Women's Basketball

Vermont Claims No. 1 Seed in Air Force Reserve Women's Basketball Playoffs

BOSTON – Vermont clinched its first outright conference title since 2002 and will serve as No. 1 seed of the Air Force Reserve America East Women’s Basketball Playoffs for the first time since the 2022-23 season. The complete playoff bracket was finalized Saturday and quarterfinal action begins on Thursday, March 5.
 
Once again the drama of postseason basketball will take place on a minimum of four America East campuses with the higher seeds hosting each round. Vermont earned its second No. 1 seed in the past four seasons. Maine secured a top-2 seed for the second time in the past three seasons by beating Binghamton on the final day of the regular season. The Bearcats earned the No. 3 seed while UMBC was the No. 4 seed.
 
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  1. Vermont (24-7, 13-3) – Fifth straight season as a top-4 seed and seeking a fourth straight championship game appearance as well as third title over that span
  2. Maine (16-12, 12-4) – Earned 13th straight top-4 seed and eyeing a second title in the past three seasons
  3. Binghamton (18-11, 10-6) – Best seed since 2018 and looking to advance to the semifinals for the second time in three seasons
  4. UMBC (15-13, 10-6) – Earned first top-4 finish since 2023 and looking for first playoff win since 2023.
  5. NJIT (18-11, 9-7) – Secured a top-five finish for the fourth time in the last five seasons and seeking first playoff win since 2022.
  6. Bryant (18-11, 8-8) – Fourth straight playoff appearance for the Bulldogs
  7. New Hampshire (10-19, 4-12) – Making second straight playoff appearance under head coach Megan Shoniker.
  8. UAlbany (14-15, 4-12) – Looking to reach the conference semifinals for the sixth straight season.
 
The final day of the regular season featured three head-to-head matchups that determined the seeding of the playoffs. Maine knocked off Binghamton 74-67 at home and then New Hampshire outlasted UAlbany to take over the seventh seed due to a 2-0 record against the Great Danes this season. In the final game of the night NJIT blew out Bryant 75-42. UMBC also won, 66-43, at home against UMass Lowell.

Elsewhere, Vermont concluded its season this past Thursday with a 68-37 victory over UMass Lowell. The Catamounts only allowed two conference opponents to score more than 56 points on them this season and held four straight under 50.

Quarterfinal action begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday as Vermont hosts UAlbany. Maine welcomes New Hampshire at 6 p.m., while Bryant travels to Binghamton for a 6:07 p.m. tip-off. UMBC hosts NJIT for in 6:30 p.m. contest in the 4/5 matchup.
 
The four quarterfinal winners will square off in the semifinals on Monday, March 9 at the two highest remaining seeds. The bracket will be re-seeded after the quarterfinals with the highest-remaining seed hosting the lowest-remaining seed and the second-highest remaining seed hosting the second-lowest remaining seed.

The two semifinal winners will play for the America East title and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid on Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m. at the highest remaining seed’s home court. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

All 2026 Air Force Reserve #AEPlayoffs action can be watched on ESPN networks. The quarterfinals and semifinals will air on ESPN+ as part of The AE on ESPN with a simulcast for international viewers on AmericaEast.TV. The championship game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. All three rounds will also be available via the ESPN app.

Complete postseason information can be found at the 2026 Air Force Reserve America East Women’s Basketball Championship Page.

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 and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
 
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise –