INDIANAPOLIS - Just one day after Peter Hooley sent Albany to the NCAA men's basketball Championship for the third straight year, the Great Danes received the No. 14 seed in the tournament's East Region and will face No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the tournament's first round Friday, March 20 in Columbus, Ohio. Game time and TV information is forthcoming.
The No. 14 seed is the highest for an America East team since Albany was seeded 13th in 2007. The Great Danes are making their fifth-ever NCAA appearance, joining the 2006, ;07, '13 and '14 squads as tournament participants.
On Saturday, Albany (24-8) stunned Stony Brook to win its third-straight America East title. Hooley's three-pointer with 1.6 left gave the Great Danes a 51-50 victory.
Oklahoma (22-10) finished in a tie for second place in the Big XII standings this season and reached the semifinals of its conference tournament before falling to league champion Iowa State.
Last season, the Great Danes earned their first-ever NCAA win and the America East's eighth all-time with a victory over Mount St. Mary's in the First Four Four. They will seek to become the conference's first team to upset a higher seed since Vermont famously beat Syracuse 10 years ago.
In addition to Albany playing in the NCAAs, New Hampshire will make its first-ever postseason appearance. The Wildcats (19-12) will play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament and face NJIT in the first round on Monday at 7 p.m. The Wildcats tied their program record with 19 wins during the regular season.