The America East has been dominated by Vermont the last couple of months. However, after a bad non-conference start, I think the Catamounts are in trouble. There are a couple of teams here that can upset Vermont for sure. Let’s take a look at the America East tournament.
The Betting Odds
Vermont -175
Umass Lowell +200
Bryant +1500
UMBC +2200
UNH +3400
Binghamton +9500
Maine +9500
NJIT +9500
The Bracket
Does UMASS-Lowell Get It Done?
The Riverhawks are a team that came out of nowhere this season. UMASS-Lowell is 24-7 on the season and they deserve a lot more respect than they are getting. The Riverhawks are led by senior guard Everette Hammond. Hammond averages 13.7 points per game this season. His counterpart is junior forward Abdoul Karim Coulibaly who averages 11.8 points per game and 8 rebounds per game. They allow the fewest points per game in the American East (66.2) and also average the second most points per game in the conference (78.5). The Riverhawks are the real deal and they can make some noise during this conference tournament.
Vermont’s Odds Too High For A Team In This Conference
The Catamounts started off 2-2 in conference play. They then went on to win their last twelve conference games to finish 14-2. Vermont is led by the trio of senior guards: Dylan Penn, Finn Sullivan, and Aaron Deloney. Penn is averaging 12.5 points per game, Sullivan averages 12.4 points per game, and Deloney averages 11.5 points per game. Vermont needs this trio to be good in order to go far in this tournament. They will have to be at home to play their best, so winning this tournament will be because of their home court advantage.
The Don’s Winner
I can see Vermont getting it done here, but the odds are not what I want to take. The odds that you take has to be none other than UMASS Lowell +200. The Riverhawks are a team that I love and I hope that we get to see Umass Lowell representing the American East in the NCAA tournament.
The Don’s Game By Game Predictions
Quarterfinals
1 Vermont over 8 NJIT
4 UMBC over 5 Binghamton
6 Bryant over 3 UNH
2 UMass Lowell over 7 Maine
Semifinals
1 Vermont over 6 Bryant
2 UMass Lowell over 4 UMBC
Finals
2 UMass Lowell over 1 Vermont