America East Basketball News and Notes: NJIT Takes Command

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The second half of the America East basketball schedule is officially underway, and after a pivotal week, the NJIT Highlanders have claimed the top spot in the league for themselves. A perfect 2–0 week has pushed the Highlanders into first place, holding a narrow half-game lead over UMBC. To top it off, NJIT has secured the America East Player of the Week for the second consecutive Monday.

As we look ahead to another crucial slate of games, here is how the conference landscape is shaping up.

Highlanders on the Rise

The NJIT Highlanders (13–12, 8–2 AE) are in the midst of their best stretch since joining the conference in 2020. Last week, they made a statement by dismantling UMass Lowell 81–56 before grinding out a 73–64 win over Binghamton on Saturday.

The catalyst for the Highlanders has been sophomore guard Ari Fulton, who was named America East Player of the Week. Fulton was unstoppable, averaging 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting a staggering 67% from the field.

Vs. Lowell: Recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Vs. Binghamton: Put up 21 points and 9 boards.

UMBC and Vermont in Hot Pursuit

UMBC (14–8, 7–2 AE) continues to nipping at NJIT’s heels, having won five of their last six games. In their lone appearance last week, they controlled Binghamton from wire-to-wire in a 79–62 victory.

Team Effort: All five UMBC starters scored in double figures, led by DJ Armstrong (17 points) and a double-double from Jose Roberto Tanchyn (10 pts, 11 reb).
Tiebreaker Note: UMBC currently holds the tiebreaker over NJIT thanks to an 87–74 win on January 22. The two programs will meet for a massive regular-season finale on March 3 in Newark.

Vermont (15–10, 7–3 AE) sits just behind in third place. While they are a full game back of NJIT in the win column, the Catamounts hold a tiebreaker over UMBC, setting up a volatile race for the No. 1 seed.

The Battle at the Bottom

The tournament race is growing desperate for those at the bottom of the standings. If the postseason began today, the Binghamton Bearcats (5–20, 1–9 AE) would be the odd team out.

Binghamton is currently three games behind Maine (4–6 AE) for the final playoff spot.
The Bearcats host Vermont (Thursday) and UAlbany (Saturday) this week; they likely need a sweep to keep their postseason hopes alive.

America East Standings (As of Feb 10, 2026)

Team	Conf	Overall	Streak
NJIT	8–2	13–12	W4
UMBC	7–2	14–8	W2
Vermont	7–3	15–10	W1
UMass Lowell	5–5	10–15	W1
New Hampshire	4–5	8–14	L2
Bryant	4–6	8–16	W1
UAlbany	4–6	8–17	L1
Maine	4–6	6–19	L1
Binghamton	1–9	5–20	L2

Rookie of the Week: Victor Okojie

UMass Lowell forward Victor Okojie earned his first career Rookie of the Week honor after stepping up for the injured Austin Green. The freshman from Ireland averaged a double-double (11.5 pts, 11 reb) over two games, highlighted by a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in a victory over UAlbany on Saturday.