umainealum

Was going to put this in the 12/1 gameday thread but didn't want to hijack it but the point has been made by a couple people about how much better the league as a whole is doing this year as opposed to last year.

Did anyone think that would happen?

Why do you think it's happening?

I admit, I didn't think as a league that the performance would be this good? I figured both UMBC & Bing would have to be better (right?) but figured with losses to grad/transfer that some of the top teams would fade back a little. I obviously did not give enough credit to the players coming back, new recruits as well as the coaches.

Anyway, just curious...

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NotDeadYet

Team defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball and efficient scoring have become the league's team's mantra. In past years out-shooting the opponent was a very popular goal with some teams, who used it to lose a lot of games.

Many of the AE teams have very responsible point guards this season and are not getting blown out early in games against supposedly better opponents. Keeping those games close is almost as good as a win for building team confidence, and confident teams win more close games.

New coaches at Bing and UMBC have gotten those teams going again.

Recruiting from prep schools has brought older, more experienced players from winning teams into the league and raised the quality level of the "average" player. AE benches are loaded with playable guys and that helps the defenses stay sharp.

If they play better than rubber chickens they would be better than last year, anyway.

ecasadoSBU

Its only November. I would like to wait until January and see what the RPI rankings looks like. Something tells me the league with fall a few spots. Hopefully I'm wrong

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ccd494

Last year three teams were basically dumpster fires in the non-conference (Bing, UMBC, Hartford). The league can survive that out of one team, not three. That killed the numbers.

umainealum

What does waiting until January have to do with the fact that the league has started out much better this year? I don't care about RPI, I'm talking about wins and the fact that the league is actually winning a lot of the games that in the recent years they have lost...that's all.

True, but we really didn't know if the "dumpster fires" you refer to were really put out at those 3 schools or if UMaine was going to join that list as well...

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UMaine - the epitome of mediocrity

Proud supporter of an AMERICA EAST team that made a coaching change...

VT Cats Fan

YES! Nostrajimus called it before a single game was played.

:-)

SaltySeawolf

It is quite amazing - before summer ended things looked bleak. Boston U defected, key players on the top teams decided to bail. Albany and Stony Brook were headed to the CAA along with Maine. New Hamshire was following BU to the Patriot. Even these boards were dead. Much deader then I remember from last year. I think a lot of the credit has to go to how school's at this level run their programs. Coaching positions are fairly stable and most teams have players that stick around all four years. Despite all the changes the upper class core of each team are still around and serious about taking care of business.

Just wanted to point out that Notdeadyet states it very well above - I tried to, but he did it much better.

UVM Hoop Cat

It's this- and it's also been the league is getting back to beating teams from the MAAC/NEC/Ivy that it had consistently been beating before, but had not been consistently beating over the past couple seasons, collectively, for whatever reasons.

The AE is never going to be the Missouri Valley Conference or reach the height of CAA pre-this year in hoops, but there's no reason why this group of schools can't be in the 20-25 Conf. RPI range every season.

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lsbal84

I am actually very surprised. I also think......hoping this does not come off as rude.....but maybe the last two years our upper classman as a AE whole were really not that good. The upper classman shouldreally carry the conferece each year and they certainly didn't bring us to any positive levels (as a whole). Albeit I know there were certainly some individual achievements and programs who had successes.

Teams I would have thought SBU would be down (I really thought they lost a lot).....Albany would be down (Suero/Aronholt)...UVM (lost some good players ....Fjeld/Mcglynn but I should know better)...UNH losing Abreau and Benton are huge losses. Maine...even though he seemed to get ridiculed here The San Diego 2G....for some reaon his name is escaping me.....I am getting old.....though I digress...BingU...losing Dickinson and Mansell I thought was HUGE....even Hartford losing Torres....I wasn't sure they would have the stability and fire that he provided.

Bottom line is I think the last 2 classes as a whole have been at a much better level. Our coaches are strong. Bing/UMBC and Hartford who were all conference draggers last year are definetly on the rise.

As a homer plug. Coach Gal is awesome! We are lucky to have him. Couldn't be happier with his recruiting classes in his two years here.

dnapolit

Correction to Isbal84 post...Fjeld graduated two years ago. Glass graduated last season and Bald made the choice not to come back for his senior year.

UAalum72

I wouldn't overblow it. From last year's final RPI, America East has basically climbed over the Southern, Big South, Atlantic Sun, and Big Sky, all of which were in the 20s, while 12, 13, and 14 Western AC, Ivy and Horizon fell back (I & H to their normal levels).

Sure it's an improvement, but I think just a few big wins, plus a couple of MAAC wins and some close losses to power teams (UConn) just make the season FEEL a lot better.

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Alumni96

That and really low expectations after the past few seasons.

ccd494

The key to happiness in life is low expectations.

goBing

In Marketing, the key is to beat expectations. the easiest way to do that is to have low expectations to start with. The AE have figured out this concept well over the years.

Nostrajimus

Keep in mind that the AE teams have to play one another. You wanna drop a c-note on the America Least being a 16 seed once again? Yeah, I didn't think so.