Going into the season, it was expected that if there was a first-round matchup between the University of New Hampshire and Stony Brook University in the America East men’s basketball championship, it would be as the No. 8 vs. No. 9 seeds. Instead, the teams will battle tomorrow as the surprise fourth and fifth seeds as the tournament begins at Albany.
The UNH Wildcats (13-15, 8-8 AE), picked to finish seventh in the conference in the coaches’ preseason poll, carry the momentum coming into the game. The team has won four of its last five games, with their only setback in that span being a one-point overtime loss to Binghamton University on Feb. 22. Perhaps even more significantly, they are coming fresh off of a 58-57 win against the Seawolves (16-13, 8-8 AE), a victory that clinched the fourth seed and a sweep of the regular season series for the Wildcats.
New Hampshire also beat Stony Brook, 71-60, on Jan. 28.
The mental edge will be important to UNH, as Stony Brook leads in several important statistical categories.
The Seawolves hold the advantage in points per game, points allowed per game, steals (a category in which they are first in the conference) and turnovers forced. They also hold the edge in free throws, a statistic that can make the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs.
Of course, despite the impressive statistics, Stony Brook could not muster enough points to defeat New Hampshire in either of their meetings.
New Hampshire’s 3-point shooting could be the key to this game. Despite ranking near the bottom of the conference in 3-point shooting percentage at 31.8 percent, the Wildcats toss up more threes than any other team. Because of this, they trail only Boston University in 3-pointers made per game.
Senior guard Tyrece Gibbs is the team leader here, and his shooting from beyond the arc played a key role in both Wildcats wins. Senior guard Eric Gilchrese, despite seeing limited playing time, can also be a serious threat from 3-point range.
At the other end, the Seawolves lead the conference in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage, but are only in the middle of the pack in allowing teams to take threes. Because of this, the Wildcats were able to outshoot Stony Brook from 3-point range, hitting 22 to the Seawolves’ six. In short, Stony Brook’s perimeter defense will have to not only defend, but prevent, the 3-point shot.
Offensive rebounding will also be an important aspect of the game. Led by the conference’s second-leading offensive rebounder in sophomore center Dane DiLiegro, the Wildcats won both the overall and offensive rebounding battle each time the teams met up. UNH ranks last in the conference in field goal percentage, making second-chance points more pivotal to success. It is no coincidence that New Hampshire sent their last game to overtime by grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting a game-tying 3-point shot at the end of regulation.
Stony Brook will lean on its defensive star, freshman Tommy Brenton, who is second in the conference in rebounding, to help neutralize this UNH strength. Stony Brook’s strategy will have to include a way to prevent another second-half collapse, having given up halftime leads in both of its games against UNH.
In addition, the Seawolves will have to find offensive production from someone outside of their leading scorer, junior guard Muhammad El-Amin. This may come from senior forward Demetrius Young or freshman guard Bryan Dougher, both of whom have shown offensive prowess this season. While neither team was expected to be in this situation, neither one will give up the opportunity easily. Tomorrow night, only one team’s Cinderella run will continue.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. at SEFCU Arena in Albany.