Centers:

Hartford: 6-foot-6-inch Citadel transfer Warren McLendon is the Hawks’ best post player, with averages of 12.1 points and five rebounds. McLendon, a physical presence on both ends of the floor, tends to find himself in foul trouble, which could spell trouble for Hartford, a team thin at the center spot.

New Hampshire: Freshman Dane Diliegro is a strong, physical presence on the glass and on defense, but lacks a soft touch near the basket and has only scored in double figures once. Fellow frosh James Valladares has seen increased playing time late in the season.

Advantage: Hartford

Forwards:

Hartford: One of the America East’s top rookies, 6-foot-8-inch Morgan Sabia, whose game reminds some of former UVM forward Joe Trapani, has the potential to stretch defenses with his efficient shooting (.483 field goal percentage, .441 3-point field goal percentage). Junior Michael Turner, a coach’s dream and one of the AE’s best defenders, is a point-forward who can do a little of everything on offense. Anthony Minor starts in the middle, but doesn’t shoot as much as the other two.

New Hampshire: Senior Mike Christensen is a versatile player who shoots at a low percentage but can hit 3s. Freshman Rony Tchatchoua is more efficient but has only averaged 2.8 ppg since exploding for 17 against Binghamton on Jan. 24.

Advantage: Hartford

Guards:

Hartford: Sophomore Joe Zeglinski is tough as nails and can put up points in a hurry if he gets hot behind the arc. Junior college transfer Jaret Von Rosenberg can also score (31 points versus South Carolina State) and is a thief on defense (1.9 steals per game).

New Hampshire: Junior Tyrece Gibbs is UNH’s best player and is among the conference leaders in scoring. Frosh Alvin Abreu, one of the best AE rookies, can score but is more effective when he shares the game. His classmate Tyrone Conley, who relies on his athleticism, is on a four-game double-figure scoring streak.

Advantage: Even

Bench:

Hartford: It’s all about leadership on the Hawks’ bench, where you’ll find seniors Rich Baker and Brian Glowiak at the beginning of the game. In a tournament atmosphere, the veteran guard tandem will be crucial to keeping the Hawks steady. McLendon sometimes begins games on the bench and replaces Minor.

New Hampshire: Tchatchoua comes off the bench, along with Eric Gilchrese, a streaky player who has scored 20 or more points five times this season.

Advantage: New Hampshire

Coaching:

Hartford: Dan Leibovitz has done the unthinkable in his second year, leading a team that finished eighth in 2007 to the No. 2 seed this year, after being picked to finish sixth. Even though Hartford claims NBA forward as an alumnus, the Hawks have never finished as high as second place in the AE. His Hawks are disciplined, tough and smart.

New Hampshire: Bill Herrion is a veteran of the AE, having won the league with Drexel in the mid-1990s. In his return to the conference, he hasn’t quite had that success yet, but finishing in seventh after a big roster overhaul in the off-season is nothing to sneeze at. Still, it’s hard to ignore what Leibovitz has done this season.

Advantage: Hartford

Overall:

Hartford: The Hawks only finished one game ahead of the sixth seed, but after a regular-season ending victory over UMBC to clinch the second seed, it feels like the Hawks are this year’s Cinderella story in the AE. Like all of the teams seeded No. 2 to 6, they have the talent to win the entire tournament, but because the league is so competitive, there’s a good chance they don’t make it out of Binghamton.

New Hampshire: The Wildcats will compete in this game, but an abundance of youth makes substantial tournament success a long shot. New Hampshire is still probably a year or two away from becoming a contender. But some feel that if UNH can heat up from the perimeter, the Wildcts have enough firepower to upset the Hawks and make midnight strike early for Cinderella.

Advantage: Hartford