The owners of five of the last six America East titles clash tomorrow. Despite the seeding imbalance, this quarterfinal battle promises to be the best of the tournament.
The No. 2 seeded Vermont Catamounts (23-7, 13-3 AE) face off against the hometown favorites, Albany (14-15, 6-10 AE), seeded seventh in the AE championships at Albany this weekend.
In the regular season, Vermont only suffered losses to two conference teams; Albany can claim to be one of them. An 82-77 victory back in early January will be the Great Dane’s motivation going into this weekend.
Albany’s Anthony Raffa and Will Harris combined for 42 points in the win at Vermont. It was the Great Dane’s fourth consecutive win over Vermont, and after a 6-10 record in the conference this year, motivation is one thing they need.
The Great Danes had a disappointing end to their season in last year’s tournament. Boston University played heartbreaker to the defending champs knocking them off 68-64 in overtime in the quarterfinals.
This season has gone along the same lines. Albany has struggled on the road, going 5-11 away from home. Momentum has not been on their side; they have dropped seven of their last eight games. They have lost six consecutive road games in conference play and having the tournament in their building might be the godsend they have been looking for all season. With a 9-3 record at the SEFCU Arena in Albany, the Great Danes look as good as any team to pull off the upset.
The Catamounts extracted revenge with a 79-70 win in Albany on Feb. 7. Vermont will need to lean on that win to get by the ferocious fans that await them this weekend.
Albany has long been known for its passionate fan base. And with their first opportunity to host the league tournament, the fans will not pass up a chance to help deal an upset that would send ripples through the conference.
Vermont has been led by senior Mike Trimboli who has averaged 16.3 points and 4.9 assist a game this season. Trimboli played and started 29 of 30 games this season. He missed a 93-81 victory at Maine last weekend due to illness. The win secured the Catamounts a share of the regular season conference title — their third regular season title in five years.
These two programs have been incredibly successful with the two teams combining for five titles in six years. Albany took home the trophies in 2006 and 2007 while Vermont collected in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
So, as one team goes home, the other goes for another chance to add to the incredible trophy case that they have acquired. Vermont is on fire winning their last eight games, and 14 of their last 15. With the Catamounts coming in strong and Albany coming in on a slump, Vermont looks good for another title run.