“We can compete in this game and we think we can win this game,” UAlbany head coach Will Brown said.
Last year UAlbany – seeded 16th – led top seeded Connecticut by 12 points with less than 12 minutes to go before eventually falling to the Huskies. This year the Great Danes (23-9) are seeded 13th after once again winning the America East Conference Tournament. They beat Vermont 60-59 in Burlington, Vt. to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAAs.
“This is a winnable game. Not to say last year wasn't winnable, but obviously they gave us a better seed because they respect us a lot more and think we had a better season,” UAlbany senior guard Jamar Wilson, two-time America East Player of the Year, said. “It's a challenge, but it's something that we're ready to do.”
“It's just tremendous. It's a lot different from last year, a lot better draw than a UConn team we played a year ago,” junior forward Brent Wilson said.
UPDATE: UAlbany lost to 4-seed Virginia 84-57.
Other men’s Division 1 basketball teams in Tech Valley also fared well.
Marist College (24-8) won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season title but fell in the league tournament’s semifinals to
Siena College. The Red Foxes will play Oklahoma State in the National Invitational Tournament.
UPDATE: Marist defeated Oklahoma State 67-64 in Stillwater, Okla. to advance to the second round of the NIT where the Red Foxes fell to North Carolina State 69-62 in Raleigh, N.C.
Siena (20-12) lost the MAAC Conference Tournament title game to Niagara and missed a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament.
Army exceeded most expectations and finished the season 15-16, placing sixth in the Patriot League.
St. Rose (22-10) earned a #2 seed in the NCAA Division II tournament and lost in the second round. Plattsburgh State (21-9) lost in the second round of the NCAA Division III tourney.
Fulton-Montgomery Community College (24-4) is competing in the NJCAA Division III tournament in Delhi, N.Y.
UPDATE: FMCC lost to North Lake College 88-70 and finishes its season ranked sixth in the nation.
On the women’s side, Marist won the MAAC Conference Tournament for the third time in four years and will now face Ohio State in the NCAAs. The Red Foxes garnered a 13 seed after finishing the season 27-5. They play the Buckeyes in Stanford, Calif. on Saturday at 10 p.m.
“We know that it's a very tough game,” Marist head coach Brian Giorgis said, “but we're going out to give our best shot.”
Marist also made the NCAAs in 2004 and 2005.
“Out of my four years, I think we've gotten the most support this year,” senior point guard Alisa Kresge, Marist's all-time assist leader, said. “I think that comes with winning. They're so great, the fans here. I think our team has earned it over the four years. It's just so nice that people recognize us, almost as much as the men's team now. It's really exciting.”
UPDATE: Marist upset 4-seed Ohio State 67-63 and then knocked off 5-seed Middle Tennessee State 73-59 in the second round of the tournament. The 13th-seeded Red Foxes fell to top-seeded and eventual national champion Tennessee 65-46 Sunday in Dayton, Ohio. Marist was only the third 13 seed in the history of the women's tournament to reach the Sweet 16. With its strong finish to the season, Marist ranked #22 in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll.
Army placed second in the Patriot League with a 24-6 overall record but lost in the first round of the conference tourney.
St. Rose (21-9) earned a #4 seed in the NCAA Division II tournament but fell in the first round. Mount Saint Mary (24-5) made it to the NCAA Division III tournament and also lost in the first round.