway through the second half. Here's the game story.
Right now I'm on my way to Philadelphia aboard the train where I'll meet up with Commissioner Amy Huchthausen and make the short drive to Newark, Del. While the season is over for the men's teams, Albany plays in the NCAA tournament tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2 against North Carolina. And we have more postseason basketball today as Boston U. travels to play Fordham in the second round of the NIT at 2 p.m. Watch that game here.
Friday, March 22
7:05 p.m.:While Albany's season may have ended today, Stony Brook will try to extend its year tonight when it faces Iowa in the second round of the NIT at 9:30 on ESPNU. A sellout crowd is expected in Iowa City, where the Seawolves will try to advance to the NIT quarterfinals. If they do, they'd be the first America East team to do so and just the second to win multiple games in one postseason. If you can't get to a TV, watch the game here
5:15 p.m.: Here's the full recap that also has links to the box score, press conference transcripts and highlights.
4:15 p.m.: Thwith how his team played. "Very proud of my guys. We really competed. They believed all week long that we were going to win this game, and we prepared the way we always prepare. We played with great toughness, great resiliency, like we have all year long, and I'm very happy for our University, very happy for our athletic department and our program.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski agreed with Brown's assessment. "Albany played like a team that just won a championship and had 24 wins. Those veteran guards were terrific and their big guys were very physical. I thought it was a great game for us, and they shot the lights out of it, nine out of 15 from threes and hit every free throw. I mean, they just‑‑ I thought they played really well, like we beat a team playing really well this afternoon."
2:30 p.m.: Albany gave Duke all it could handle this afternoon, but came up short, falling the first round of the NCAA tournament, 73-61. We'll have more after press conferences.
1:25 p.m.: Though 20 minutes of action, Albany is hanging tough against Duke. Despite shooting 60 percent from the field, the Blue Devils only lead the Great Danes by nine at the break, 35-26. The game could have gotten away from Albany, but it used an 8-0 run to get within six points. The Great Danes were opportunistic in the first half, turning seven Duke turnovers into 11 points. Luke Devlin and Jacob Iati lead Albany with seven points apiece.
12:15 p.m.: It's finally game time! Albany and Duke are minutes away from tip. If your stuck at work and can't watch the game on CBS, watch in on March Madness Live apps or tablets and smartphones or here. We'll have updates here throughout the game. Starters for Albany are Mike Black, Jacob Iati, Sam Rowley, Gary Johnson and John Puk. For Duke, its Quinn Cook, Seth Curry, Rasheed Sulaimon, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly.
9:45 a.m.: Why not us? That was the mantra the Albany men's basketball team adopted in the 2006, the last time they played an NCAA tournament game in Philadelphia, where they'll take on Duke in just under three hours today.
The Great Danes will try muster up some of the magic from '06 when the faced the tournament's top overall seed, UConn in the first round and gave the Huskies all they could handle. Trying to become the first 16 seed to ever knock off a No. 1, Albany led UConn, 50-38, with 11:26 left before running out of gas. The Huskies would score 34 of the game's last 43 points, to ultimately win, 72-59. But, Albany showed the world they could play with the big boys and will try to do so today at 12:15 against the Blue Devils.
Thursday, March 21
9:01 p.m.: Finished up at The Roof just in time to catch the tail end of Hartford and Harvard. A clutch 3-pointer by Christie Michals with 30 seconds left brough Hartford within 2 points but Elle Hagedorn had a put-back on the ensuing Harvard possession to put the game away for the Crimson. Hartford finished a strong season 21-12.
Boston U. discovered its fate as the Terriers will travel to Fordham, who had a 55-46 win over Army in its first round game. That game will be Saturday at 2 p.m. in Bronx, N.Y.
8:35 p.m.: And it's over at The Roof! Boston U. earns its second postseason win in school history and the first WNIT win for the America East since 2009 with a 61-49 win over Sacred Heart. The Terriers await the winner of Fordham/Army in the second round.
8:25 p.m.: The three-headed monster of Chantell Alford, Rashidat Agboola and Mo Moran is really showing why this Terrier team is so tough to guard. The trio have combined for 37 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists as Boston U. leads 59-45 with 2:06 left.
8:18 p.m.:The Terriers have had problems with the press with Mo Moran in the lineup. She came out for two possessions, both Boston U. turnovers and was immediately inserted back into the lineup and the Terriers scored. Right now it's 48-41 Boston U. with 8:05 left. Meanwhile I'm watching Hartford and Harvard at the same time where the Hawks have a 41-38 lead with 11:50 remaining in that one.
8:11 p.m. Boston U. built a 15-point lead in the second half but the Pioneers have cut that to 7 with an 8-0 run. The Terriers have gone through stretches where they have struggled with the Pioneers pressure. Sacred Heart presses and plays a scrambling zone defense all game.
7:41 p.m.: The Terriers showed no signs of rust in the first half, shooting 51.7-percent from the floor to take a 38-27 lead over Sacred Heart at halftime. Boston U. struggled with the Pioneers pressure over the first few minutes with six turnovers, but point guard Mo Moran has been the catalyst of the offense. The senior has seven points and three assists in the first half. Chantell Alford hit two 3-pointers for Boston U. to move into fifth on the single season list with 78. After Sacred Heart closed the Terrier lead to one, Boston U. ended the half on an 11-1 run over the final 5:26.
6:49 p.m.: We're ready for two WNIT games to tip at 7 p.m. as Boston U. hosts Sacred Heart and Hartford welcome Harvard. We'll be at The Roof for the Terriers and the Pioneers but we'll be keeping tabs on the Hawks and Crimson. Boston U. has had 26 days off since its last game and looks ready to go. You can see the intensity in warm-ups. The Hawks are playing in their America East record ninth-straight postseason. We'll see how things shake out tonight as two America East teams have not advanced to the second round of the WNIT in the same season in conference history.
1:50 p.m.: It's practice and press conference day in Philadelphia, where Albany went through its obligations a little earlier. The mood given off by the Great Danes is a happiness to be here, but they are also focused on difficult task of beating Duke that lies ahead of them. "It's been a good time so far just experiencing everything and we're trying to suck it all in and embrace it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Jacobi Iati. "But, there's two sides to the spectrum, one where we're trying to enjoy the moment and one where we're coming to play a basketball game and trying to win." Head coach Will Brown echoded that sentiment. "We know we have a tough task of competing against one of the elite teams in all of college basketball and the greatest coach in our business today in Coach K. With that being said, we believe we're going to scrape, we're going to claw, we're going to fight, we're going to be smart aggressive and we're playing this game to win. We're definitely not just happy to be here." You can check out the full transcript from Albany's press conference here.
10:35 a.m.: Four of the five America East men's teams have already played postseason games, but the women get underway tonight with both Hartford and Boston University hosting WNIT games. The Hawks will face Harvard and the Terriers take on Sacred Heart, both at 7 p.m. It is only the third time in conference history that multiple teams have been invited to the WNIT and the second time that two teams will be hosting. The two teams playing tonight are led by the two active wins leaders in the conference. Hartford's Jen Rizzotti has 276 wins entering tonight while Boston U.'s Kelly Greenberg has 256 career wins with 172 with the Terriers. For a full preview click here.
9:31 a.m.: We're en route to Philadelphia after spending last night in New Jersey following Stony Brook's thrilling win over UMass in the NIT. I came away incredibly impressed by Stony Brook's professionalism, which is a testament to the program Steve Pikiell and his staff have built. Some teams that have their NCAA hopes dashed so suddenly have a tough time getting up for a game in another postseason tournament. But that wasn't the case for Stony Brook, which was motivated to play hard for its seniors said junior guard Anthony Jackson, who tied for a game-high 20 points with backcourt mate Dave Coley. “We wanted to get this postseason win for our seniors,” Jackson said. “We didn’t want to leave them out to dry with that loss to Albany. It was kind of a short memory with that, we knew we had to take the next step and get ready for the next game.” That mindset led to the Seawolves earning their first-ever postseason win, the league's fifth in five years and 13th overall. SBU hopes to add to those totals when it takes on Iowa in the second round of the tournament Friday.
Wednesday, March 20
9:05 p.m.: It's all over at the Mullins Center. Stony Brook defeated UMass, 71-58, in the first round of the NIT. The Seawolves shot 51.8 percent from the floor and held UMass 16 points below its season average to claim America East's first NIT win since 1987. The Seawolves will play Iowa in the second round. The Seawolves will head to Iowa for their second-round matchup and face the Hawkeyes on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. That's it for today. Tomorrow we'll have coverage from Philadelphia, where Albany will have its press conference and open practice day.
8:50 p.m.: One interesting development, first-team All-Atlantic 10 point guard Chaz Williams left the game early this half with what looked like a shoulder injury. He went to the locker room and has since returned to the bench, but not returned to action. 3:45 left.
8:45 p.m.: We've got 5:22 left in this one with Stony Brook hanging onto a 59-51 lead. The UMass full court pressure has intensified, but the Seawolves keep hitting shots and are shooting 50 percent from the floor.
8:05 p.m.: Stony Brook closed the first half on a sensational 17-0 run and leads UMass 38-25 at halftime of the two team's NIT first round contest. The Seawolves' trademark defense stepped up after a slow start. UMass hit 5-of-7 to start the game and made only 4-of-23 shots the rest of the way, going scoreless over the final 7:05 of the half. Anthony Jackson's 14 points leads all scorers.
7:27 p.m.: So far UMass is setting the pace, but Stony Brook is keeping up. The Seawolves lead the Minutemen, 15-11, nearly six minutes in. Stony Brook has hit 6-of-10 shots while UMass has made 5-of-8.
7:10 p.m.: We're courtside at the Mullins Center, where Stony Brook will battle UMass in the first round of the NIT in just 10 minutes. These two teams offer contrasting styles and strengths. UMass likes to run and averages nearly 74 points per game, while Stony Brook prides itself on its defense, allowing 56.8 points per game, which ranks 12th in the country. One aspect to monitor tonight is will Stony Brook be rusty? The Seawolves have had nine days off while UMass last played Saturday. Check in throughout the game for updates.
5:10 p.m.: As Stony Brook and UMass wind down tonight in Amherst, La Salle will begin play in NCAA First Four against Boise St. in Dayton. What's the Explorers' connection to America East you ask? La Salle's head coach, John Giannini, served as Maine's head coach for nine seasons, leading the Black Bears to the America East championship game in 2002 and 04. Giannini is one of several current and former head coaches across the country who got their start in America East, a list headlined by some of the biggest names in the sport: Rick Pitino, Jay Wright, Mike Brey. In total, Giannini is one of seven current Division I coaches to have spent time as a head coach at an America East school and one of four to lead his team to this year's tournament, joining the three afore mentioned coaches. Overall, the group has combined to win over 2,000 games, make six Final Fours and win a national championship. Additionally the recently retired Jim Calhoun, who won a league-record five titles while at Northeastern, won over 600 NCAA games, took UConn to four Final Fours and won three national titles. Others have had success too. Former UNH coach Jim Boylan is the current head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. John Kuester, who coached Boston U., was the head coach of the Detroit Pistons for two years. The list goes on for America East, truly a coaches' conference.
2:10 p.m.: After snow in the Boston area hampered travel on Tuesday, the America East office will hit the road on Wednesday, heading west to Amherst for Stony Brook's NIT matchup with UMass. The game will air on ESPN3 at 7:15 (Watch Here). We'll then continue on towards Philadelphia, stopping halfway, and finish up the route tomorrow morning, arriving in Philly in time for Albany's 11:20 press conference and noon practice. Stay tuned for updates from the road!
12:10 a.m.: The third and final game of the night ended in a similar fashion to the previous two, with an America East team falling by a score not indicitative of how close the game really was. Vermont (21-12) dropped a 77-67 decision at Santa Clara in the first round of the CBI. The Catamounts led by as many as five in the second half and held an advantage late in the game, but were felled by a 7-0 Santa Clara run down the stretch. The effort was commendable by UVM, which arrived at its hotel in the middle of the night after busing from Burlington to Boston and then taking a 7 p.m. flight to San Fransisco before busing the remaining hour to Santa Clara. The Catamounts, who earned their 10th 20-win season in 12 years in 2012-13, will be a contender again next season as they lose just two players from this year's team.
Tuesday, March 19
11:15 p.m.: Boston U. (17-13) and Hartford (17-14) fell in CIT first-round action. The Hawks allowed Rider to shoot 52.2 percent from the field, including 61 percent in the second half, in a 63-54 loss while Boston U. was out scored by 13 in the seond half and fell at Loyola, 70-63. Mark Nwakamma paced Hartford with 17 points while Dom Morris had 17 for Boston U. Both teams end their seasons with 17 victories.
8:35 p.m.: A good game is shaping up in Hartford, where Rider leads Hartford by three (51-48) with five minutes left. The Hawks have stayed in the game despite shooting just 2-of-13 from three-point land. Mark Nwakamma is a big reason why. He has 15 pionts and five rebounds.
6:00 p.m.: The postseason officially gets underway tonight with three of the five men's teams still playing, an all-time high for the league, in action. For two of the teams hitting the court Tuesday, Vermont and Boston U., playing in the postseason is old hat as the two teams have combined for 23 berths. The Catamounts, who play at Santa Clara in the CBI at 10 p.m. Tuesday, are making their fifth-straight postseason and ninth in 11 years while Boston U. will play in the middle of March for the third time in four years and the 14th time overall. The Terriers visit Loyola in the CIT at 7:30 p.m. Hartford on the other hand, is new to the game and will make its first-ever postseason appearance Tuesday. The Hawks, who are in their 28th season playing Division I hoops, will host Rider in the first round of the CIT at 7 p.m. Live coverage links, including free streams for the two CIT games, can be found here. We'll have updates throughout the night here also, as well as on Twitter.
4:50 p.m.: This is one of the best times of the year for us on the America East staff as we get to root for our teams for the first time since the non-conference portion of the schedule. The need to stay neutral during conference play and not being able to get completely invested with a team is downside of working at a conference office as opposed to a school. But, during the postseason, all that goes out the window and we can root for our teams (as long as its not from press row). Hopefully, the postseason will be as good as that part of the season was. The league's men's teams combined for 55 wins, a 15-win improvement from last season. That included Albany's win over Washington, the league's 10th over a BCS-conference school in the last five years. Here's hoping to add a few wins to both those totals this week. I know I'll be rooting for it.
4:15 p.m.: Welcome on the America East postseason journey. Over the next six days, eight America East teams will take the court with the goal of keeping their seasons alive. We'll try to offer insight, information and intrigue throughout the week as we hit the road.