BOSTON – College basketball returns in less than three months and the America East conference season will begin in January as the 2026-27 men’s and women’s league schedules, featuring 72 contests on each side, were announced on Tuesday afternoon. All conference games will air on ESPN+ as part of AE on ESPN.
Each team will once again play a 16-game, double round robin schedule, beginning with women’s action on New Year’s Eve. Two-time defending champion Vermont travels to Maine in a championship rematch to highlight the opening day of games. The men open up two days later on Jan. 2 and defending champion UMBC will host NJIT to highlight the day.
The women conclude their season on Saturday, Feb. 27, with #AEPlayoffs quarterfinal contests set for Thursday, March 4 at each of the top four seeds. The two highest remaining seeds will host semifinal action on Monday, March 8 and the #AEChampionship will take place Friday, March 12 at 5:00 p.m. at the highest remaining seed.
The men’s regular season ends on Tuesday, March 2 and the top eight programs advance to the #AEPlayoffs quarterfinals on Saturday, March 6, where the top four seeds will hosts contests in their home gyms. The two highest seeded winners will host semifinal games on Tuesday, March 9 and the winners will advance to play the championship at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, March 13 at 11 a.m.
Men’s Basketball Early Season Must Watch Matchups
- Jan. 2 – NJIT at UMBC: The defending conference champions begin conference play at home against last year’s No. 3 seed NJIT which is looking to take another step forward as a program in 2026-27.
- Jan. 2 – Vermont at Binghamton: The Catamounts have been the conference standard in the 21st century while the Bearcats enter the 2026-27 with high expectations and a dark horse to contend for the conference crown.
- Jan. 9 – Bryant at UMass Lowell: The River Hawks and Bulldogs are both primed for bounce back seasons matchups between those two programs are always action-packed affairs.
- Jan. 9 – Binghamton at UAlbany: In a battle for New York supremacy, four of the past five matchups have been decided by five points or less as the Great Danes look to make a statement at home against the Bearcats.
- Jan. 30 – New Hampshire at Maine: The Border Battle returns for another year as both of these teams know a victory in January could change their playoff fortunes come March.
Women’s Basketball Early Season Must Watch Matchups
- Dec. 31 – Vermont at Maine: The season kicks off with a rematch of the 2026 championship, as the two-time defending champion Catamounts try to win at the Pit for
- Dec. 31 – UMBC at Binghamton: Two semifinalists from a season ago both have championship aspirations and a win for either in the opener could have home seeding implications at the end of the year.
- Jan. 3 – UMass Lowell at New Hampshire: The River Hawks and Wildcats have split the season series each of the last four years and three of the last four games have been decided by four points or less.
- Jan. 7 – UAlbany at Bryant: The new-look Great Danes will try to make an early-season statement against the veteran Bulldog squad that is eyeing another top-four seed in 2026-27.
- Jan. 23 – NJIT at Vermont: The Highlanders look to build on one of the winningest seasons in program history last year and snap an 11-game losing streak to the Catamounts on the road.
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.
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