BOSTON – For the second-straight year, the excitement of postseason basketball will take place on a minimum of four America East campuses as the 2016 #AEPlayoffs get underway this week. Playoff seeding and matchups for Wednesday's quarterfinals were finalized on Saturday, the final day of the regular season.
Only the top two seeds for the playoffs were known entering the day as the final six seeds were decided:
- Stony Brook (23-6, 14-2 AE) - Regular-season champion and the tournament's top seed for the fourth time in the last seven years
- Albany (24-7, 13-3 AE) – Most regular-season wins in program’s Division I history; 3-time defending champion is riding a nine-game tournament win streak
- Vermont (19-12, 11-5 AE) – Earned #3 seed with win at Stony Brook Saturday; Winners of five in a row; Won 11 or more AE games 8-straight years; Wins tiebreak over UNH due to season sweep
- New Hampshire (18-11, 11-5 AE) - #4 seed for second-straight year; Matches most regular-season wins in program’s America East history
- Binghamton (8-21, 5-11 AE) – Most wins since 2009-10 season; Best seed since 2009
- Maine (8-21, 4-12 AE) – Best seed and most wins since 2012-13 season; Wins tiebreak over Hartford due to win over Albany
- Hartford (9-22, 4-12 AE) - Sealed the #7 seed with loss at Albany
- UMBC (7-24, 3-13 AE) – Improved win total by 3 from 2014-15; Will seek to become just the third No. 8 seed to upset the top seed
The 2016 #AEPlayoffs start Wednesday, March 2 with quarterfinal action at each of the top four seeds. Two contests will start at 7 p.m. and two will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be obtained by contacting each host's ticket office. More information can be found at Playoff Central.
#8 UMBC at #1 Stony Brook, 7 p.m. - Island FCU Arena
#7 Hartford at #2 Albany, 7 p.m. – SEFCU Arena
#6 Maine at #3 Vermont, 7:30 p.m. – Patrick Gym
#5 Binghamton at #4 New Hampshire, 7:30 p.m. - Lundholm Gym
The four quarterfinal winners will square off in the semifinals on Monday, March 7 at the two highest remaining seeds. The bracket will be re-seeded with the highest remaining seed hosting the lowest remaining seed at 7 p.m. and the second-highest remaining seed hosting the second-lowest remaining seed at 7:30 p.m.
The two semifinal winners will play for the America East title and an automatic NCAA bid on Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. at the highest remaining seed’s home court.
All 2016 #AEPlayoffs action can be watched on ESPN networks. The quarter and semifinals will air live on ESPN3 while the championship game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. All three rounds will also be available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets.
2016 America East Men's Basketball Playoffs
March 2, 7, 12 - Highest Seed in Each Round
Wednesday, March 2 - Quarterfinals
#8 UMBC at #1 Stony Brook, 7 p.m. – ESPN3
#7 Hartford at #2 Albany, 7 p.m. - ESPN3
#6 Maine at #3 Vermont, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN3
#5 Binghamton at #4 New Hampshire, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN3
Monday, March 7 - Semifinals
Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, 7 p.m. - ESPN3
Second-Lowest Remaining Seed at Second-Highest Remaining Seed, 7:30 - ESPN3
Saturday, March 12 - Title Game
Semifinal Winners - 11 a.m. - ESPN2