Perrenial powerhouse Vermont ran away from the field during the America East basketball regular season. The Catamounts finished with a 17-1 record in league play and will again be the top seed in this year’s conference tournament as they try to reach March Madness for the third time since 2017. It was Hartford that won the tournament last season, resulting in the school’s first-ever trip to the Big Dance. UMBC is also always a threat in this conference, and will always hold the distinction of being the first college basketball 16-seed to knock off a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The following contains the America East Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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America East Basketball Standings
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Vermont | 17-1 | 25-5 | 1 Seed |
| UMBC | 11-7 | 16-13 | 2 Seed |
| New Hampshire | 10-8 | 15-12 | 3 Seed |
| Harford | 9-9 | 11-19 | 4 Seed |
| Albany | 9-9 | 13-17 | 5 Seed |
| Binghamton | 8-10 | 11-16 | 6 Seed |
| UMass Lowell | 7-11 | 15-15 | 7 Seed |
| NJIT | 6-12 | 11-17 | 8 Seed |
| Stony Brook | 10-8 | 18-13 | N/A |
| Maine | 3-15 | 6-23 | N/A |
America East Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 6, 9, 12
TV Schedule: ESPN+ (Quarterfinals, Semifinals) ESPN2 (Championship)
Venue: Campus Sites (higher seed hosts)
Byes: None
Defending Champion: Hartford
America East Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (1) Vermont 98, (8) NJIT 59
- (2) UMBC 93, (7) UMass Lowell 85 (OT)
- (6) Binghampton 72, (3) New Hampshire 69
- (4) Harford 61, (5) Albany 49
Quarterfinals
- (1) Vermont 74, (6) Binghamton 42
- (2) UMBC 80, (4) Hartford 60
Championship
- (1) Vermont 82, (2) UMBC 43
Vermont advances to NCAA Tournament
America East Conference Breakdown
Top seed Vermont single-handedly dominated the competition in America East basketball play this season. The Catamounts went undefeated at home and will have home-court advantage for as long as they are alive in the America East Tournament bracket. As for the rest of the conference, everyone basically beat up on one another. Five games are all that separates the 2-seed in UMBC from the 8-seed in NJIT in the final standings.
The conference’s petty decision to ban Stony Brook from participating in the America East basketball tournament due to the Seawolves joining the Colonial Athletic Association next season hurts the overall level of competition. Stony Brook finished third in the America East basketball standings and might have been Vermont’s biggest threat to a tournament championship. The Seawolves boasted a trio of double-digit scorers and ranked just outside the top-50 in the country in scoring offense.
No specific team separates itself from the rest aside from Vermont, but you can never count out reigning America East Tournament Champion, Hartford. The 4-seed Hawks have been in the underdog position before. They won last year’s tournament from the exact same position as the 4-seed. They were also the only America East basketball team to beat the Catamounts during the regular season. Hartford and UMBC likely will be the greatest challengers to Vermont for this year’s college basketball automatic bid.
Team Stats | 2022 America East Basketball Tournament
(1) Vermont Catamounts
NET Ranking: 68 (No. 1 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 69 (No. 1 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 110.5 (No. 62)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 99.3 (No. 90)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -6.11 (No. 314)
(2) UMBC Retrievers
NET Ranking: 236 (No. 4 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 242 (No. 3 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 104.5 (No. 162)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 110.8 (No. 306)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -6.95 (No. 326)
(3) New Hampshire Wildcats
NET Ranking: 232 (No. 2 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 238 (No. 2 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 103.9 (No. 172)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 109.8 (No. 295)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -7.60 (No. 339)
(4) Hartford Hawks
NET Ranking: 276 (No. 6 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 281 (No. 6 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 103.0 (No. 192)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 112.8 (No. 335)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -7.11 (No. 329)
(5) Albany Great Danes
NET Ranking: 283 (No. 7 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 286 (No. 7 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 93.9 (No. 335)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 104.0 (No. 182)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -5.70 (No. 299)
(6) Binghamton Bearcats
NET Ranking: 295 (No. 8 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 293 (No. 8 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 95.7 (No. 314)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 106.4 (No. 233)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -6.88 (No. 322)
(7) UMass Lowell River Hawks
NET Ranking: 252 (No. 5 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 247 (No. 4 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 96.6 (No. 304)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 103.3 (No. 169)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -6.92 (No. 325)
(8) NJIT Highlanders
NET Ranking: 330 (No. 9 in AE)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 342 (No. 9 in AE)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 90.0 (No. 354)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 108.0 (No. 263)
Strength of Schedule Rating: -7.33 (No. 332)
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