The 2020 America East Conference men’s basketball tournament will determine which team gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament beginning on March 17.
The first round of the tournament is slated to begin on March 7 and runs through March 14, taking place at the arena of the best-seeded team.
Eight of the nine teams in the conference will qualify for the tournament.
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Here is the schedule for the America East Conference tournament.
MARCH 7 – OPENING ROUND
No. 4 UMBC vs. No. 5 New Hampshire (1 p.m. ET)
No. 3 Hartford vs. No. 6 UMass Lowell (5 p.m. ET)
No. 2 Stony Brook vs. Albany (7 p.m. ET)
No. 1 Vermont vs. No. 8 Maine (7 p.m. ET)
MARCH 10 – SEMIFINALS
First Round Winner vs. First Round Winner
First Round Winner vs. First Round Winner
MARCH 14 – CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner
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AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
5 PLAYERS TO WATCH
SAM SESSOMS, BINGHAMTON: Sam Sessoms, a sophomore guard at Binghamton, leads the conference in scoring with 563 points this season, averaging 19.4 points per game. He is also second in assists, averaging 4.8.
ELIJAH OLANIYI, STONY BROOK: Elijah Olaniyi, a junior guard at Stony Brook, is among the best scorers in the conference, averaging 18.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Olaniyi is expected to perform well when the Seawolves take on Albany in the quarterfinals.
ANTHONY LAMB, VERMONT: Anthony Lamb, a senior forward at Vermont, is leading the Catamounts with an average of 16.5 points per game. He was named a member of the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List.
CHRISTIAN LUTETE, UMASS LOWELL: Christian Lutete, a senior guard at UMass Lowell, earned the record this season for most points scored during a single game after earning 51 points against LIU on Nov. 8. He is second in the conference for scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game.
MALIK ELLISON, HARTFORD: Malik Ellison, a senior guard at Hartford, is expected to perform well when the Hawks take on the River Hawks, averaging 24.5 points against UMass Lowell. He is third in the conference with scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game.
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2019 CHAMPION
Vermont tied the record for most conference championships in 2019, winning their seventh in 2019. The Catamounts defeated UMBC, 66-49. Anthony Lamb was named MVP.