SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A first-time champion is guaranteed to crowned on Saturday at the conclusion of the 2025 Jersey Mike's America East Men's Basketball Championsihp game.
#1 Bryant hosts #3 Maine at Chace Athletic Center on Saturday at 11 a.m. as both teams aim for their first-ever America East men's basketball title.
Fans can watch the game live on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on Westwood One radio nationally and on Sirius XM.
The Bulldogs averaged 88 points over their first two playoff games, beating #8 UMBC in the quarterfinals, 85-74, and knocking off #4 UAlbany in the semifinals, 91-78. Maine beat #6 UMass Lowell, 78-70, in the quarterfinals before a masterful defensive effort led to a 57-42 win over #2 Vermont in the semifinals.
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Title Tilt is Set
A first-time America East title game matchup will take place on Saturday when #1 Bryant hosts #3 Maine at Chace Athletic Center at 11 a.m. This will be the 30th different matchup in the America East title game and just the second to not feature Vermont since 2015.
A FIrst-Time Champ is Certain
A first-time America East men’s basketball champion will be crowned on Saturday. The winner of the 2025 title tilt will become the 11th different school to capture the crown. There has not been a first-time champion since Hartford in 2021.
Bulldogs Have Been the Best
#1 Bryant enjoyed its best season since joining America East ahead of the 2022-23 season, capturing their first-ever America East regular-season crown and becoming the first team other than Vermont to earn outright regular-season title since 2016. Bryant, which has matched its Division I program record with 22 wins set in 2021-22, come into the title game, winners of 16 of last 18 games. The Bulldogs beat #8 UMBC and #4 UAlbany in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectivley to reach their first-ever title game.
Maine Enjoying the Ride
#3 Maine has continued its special season in the #AEPlayoffs posting their first postseason wins in 20 years. The Black Bears, whose 20 wins are their most since the 2004-05 season, are making their first championship game appearance since that season. Overall, this will be Maine’s fifth title game appearance (2004, ‘01, 1994, ‘91) but they still seek their first win. The Black Bears beat #6 UMass Lowell and #2 Vermont en route to the final.
Home Court Matters
Since the #AEPlayoffs format started in 2015, 68 games have been played in front of crowds and home teams have been victorious the vast majority of the time. Home teams are 56-12 in those games, good for a .824 win percentage. Home teams also have an .825 win percentage in championship games all time as the home team is 33-7 all-time in title tilts and have won each of the five. No team has won multiple road games in the tournament en route to winning the title since Vermont in 2012,
One Plus Three = Eleven
This will be the 12th time the championship game features the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds. The top seed is 9-1 in the previous meetings (Vermont vs. Hartford was canceled in 2020), including in 2019, the last time the matchup took place, when Vermont defeated UMBC. The only time the No. 3 seed beat the No. 1 previously was 1993 when Delaware beat Drexel.
Sowing Seeds
The #1 seed has dominated the America East Playoffs historically going 105-15, reaching 34 title games and winning 28 of those, including the last three titles. #3 seeds have not enjoyed as much success going only 42-40 all-time while reaching 11 finals but winning only one. That came in 1993 when Delaware became the first team to beat both the #1 and #2 seeds in the same season, a feat that has not been matched since and one Maine is trying to accomplish.
Two of the Best
Among all the great players set to take the floor Saturday, two stand out. Bryant will feature the America East Player of the Year Earl Timberlake, who's averages of 15.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per game are unique to him alone nationally. Maine features the three-time America East Defensive Player of the Year, Kellen Tynes, who surpassed Speedy Claxton for the league's all-time single-season steals mark set in 1999-2000. He has 203 thefts on the year.
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.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -