BOSTON – The Jersey Mike’s Men’s #AEPlayoffs start with quarterfinal action on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. as No. 2 Vermont hosts No. 7 New Hampshire. 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 Playoff Digital Program.
No. 8 UMBC at No. 1 Bryant – 4 PM
- The Bulldogs secured the No. 1 seed for the first time since joining the league, snapping Vermont’s eight year run earning at least a share of the title. Bryant finished 14-2 in conference play and won 14 of the last 16 games. The Bulldogs have now won 20+ games in back-to-back seasons.
- With three athletes claiming All-Conference awards, Bryant had one of the most balanced attacks in the league. Earl Timberlake, Player of the Year, closed out an historic regular season as the only player in America East history to average 15.0+ points, 8.0+ rebounds, 4.5+ assists, and 1.5+ blocks per game in a single season. First team All-Conference selection, Rafael Pinzon, averaged 18.4 points and 3.1 rebounds a game.
- UMBC finished 5-11 in conference play, but just 2-10 over the last twelve games. The Retrievers’ last victory was a 95-91 win over NJIT. They rank second in scoring offense (77.3) but last in scoring defense at 81.2 ppg.
- Marcus Banks Jr. and Bryce Johnson lead the way for the Retrievers offense. Both are averaging 16.0+ ppg, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Banks currently ranks fourth in scoring and first in 3-point field goals made in the conference while Johnson is third in field goal percentage (.528) for the league.
- Bryant swept the season series, winning 92-86 and then 81-79.
No. 7 New Hampshire at No. 2 Vermont – 3 PM
- Vermont will be the No. 2 seed for the first time since 2021. The Catamounts have won five of the last six America East Championships and are aiming to make it four straight. Finishing conference play 13-3 and winning nine straight, the Catamounts have the best scoring defense in the league (62.94) and are second in scoring margin.
- First-Team All-Conference selections Shamir Bogues and TJ Hurley have been a force on both sides of the court this season for Vermont. Bogues is averaging 12.7 ppg and 4.9 rebounds while Hurley has averaged 17.8 points and 2.5 rebounds during conference play.
- The Wildcats wrapped up league play with a 6-10 record and look to make it three straight trips to the semifinals. New Hampshire finished the season 4-4 in the last month and are averaging 66.7 points per game.
- Third-Team All-Conference selection Sami Pissis is averaging 18.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. Khalil Badru has helped out the Wildcats on both ends, averaging 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
- Vermont earned the season sweep over UNH, taking them down 60-40 in Durham and at home 79-59.
No. 6 UMass Lowell at No. 3 Maine – 6 PM
- Maine finished league play 10-6 and earned their highest seed since the 2010-2011 season, coming in as No. 3. The Black Bears have recorded their most overall and conference wins since 2009-2010 and are second in the league for scoring defense (66.56).
- Second-Team All-Conference selection AJ Lopez has been a key player for Maine this year. While shooting .477 percent, Lopez has averaged 14.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season. Quion Burns is also having a breakout season, averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while Defensive Player of the Year Kellen Tynes is averaging 3.1 steals per game.
- UMass Lowell posted a winning record for the third straight year and has reached three of the last four America East title games. The River Hawks finished conference play 6-10, after falling to Maine last week by one point. They are currently third in scoring offense (75.13) and second in field goal percentage (.494).
- Quinton Mincey was selected Third-Team All-Conference after averaging 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for the River Hawks. Max Brooks averaged 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while Martin Somerville was selected Rookie of the Year after a stellar first season for UMass Lowell.
- Maine won both matchups this season but only by one point. The Black Bears won 86-85 featuring overtime in Lowell and took down the River Hawks 71-70 on Tuesday in Orono.
No. 5 Binghamton at No. 4 UAlbany – 7 PM
- The Great Danes have secured the No. 4 seed for the first time since 2018. They finished the regular season 16-15 and 8-8 in the conference, their most wins since 2017-2018 season. UAlbany has won four of their last six games heading into the quarterfinals of the #AEPlayoffs.
- Byron Joshua has been a force this season and was selected Third-Team All-Conference after averaging 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game for the Great Danes. Amir Lindsey has made his mark and was named to the All-Rookie team.
- Binghamton finished conference play at 7-9 and remained at the No. 5 seed for the third year in a row. The Bearcats have won three of their last five matchups and have the best rebounding defense in the league, in large part to Gavin Walsh, a Third-Team All-Conference selection.
- The team has been led by Gavin Walsh and Tymu Chenery over that stretch. Chenery is putting up 14.2 ppg, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while Walsh is averaging 11.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while breaking a couple school rebounding records on the way.
- These two teams split the series with UAlbany taking round one in January, 70-65. Binghamton won on the road 65-61 in February.
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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