Albany, N.Y. – The America East Conference Men’s Basketball Championship comes to the University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena this weekend.  Binghamton, the top seed, and Vermont shared the conference regular-season crown.  For ticket information, contact 518-442-4683.

            The America East championship tournament’s first three rounds will be held at UAlbany’s SEFCU Arena on March 6, 7 and 8.  The championship final will be played at the highest remaining seed’s home arena on Saturday, March 14 and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.  The America East champion receives an automatic NCAA berth.

            UAlbany (14-15, AE 6-10) is the seventh seed and will meet No. 2 Vermont (23-7, AE 13-3) in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 7 at 12 noon.  The Great Danes, who have captured two conference tournament titles since joining the league in 2001-02, and Vermont split the season series.  The two programs have combined to win five of the last six conference championships.

            Tim Ambrose leads the Great Danes in scoring at 14.0 point per game.  He has scored 20 or more points on seven occasions this season.  Will Harris contributes 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.  Brian Connelly, a 6-foot-8 senior, averages 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds.  UVM has two of the top players in the league in Mike Trimboli (16.3 ppg) and Marqus Blakely (15.7 ppg).

            All four quarterfinal round games will air on Time Warner Cable (TW3) in the Capital Region.  Rodger Wyland and Frank Sullivan will handle the play-by-play duties.  Sunday’s semifinals will be televised on the America East TV Network.

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2009 America East Conference Men’s Basketball Championship

(University at Albany, SEFCU Arena, Albany, N.Y.)

Friday, March 6 – First Round

Game 1 - Hartford 65, Maine 56

Saturday, March 7 – Quarterfinal Round

Game 2 - #7 Albany 56, #2 Vermont 52, OT

Game 3 - #6 UMBC 79, #3 Boston University 75, OT

Game 4 - #1 Binghamton 73, #9 Hartford 65

Game 5 - #4 New Hampshire 76, #5 Stony Brook 73

Sunday, March 8 – Semifinal Round

Game 6 – UMBC 64, UAlbany 58

Game 7 – Binghamton 72, New Hampshire 67

Saturday, March 14

Game 8 – America East Conference Championship, UMBC at Binghamton, 11:00 a.m. (ESPN2)