Albany vs Yale Quickie

Squad Goals

The Great Danes recorded 23 assists on 31 made field goals in their 88-54 rout of Yale. 9 players scored at least 2 points, while 10 saw game action. Albany shot 56.4% from the floor and 45% (9-20) from distance as their top 5 scorers shot 69% for the contest. Overall it was a nice team win against a Yale squad missing the reigning Ivy League POY Justin Sears.

Charles In Charge

It's become pretty apparent that few if any can stop Travis Charles one on one on the block. Charles has an array of moves both facing up, and with his back to the basket that has made life difficult for those trying to guard him so far this season.

He'd end the contest with 16 points in 25 minutes on 7-8 shooting.

That Evan's So Deep

Singletary with 21 points in 26 minutes

7-9 FG, 4-5 3PFG
...not much more to say.

Get That D

The Great Danes rotated well, and it certainly didn't hurt that Yale was ice cold from the field. The Bulldogs would finish the game 19-58 (32.8%) from the floor and 4-20 (20%) from deep. 16 offensive rebounds for Yale is a bit of a concern, but when a team misses 39 shots there's bound to be some extra opportunities.

Part Of The Process

You get the feeling that once everyone figures out their role, and how to thrive in the system this team will be something special. There are still defensive lapses, poor shot selection at times, players forcing action when their number is called and missed box out opportunities...problems every team has early in the season. There's still only one ball, and almost everyone on this team can put up big time numbers given the opportunity. 

#AEHoops Weekend 1 Roundup

AE Record: 3-9

Friday Games (11/13/15)

Kentucky 78 Albany 65 (Box)

• Peter Hooley led Albany w/18 points in 37 minutes, Evan Singletary scored 17 points playing all 40 minutes for the Great Danes
• Albany shot 1-14 (7.1%) from 3
• Kentucky turned the ball over 20 times to Albany's 15
• Greig Stire led Albany w/4 rebounds
• Albany (13) finished the night w/more offensive rebounds than Kentucky (12)
• Jamal Murray led Kentucky w/19 points and 8 assists in 32 minutes
• Kentucky out-rebounded Albany 34-28
• Kentucky shot 6-17 (35.3%) from 3

UCONN 100 Maine 56 (Box)

• Till Gloger led Maine w/17 points and 6 rebounds in 28 minutes
• UCONN out-rebounded Maine 52-40 and forced 14 Maine TO's to their 8
• Sterling Gibbs led UCONN w/20 points in 27 minutes
• Daniel Hamilton finished the night w/9 assists and 9 rebounds for UCONN in 27 minutes
• Neither team shot well from deep (Maine- 5-19, 26.3%...UCONN 5-22, 22.7%)
• 11 players would record at least one point for UCONN
• Maine shot 19-63 (30.2%) from the floor while UCONN shot 36-66 (54.5%)

Eastern Michigan 70 Vermont 50 (Box)

• Vermont led by 3 (30-27) at the half, EMU outscored UVM 43-20 in 2H
• Ernie Duncan led UVM w/14 points in 27 minutes going 4-10 from deep
• Willie Mangum led EMU w/18 points in 34 minutes
• EMU forced 21 UVM turnovers while only turning the ball over 9 times themselves
• EMU shot 2-11 (18.2%) from three while UVM shot 8-26 (30.8%)
• EMU shot 25-58 (43.1%) from the field while UVM shot 16-52 (30.8%)
• UVM out-rebounded EMU 40-36 and 13-10 on the offensive glass

New Hampshire 82 Lyndon State College 45 (Box)

• Tanner Leissner paced UNH w/21 points in 28 minutes, also added 10 rebounds
• Iba Camara had 20 rebounds for UNH in 30 minutes of action
• Lyndon St. did not have a single player in double figures, Avery King dropped 7 for their team high
• UNH turned the ball over 14 times to Lyndon St.'s 4
• UNH shot 47.7% from the field while UNH shot 21.9%

St. Bonaventure 63 Binghamton 53 (Box)

• Bing led by Willie Rodriguez's 12 points in 24 minutes, also w/8 rebounds
• Dusan Perovic only other Bing player in double figures w/11
• Dion Wright led the Bonnie's w/20 points in 34 minutes, also w/9 rebounds
• Bonnie's out-rebounded Bing 43-37
• Bing w/19 TO's to Bonnies 14
• Bing shot 29.8% from the floor while Bonnies shot 37%
• Bonnies led in rebounding by Denzel Gregg w/11, had 15 points for the double-double

Northwestern 79 UMASS-Lowell 57 (Box)

• Alex Olah leads NW w/21 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes
• Tyler Livingston leads UML w/9 points in 20 minutes
• NW out-rebounds UML 32-28
• NW outshoots UML 45.3% to 32.1%
• Jahad Thomas finishes 4-13 w/8 points for UML
• UML commits 12 turnovers to NW's 6

Hartford 92 Central Connecticut 83 (Box) (DOUBLE OT)

• Taylor Dyson led Hartford w/17 points in 28 minutes
• John Carroll has 15 points and 9 rebounds for Hartford
• Justin Graham w/16 points going 8-9 on FT's for Hartford in 47 minutes
• Khalen Cumberlander led CCU w/19 points in 49 minutes
• Hartford outshoots CCU 42.4% to 39.5%
• CCU outrebounds Hartford 51-43
• CCU finishes w/13 turnovers, Hartford finishes w/6
• Hartford shoots 10-23 (43.5%) from 3, CCU shoots 9-31 (29%) from 3

Wake Forest 78 UMBC 73 (Box)

• Devin Thomas w/21 points and 17 rebounds in 30 minutes to lead Wake
• Konstantinos Mitoglou w/19 points and 16 rebounds in 31 minutes for Wake
• Jourdan Grant led UMBC w/20 points and 5 assists in 31 minutes, also had 5 rebounds
• UMBC outshot Wake 40% to 37.7% from the floor
• UMBC outshot Wake 36% (9-25) to 15% (3-20) from 3
• Wake out-rebounded UMBC 59 to 36
• Wake w/16 turnovers as UMBC finished w/9

Saturday Games (11/14/15)

Stony Brook 103 US Merchant Marine Academy 32 (Box)

• Carson Puriefoy led SB w/19 points in 21 minutes
• Jameel Warney finishes w/a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds in 22 minutes)
• Ahmad Walker scores 17 points and tallies a team high 6 assists in 19 minutes
• Tyrell Sturdivant w/13 rebounds and 7 points in 23 minutes
• Andrew Williams led Merchant Marine w/7 points in 23 minutes
• SB outshot MM 46.7% to 21.4%
• SB out-rebounded MM 62-31
• MM w/18 turnovers, SB w/7

Sunday Games, (11/15/15)

Purdue 107 Vermont 79 (Box)

• Dakota Mathias led Purdue w/17 points in 20 minutes including 5-7 from 3
• 6 Purdue players reached double digit point totals
• Ernie Duncan led UVM w/18 points in 36 minutes
• Trae Bell-Haynes tallied 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for UVM in 36 minutes
• PU outshot UVM 55.4% to 48.2%
• PU out-rebounded UVM 33-32
• PU forced 17 UVM turnovers while only committing 5
• PU outshot UVM 50% (18-36) to 31.3% (5-16) from 3

Army 75 Binghamton 60 (Box)

• Tanner Plomb led Army w/23 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes
• Everson Davis led Bing w/14 points in 31 minutes
• Army outshoots Bing 41% to 36.5%
• Army out-rebounds Bing 42-37
• Bing 3-14 (21.4%) from 3, Army 11-30 (36.7%)
• Bing w/19 TO's, Army w/15

Saint Louis 85 Hartford 68 (Box)

• Mike Crawford led STL w/17 points in 29 minutes
• 5 STL players w/double digit point totals
• Pancake Thomas led Hart w/15 points and 4 assists in 32 minutes
• STL outshot Hart 52.8% to 44% from the field
• STL forced 16 Hart turnovers while only committing 7
• STL went 26-40 from the line while Hart went 15-22

America East MBB 15-16 Preview: Binghamton

*Team Stats updated with conference only figures

Twitter: @BinghamtonMBB

Projected 2015-16 Record

7-9, Sixth place

2014-15 Record

5-11 (1-7 road, 4-4 home), finished in 6th place

2014-15 Attendance

2,495 average, 19,959 total

2014-15 PPG

58.4, 7th in America East

2014-15 Opp PPG

62.9, 5th in America East

2014-15 3 Point FG %

30.7%, 9th in America East

2014-15 FT %
63.3%, 9th in America East

2014-15 Rebound Margin

-2.8, 6th in America East

2014-15 Assists

8.4, 9th in America East

2014-15 T/O Margin

+1.50, 2nd in America East

What's Gone

The Bearcats lose 3 players in total--two to transfer and one to graduation. Jabrille Williams graduates after playing in 4 conference games for the Bearcats--averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5 minutes of action. Jabrille graduates with career highs of 12 points against Army, 7 rebounds versus Albany and 4 blocks versus New Hampshire.

Magnus Richards transfers after a Sophomore season that saw him average 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game. Richards played in all 16 America East contests for the Bearcats, while starting 1. Nick Madray transfers after an injury shortened Sophomore campaign in which he averaged 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds during Binghamton's non-conference schedule.

The good news for the Bearcats is that they return 84% of their scoring, 89% of their rebounding and 85% of their assists from 2014-15 conference play.

What Arrives

#4 Timmy Rose (Fr) 6'1'' 170 pound guard. Garnered All-State accolades as a Senior at Scranton Prep in Pennsylvania averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.5 steals and 4 rebounds per game. I know nothing else about him, hmu with some info Timmy. Here is a video of him playing basketball. The team finally let him make a cameo 5 episodes into the BU Pop Quiz.

#14 Jordan McRae (R-Fr) 6'6'' 200 pound forward. Redshirted the 2014-15 season. Averaged 13 points, 14.5 rebounds and 6 blocks during his Senior season at Half Hollow Hills East. Based on his academic awards he is a much better student than I was.

#22 Everson Davis (Fr) 6'3'' 185 pound guard. Averaged 16.0 points per game during two seasons at Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ. Prior to his time at Peddie he played at West Side in Newark averaging 23.6 points per game over three seasons. Originally from St. Kitts. May take over as my favorite Jersey player for the 2016-17 season with the graduation of Jameel Warney. Recorded 12 points and 4 assists in Binghamton's exhibition game against Cobleskill.

#30 John Schurman (R-Fr) 6'6'' 200 pound guard/forward. Redshirted the 2014-15 season. Averaged 22.5 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior at Fayetteville-Manlius High School. Finished as schools all-time scoring leader with 1,541 points. Nominated for 2014 McDonald's All-American Game. Scored 17 points in Binghamton's exhibition game against Cobleskill.

#32 Thomas Bruce (Fr) 6'9'' 200 pound forward. Hails from the Chocolate City where he averaged 12.3 points and 11 rebounds for DeMatha Catholic against nationally ranked top 25 teams. Recorded 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in Binghamton's exhibition game against Cobleskill.

Redshirts

#10 Yosef Yacob (ERS-Jr) 6'0'' 175 pound guard. Will redshirt the 2015-16 season due to injury. Averaged 5.4 points in 22.9 minutes appearing in 16 America East contests while starting 3 for the Bearcats. Has career highs of 22 points and 12 assists. Wish you a speedy recovery my man. Enjoys H-O-R-S-E'ing around.

#33 J.C. Show (ERS-So) 6'3'' 210 pound guard. Appeared in all 34 games including 3 starts for Bucknell during the 2014-15 season. Averaged 6.7 points in 18.3 minutes per game during the 14-15 season for the Bisons. Named 2014 Pennsylvania "Mr. Basketball" and was the 2014 Pennsylvania Gatorade POY. Averaged 17.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds as a senior at Abington Heights. Close personal friend of Michael Scott.

What Returns

#0 Karon Waller (Sr) 6'4'' 210 pound guard. Averaged 7.1 MPG in 13 appearances during 2014-15 America East action. Career highs of 13 points, and 11 rebounds. From Camden, NJ...is a big fan of aquariums. Found rare footage of him in the weight/locker room.

#1 Marlon Beck (Jr) 5'11'' 175 pound guard.  Finished 14th in the conference and 2nd on Binghamton at 11.5 points per game during 2014-15 America East play. Tied for 9th in conference play and 1st on Binghamton with 2.8 assists per game. Led Binghamton shooting 37.4% from deep during 2014-15 conference play. Started and played in all 16 conference games for Binghamton last season. Has a nice smile. Voted best ball handler/quickest on team by teammates.

#11 Romello Walker (So) 6'6'' 195 pound guard. Averaged 10.3 points per game in America East play last season--good for 20th in conference and 3rd on Binghamton. Averaged 4.6 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. Appeared and started in all 16 conference games for the Bearcats during his Freshman campaign. Everybody funny, now you funny too. Claims to be a handsome dunker.

#12 John Rinaldi (Jr) 6'2'' 195 pound guard. Appeared in 14 conference games averaging 5.9 minutes during 2014-15 America East action. 

#15 Bobby Aheam (So) 6'6'' 225 pound forward. Averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game during 2014-15 conference play. Started 15 and appeared in all 16 of Binghamton's conference games last season as a Freshman. Uncle is Vinny Del Negro and Grandfather played at Kentucky for the legendary Adolph Rupp.

#25 Justin McFadden (So) 6'5'' 210 pound guard/forward. Averaged 7.2 points 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27 minutes per game during 2014-15 conference play as a Freshman. Started 12 of the 14 game he appeared in for the Bearcats during America East action. Attended the same high school as Kobe Bryant and enjoys shooting some bball outside of the school. Claims to be nice at FIFA, teammates seem to agree. I'm down to rock a 2 on 2 best of 3 anytime you fellas want. Voted best defender on team by teammates.

#41 Dusan Perovic (So) 6'9'' 230 pound forward/center. Appeared in 1 conference game after an ACL tear ended his season early. Averaged 11.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game during the 2014-15 season for the Bearcats as a Freshman. Started 9 of 15 total games he appeared in while shooting 45.3% from three in '14-'15. Owns the school D1 record for points in a game with 34 against Boston University. Deuces on people in H-O-R-S-E.

#42 Willie Rodriguez (So) 6'6'' 200 pound forward. Tied for 8th in the America East averaging 12.7 points per game during 2014-15 conference play. Tied for 7th in the league averaging 5.7 rebounds per game during 2014-15 conference play. Led Binghamton with 13 blocks last season in America East contests (0.8 per game in conference was tied for 7th overall). Named to the 2014-15 America East All-Rookie Team. Averaged 35.6 minutes per game as a Freshman in conference play. Gotta appreciate a man who votes for himself for every superlative.

Coaching Staff

Tommy Dempsey - Head Coach, Twitter: @tadempsey4

Ben Luber - Associate Head Coach

Bryan Goodman - Assistant Coach

Herb Courtney - Assistant Coach

Chretien Lukusa - Coordinator of Player Development

Binghamton played last season with a roster that contained 7 Freshman, 5 Sophomores, 1 Junior and 1 Senior. The 2015-16 roster will be similar as 11 of the 15 players for the Bearcats will be underclassmen. 

The good news for the Bearcats is that the players who will be asked to carry the load during the 2015-16 season all gained valuable playing experience in '14-'15. As I previously mentioned; Binghamton returns a large chunk of their points, rebounds and assists accrued during America East play last season.

While the Bearcats return most of their production; the issue lies in the fact that they were middle of the pack in most statistical categories--7th in offense, 5th in defense, 7th in field goal percentage and 6th in rebounding margin.

With another year of experience these numbers should improve; however, I'm turned off by their poor outside shooting (9th, 30.7%), poor free throw shooting (9th, 63.3%) and low assists total (9th, 8.4 per game).

The loss of Yosef Yacob due to injury will hurt; however, the return of Dusan Perovic should help alleviate some of the Bearcats perimeter shooting concerns. John Schurman will also help Binghamton spread the floor with his outside shooting after redshirting the 2014-15 season.

While Perovic shot 24-53 (45.3%) from three during out of conference play; an ACL injury ended his conference slate after just 1 game.

Perhaps more important than the return of Perovic and the arrival of Schurman is the continued development of Marlon Beck and Willie Rodriguez; both of whom averaged over 35 minutes per game during 2014-15 conference play. Rodriguez emerged from the 2014-15 season as a bonafide star, and fan favorite in Binghamton. Beck emerged as the only deep threat for the Bearcats; going 34-91 (37.4%) in conference play.

If Romello Walker can improve his perimeter shooting (12-44, 27.3%) from his Freshman campaign and Justin McFadden can up his shooting percentage and rebounding total Binghamton could easily find themselves in the top 4 or 5 of the America East.

Unofficial Player Quote

"I run with intruders, looters and sharpshooters" - Big L, Who Shot Ya Freestyle

Biased Outlook

Binghamton fans got their quick fix when in 2008 Georgetown assistant Kevin Broadus was hired as the the head men's basketball coach. By 2009, the Bearcats would win the America East regular season title (shared with Vermont) and tournament-- earning a NCAA tournament berth.

Everything would fall apart before the 2009-10 season.

Coach Dempsey has done an excellent job rebuilding the program after the mess left behind by Broadus. Binghamton seems to be stock piling talent that should make them competitive for years to come in the America East.

Next up: UMBC

America East MBB 15-16 Preview: UMASS-Lowell

*Team Stats updated with conference only figures

Twitter: @RiverHawkMBB

Projected 2015-16 Record

8-8, Fifth place

2014-15 Record

6-10 (2-6 road, 4-4 home), finished in 6th place

2014-15 Attendance

1,082 average, 8,659 total

2014-15 PPG

61.0, 6th in America East

2014-15 Opp PPG

66.4, 6th in America East

2014-15 3 Point FG %

35.5%, 5th in America East

2014-15 FT %
67.6%, 8th in America East

2014-15 Rebound Margin

-7.6, 9th in America East

2014-15 Assists

11.3, tied for 6th in America East

2014-15 T/O Margin

+2.44, 1st in America East

What's Gone

The River Hawks lose 6 players from their 2014-15 roster including 57% of their point total, 53% of their rebounds and 73% of their assists from conference play. Lance Crawford transfers after a Freshman campaign that saw him average 10.1 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 31.6 minutes.

Chad Holley graduates after averaging 9.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 35.3 minutes during '14-'15 conference play. Brad Schaub transfers after a Freshman campaign that saw him average 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in conference last season.

Marco Banegas-Flores departs after a grad year in which he averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 26.7 minutes of action. Kerry Weldon graduates after starting all 16 conference games for the UMASS-Lowell last season; averaging 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes. Jordan Rhodes also departs after appearing in 1 conference game during the 2014-15 America East conference play.

In total UMASS-Lowell loses players who accounted for 66% of their minutes played during 2014-15 America East conference action.

What Arrives

#1 Keith Hayes II (Fr) 5'11'' 170 pound guard. A three-time All State selection in Arkansas who averaged 22.6 points per game as a senior. No milk will ever be our milk. Steals all of his pick up lines from Guy Code.

#2 Jordan Shea (R-Fr) 6'4'' 195 pound guard. Played one game last season before using a medical redshirt. All time leading scorer at Lodi High School with 1,654 career points; averaging 21 points per game as a senior. Has good taste when it comes to professional sports teams.

#4 Ryan Jones (Fr) 6'3'' 163 pound guard. New Mexico Gatorade POY during his senior season, rated the number 1 player out of New Mexico by D1Nation.com. Averaged 21.7 points per game during his senior year which led the state. Father played in the NFL for Atlanta and Green Bay but he roots for the Bears. Enjoys watching Keith Hayes and Donny Belcher dance.

#5 Dontavious Smith (R-Fr) 6'8'' 195 pound forward. Averaged 8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.5 blocks during his senior season at North Webster. Redshirted the 2014-15 season- thinks he's Will Smith. You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good. Avid supporter of the Gantz dance.

#11 Isaac White (Fr) 6'0'' 165 pound guard. Averaged 18.9 points and 4.9 assists during his senior season. Left Ashland High School as the all time leading scorer with 1,315 points. Can often be seen wearing golf shirts and tennis shorts while bobbing his head to Zac Brown Band and Drake. Enjoys laughing at Matt Harris' jokes while staring at his hair.

#12 Josh Gantz (R-Fr) 6'7'' 210 pound guard/forward. Redshirted the 2014-15 season. Averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.1 assists at Bishop Ready. Was his class vice president so you know he's good in powerful positions with limited responsibility. Likes the Temptations so he's cool by me. Probably says "that's what she said" way too often.

#23 Logan Primerano (Fr) 6'4'' 170 pound guard/forward. Second team All-State in Indiana following his Senior season after averaging 20 points and 6 rebounds at Peru High School. Also played tennis in high school (because who on this team didn't) where he was All-County and All-State. Roots for a NFL team that hangs participation banners. Not afraid to peg batters so he can pitch for my baseball team any day of the week.

#33 Donny Belcher III (Fr) 6'2'' 225 pound forward. Averaged 15 points 8.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game during his senior season at MacArthur High School. From Texas so he's instantly the coolest person on the roster. Keeps his body completely clean shaven like his idol Michael Phelps. Get the feeling he's always late for the bus because he's off somewhere dancing.

What Returns

#10 Jahad Thomas (R-So) 6'2'' 220 pound guard/forward. Started all 22 games he appeared in during the 2014-15 season as a redshirt Freshman averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 32.1 minutes per game. His 14.3 ppg and his 6.5 rpg average both would have been good enough for 5th in the conference had he qualified. 2014-15 season was cut short due to an ACL tear. Is from Williamsport, PA so you know he enjoys watching little kids play baseball and driving slow in the left lane on highways. Hope the rehab went well, and I look forward to seeing him put in work again during the 2015-16 season.

#21 DJ Mlachnik (Gr) 6'2'' 180 pound guard. Appeared in 12 conference games for the River Hawks during the 2014-15 season; starting 3. Averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.9 minutes of action. Shot 8-17 (47.1%) from three during conference play. Enjoys singing a song that involves "taking off all your clothes" with family members. 

#22 Matt Harris (So) 6'1'' 205 pound guard. Appeared in 14 conference games during the '14-'15 season averaging 12.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 24.1 minutes of action. Shot 42.2% (35-83) for the River Hawks during conference play. Finished 10th in AEHoops in scoring average and 4th in 3PFG % during conference play as a Freshman. Uses the temptations to attract females. Didn't get the memo that lines in your fade won't be back in until next year.

#24 Tyler Livingston (Jr) 6'6'' 210 pound forward. Appeared in all 16 conference games for UMASS-Lowell during the 14'-'15 season averaging 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13 minutes of action. Needs to clean his locker. School site lists his favorite TV show as "The Big Band Theory". Going to assume this show involves a group of socially awkward physicists who are inspired by One Direction to form a boy band.

#30 Mark Cornelius (Gr) 6'3'' 195 pound guard. Appeared in 13 conference games; starting 2, averaging 10.5 minutes of action. Savvy when it comes to his professional sports teams and figures. Would rather sing Beer for my Horses than I love This Bar or As Good As I Once Was but nobody's perfect.

Coaching Staff

Pat Duquette - Head Coach, Twitter: @pduquette44

Biko Paris - Assistant Coach

Nick Leonardelli - Assistant Coach

Louis Hinnant - Assistant Coach

Tom O'Shea - Director of Basketball Operations

Umass Lowell loses their 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th leading scorers from 2014-15 conference play, however return their top 2 scorers. Key to the River Hawks offensive production in 2015-16 will be the health of their stud guard/forward Jahad Thomas.

Thomas' 2014-15 season was cut short by a second ACL injury while on the River Hawks roster, one that limited his redshirt Freshman campaign to 9 conference games. Assuming Thomas is back to form by the time conference play rolls around in January the River Hawks will be ready to take on the America East with a bonafide star leading the way.

Matt Harris returns as the River Hawks go-to deep threat having made 35 last season at a 42% clip. Based on volume and percentage, one could safely argue that Harris enters his Sophomore season as the top three point shooter in the America East.

While UML led the America East in turnover margin in 2014-15 (+2.44) and steals (7.3) their aggressive perimeter defense led to a league worst 47.8% opposition field goal percentage. Rebounding was also an issue during the '14-'15 season as they finished last in the America East in rebounding margin at -7.6.

The numbers make sense, as an aggressive defense can often lead to open shots and easy rebounds for your opponent, as defensive players end up out of position. Limiting easy opposition shots is easier said than done if UML continues their aggressive style, however finding a little more balance may go a long way to vaulting them into the top 5 in the America East.

Unofficial Player Quote

"I'm just a new kid, I can't help that I'm hot" - 50 Cent, Bad News

(But you should really listen to the Bad News Mixtape version, NSFW but way better)

Biased Outlook

Ok ok I'll admit I may be on them too soon. They had a lot of turnover from a 6-10 team last season, losing a lot of offense along the way. We're still not sure how Jahad Thomas will look in game action, and since I've spoken with exactly 0 people associated with the team I have no idea where he is in his rehab.

While the River Hawks boast 8 players classified as Freshman; 3 redshirted the 2014-15 season meaning they've had a year of experience in Pat Duquette's system. They're young, but so is the program.

Sometimes it pays to grow together.

I'm fully willing to eat crow after the 2015-16 campaign if things don't run smoothly in Lowell. For now I just have a feeling I can't explain that this team will surprise most during the 2015-16 season.

Next up: Binghamton

#IVYHoops vs #AEHoops

Ivy vs AEast Results (Past 2 Seasons)

yellow = home

ITALICS = OT

Albany

Yale '15 (W)

Brown '14 (W)

Yale '14 (W)

PT Diff = (+24)

(3-0)

Binghamton

Cornell '15 (L)

Penn '15 (L)

Brown '14 (L)

Cornell '14 (W)

PT Diff = (-30)

(1-3)

Hartford

Dart '15 (W)

Yale '15 (L)

Yale '14 (L)

Dart '14 (W)

PT Diff = (0)

(2-2)

Maine

Dart '15 (L)

Dart '14 (L)

PT Diff = (-48)

(0-2)

New Hampshire

Dart '15 (W)

Brown '15 (W)

Yale '14 (L)

Dart '14 (L)

Brown '14 (L)

PT Diff = (-15)

(2-3)

Stony Brook

Columb '15 (W)

Prince '15 (L)

Columb '15 (W)

Cornell '14 (W)

Columb '14 (L)

PT Diff = (-15)

(3-2)

UML

Cornell '15 (L)

Dart '15 (L)

Brown '15 (L)

Dart '14 (L)

Brown '14 (L)

Columb '14 (L)

PT Diff = (-121)

(0-6)

UMBC

Vermont

Harvard '15 (L)

Yale '15 (L)

Dart '15 (W)

Harvard '14 (L)

Dart '14 (W)

Yale '14 (W)

PT Diff = (+1)

(3-3)

Brown

UNH '15 (L)

UML '15 (W)

Bing '14 (W)

UML '14 (W)

Albany '14 (L)

UNH '14 (W)

Columbia

SB '15 (L)

SB '15 (L)

UML '14 (W)

SB '14 (W)

PT Diff = (+34)

(2-2)

Cornell

Bing '15 (W)

UML '15 (W)

Bing '14 (L)

SB '14 (L)

PT Diff = (+3)

(2-2)

Dartmouth

Hart '15 (L)

UNH '15 (L)

Maine '15 (W)

UML '15 (W)

UVM '15 (L)

UML '14 (W)

Maine '14 (W)

UNH '14 (W)

UVM '14 (L)

Hart '14 (L)

PT Diff = (+70)

(5-5)

Harvard

UVM '15 (W)

UVM '14 (W)

Pt Diff = (+18)

(2-0)

Penn

Princeton

SB '15 (W)

Pt Diff = (+13)

(1-0)

Yale

Hart '15 (W)

UVM '15 (W)

Albany '15 (L)

Hart '14 (W)

UNH '14 (W)

Albany '14 (L)

UVM '14 (L)

Pt Diff = (+8)

(4-3)

RPI

14-15

13-14

2 yr AVG

Albany

0.5293

0.4898

0.50955

Binghamton

0.395

0.3965

0.39575

Hartford

0.4604

0.4658

0.4631

Maine

0.3857

0.3927

0.3892

UNH

0.4886

0.3791

0.43385

Stony Brook

0.5292

0.4953

0.51225

UML

0.4519

0.4317

0.4418

UMBC

0.3746

0.3913

0.38295

Vermont

0.4804

0.5304

0.5054

0.4550111111

0.4414

0.4482055556

Brown

0.4596

0.4701

0.46485

Columbia

0.4871

0.5162

0.50165

Cornell

0.4679

0.3883

0.4281

Darmouth

0.4914

0.4454

0.4684

Harvard

0.5661

0.5782

0.57215

Penn

0.455

0.4297

0.44235

Princeton

0.489

0.5204

0.5047

Yale

0.5599

0.5069

0.5334

0.497

0.4819

0.48945

The Ivy League and America East will square off 16 times during the 2015-16 MBB season with 9 of those contests taking place in Ivy gymnasiums and 7 taking place in AEast buildings.

Ivy top dogs Harvard and Yale come in ranked ahead of the top AEast schools in most major polls. The only exception is the preseason Sports Illustrated rankings, which lists Stony Brook as their 94th best school and Vermont as their 102nd, while Princeton is the top ranked Ivy team at 105th.

The CBS preseason rankings has Columbia (73rd) and Yale (80th) ahead of Stony Brook (108th).

More interesting than the press rankings is the College Campus Insider Poll which has Yale 11th and Harvard 19th, while Stony Brook is 32nd and Albany is 35th. Being that it's mid-major coaches themselves that vote for this poll, it's surprising to see Yale ranked so far ahead of Albany (who has beaten them the past two seasons) and Stony Brook who many believe to be a superior team to Albany in the America East.

Top schools in each conference will square off this season as Yale visits Albany and hosts Vermont, Harvard hosts Vermont, and Stony Brook gets a visit from both Princeton and Columbia.

At quick glance it appears that in preseason polls (looking at you mid-major coaches) Albany is underrated as Yale is overrated.

Luckily the top teams will have the chance to prove themselves against each other on the court this season.