Albany Great Danes
America East (24-8, 15-1)
After reaching the 2014 NCAA Tournament, everybody in the America East was targeting Albany. Despite that target on their back, the Great Danes cruised through conference play and won the conference title outright. But this group never really got much of an opportunity to show what they can do against the big boys. Their toughest game was their season opener at Providence where they lost 64-60.
Big Wins: 12/20 at Yale (64-60), 1/19 at Stony Brook (64-47), 1/28 at Vermont (47-44)
Bad Losses: 11/22 Quinnipiac (73-76), 12/3 Holy Cross (57-74), 12/30 at Niagara (47-65)
Coach: Will Brown
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Will Brown wants to slow things down and play solid defense. That style bodes well in the postseason and the Great Danes will be able to stick around against superior competition. The ability of Sam Rowley on the glass is beneficial too. Rowley, a 6-6 senior, may be undersized, but he is tough. Rowley leads the team with 14.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The frontcourt has other options too. Sophomore Richard Peters will not play too many minutes at this point in his career, yet he is a 6-11, 275 pound center who can bang around in the paint. Mike Rowley, brother of Sam, is a couple inches taller than his brother. He is not a scorer, although he will help out on the glass. Dallas Ennema and Greig Stire provide even more frontcourt options. Ray Sanders, a 6-4 wing, is another player who is undersized for his position, but he is a proven scorer and rebounder.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Albany offense will have some slow periods. However, with Rowley and guards Peter Hooley and Evan Singletary, there is no excuse for long droughts. The Great Danes played a big chunk of the America East action without Hooley and still managed to win. Hooley is the most dynamic scorer on the team when he is healthy. And he has had about a month to get back into form. Singletary is the team’s most prolific and efficient shooter and really stepped up his game while Hooley was out. This is not a team that forces many turnovers so they will need to be efficient shooting the ball to pull off any upsets.
Probable Starters:
Evan Singletary, Junior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 3.6 rpg
Peter Hooley, Junior, Guard, 13.7 ppg, 2.3 apg
Ray Sanders, Junior, Guard, 9.7 ppg, 2.2 apg
Sam Rowley, Senior, Forward, 14.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg
Richard Peters, Sophomore, Center, 2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Wheeler Baker, Freshman, Guard, 5.6 ppg
Dallas Ennema, Sophomore, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Mike Rowley, Sophomore, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Greig Stire, Freshman, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 66.0 (206th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.5 (40, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.5 (114, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.2 (129, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (183, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.5 (82, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.0 (11, 1)
Rebound Margin: 4.8 (37, 3)
Assists Per Game: 10.5 (301, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.9 (105, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Mount St. Mary's
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Florida
2013 NCAA Second Round loss to Duke
2012 CIT First Round loss to Manhattan
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Virginia
2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Connecticut
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
