ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's basketball is set to travel to face rival Vermont, the 2022-23 America East Regular Season Champions, on Tuesday night. The game is a must-win for the Great Danes to make the #AEPlayoffs, which can only happen with a win over Vermont in addition to a NJIT loss to New Hampshire. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm from Patrick Gymnasium and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany.
 
Game Info
Tuesday, Feb. 28 – at Vermont
7:00 p.m. EST
ESPN+ | ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team | Live Stats
 
Leading the Pack

• Gerald Drumgoole Jr. continues to lead the Great Danes in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game. That mark ranks him second in the entire conference, only behind Bryant's Sherif Gross-Bullock. The senior forward also leads the Great Danes in assists (77), steals (34), and time on the court (33.4).
• Jonathan Beagle has re-written the history books for rookies. He has been crowed the conference's Rookie of the Week nine times, shattering the previous UAlbany record set by Jon Iati during the 2003-04 season. The nine awards falls just one short of the conference record, 10, set by Boston University's Tunji Awojobi during the 1993-94 season. He has posted three-consecutive double-doubles and is averaging 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds.
• Sarju Patel is coming off his best performance as a Great Dane. The Daleville, Va., native dropped a season-high 25 points on Senior Night this past Saturday, going 5-8 from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds and an assist in the win for UAlbany.
• As a team, the Great Danes are averaging 67.5 points per game with opponents averaging 75.1.
• UAlbany is shooting 41.5% from the field, 32.9% from beyond the arc, and 71.8% from the charity stripe.

 
Last Time Out
The UAlbany men's basketball team got off to a hot start on Saturday night, building an early lead over the NJIT Highlanders and never letting go. Sarju Patel hit five three-pointers to lead the Great Danes to the 82-68 victory.

• Recording a season-high 25 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, Sarju Patel led the team in scoring.
• Earning his third double-double in row, Jonathan Beagle grabbed 13 boards and 17 points. Also led the team with three assists.
• The Great Danes had four players in double-digit figures: Patel (25), Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (19), Beagle (17) & Da'Kquan Davis (12).
• Marcus Jackson's presence was felt on the defensive end, picking up three steals.
• UAlbany shot 43.9% (25-57) from the field and 34.6% (9-26) from three, NJIT shot 44.8% (26-58) from the field and 40% (8-20) from three.

 
Scouting Vermont
Vermont comes into Tuesday's contest at the 2022-23 America East Regular Season Champions. The Catamounts sport a 19-10 overall record, having gone 13-2 in conference play. The team has only lost one game this season at home, an 84-72 defeat to Toledo back on Dec. 20.

• The Catamounts haven't lost a game since back-to-back defeats to New Hampshire and UMass Lowell, both road contests, in early January.
• The Team has three players averaging double figures in Finn Sullivan (12.6 PPG), Dylan Penn (12.4), and Aaron Deloney (11.3).
• Robin Duncan, a 6-5 fifth year guard, leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.3 per game.
• Sullivan and Deloney lead the team in shooting from beyond the arc. Sullivan is shooting at a clip of 34.1% with 56 made threes, Deloney is shooting 39.0% from deep with 53 made threes.
• The Catamounts are averaging 72.3 points per game with opponents averaging 67.7.
• The team is shooting 46.9% from the field, 35.8% from three, and 68.8% from the line.

 
Last Time Against Vermont
The Great Danes fell to the University of Vermont in the 2023 Big Purple Growl by a score of 87-68 on Feb. 4.

• Gerald Drumgoole Jr. led all scorers with 27 points. The Rochester native shot 8-15 from the field and went 5-9 from deep. He led the team in minutes (35) and assists (2).
• Jonathan Beagle finished with 12 points and team highs in rebounds (9), assists (2), and steals (3). He also played a team-high of 35 minutes.
• Aaron Reddish finished with nine points, hitting two threes.
• UAlbany shot 47.1% (24-51) from the field and 30.4% (7-23) from three. Vermont shot 60.7% (34-56) from the field and 46.4% (13-28) from three.
• Vermont won the rebounding war, 27-23.
• UAlbany finished with 13 turnovers, Vermont had 10.

 
#AEHoops Notes (Feb. 20)
For the seventh-straight year and 13th time overall, Vermont has claimed the America East men's basketball regular-season crown. The Catamounts will be the No. 1 seed for the #AEPlayoffs for the sixth time in the last seven years.

• Vermont has won at least a share of the regular-season title for the seventh-straight year. Only Gonzaga has a longer active streak (11).
• The Catamounts top the league standings at 13-2 and have run off 11-straight victories.
• UMass Lowell locked up its highest seed in program history (No. 2) last week.
• The River Hawks, who have won four in a row and seven of their last eight, have won a Division I school-record 24 games.
• Four teams remain alive to snag the last two home quarterfinal games. Binghamton, UNH and Bryant are all tied at 8-7 with UMBC a game back at 7-8
• Maine's 12 wins are its most since the 2012-13 season.
• The Black Bears' Kellen Tynes' 3.4 steals per game leads the country. His 94 steals on the season are the third-most in conference history and just eight shy of Speedy Claxton's all-time mark of 102.

 
Conference positioning will again prove key for the Jersey Mikes #AEPlayoffs. Every round of the Jersey Mikes #AEPlayoffs will take place on the higher seed's home court and earning home court advantage will prove crucial once again. The league champion will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, where America East teams have won nine games all-time, including UMBC's historic upset of Virginia in 2018. 

2022-23 Weekly Award Winners (Feb. 27)
Player of the Week
Kellen Tynes, Maine – So., Guard, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

• Stuffed the stat sheet last week averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 3.5 assists in two games.
• Nearly had a triple-double in a win over Binghamton on Sunday contributing 18 points, nine rebounds and eight steals.
• This is Tynes' second-straight #AEHoops Player of the Week honor and third of the season.

 
Rookie of the Week
Jonathan Beagle, UAlbany – Fr., Forward, Hudson Falls, N.Y.

• Had a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead UAlbany to a crucial win over NJIT on Saturday.
• This is Beagle's ninth Rookie of the Week honor of the season.
• His nine Rookie of the Week honors are the second-most in conference history.

 
FREE with your ID
UAlbany and Hudson Valley students can attend UAlbany basketball home games all season long for FREE. Students who attend games simply need to bring their school-issued ID cards to gain admission to the McDonough Sports Complex.
 
More UAlbany Men's Basketball
Drive the Lane with UAlbany Hoops
Postgame Show Presented by Northwestern Mutual – Capital Region
Season Tickets
SEFCU Arena Renovation
 
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.