March is here!
Despite facing a slew of new and different challenges four teams have emerged to vie for the America East title. Each matchup has intrigue and is tinged with the uniqueness of this season.
UMBC vs UMass Lowell
The first quirk of the playoffs is that these two teams did not meet during the regular season, which creates a pretty fun one off matchup for a place in the finals. On the surface this matchup has the look of a breeze for the Retrievers, but below the surface there is plenty of intrigue. UMass Lowell is a grossly underrated team and has all the trappings of a team ready to continue their run. Lowell would very likely have been in the top 4 had their star player Obadiah Noel not missed 5 games at the end of the season. He is their engine, the best pure scorer in the America East, and a player that can put a team on his back and carry them to victory. This is most well rounded team that the River Hawks have put together and they finally play enough defense to give their ultra efficient offense a chance to win them games. The way to beat UMBC is to shoot a high percentage on offense and make every possession count. These are two hallmarks of the Lowell offense. UMBC relies on their tough defense to keep games in the sixties. This years teams does not have the same offensive explosiveness from year past and relies on deliberate half court sets and getting to the free throw line. RJ Eytle-Rock methodically picks apart defenses and wears teams down with his physicality. He is both UMBC's glue guy who makes his teammates better and their go to player when the Retrievers need a bucket. This game is very intriguing and should be a very competitive semifinal.
Vermont vs Hartford
The wait is over. Never has a matchup had so much time to build up suspense. These two teams have not played since February 8th, 2020 when Ryan Davis made a layup at the buzzer for a 69-68 Vermont victory. After an almost championship matchup followed a year later by an almost weekend series, these two teams finally get to battle it out. Hartford is ready to make up for lost time and will be beyond hyped for this matchup. Led by Marist transfer Austin Williams, the Hawks play tough perimeter defense, try to take away the three point line, and want to get out and run on offense. John Gallagher always has his guys ready to play and they will certainly bring max energy on Saturday. Vermont is coming off a two week break from game action and will need to snap back into beast mode from the tip. Player of the year Ryan Davis is ready to dominate down low and force the Hawks to throw a double team at him to open things up for his teammates. Vermont will look to their own tenacious defense to force Hartford into tough shots and pound the ball down low on offense. The Cats will use their size and physicality to win the battle on the boards and get baskets at the rim. This matchup is always a cage match and never lacks for energy and emotion.
There is nothing better that playoff basketball.
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