American East: Conference Tournament Preview

Tournament Begins: March 4

Conference Championship: March 14

Television Coverage: ESPN3, ESPN2
Tournament Bracket: http://www.americaeast.com/pdf9/3232292.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=14000

Overview:

The American East conference tournament champion will likely come from the top four teams in the league including Albany, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, and Vermont. Albany has stood atop the league standings since the opening tipoff of conference play. The Great Danes started conference play 12-0 and finished 15-1. The only blemish on the schedule was to Stony Brook in the middle of February. Will Albany be representing the American East for the third straight season? Can Stony Brook pull off another upset of Albany? Or will a dark horse come out of the woodwork to win the American East Conference tournament? Here is a look at those possibilities.

Favorite to Win Tournament: Albany Great Danes (21-8, 15-1)

Albany won the American East conference tournament the last two seasons as the underdog going 9-7 in conference play and winning the conference tournament as the 4 seed in both seasons. The Great Danes will be the favorite this time around as the 1 seed after going 15-1 in league play. Stony Brook ruined Albany's chance at a perfect season in conference play. The Great Danes will look to avenge that loss if the two face off in the conference tournament championship game.

Most Likely to Upset Favorite: Stony Brook Seawolves (21-10, 12-4)

Stony Brook has the two biggest wins in the American East this season. First, the Seawolves upset then #13 ranked Washington on the road at the end of December. Then, Stony Brook ended Albany's chance at a perfect season in conference play a couple weeks ago. The Seawolves biggest threat might be the Vermont Catamounts who have beaten Stony Brook twice this year and may stand in their way of a potential final with Albany. The Seawolves have never made the NCAA tournament, but this season could be their best chance to make it to the big dance.

Dark Horse to Win Tournament: New Hampshire Wildcats (18-11, 11-5)

New Hampshire struggled in the first half of the season going 5-8 in non-conference games and losing their first two American East games to Stony Brook and Albany. Since then, the Wildcats have gone 10-2 in conference play including a win over Stony Brook. New Hampshire has the highest scoring offense in the American East. If they can continue their hot streak over the second half of the season and continue to put up plenty of points, the Wildcats could play spoiler in the American East conference tournament.

Expected Tournament Bid(s): Conference Tournament Winner

The American East has not had a very strong season as a conference going 1-23 against the RPI Top 100 teams. Only Albany and Stony Brook rank in the RPI Top 190. This means that whoever represents the American East in the NCAA Tournament will have a tough challenge ahead of them. The conference winner will likely be a 16 seed and have to accomplish something that no other 16 seed has been able to do in the history of the NCAA tournament, upset a #1 seed in the first round. Will the American East be the first conference to pull off that feat?