For the first time since 2016, Vermont is not the regular-season champion in America East. In fact, the last time somebody not named Vermont won an outright regular-season title the team that won this year's regular season title was still in the NEC. And the team that won the 2016 America East title has since moved to the CAA.
But the Catamounts aren't ready to relinquish the crowd in the conference tournament, even though they'll have to go on the road to do it this year. Will Bryant be able to pry away that NCAA bid? Can somebody else sneak up from behind the top two to make some noise?
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 8 | Hosted by Higher Seed | ESPN+
Championship - Saturday, March 15 | Hosted by Higher Seed | ESPN2
Phil Martelli Jr.'s team won the regular-season title thanks to an elite blend of athleticism above the station of the conference, and a massive amount of experience. Player of the Year Earl Timberlake is the do-everything playmaker at 6-foot-6, while Rafael Pinzon shot his way into the conversation for Player of the Year as well. Connor Withers, Barry Evans, and Keyshawn Mitchell complete a starting five that has no player shorter than 6-foot-6 and finished first in the league in both offense and defense.
Winners of nine in a row to close out the season, the Catamounts found an identity late in the year with TJ Hurley becoming the true star player that they needed. Ileri Ayo-Faleye has continued to dominate on the defensive end, and increased production from Sam Alamutu and Jace Roquemore has also helped push Vermont back near the mountaintop.
Kellen Tynes heads the snake for one of the best ball pressure defenses in mid-major basketball, ranking top 20 in the country in turnover rate and steal rate. However, the Black Bears have lost four of the last six games heading into the conference tournament, separating below the top tier of the league.
DeMarr Langford Jr., Kacper Klaczek and Justin Neely (who missed the last two games of the regular season) form a formidable punch inside the arc to allow playmakers Amar'e Marshall and Byron Joshua to create on the perimeter and to give them a safety blanket on the offensive glass for a team that struggles mightily from beyond the arc.
The Bearcats don't have a very deep bench, but the starting five is talented enough to get the job done. Tymu Chenery's evolution into a 40% 3-point shooter has made him a more dangerous player with the ball in his hands, but Binghamton plays its best basketball when Chris Walker is playing his best basketball.
If you told me in December that UMass Lowell -- a popular pick to unseat Vermont and win the regular season title -- would finish 6-10 in the America East, I'd have thought you were insane. But the River Hawks went 0-5 in one-possession games in league play and struggled to get stops for most of January and February.
The Wildcats didn't win their first game against a Division-I opponent until January, but UNH finished with a respectable six conference wins regardless. Sami Pissis has been the team's most consistent player, but the emergence of freshman Khalil Badru has been extremely important.
The Retrievers are typically able to speed up opponents and play their style but finished with the worst defense in the conference by four points per 100 possessions and routinely picked up losses despite scoring in the high-70's or better.