2020 American East Tournament Bracket
Favorite to Win: Vermont (-500)
Thinking anyone but Vermont will win the 2020 American East Tournament may be a bit of a fool’s errand. The 66th ranked team in Kenpom, the Catamounts are ranked in the top 100 in both opponent adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency margin. For comparison, no other team in the conference is ranked in the top 100 on either side of the ball. Stony Brook is the next closest ranked team in KenPom at 183. Fading Vermont is likely ill-advised and they should be a popular Cinderella pick in a few weeks.
Team to Watch: Stony Brook
One of only two teams to take down Vermont in conference play, the second place team in the conference is likely the only team that stands a chance. The Catamounts should dominate everyone else, but Stony Brook may stand a fighting chance in a potential title game matchup behind Elijah Olaniyi and his 18.2 PPG this season.
Player to Watch: Anthony Lamb, Vermont
The best player in the league, Lamb just took home his second straight American East Player of the Year Award. There is a reason for that as he is the most important player on this Vermont Catamounts team. Lamb averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this year.
Current Tournament Teams: One
The American East is going to be a one bid league. Unfortunately, Vermont does not have a strong enough resume to get in as an at-large if they don’t win the conference so they will need to take care of business.
Prediction: Vermont
I think that that Catamounts take home the title and head towards the NCAA Tournament. Over at BracketMatrix, Vermont is listed as a 13 seed right now and could end up spoiling the tournament for an unlucky four seed.
You can view the rest of our conference tournament previews here.