America East basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview

The Vermont Catamounts are the prohibitive favorite to win the America East crown. Do any of their conference foes have the power to dethrone them?

Vermont dominated this conference throughout the regular season. The Catamounts won the America East by three games over runner-up UMBC. They only lost one game in conference play and tallied a 25-6 record, which included a fifteen-game win streak.

Hartford is the only America East team that has beaten Vermont so far this season. Hartford beat Vermont by shooting fifty-percent and protecting the ball. If Vermont is going to be topped in this tournament, it will likely be as a result of its defense.

The Catmounts’ offense is balanced and efficient. Therefore, it seems unreasonable to expect any American East opponent to completely stifle Vermont’s scoring attack. However, the Catamounts can be susceptible on defense.

A potential second-round game against Albany is a fascinating matchup for Vermont. While the Catamounts defeated the Great Danes both times these two met in the regular season, Albany feels like the most prominent threat to Vermont’s championship hopes.

In addition to fourth-seeded Albany, there are a couple other intriguing teams that loom as sleepers. Hartford has already beaten Vermont once so the Hawks should have plenty of confidence should they meet the Catamounts again. Also, Stony Brook has had a difficult season but has also shown flashes of offensive excellence. If the Seawolves beat Albany in the first round, they too may be able to cause some trouble for Vermont.