America East Basketball News & Notes: League Play Begins Saturday

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The first eight weeks of the college basketball season offered little to celebrate for the America East Conference. With the non-conference slate concluded, only two programs—UMBC (7–6) and Vermont (8–7)—finished above the .500 mark. As it stands, the league appears to be tracking toward a #16 seed when the tournament field is announced in March. However, the silver lining of such a balanced (and struggling) field is the potential for a chaotic, high-stakes regular season where every game carries championship-level weight.

Saturday’s “Second Season” Opener

The quest for the conference crown begins this Saturday with four matchups on tap. The schedule features:

Vermont at New Hampshire: The Catamounts look to carry their momentum onto the road.
UAlbany at UMass Lowell: A key test for the Great Danes’ high-scoring offense.
Bryant at Maine: A highly anticipated rematch of last spring’s tournament championship game.
NJIT at Binghamton: Both teams look to reset their season trajectories.

UMBC will have to wait until the first week of January to begin its league schedule. The format remains unchanged: a 16-game regular season where the top four seeds earn home-court advantage for the quarterfinals, with the higher seed hosting throughout the road to Championship Saturday.

ESPNU Spotlight: Vermont vs. UAlbany

In a major win for the conference’s visibility, the America East will be featured on ESPNU on January 19. Vermont will travel to UAlbany for a holiday matinee at 1:00 PM. This marks the 19th consecutive season that an America East matchup has earned a spot on the ESPNU schedule.

The matchup features a clash of offensive philosophies:

Vermont enters league play as the top-scoring team, averaging 78.1 points per game.
UAlbany (4–10) ranks third, averaging 75.5 points per game.

While the Great Danes have the firepower to compete, history is against them. The Catamounts have dominated this series recently, winning 10 straight and 19 of the last 20 meetings.

Scoring Titans Collide

The January 19th showcase will also feature the league’s top two individual scorers:

Gus Yalden (Vermont): Leading the conference with 17.7 PPG.
Amir Lindsay (UAlbany): Ranking second at 16.5 PPG.

This national TV appearance offers a rare opportunity for both programs and their star players to showcase their talents to a wider audience.

Weekly Honors: Quingly and Tabales Shine

Before the turn to conference play, the league announced its final non-conference weekly awards:

Player of the Week: Jeremiah Quingly (Binghamton) The junior guard earned his first weekly honor after a stellar performance last Tuesday against Army. Quingly notched a double-double with 20 points and a career-high 12 assists, while adding five rebounds and three steals. He was incredibly efficient, shooting 67% (8-of-12) from the field.

Rookie of the Week: Ty Tabales (Bryant) For the third time this season, the freshman guard took home Rookie of the Week honors. In Sunday’s win over Worcester State, Tabales recorded a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists. He currently ranks: