Men's Basketball

Four Men's #AEHoops Teams Get 2020-21 Campaigns Underway

BOSTON – The 2020-21 college basketball season finally got underway last week and four men’s #AEHoops teams saw action. UMass Lowell got off to an impressive start defeating San Francisco on Wednesday before battling Illinois State and #23 Ohio State tough over the weekend. UMBC and UNH also picked up its first victories of the season while Hartford hung in with in-state rival UConn in their first meeting in over a decade.

Eleven games are currently scheduled for this week, including Binghamton and Stony Brook starting their seasons. Additionally, Hartford will battle nationally-ranked Villanova on Tuesday on ESPN2. Check the full schedule for the most up-to-date version.

Here are the first men’s basketball awards for the 2020-21 season:

Player of the Week
Obadiah Noel, UMass Lowell – Sr., Guard, Frederick, Md.
  • Averaged 24.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games for the River Hawks last week.
  • Scored a career-high 35 points at Illinois State on Saturday.
  • A first-team All-Conference selection in 2019-20, Noel had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead UMass Lowell to a win over San Francisco on Wednesday.
  • This is Noel’s third career #AEHoops Player of the Week honor.
Rookie of the Week
Blondeau Tchoukuiengo, New Hampshire – R-Fr., Guard, Montreal, Quebec
  • Had a game-high tying 18 points in UNH’s season-opening win on Wednesday.
  • Added five rebounds, four assists and four steals
  • This is Tchoukuiengo’s first #AEHoops Rookie of the Week honor.
Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 30 – Player of the Week: Obadiah Noel, UMass Lowell;  Rookie of the Week: Blondeau Tchoukuiengo, New Hampshire