ALBANY, N.Y. - For the second-straight year the No. 1 and 3 seeds will meet to determine the America East men's basketball champion as top-seeded Stony Brook hosts third-seeded Vermont in the 2016 league title game Saturday at 11 a.m. at Island Federal Credit Union Arena. The winner will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where America East teams have won eight games all-time, including two in the last four years.
The matchup features two of the top teams in the conference as their 46 combined wins equal most by championship game participants since 2007. The Seawolves are making their fourth championship fifth game appearance in six years, but are still in search of their first title. The Catamounts are seeking their sixth America East championship in the last 14 years.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and WatchESPN with Mark Jones and Brooke Weisbrod on the call. Westwood One will also broadcast the game on national radio with Scott Graham and Mo Cassara calling the action. The game can be heard on stations around the country and Sirius/XM Channel 81 as well as online. Here are notes on the matchup and the teams:
The Matchup
- Stony Brook (25-6) and Vermont (21-12) will meet in the championship game for the second time.
- Vermont beat Stony Brook in the 2012 title game at Stony Brook, 51-43.
- The two teams have split four previous tournament meetings. Stony Brook won the most recent contest, a 79-77 win in last year's semifinals.
- The 46 combined wins by the two title game participants equal the most since Albany and Vermont had 47 entering the 2007 final.
- The two programs have combined to make nine championship game appearances since 2010.
- This is the 35th all-time meeting between the two teams with Vermont holding a 24-10 edge. The Catamounts have won seven of the last 11 get togethers.
- Each team won on the other's home court during the regular season.
- Stony Brook outscored Vermont by 11 in the second half en route to a 72-61 win in Burlington on Jan. 30. Jameel Warney had 23 points and 10 rebounds.
- The Catamounts returned the favor on Feb. 27, beating the Seawolves, 76-61, on Long Island. Ernie Duncan led the way with 23 points.
- Warney averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the two games while Duncan contributed 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the two matchups.
No. 1 Stony Brook Seawolves
- Stony Brook is making its fifth championship game appearance in the last six years and is one of just five America East programs to have accomplished that feat (Vermont, Boston U., Drexel, Northeastern).
- The Seawolves beat #8 UMBC and #7 Hartford in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to earn its trip to the final.
- Twelve of Stony Brook's 16 tournament wins have come in the last six years with just four coming in their first eight years in the league.
- The Seawolves were the league's regular-season champion for the fourth time in seven years and have eclipsed the 20-win mark for the fifth-straight year and sixth time in the last seven.
- Stony Brook features a trio of All-Conference selections: first-teamers Carson Puriefoy and Jameel Warney and second-teamer, Rayshaun McGrew.
- Warney became the third player in league history to win three Player of the Year awards, joining Reggie Lewis and Taylor Coppenrath.
- He leads the league in scoring (19.0 ppg), rebounding (10.7 rpg), blocks (3.0 bpg) and field goal percentage (.627).
- The Seawolves are 10th in the country in scoring margin (+13.6) and 13th in scoring defense, allowing just 63.1 ppg.
No. 3 Vermont Catamounts
- Vermont is making its 10th championship game appearance, nine of which have come in the last 14 seasons.
- The Catamounts knocked off #5 Maine and #4 New Hampshire in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to earn its trip to the final.
- With a win Saturday, Vermont will claim its sixth America East title, second only to Northeastern's seven in league history.
- The Catamounts are riding a seven-game win streak, outscoring teams by 16.3 points per game during that stretch.
- Vermont has won 20 games for the eighth-straight season and 13th time in the last 15 years. It had zero 20-win campaigns prior to 2002.
- John Becker's teams have won at least 20 games, advanced to the America East semifinals every year and reached three championship games in his five seasons as UVM head coach.
- The Catamounts have posted 27 tournament wins, advanced tonine championship games and won five league crowns since 2002.
- UVM is the only team in the league with seven players averaging at least 8.0 points per game, including a trio of third-team All-Conference standouts: Trae Bell-Haynes, Ethan O'Day and Kurt Steidl.
Cleaning up the Glass
- Home teams are 26-6 in America East title games but the road team has won three of the last four games, including Vermont at Stony Brook in 2012.
- Stony Brook is 27-3 all-time at Island Federal Credit Union Arena, including 14-1 this year. However, Vermont has two of those wins, including a victory there on Feb. 27.
- This will be the second-straight year and eighth time overall the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds meet in the conference championship game. No. 1 seeds are 6-1 against No. 3 seeds in title games.