BOSTON – College basketball returns in less than three months! The America East has announced its 2023-24 men’s and women’s conference schedules, featuring 72 conference games on each side, all of which will air on ESPN networks as part of the AE on ESPN.
Each team will play a 16-game, double round robin schedule from early January through early March with eight teams advancing to postseason play.
Action begins on Thursday, Jan. 4 with women’s conference play kicking off, while the men begin on two days later on Jan. 6. Teams will vie for positioning and potential home court advantage for the 2024 Jersey Mikes #AEPlayoffs, where once again all games will be played at the higher seed. The women wrap up their regular season on Saturday, Mar. 3 while the men conclude on Tuesday, Mar. 5.
Men’s Early Season Must Watch Matchups
- Jan. 6 – Maine at Vermont: The Black Bears are coming off their best season since 2011 and return four of their five starters. Vermont, meanwhile, has won five of the past seven tournament championships and once again led the league in scoring defense.
- Jan. 6 – UAlbany at NJIT: The first home conference game for new head coach Grant Billmeier, as two teams at the bottom of the standings in 2022-23 look to make a statement early in conference play.
- Jan. 13 – Bryant at New Hampshire: The Bulldogs’ season ended at UNH last year. Both teams went 8-8 in conference action and new head coach Nathan Davis looks to earn another top-four seed in 2023-24.
- Jan. 25 – Vermont at UMass Lowell: The two finalists from last year’s championship square off. The River Hawks beat the Catamounts in Lowell last season and held a 29-25 halftime lead in the championship before UVM pulled away in the second half.
- Feb. 15 – UMBC at Binghamton: Binghamton edged UMBC last season in the quarterfinals and is one of two schools with playoff wins each of the past two seasons. UMBC, meanwhile, has finished with a top-four seed six straight years.
Women’s Early Season Must Watch Matchups
- Jan. 4 – UMBC at Binghamton: The new-look Retrievers seek to keep the league’s best offense rolling, while Binghamton brings back four of its five starters from a team that was the second-best scoring offense in conference play.
- Jan. 6 – UVM at Maine: The defending champions head to Orono after becoming the first America East team since 2017 to sweep Maine during the regular season. The Black Bears do return the last two AE Players of the Year in Adrianna Smith (22-23) and Anne Simon (21-22).
- Jan. 11 – NJIT at UMass Lowell: NJIT returns its top six scorers from last season and looks to make a run at a top-four seed while the River Hawks proved to be a force down the stretch, winning three of their final four games of the year.
- Jan. 13 – Bryant at New Hampshire: First-year Bulldog head coach Lynne-Ann Kokoski seeks to get her team on track early in conference play against a UNH team which one of the youngest in the league last season but had two All-Rookie selections.
- Feb. 1 – UVM at UAlbany: These programs shared a regular season title last year but UVM edged UAlbany by just two points for the conference title. The Catamounts return a pair of first-team all-conference performers while UAlbany brings back one in this crucial matchup.
The top eight teams in both sets of standings will qualify for the playoffs. The women's playoff dates are: Quarterfinals: Friday, March 8; Semifinals: Monday, March 11; Final: Friday, March 15. The men's playoff dates are: Quarterfinals: Saturday, March 9; Semifinals: Tuesday, March 12; Final: Saturday, March 16.
The men’s and women’s preseason poll and all-conference teams will be announced in mid-October ahead of the start of the regular season on Nov. 6. Stay up-to-date on all #AEHoops news by following @AEHoopsNews on Twitter.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
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