ALBANY, N.Y. - Eight America East teams begin their pursuit for an America East men's basketball title as the 2013 America East Men's Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU starts up on Saturday. The league will be decided on March 16 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
All of the games for the 2013 America East Championship will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3 as well
as WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through
ESPN on Xbox LIVE. Fans can learn how to access games on all available platforms
at ESPN3's
FAQ page. Eric Frede will handle the play-by-play duties with Frank Sullivan providing analysis and Rich Becker providing insight as the sideline reporter.
To follow all the games with live stats, visit our Live Stats Landing Page. The links will appear there.
To access every contest, visit the America East ESPN3 Player page. Following the games, watch all of the postgame press conferences on AmericaEast.com.
Saturday's men's
quarterfinals will kick off with second-seeded Vermont (19-10, 11-5 AE)
taking on seventh-seeded New Hampshire (9-19, 5-11) at 12 p.m. The
Catamounts are seeded second or better for the ninth time in 11 years
and will be seeking their second-straight league crown. The Wildcats,
winners of two of their last three, are seeking their first league title
and championship game appearance.
Third-seeded Hartford (17-12, 10-6 AE) will face sixth-seeded UMBC
(7-22, 5-11 AE) at approximately 2 p.m. in a matchup of teams that split
their regular-season series. The Hawks, who have their best seed and
record since the 2007-08 season, come in having won three straight and
six of eight, while the Retrievers have their most wins since the
2008-09 campaign when they reached the league title game.
In the night session, top-seeded Stony Brook (23-6, 14-2 AE) faces
eighth-seeded Binghamton (3-26, 1-15 AE) at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last
year's quarterfinal matchup. The Seawolves, who captured their third
America East regular-season crown in four years and have their most-ever
wins as a Division I program, will try to get to their third-straight
championship game and take home their first league crown. The Bearcats
will try to win at least one tournament game for the fourth-straight
time.
Fourth-seeded Albany (21-10, 9-7 AE) and fifth-seeded Maine (11-18, 6-10
AE) will wrap up the quarterfinal action at approximately 8 p.m. The
Great Danes, who carry their most-ever wins into the tournament, will
try to get to the semifinals for the second straight year and reach
their first championship game since 2007. The Black Bears are aiming to
snap a seven-game tournament losing skid.
The Vermont-New Hampshire winner will take on the Hartford-UMBC winner
in Sunday's first semifinal at 5 p.m., while the Stony Brook-Binghamton
winner will face the Albany-Maine winner in the second semifinal at
approximately 7 p.m.
The semifinal winners will then meet for the America East title on
Saturday, March 16 at the highest remaining seed. Game time is 11:30
a.m.
Stay up-to-date through March 16 by visiting America East Championship Central for all the latest tournament news and information.
2013 America East Men's Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU
Quarterfinal and Semifinal Rounds held at University at Albany's SEFCU Arena, Albany, N.Y.
Title Game at Highest Remaining Seed
Saturday, March 9 - Quarterfinals
#2 Vermont vs. #7 New Hampshire, 12 p.m. (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
#3 Hartford vs. #6 UMBC, 2 p.m.* (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
#1 Stony Brook vs. #8 Binghamton, 6 p.m. (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
#4 Albany vs. #5 Maine, 8 p.m.* (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
Sunday, March 10 - Semifinals
Vermont-New Hampshire Winner vs. Hartford-UMBC Winner, 5 p.m. - (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
Stony Brook-Binghamton Winner vs. Albany-Maine winner, 7 p.m.* - (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
Saturday, March 16 - Title Game
Semifinal Winners, 11:30 a.m. - (ESPN2/WatchESPN)
*time approximate. Second game of session will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the prior game.