Two years ago, UMBC survived the America East Tournament as an underdog and made the NCAA Tournament as a #16 seed and stunned the top overall seed Virginia in the first 16-over-1 upset in NCAA Men’s Tournament history. Last year, Vermont came out of the America East Tournament and largely outplayed Florida State as a 13th-seed before falling in a tight contest. Whoever emerges from the America East tournament is likely to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament, so who will it be this year? Vermont’s the favorite, but UMBC has tournament pedigree, and Stony Brook is usually tough to beat in the postseason. Here’s a breakdown of our brackets and three sets of full picks.
Bracket Breakdown
Champion Picks: Vermont (3)
Runners Up Picks: Hartford (2), UMBC (1)
Most Common Upset: 3. Hartford def. 2. Stony Brook
Nathaniel’s Bracket
1. Vermont def. 8. Maine
2. Stony Brook def. 7. Albany
3. Hartford def. 6. UMass-Lowell
4. UMBC def. 5. UNH
Semifinals
1. Vermont def. 4. UMBC
3. Hartford def. 2. Stony Brook
Championship
1. Vermont def. 3. Hartford
Andrew’s Bracket
1. Vermont def. 8. Maine
7. Albany def. 2. Stony Brook
3. Hartford def. 6. UMass-Lowell
4. UMBC def. 5. UNH
Semifinals
1. Vermont def. 7. Albany
4. UMBC def. 3. Hartford
Championship
1. Vermont def. 4. UMBCAidan’s Bracket
1. Vermont def. 8. Maine
2. Stony Brook def. 7. Albany
3. Hartford def. 6. UMass-Lowell
4. UMBC def. 5. UNH
Semifinals
1. Vermont def. 4. UMBC
3. Hartford def. 2. Stony Brook
Championship
1. Vermont def. 3. Hartford
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