New Hampshire

Who Will Win the 2011-12 America East Title?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:39:40 -0800

America East Preseason Poll: BU #1

Press Release — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:52 -0700

HARTFORD, Conn.-- In search of its first league title since 2002, Boston University is the unanimous preseason choice of the coaches to win its sixth America East Men’s Basketball title in 2009-10. The selections were announced today as part of the America East Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon held at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city for the 2010 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Newman’s Own on March 4-7.

The Terriers received all eight possible first-place votes (coaches were not allowed to vote for their team) and 64 points, followed by University of Vermont, which received the remaining first-place vote and 56 points. University at Albany barely edged Stony Brook University for third place with 43 points, while the Seawolves came in one point behind with 42, just ahead of University of New Hampshire’s 39. University of Hartford and UMBC tied for sixth with 28 points apiece, while University of Maine (14 points) and Binghamton University (12) rounded out the poll.

The 2010 America East Championship first, quarter and semifinal rounds will take place March 4-7 at Hartford’s Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion. The title game will be hosted a week later by the highest remaining seed with the winner earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Boston University (17-11 overall, 11-5 America East in 2008-09) begins its first season under head coach Patrick Chambers, who helped lead Villanova to the Final Four last season as Jay Wright’s associate head coach. Chambers will inherit a wealth of talent as the Terriers return their top six scorers and 91.5 percent of their scoring from a year ago. Leading the charge will be first-team All-America East performers John Holland (18.1 ppg) and Corey Lowe (17.2 ppg), who ranked third and fourth, respectively, among league leaders in scoring. Reigning Rookie of the Year Jake O’Brien also returns for his sophomore season after averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest as a freshman.

Vermont (24-9, 13-3) captured a share of the America East regular-season crown and earned a postseason bid for the fifth time in seven years last season, reaching the second round of the College Basketball Invitational. The Catamounts lost four-time all-conference selection Mike Trimboli, who finished his career 12th on the conference’s all-time scoring list, but welcome back the premier player in the league in senior forward Marqus Blakely. The two-time America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Blakely ranked among league leaders in nearly every category, leading in rebounding (9.0 rpg), blocked shots (2.7 bpg) and steals (2.0 spg) and finishing fifth in scoring (16.1 ppg).

Albany (15-16, 6-10) reached the semifinals of the America East tournament for the third time in four years last March despite suffering its first sub-.500 conference mark since the 2003-04 season. The Great Danes are one of two teams (Boston U.) to welcome back multiple all-conference players in junior guard Tim Ambrose and junior forward Will Harris, both third-team honorees a year ago. Ambrose ranked ninth among league leaders in scoring (14.3 ppg) and 13th in rebounding (5.1 rpg), while Harris was 10th in scoring (12.9 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (6.5 rpg).

Stony Brook (16-14, 8-8) is coming off one of its best season as Division I program, winning its most games since 2000-01 and setting a program record for America East victories. The Seawolves return four starters, including second-team all-league choice Muhammad El-Amin, a preseason all-conference pick this year. El-Amin, who finished seventh with 15.7 points per game last year, is joined by a pair of All-Rookie selections in sophomores Tommy Brenton and Bryan Dougher. Brenton was the second-best rebounder in the league as a freshman with 8.9 rebounds per game, while Dougher was Seawolves’ second-leading scorer and among the league’s best in free throw (.772) and 3-point percentage (.363).

New Hampshire (14-16, 8-8) reached the semifinals of the America East Championship for the second time in four seasons under head coach Bill Herrion after not reaching the league’s Final Four since 1995. Junior guard Alvin Abreu will shoulder the load on the offensive end with the graduation of All-America East performer Tyrece Gibbs. Abreu, an all-rookie choice two years ago, ranked second on UNH with 12.8 points and 2.2 assists per game. Fellow juniors Tyrone Conley (8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Dane DiLiegro (5.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg) will be important if the Wildcats are to capture their first conference title.

Hartford (7-26, 2-14) took a step back from its record-setting season of 2007-08 but was without leading scorer Joe Zeglinski, a first-team all-conference choice two years ago and a preseason selection each of the past two years, who missed all but 10 games with an ankle injury. Zeglinski, who has averaged 16.0 points per game over the last two seasons and is one of three players that have eclipsed the 1,000-point mark (1,099), should drastically help Hartford improve on its league-worst 60.5 points per game output.

UMBC (15-17, 7-9) reached the title game of the America East Championship for the second straight year in 2009, becoming just the second No. 6 seed to reach the league final. Gone are all-conference performers Jay Greene, who finished his career third on America East’s all-time assist list, and Darryl Proctor, who racked up 1,138 points and 558 rebounds in just two seasons at UMBC, but back is senior forward Matt Spadafora, who has started 44 straight games for the Retrievers and averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest last year.

Maine (9-21, 4-12) returns four starters from a year ago, including All-Rookie honoree Gerald McLemore, who ranked second among first-year players with 12.1 points per game. Junior forwards Troy Barnies (7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Sean McNally (9.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) ranked fourth and 15th, respectively, in rebounding last year. Junior college transfers Jerrell Boswell and Terrance Mitchell, who combined to average 39 points per game last season, should make the Black Bear offense, which was fourth in the league (66.0 ppg) last year get ever better.

Binghamton (23-9, 13-3) return three players from a squad that set a school record with 23 wins, won its first-ever America East title and made its first NCAA appearance. Junior guard Chretian Lukusa started 11 games for the Bearcats down the stretch last season in which they went 9-2. Sophomore center Kyrie Sutton started 15 games and ranked fifth among league leaders in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).

Poll: Who Wil Win the America East?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:05:18 -0700

America East Tournament: Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:04:40 -0800

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

America East

The first three rounds will be played in Albany’s home court, SECFU Arena, with the final happening on Saturday morning at the higher remaining seed.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Binghamton	100.00%	85.45%	53.64%	26.52%
2	Vermont	100.00%	87.92%	62.85%	45.92%
3	Boston University	100.00%	86.45%	32.33%	18.97%
4	New Hampshire	100.00%	28.09%	7.94%	0.82%
5	Stony Brook	100.00%	71.91%	34.71%	6.86%
6	UMBC	100.00%	13.55%	1.39%	0.19%
7	Albany	100.00%	12.08%	3.43%	0.47%
8	Maine	75.37%	12.98%	3.54%	0.24%
9	Hartford	24.63%	1.57%	0.18%	0.00%

Hometown team Albany got the worst possible opening draw, as the favorite, #2 Vermont will be a tough task. Binghamton and BU should be the main challengers, with Stony Brook a team from outside the top 4 that could cause a big surprise.

#1 – Binghamton Bearcats (20-8, 13-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.072

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Binghamton is the hottest team in the conference, having won each of its last eight games, but it’s only been the third best team in the league by efficiency margin standards. The Bearcats have been good defenders, holding opponents to a low percentage and forcing a lot of turnovers, but they have had problems with rebounding and commit a lot of fouls. Offensively, they’ve been an average team, not making a lot of mistakes, but not excelling in any area either.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR D.J. Rivera, 20.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52.5 eFG% - Rivera is the conference’s leading scorer, and the St. Joe’s transfer is the only America East player to average more than 20 points a game. His long-distance shooting leaves something to be desired, but he’s an efficient player because of his ability to score inside and his remarkable turnover rate, giving the ball up just 46 times on the year.

6-6 SR Reggie Fuller, 10.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 55.6 eFG% - Fuller is only the 5^th ranked scorer on the team, but he’s a good inside shooter who puts up solid rebounding and shot-blocking numbers. He’s also improved his play of late, averaging more than 15 points in his last six games.

#2 – Vermont Catamounts (23-7, 13-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.1637

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (2^nd Round)

Vermont has easily been the best team in the conference, except when it came to games against Binghamton, as it was swept in the season series with the Bearcats. The Catamounts have the America East’s best offense, shooting 48% from the floor and getting to the free-throw line very often. They also defend well, dominating the inside while forcing a lot of turnovers. Opponents have successfully shot over them, and they’ll need to be careful against teams with good long-range shooters.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Marqus Blakely, 15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 2.8 BPG, 60.3 eFG% - Blakely is the conference’s best forward, leading the league in rebounds, steals and blocks. He’s a 60% shooter who does a lot of good work inside, with his only real weakness being his 56% free-throw shooting.

6-1 SR Mike Trimboli, 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 53.8 eFG% - There are some questions about Trimboli’s health heading into the tournament, and as the team’s best guard, his return will be criticaly important for the Catamounts’ chances. He’s a good three-point shooter who also distributes the ball efficiently.

#3 – Boston University Terriers (17-12, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.095

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2002 (1^st Round)

Boston University is the 2^nd ranked team by EM, but faces a tough path to the title game with a potential semifinal against Vermont. The Terriers are a heavily perimeter-oriented team, taking a lot of their shots from behind the arc, and doing a pretty job of making them. They’ve also been good at defending threes, but poor interior defense and weak offensive rebounding have held them back in overall defensive efficiency.

Players to watch:

6-5 SO John Holland, 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 56.2 eFG% - Holland leads the team in points and rebounds, and has split his shooting almost evenly between twos and threes, putting up a good percentage in both areas.

6-2 JR Corey Lowe, 16.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 53.3 eFG% - Lowe is the other player on the Terriers who puts up a lot of shots, and is another good three-point shooter who also manages to distribute the ball to teammates.

#4 – New Hampshire Wildcats (13-15, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.033

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

With the top three teams separating themselves from the pack, New Hampshire will have a tough time making any progress in Albany, and are actually the only top 4 team not favored to advance to the semis. The problem has been the Wildcat offense, which has been one of the conference’s worst. It uses a slow style, but doesn’t do it very well, putting up one of the country’s worst field goal percentages and giving the ball up often. This has left it to the defense to bail out UNH, something it has occasionally managed to do with excellent rebounding. New Hampshire needs to watch out for fouls, which were a problem in the non-conference, but have improved in America East play.

Players to watch:

6-3 SR Tyrece Gibbs, 14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 51.7 eFG% - Gibbs is an excellent three-point shooter, and while his shots from inside the arc aren’t as effective, he takes enough threes to make him a decently efficient player.

6-8 SO Dane Diliegro, 5.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 54.3 eFG% - Diliegro isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he’s an excellent rebounder who takes his chances well when he gets them.

#5 – Stony Brook Seawolves (16-13, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.045

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Four of Stony Brook’s eight conference losses have come in overtime (one in quadruple OT), so it’s not really a surprise that they are under-seeded, relative to their EM performance. They should be slight favorites against New Hampshire, mostly because of the conference’s best defense. The Seawolves get opponents to attempt a lot of threes, and manage to hold them to a pretty poor percentage, while also getting their hands on the ball a lot, either through turnovers or rebounds. Offensively, they tend to focus on getting the ball inside, a strategy that has been fairly unsuccessful, when you consider their conference-worst 44% shooting from two.

Players to watch:

6-5JR Muhammad El-Amin, 15.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 50.4 eFG% - El-Amin is one of the rare three-point threats on the Seawolves, and the Ju-Co transfer has not been afraid to shoot with impunity. He takes nearly a third of the team’s shots when he’s on the floor, and makes just enough to justify it.

6-6 SR Demetrius Young, 9.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 67.5 eFG% - His season-long numbers haven’t been that impressive, but Young is a guy who has really stepped up his play in recent days, and as the conference’s leader in FG%, will cause a lot of problems for opponents inside. He’s started just 4 games all year, but averaged 14 points a game in the month of February.

#6 –Maryland Baltimore County (13-16, 7-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.069

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The defending champions lost a lot from their 2008 team, and have really felt it on the defensive end of the floor, where they’ve had the worst record in the conference. They force few turnovers, and while they’ve defended the inside shot decently, teams have lit them up from three. One interesting thing about UMBC is its ability to avoid turnovers, as it’s put up one of the country’s lowest rates in that area. It hasn’t been too much of a help to the offense, though, as too many of its possessions have ended with missed shots. The wide majority of these shots have come from inside the arc, as UMBC has taken a lower percentage of threes than all but two other teams in the country.

Players to watch:

5-8 SR Jay Greene, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 52.1 eFG% - Greene is the only Retriever who is a threat from behind the arc, taking the majority of his shots from three. He also leads the conference in assists, and is an excellent outside complement to his team’s inside-oriented attack.

6-4 SR Darryl Proctor, 20.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 47.6 eFG% - No player in the nation has played more minutes than Proctor, who averages 39.6 per game, and had his biggest night off when he played 33 against Pitt. He’s not just a guy who plays a lot, though, as he takes a huge role in the offense, and is a very good rebounder. He’s also committed just 64 turnovers all season, which is a very impressive number when you consider how much he plays.

#7 – Albany Great Danes (14-15, 6-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.069

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

Albany isn’t the kind of team you’d look at for an upset run, seventh in the league in offense and defense, but the fact that the tournament will be on its home floor at SEFCU Arena means that they will have a shot at causing some trouble. The Great Danes got the worst possible draw in Vermont, however, and could easily find themselves drummed out fast. They are spectacular rebounders, putting up one of the best rates in the entire country. They get a lot of chances to practice, as they are pretty bad shooters, especially from behind the arc. They also find themselves on the wrong side of turnover margin more often than not, and don’t force a lot of misses from opponents.

Players to watch:

6-0 SO Tim Ambrose, 14.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 49.1 eFG% - Ambrose leads the team in scoring, despite playing just 24 minutes a game, mostly because he has really struggled with foul trouble. He’s a solid shooter and has a very good assist rate, but just can’t stay on the court enough to really put up big averages.

6-6 JR Will Harris, 12.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 47.7 eFG% - Harris had a strong run at the start of the conference season, but has really cooled off towards the end of the year. He’s a decent percentage player, but not overly notable.

#8 – Maine Black Bears (9-20, 4-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.065

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

A 4-12 record in conference play is a little harsh for a team that has been about the same as the two teams ahead of them, and the Black Bears will be a little unfortunate to have to play an opening round game against Hartford. Defensively, they struggle inside, but manage to get opponents to shoot mostly three-pointers, where they are pretty effective. However, they’re also terrible defensive rebounders, so forcing a stop isn’t necessarily good enough to help them out.

Players to watch:

6-7 SO Sean McNally, 9.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 44.5 eFG% - McNally doesn’t play a big role in the offense, but is the Bears’ most effective offensive player, due to his ability to pick up offensive rebounds. He’s a decent shooter, but takes a few too many fruitless threes.

6-5 JR Mark Socoby, 12.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 45.7 eFG% - Socoby leads the team in scoring, but he’s a bit of a liability for Maine, as most of his shots come from behind the arc, where he barely cracks 30%.

#9 – Hartford Hawks (6-25, 2-14) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.154

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Hartford’s last win came on January 14^th, and it looks likely that it’ll finish the season on a 15-game losing streak. The Hawks’ offense has been simply terrible, one of the worst in the nation in getting to the free throw line and rebounding, and putting up a lot of threes, while hitting just 29% as a team from behind the arc. The Hartford defense has actually been decent, forcing teams to the outside and getting a lot of turnovers, but only having half a decent team isn’t good enough.

Players to watch:

6-2 SR Jaret Von Rosenberg, 12.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 45.7 eFG% - Von Rosenberg averages more than 38 minutes a game, and while he does a good job getting the ball to teammates, and is a good scorer inside the arc, his 27% three-point shooting really limits his effectiveness.

6-5 SR Michael Turner, 11.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 50.4 eFG% - Turner is a key player to any potential Hartford success, the only player who hits a solid percentage of long-distance shots and the team’s best rebounder.

My statistical all-America East team:

UMBC SR G Jay Greene, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 52.1 eFG%

Vermont SR G Mike Trimboli, 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 53.8 eFG%

Boston University SO G/F John Holland, 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 56.2 eFG%

Binghamton JR F D.J. Rivera, 20.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52.5 eFG%

Vermont JR F Marqus Blakely, 15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG,1.9 SPG, 2.8 BPG, 60.3 eFG%

America East Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:04:35 -0800

Conference Rank: 24th

Conference Page

All-America East Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Joe Zeglinski	Hartford	Jr
G	Mike Trimboli	Vermont	Sr
G	Corey Lowe	Boston U.	Jr
F	Darryl Proctor	UMBC	Sr
F	Marqus Blakely	Vermont	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Marqus Blakely Mike Trimboli		Points: Marqus Blakely 19.0 Rebounds: Marqus Blakely 11.0 Assists: Jay Greene 7.2

America East Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

114	Hartford	Am East	1	NCAA
155	Vermont	Am East	2
180	Boston U	Am East	3
192	Albany	Am East	4
208	UMBC	Am East	5
226	Binghamton	Am East	6
258	New Hamp	Am East	7
323	Maine	Am East	8
332	Stony Brook	Am East	9

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the America East?

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Rise & Fall: America East

Vermont Escapes With 2 Point Win Over UNH

Press Release — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:37:04 -0800

DURHAM, N.H. – Freshman Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) hit a three-pointer as the horn sounded to give the University of Vermont men’s basketball team a 62-60 come from behind victory on the road over New Hampshire in America East action on Tuesday night. The Catamounts trailed by as many as 15 in the second half, but pulled out their fifth straight victory and seventh in their last eight to improve to 10-5 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Trailing by one, 59-58, UNH’s Jermaine Anderson was fouled with 5.7 second remaining. The senior calmly sunk two and after a Vermont timeout, the inbounds went to sophomore Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) who dribbled to half court where he was double-teamed. Trimboli then found Blakely on the opposite side of the court and the freshman caught it and fired over New Hampshire’s Blagoj Janev right before the buzzer. The three was the first of Blakely’s career in only his second career attempt.

“I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness being down double digits with seven minutes left,” said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. “We showed a lot of character to not give up and we were fortunate enough to battle and stay in the game. The final shot was a lucky play, but we will take it.”

Vermont trailed by 15 at 43-28 4:32 in to the second half, but the Catamounts battled back using a 13-2 run to make it 45-41 UNH with 9:38 remaining. Freshman Joe Trapani (Madison, Conn.) had five in the run while junior Timothy McCrory (Pascagoula, Miss.) tacked on four. As quickly as UVM bounced back New Hampshire tallied the next six points to re-extend its lead to 10 at 51-41.

UVM did not quit though as the Catamounts rattled off 11 straight points over the next 3:15 to take their first lead of the game at 52-51. Neither team would lead by more then two for the remainder of the contest.

With 52 ticks left on the clock, Trimboli scooped a lay-up under a defender to put the Cats on top 57-56. Janev was fouled on the next possession and sunk two free throws to put UNH back on top by one with 25 seconds to go. On the other end Trimboli missed a shot but senior Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev.) was there for the rebound and was fouled. The 45.9 percent shooter from the line stepped up and sunk a pair, setting up the wild finish.

The Wildcats (4-11, 1-2 America East) jumped out to an early 13-2 lead just 3:53 into the contest as Janev scored nine of the 13 and 11 of the UNH’s first 15 points in the contest. Trailing 17-6, the Catamounts clawed their way back into the game and jump shot by Trimboli cut it to two at 26-24. UNH would score the final seven points of the frame though to take a 33-24 lead into intermission.

Janev hit all seven shots he took in the first half, including going 5-for-5 from three, for 19 points. McCrory kept Vermont in the game surpassing his season high in the first half alone with seven points. The Wildcats had only three players score in the opening stanza until Tyrece Gibbs scored their final bucket of the half on a jumper.

Besides Janev, the rest of the team hit only 5-of-19 from the floor and 0-for-9 from three in the first 20 minutes, but the Wildcats only turned the ball over twice.

Trimboli ended up leading the Catamounts in scoring with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while McCrory posted a career-high 11 off the bench. Trapani and Holm each chipped in with nine, with Holm’s all coming in the second half. Vermont won despite a huge night from Janev who finished 11-for-11 for a career-high 31 points, while Anderson was the only other Wildcat in double-figures with 12.

Vermont committed a season-low six turnovers in the contest and out-rebounded UNH 32-29.

- From www.uvmathletics.com -