March has once again graced us with its presence, and with it comes arguably one of the best sporting events in the U.S. It is once again time for March Madness. 

Among the lower-tier conferences, America East stands out as a more lopsided conference, with Vermont winning four of the last six conference tournaments. However, in these tournaments, nothing is guaranteed.

With games slated to start March 9, the sprint to the tournament final will be swift and challenging for those looking to take down the returning conference champs. 

Favorites:

Vermont Catamounts (14-1 In Conference, 24-6 Overall)

Back-to-back America East Champions, Vermont is going for the three-peat this year, and they appear poised to take that claim with a conference record of 13-1 and overall record of 23-6. The Catamounts tore through conference play; their only loss in the new year came against NJIT by only two points.

 Averaging only 72.8 PPG, this tournament run for them will come down to their defensive performance, averaging 62.9 points allowed (eighth in the NCAA). If any other team in this tournament wants to spoil the Catamounts’ party, they’re going to have to shoot well and hold down their scoring. 

The overall No. 1 seed in the tournament will likely take on UAlbany at the start of play March 9, hoping that the Great Danes don’t put up too much of a fight for them to handle. 

Contenders: 

UMass Lowell River Hawks (11-4 In Conference, 20-8 Overall)

If anyone in the America East can take down Vermont, most would agree to put UMass Lowell at the top. Over conference play, they’ve lost four games by an average of 10.5 points. While they lost both games against Vermont, they beat most of their other conference opponents across the rest of the season. 

UML, on average, scores 6.1 points more than their opponents in the conference. The River Hawks will be relying heavily on senior Quinton Mincey, who  averaged 18.9 points per conference game, and Max Brooks to handle the boards, with a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per conference game. 

As a projected No. 2 seedin the conference tournament, they currently stand to play Maine. The River Hawks will hope to stave off an upset at home March 9.

Bryant Bulldogs (10-5 In Conference, 18-12 Overall) 

This season has proven to be a mixed scenario for Bryant. They’re currently under an interim coach because Jared Grasso stepped down after getting charged with a hit-and-run in October. 

Despite the drama at the beginning, the Bulldogs have kept up with the leaders of the conference, going 10-5 across conference play. The average margin of victory in conference play for the Bulldogs is only 3, but they averaged 14 assists per game in conference which is second among conference opponents. Typically, it means they pass well. 

The No. 3 seed is set to play Binghamton at home March 9 to keep the dream alive for Phil Martelli. 

Dark Horse:

In sports lingo, the Dark Horse represents the teams that, while might not appear to be deep threats, could give the top contenders a harsh roadblock in the tournament. 

New Hampshire Wildcats (7-8 in Conference, 15-13 Overall)  

New Hampshire got off to a great start in January, going 4-2. However, over the past two weeks, they’ve skidded with a three-game losing streak. If the January trend shows up, they can give the contenders a run for their money.

Maine Black Bears (6-9 In Conference, 14-16 Overall)

As conference play has progressed, it has been a bit streaky for the Black Bears. They got off to a bad start with a 6-game losing streak, three games of which were the first few of the tournament. Since then, they’ve been off and on, with five different winning and losing streaks. 

If they can get on a streak after the final game of the season, they can keep that streak going into the tournament. 

UMBC Retrievers (6-9 In Conference, 14-16 Overall)

While on the surface the Retrievers might not seem like a dark horse, it is possible that the Retrievers will make it to the finals of the tournament. Their final game against Binghamton on March 5 will be critical in their chances of getting out of the first round.

If they win, they clinch home-court advantage for the first round. The win would also clinch the 5-seed at least and will pit them against Binghamton in the first round, which will place them in a good spot to win the first round. 

Long Shots: 

These teams, most likely, will not make it out of the first round. They face the longest road  to the championship. 

Binghamton Bearcats (6-9 In Conference, 14-14 Overall)

After getting off to a rough 5-game losing streak at the beginning of January, conference play has stabilized for the Bearcats. As February progressed, they went  6-4 going into the final regular season game. 

Tournament performance for the Bearcats will come down to which team shows up for the tournament. If the early conference team comes into the tournament, the Bearcats likely won’t make it out of the first round.

UAlbany Great Danes (5-10 In Conference, 13-17 Overall)

After getting off to a good start against NJIT and Binghamton, the Great Danes lost 10 of their final 13 games. This included three different 3-game losing streaks between late January, and early and late February. 

As the 8-seed in the tournament, this squad will have the hardest challenge to the tournament final. They must face Vermont in the first round and may have to hope for the early season trends to reappear against the heavy favorites in this conference.

Prediction: Vermont wins the tournament.

While I think UMass Lowell and Bryant may put up a tough fight in the tournament, Vermont will be too much for the conference to dethrone. If the Vermont defense can be the same stalwart it has been most of conference play, the Catamounts can ride it all the way to the NCAA Tournament. 

After taking down UAlbany, the rest of the rounds will be relatively easy for Vermont. Overall, it will most likely be UMass Lowell against Vermont for the auto-bid and send the winner to the NCAA Tournament.