Men's Basketball

Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals Begin Saturday

BOSTON – The Jersey Mike’s Men’s #AEPlayoffs start with quarterfinal action on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. as No. 3 Bryant hosts No. 6 Maine. Check out preview below, breaking down each of the four matchups.
 
All games will be on ESPN+ and for the complete bracket visit Championship Central or our #AEPlayoffs Digital program.
 
No. 8 UAlbany at No. 1 Vermont – 3 PM
  • The Catamounts are the No. 1 seed for the seventh time in the last eight years and enter the #AEPlayoffs with a sparkling 14-0 mark against the eight teams competing for a championship this year. They lead the conference in scoring defense once again, allowing just 62.9 points per game.
  • Vermont has the most balanced attack in the league, with six players averaging 8-12 ppg. TJ Long is the leading scorer at 12.0 ppg, while Newcomer of the Year Shamir Bogues does a bit of everything with 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
  • UAlbany went 5-11 in conference play, but just 2-8 over the last ten games. The Great Danes’ last victory was a 91-67 victory over UNH. They boast the No. 2 scoring offense in the league (78.9), but are eighth in scoring defense at 78.9 ppg.
  • All-Conference guards Sebastian Thomas and Amar’e Marshall are the highest scoring duo in the league, averaging 19.2 and 16.8 points per game. Thomas is also second in the league in steals (2.0) and third in assists (5.0).
  • Vermont swept the season series, winning 81-59 and then 94-80.
 
No. 7 UMBC at No. 2 UMass Lowell – 3 PM
  • The River Hawks are the No. 2 seed for the 2nd straight year, but dropped two straight games to conclude the regular season with an 11-5 conference record. They are 1-5 this year when held under 75 points and 10-0 when surpassing that mark. They lead the league in scoring at 80.3 points per game.
  • First-Team All-Conference selection Max Brooks has been a force over the last month, averaging, 15.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, while Sixth Man of the Year Quinton Mincey took his game up another level during that span with 19.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
  • The Retrievers are one of the hottest teams in the league, posting a 4-4 record in the last month but are third in the league in scoring margin over that span at +3.9 ppg and averaging 76.4 points per game.
  • First-Team All-Conference selection Dion Brown is averaging 21.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the last month, while shooting 53.5 percent overall. Marcus Banks, meanwhile, is putting up 18.4 ppg with 2.5 threes per game during that stretch.
  • UMass Lowell earned the season sweep over UMBC, taking them down 86-82 in Lowell and then 93-80 on the road in early February.
 
No. 6 Maine at No. 3 Bryant – 2 PM
  • The Bulldogs finished league play at 11-5 and have won two straight after a three-game losing streak. Over the past month they are averaging 76.0 ppg and allowing 76.0 ppg while blocking a league-best 6.3 shots per game.
  • Earl Timberlake is all over the court for the Bulldogs, averaging 14.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Daniel Rivera broke out in the last month, averaging 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and blocking 1.6 shots per game .
  • Maine looks for its first #AEPlayoffs win since 2005 and enters the playoffs at 7-9, tied for fourth. They’ve won four of five and over the last month are second in the league in scoring defense (66.4), but 8th in scoring offense (66.9).
  • During the strong finish to the year, Peter Filipovity is putting up 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, ranking in the top 8 in the league in both over that span. Defensive Player of the Year Kellen Tynes is averaging 12.7 points and 2.8 steals per game this season.
  • Bryant and Maine split the season series. The Black Bears won 79-72 in Orono, while falling to the Bulldogs 77-72 in Rhode Island.
 
No. 5 Binghamton at No. 4 New Hampshire – 3 PM
  • The Wildcats earned the No. 4 seed for the second straight year, but have dropped four straight after sitting at 7-5 in league play in February. Over the past month they are averaging just 67.0 ppg while allowing 77.8 ppg, which ranks eighth in the league.
  • Player of the Year Clarence Daniels is a scoring machine for UNH and led the America East in both scoring (19.6) and rebounding (9.3) this season. Ahmad Robinson ranks sixth in the league in scoring, at 15.5 ppg while Jaxson Baker is sixth with 60 three-point field goals.
  • Binghamton jumped to the No. 5 seed and a 7-9 record by winning four of their final five games of the year. Two of the victories were by one possession and in the last month Binghamton owns the third-best scoring defense in the league, allowing just 72.1 ppg.
  • The team has been led by Tymu Chenery and Armon Harried over that stretch. Chenery is putting up 15.6 ppg while Harried, an All-Defensive selection, is averaging 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
  • These two teams met just a week ago, with Binghamton earning the 87-74 home victory. UNH did win the first matchup, 79-73, back in late January.
  
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast. 
 
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