Season in Review
The conference made national news last season when UMBC took down Virginia as the first 16 seed to ever beat a 1 seed. What people forget is that the Retrievers beat Vermont on a buzzer beater from Jarius Lyles to advance to the tournament in what was considered an upset at the time given how well the Catamounts played last season. They continued their domination atop the conference this season, going 14-2 en route to their third straight regular season title. Meanwhile, UMBC struggled early but found their footing in conference play, finishing 11-5 in third place, a game behind Stony Brook, who massively exceeded expectations this year. They went 24-7 on the year and 12-4 in the conference after being picked to tie for fourth in the preseason poll. Throw in Hartford and a quickly improving Albany squad, and the conference tournament figures to be fun once again.
Bracket
Note: The America East reseeds after each round, and all games are played at the home court of the highest seed.
Contenders
Vermont (24-6, 14-2)
The Catamounts have been a powerhouse in recent seasons under John Becker. They went 16-0 two seasons ago and 15-1 last year, so this was a bit of a down year for the team at just 14-2 in conference. However, they are still very good, beating other great mid-major teams like Yale, Harvard, and Northeastern in non-conference play before rolling through the America East, and other than getting swept by UMBC, they were dominant. They had the second best offense and best defense in the conference per KenPom, so they don't really have a weakness. Anthony Lamb is the driving force for the Catamounts, and the sophomore big man is absolutely outstanding. He led the conference in both points and rebounds per game, and he is too big for the majority of his conference opponents to handle. They also have the Duncan brothers, Ernie, Everett, and Robin, who give Lamb support on the wing. This team is the favorite and they will be looking to return to the tournament after a one year absence.
Stony Brook (24-7, 12-4)
The Seawolves were a surprise this season, and they made news early in the year by winning at South Carolina. They followed that up with a 12-4 conference performance, and they did it on the defensive end of the floor. Teams shot worse against them than any other team in the conference, which propelled them to a lot of success this year. They also have two of the better players in the conference in Akwasi Yeobah and Elijah Olyani, although they aren't great on the offensive end outside of those two. They also were the top rebounding teams in the conference, grabbing 5 more than next closest Vermont. They should be a tough out thanks to their toughness on the defensive end.
Sleeper Team
Albany (12-19, 7-9)
The Great Danes lost two talented players in Joe Cremo and David Nichols this offseason to transfer, both to high major programs in Villanova and Florida State respectively. They predictably struggled early on in the year, starting off 5-15 and 0-5 in the conference. However, they went 7-4 down the stretch as their young players improved. Their rotation prominently features freshmen, starting three and playing two more off the bench. All of them showed improvement as the season went on, and the Great Danes are playing their best basketball of the season at the moment. Their best player is an upperclassman however, guard Ahmad Clark. He's second on the team in scoring, with 15.8 a game, and leads the conference with 4.3 assists per game and is second in steals with 2 per contest. We've also seen freshman Cameron Healy emerge as a future star, leading the team in points with 16.2 a game, sixth in the America East. They have beaten Hartford, Stony Brook, and UMBC this season, and given they are peaking at the right time, they could cause and upset or two.
Players to Watch
Anthony Lamb
Stats: 20.8 PPG, 8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2 BPG, 51.5/35.4/77
Lamb has been great since his freshman year at Vermont, but he took his game to new heights this season. He's big and physical while still maintaining mobility, and there isn't another player like him in the America East. Not only is he nearly unguardable in the low post, he'll often get the ball on the perimeter where he will take his man to the basket and he can clear space easily around the basket and finish. He's also added a consistent three pointer to his game this season, which makes him that much harder to guard. He missed two games in the middle of conference play, but since returning, he's been excellent, averaging 21.2 points and 9 rebounds over the last nine games. He should be able to lead the Catamount on a deep America East tournament run.
Akwasi Yeobah
Stats: 16.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 41.9/32.3/77.8
Yeobah is an English import into Stony Brook, and he's had an excellent junior season. He finished the year fourth in points and second in rebounds per game in the America East, putting him on par with Lamb for the best bigs in the conference. He is a great athlete, which allows him to finish over his man at the rim and elevate over them when he takes a mid range jumper, which he is much better at than shooting from further out. He is also a good defender, and while he doesn't have the counting stats, he does a very good job within the Seawolves' system. He is a key player for one of the best teams in the conference, and he will play a big part in any run they might go on.
JR Lynch
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 45.7/40.8/85.1
Lynch is a key cog on the team with the best adjusted offensive efficiency in the conference. The senior point guard has been excellent for Hartford this year, leading the team in points, assists, and steals, and he is fifth, second, and first in the America East as a whole in those areas. He is a threat from three point range, making 40.8% of his attempts from behind the arc this season, and that can lead to some big games. He can also dish to his teammates, who are also great shooters, and they shoot 38.5% from deep on the season as a team. He could get hot and have some big time performances for the Hawks and spur them to a run in the tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: JR Lynch, Hartford
G: Ernie Duncan, Vermont
F: Christian Lutete, UMass-Lowell
F: Anthony Lamb, Vermont
F: Akwasi Yeobah, Stony Brook
Second Team
G: Ahmad Clark, Albany
G: Sam Sessoms, Binghamton
G: Elijah Olyani, Stony Brook
F: George Blogojevic, Hartford
F: Joe Sherburne, UMBC
My Pick: Vermont over Hartford
I just can't pick against the Catamounts in this tournament. To get here, we need an upset in the early rounds, and I think Albany takes down UMBC and since they reseed, the Great Danes would play Vermont. I also think Hartford's shooting will be enough to power them past Stony Brook. However, they won't have enough to beat Vermont, who have a great group of seven players that are all very talented, including their superstar Lamb. They have a very good chance of making some noise in the Big Dance as well after they win this one.
The conference made national news last season when UMBC took down Virginia as the first 16 seed to ever beat a 1 seed. What people forget is that the Retrievers beat Vermont on a buzzer beater from Jarius Lyles to advance to the tournament in what was considered an upset at the time given how well the Catamounts played last season. They continued their domination atop the conference this season, going 14-2 en route to their third straight regular season title. Meanwhile, UMBC struggled early but found their footing in conference play, finishing 11-5 in third place, a game behind Stony Brook, who massively exceeded expectations this year. They went 24-7 on the year and 12-4 in the conference after being picked to tie for fourth in the preseason poll. Throw in Hartford and a quickly improving Albany squad, and the conference tournament figures to be fun once again.
Bracket
Note: The America East reseeds after each round, and all games are played at the home court of the highest seed.
Contenders
Vermont (24-6, 14-2)
The Catamounts have been a powerhouse in recent seasons under John Becker. They went 16-0 two seasons ago and 15-1 last year, so this was a bit of a down year for the team at just 14-2 in conference. However, they are still very good, beating other great mid-major teams like Yale, Harvard, and Northeastern in non-conference play before rolling through the America East, and other than getting swept by UMBC, they were dominant. They had the second best offense and best defense in the conference per KenPom, so they don't really have a weakness. Anthony Lamb is the driving force for the Catamounts, and the sophomore big man is absolutely outstanding. He led the conference in both points and rebounds per game, and he is too big for the majority of his conference opponents to handle. They also have the Duncan brothers, Ernie, Everett, and Robin, who give Lamb support on the wing. This team is the favorite and they will be looking to return to the tournament after a one year absence.
Stony Brook (24-7, 12-4)
The Seawolves were a surprise this season, and they made news early in the year by winning at South Carolina. They followed that up with a 12-4 conference performance, and they did it on the defensive end of the floor. Teams shot worse against them than any other team in the conference, which propelled them to a lot of success this year. They also have two of the better players in the conference in Akwasi Yeobah and Elijah Olyani, although they aren't great on the offensive end outside of those two. They also were the top rebounding teams in the conference, grabbing 5 more than next closest Vermont. They should be a tough out thanks to their toughness on the defensive end.
Sleeper Team
Albany (12-19, 7-9)
The Great Danes lost two talented players in Joe Cremo and David Nichols this offseason to transfer, both to high major programs in Villanova and Florida State respectively. They predictably struggled early on in the year, starting off 5-15 and 0-5 in the conference. However, they went 7-4 down the stretch as their young players improved. Their rotation prominently features freshmen, starting three and playing two more off the bench. All of them showed improvement as the season went on, and the Great Danes are playing their best basketball of the season at the moment. Their best player is an upperclassman however, guard Ahmad Clark. He's second on the team in scoring, with 15.8 a game, and leads the conference with 4.3 assists per game and is second in steals with 2 per contest. We've also seen freshman Cameron Healy emerge as a future star, leading the team in points with 16.2 a game, sixth in the America East. They have beaten Hartford, Stony Brook, and UMBC this season, and given they are peaking at the right time, they could cause and upset or two.
Players to Watch
Anthony Lamb
Stats: 20.8 PPG, 8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2 BPG, 51.5/35.4/77
Lamb has been great since his freshman year at Vermont, but he took his game to new heights this season. He's big and physical while still maintaining mobility, and there isn't another player like him in the America East. Not only is he nearly unguardable in the low post, he'll often get the ball on the perimeter where he will take his man to the basket and he can clear space easily around the basket and finish. He's also added a consistent three pointer to his game this season, which makes him that much harder to guard. He missed two games in the middle of conference play, but since returning, he's been excellent, averaging 21.2 points and 9 rebounds over the last nine games. He should be able to lead the Catamount on a deep America East tournament run.
Akwasi Yeobah
Stats: 16.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 41.9/32.3/77.8
Yeobah is an English import into Stony Brook, and he's had an excellent junior season. He finished the year fourth in points and second in rebounds per game in the America East, putting him on par with Lamb for the best bigs in the conference. He is a great athlete, which allows him to finish over his man at the rim and elevate over them when he takes a mid range jumper, which he is much better at than shooting from further out. He is also a good defender, and while he doesn't have the counting stats, he does a very good job within the Seawolves' system. He is a key player for one of the best teams in the conference, and he will play a big part in any run they might go on.
JR Lynch
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 45.7/40.8/85.1
Lynch is a key cog on the team with the best adjusted offensive efficiency in the conference. The senior point guard has been excellent for Hartford this year, leading the team in points, assists, and steals, and he is fifth, second, and first in the America East as a whole in those areas. He is a threat from three point range, making 40.8% of his attempts from behind the arc this season, and that can lead to some big games. He can also dish to his teammates, who are also great shooters, and they shoot 38.5% from deep on the season as a team. He could get hot and have some big time performances for the Hawks and spur them to a run in the tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: JR Lynch, Hartford
G: Ernie Duncan, Vermont
F: Christian Lutete, UMass-Lowell
F: Anthony Lamb, Vermont
F: Akwasi Yeobah, Stony Brook
Second Team
G: Ahmad Clark, Albany
G: Sam Sessoms, Binghamton
G: Elijah Olyani, Stony Brook
F: George Blogojevic, Hartford
F: Joe Sherburne, UMBC
My Pick: Vermont over Hartford
I just can't pick against the Catamounts in this tournament. To get here, we need an upset in the early rounds, and I think Albany takes down UMBC and since they reseed, the Great Danes would play Vermont. I also think Hartford's shooting will be enough to power them past Stony Brook. However, they won't have enough to beat Vermont, who have a great group of seven players that are all very talented, including their superstar Lamb. They have a very good chance of making some noise in the Big Dance as well after they win this one.
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