America East Notebook
It Has Been Decided
Monday night had just two games, but both decided part of the conference standings for the regular season.
Albany (17-9, 12-2) clinched the regular season title and the top seed for the conference tournament with a 76-64 win over Vermont. Meanwhile, Binghamton (14-12, 11-4) beat UMBC to clinch second place.
Third through sixth is a logjam, with a game and a half separating Hartford (8-6), Vermont, Boston University (7-7 each) and New Hampshire (7-8). Chances are, two quarterfinal matchups will involve these four teams in some combination, as the chances of either Maine or UMBC (both 5-9) jumping into the top six are slim. Stony Brook is assured of being the No. 9 seed and having to win the play-in game to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Hawks are in the driver’s seat for third place. Vermont has two home games (Boston University and Binghamton), while Boston University has two on the road (Vermont and Hartford). New Hampshire has Albany at home in its lone remaining game. For seventh place, UMBC plays at Maine on Thursday in what will likely decide who stays out of the 8/9 play-in game. The Retrievers blew out the Black Bears 83-62 last month.
Stony Brook Keeps Battling
Steve Pikiell clearly sees the potential he has at his new job, even if the results thus far aren’t exactly pleasing.
The Stony Brook head coach has not had a debut season for the books if you just look at wins and losses. The Seawolves are 4-22 after Sunday’s loss at Boston University, with a 2-13 America East record. The only key statistical category where they rank in the top half of the conference is turnover margin. They’ve had to have walk-ons play minutes in addition to often putting a small lineup on the floor. It has all happened with one tough opponent after another, as the non-conference schedule included Villanova, St. John’s, Hofstra, Connecticut, George Washington (his former school) and Boston College.
“I knew there would be a lot of adversity in my first year when taking over the program, and it certainly hasn’t disappointed,” Pikiell said. “It’s been difficult on a lot of fronts, but I’m proud of our kids, you saw the way they fought.”
When sophomore guard Mitchell Beauford came back from an injury, he gave them an instant boost. The Seawolves don’t have a lot of players who can create their own offense, so he added another dimension to the team at the offensive end. He has scored in double figures in 12 of 18 games.
Pikiell’s staff has hauled in a recruiting class hailed as the best in the conference, so they’re already off to a good start in getting the talent there. With a New York recruiting base, and the program now firmly established in Division I, there’s no reason they can’t become contenders before long.
“I think Stony Brook’s a university – 18,000 students on Long Island – that’s just a sleeping giant,” Pikiell said. “We are going to become a better basketball program, and we’ve already started to build a foundation for that. I’m real excited about the future.”
America East Goes 0-2 in BracketBusters
Albany and Vermont both played their final non-conference game of the season this weekend as part of the BracketBusters presented by eBay. Both came out on the losing end, with the Great Danes pushing VCU to the end in a 70-67 defeat Friday night and Vermont losing to old conference foe Drexel by a score of 56-42.
For Albany, a season-high 20 turnovers helped lead to their demise despite 28 points from Jamar Wilson. Vermont couldn’t get going offensively against Drexel, getting 11 points from Mike Trimboli and 11 rebounds from Chris Holm in the losing effort.
Hawks Get Hot at a Good Time
Hartford picked up two wins last week, including a 52-46 win at Binghamton on Saturday, to move into sole possession of third place. For good measure, the Hawks, who have won three straight and five of six, swept the conference awards, as Kenny Adeleke was named the conference player of the week and Paris Carter took rookie of the week.
Adeleke remains a double-double machine as he put up two more this past week. In the win at Binghamton, Adeleke was scoreless in the first half, then scored 16 points in the second half and had 17 rebounds for the game. Carter has come on of late, earning his second straight rookie of the week honor and third of the season. Included in last week’s efforts was his first career double-double, a 12-point, 11-rebound showing in their 75-69 win over UMBC.
The Hawks are in the driver’s seat for third place, as they are one game up with two games left. They play at Stony Brook on Thursday, then finish the regular season at home against Boston University on Sunday.
Other Notes From Around the Conference
- Amidst their struggles, Maine managed a sweep of New Hampshire with their overtime victory on Sunday. The Black Bears played in front of their largest home crowd of the season and won their fourth straight overtime game, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
- While UMBC has had its struggles since a promising early start, the Retrievers have a bright spot in the backcourt. Freshman Jay Greene has established himself as the playmaker of the present and future while also shooting over 38 percent from long range, while junior co-captain Chris Pugh has a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio. Add that to second-leading scorer Brian Hodges, and the Retrievers have a team capable of making noise in the conference tournament next weekend.
