ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's basketball team starts the postseason on the road against fourth-seed Hartford. Tipoff at Chase Arena in West Hartford, Connecticut, is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany.
 
Game Info
Sunday, Mar. 6 – at Hartford
Chase Arena in West Hartford, Conn.
2:00 p.m. EST
ESPN+ | 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Tickets | America East Program
 
Season Standings
The Great Danes finished the 2021-22 season with the league's sixth-best record, going an even 9-9 in conference play under Head Coach Dwayne Killings' first year at the helm. Vermont led the way in the America East, going 17-1, followed by UMBC at 11-7. Stony Brook (ineligible for postseason play) and New Hampshire both finished with a record of 10-8. Hartford finished fifth, going 9-9, ahead of Binghamton at 8-10 and UMass Lowell at 7-11. NJIT clinched the last playoffs spot with a 6-12 record. Maine finished tenth with a record of 3-15.
 
America East Awards
On Friday, the America East announced the 2021-22 postseason awards along with the All-Conference, All-Defensive, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams. Four different Great Danes were honored by the conference. Senior guard Jamel Horton was named the America East Defensive Player of the Year and was also tabbed to the All-Defensive Team and All-Conference Second Team. Freshman forward Justin Neely was named the America East Rookie of the Year. Both Neely and teammate Aaron Reddish were selected for the All-Rookie team. Finally, graduate student Matt Cerruti clinched a spot on the All-Conference Third Team.
 
America East Playoffs
#8 NJIT at #1 Vermont | 2:00 p.m.  EST
#7 UMass Lowell at #2 UMBC | 1:00 p.m. EST
#6 Binghamton at #3 UNH | 2:00 p.m. EST
#5 UAlbany at #4 Hartford | 2:00 p.m. EST
 
The Semifinals take place on Wednesday, March 9. The lowest remaining seed will play at the highest remaining seed and the second-lowest remaining seed will play at the second-highest remaining seed.
 
Leading the Pack

• The Great Danes are averaging 62.3 ppg, with opponents averaging 66.0 ppg. The team is shooting 41.6% from the field, 32.7% from three, and 71.0% from the charity stripe.
• In conference-only games, UAlbany sits second in the league defensively – allowing just 65.3 ppg. On the offensive side, the Great Danes sit in ninth place with 64.7 points scored per game.
• Matt Cerruti and Jamel Horton lead the team in scoring. Cerruti is averaging 11.2 points per game, shooting at a clip of.463 from the field and .454 from beyond the arc. Horton is averaging 12.8 per game, shooting .426 from the field and leading the team in assists with 116 on the year.
• America East Rookie of the Year Justin Neely leads the team in rebounds with 126 on the season – averaging 4.5 per contest. He is followed closely by Paul Newman (4.2) and Jarvis Doles (3.9).

 
 
Last Time Against Hartford
The Great Danes fell to the Hartford Hawks 67-55 in their final regular season game on Tuesday night.

• Jamel Horton recorded 24 points, shooting 61.1% (11-18) and went 2-2 from three-point range. Behind him, Matt Cerruti (7), De'Vondre Perry (6) and Jarvis Doles (4).
• UAlbany shot 42.9% (24-56) from the field and 40.0% (6-15) from three-point range. Hartford shot 42.9% (21-49) from the field and 54.2% (13-24) from three-point range.
• The Hawks finished with 10 assists, the Great Danes with nine.
• Hartford out-rebounded UAlbany 34-39. Paul Newman led UAlbany with five, followed by Champion and Horton with four.
• Four Great Danes tallied a pair of assists apiece – Aaron Reddish, Justin Neely, Cerruti and Champion.
• On defense, Horton led the Great Danes in steals with three, followed by Cerruti with two and Paul Newman and Doles each with one.
• Three Great Danes tallied a block - Newman, Champion and Horton.
• De'Vondre Perry returned to action for the first time since Jan. 12, coming back from what was considered a season-ending injury at the time. He finished with six points, going 2-2 from deep. 

Scouting Hartford
The Hawks concluded the regular season with an overall record of 11-19, going 9-9 in conference play. Offensively, the team is averaging 70.4 points per game, shooting .454 points from the field, while allowing 72.7 points on defense. Hartford leads the America East with 755 total three pointers and an average of .377 points from deep. Three Hawks are averaging scoring figures in double digits in Austin Williams (16.4), Moses Flowers (14.7), and Hunter Marks (11.7), who hasn't played since Feb. 9.

The Hawks last played on Thursday night, losing 83-73 to now seventh-seeded UMass Lowell at home. Senior guard David Shriver led the team with 23 points, scoring 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. This was his third game in a row with 20 points or more. Sophomore Briggs McClain added 19 points, shooting 9-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-4 from three-point land. Traci Carter was the last Hawks scoring double digits with 11.
#AEHoops Notes (2.28.22)

• Vermont clinched the men's #AEHoops regular-season title on Wednesday, its sixth in a row and 12th overall. The Catamounts sit at 14-1 in conference play with three games remaining. The Catamounts rank 61st in the country in NET ranking, the best among regional peers (AE, CAA, Ivy, MAAC, Patriot, Ivy).
• Vermont has won 16 of its last 17 games.
• UVM received a vote in the AP Top 25 this week.
• Six teams are within one game of second place in the standings with a week and a half left in the standings. Stony Brook, UAlbany, Binghamton and UMBC are all tied at 8-7, followed by UNH at Hartford at 7-7 and UNH at 7-8.
• Hartford, winner of four of its last five games, became the lone #AEHoops team to knock off Vermont, winning a 75-74 overtime thriller on Feb. 14.
• Binghamton's 11 wins are its most since the 2017-18 season.
• America East announced a change in #AEPlayoffs dates on Feb. 9 - Link
• America East teams beat two ACC squads in non-league play. UMBC trounced Pittsburgh, 87-77, on Nov. 27 while UAlbany beat Boston College, 61-57, on Dec. 13.

 
Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops
It was recently announced that UAlbany had expanded its partnership with ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team and City Line Bar & Grill. Coaches Dwayne Killings and Colleen Mullen, along with select student-athletes, will join ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team's Charlie Voelker and Dan Bahl every Monday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. live from City Line Bar & Grill for a weekly segment entitled 'Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops'. 
 
Fans are invited to come out to City Line Bar & Grill to join Coach Killings, Coach Mullen, student-athletes and the ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team crew. Food and drink specials will be available on a weekly basis as the teams embark on their new seasons and talk hoops every Monday. 
 
Meet Coach Killings
Dwayne Killings, a native of Amherst, Mass., begins his journey as Head Coach of the Great Danes after previously serving at Marquette University, where he spent the previous three seasons. While at Marquette, Killings served under Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski. In Killings' three years in Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles posted two winning seasons and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, his recruiting class ranked in the top-20 nationally and he coached 2019-20 BIG EAST Player of the Year and AP All-American Markus Howard.
 
Roster Changes
The coaching staff isn't the only thing that's new for the Great Danes. The roster has had a complete transformation from last year's squad, which made it to the America East Quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. Nine new student-athletes are suiting up in the purple and gold for 2021-22 - De'Vondre Perry, Matt Cerruti, Gerald Drumgoole Jr., Paul Newman, Ny'Mire Little, Justin Neely, Aaron Reddish, Luke Fizulich, and Tairi Ketner. Returning for UAlbany is Will Amica, Trey Hutcheson, Jarvis Doles, Jamel Horton, Sam Shafer, and Chuck Champion.
 
Along with the coaching staff, these 22 men officially make up the 2021-22 UAlbany Great Danes. In total, 16 of these individuals are new to UAlbany.
 
Coaches' Poll
A completely new team, the Great Danes were picked to finish seventh in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 34 points. Stony Brook came in atop the list with 77 points and five first-place votes, just ahead of Vermont with 74 points and four first-place votes. New Hampshire rounded out the top three with 64 points and a single first-place vote.
 
Defending champion Hartford placed fourth with 56 points, UMBC placed fifth with 49 points, and UMass Lowell placed sixth with 43 points. Following the Great Danes' seventh-place spot was NJIT (23 points), Maine (16 points) and Binghamton (14 points).
 
Social Central
Stay up to date with UAlbany men's basketball by following the team on Twitter (@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the season.