Albany Great Danes
America East (18-14, 9-7)
Albany got hot when it mattered most. It was not until mid-February that the Great Danes even strung together a three game winning streak. Until that point it was a win here and a loss or two there. After the three victories, Albany lost their regular season finale at Stony Brook, but they would get another shot at the Seawolves. The Danes beat UMBC and top seeded Vermont in the America East Tournament before heading to Stony Brook to take on the second seeded team in the final. Albany’s defense continued their strong play and won 69-60 to earn their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/20 Yale (70-62), 3/9 vs Vermont (67-58), 3/15 at Stony Brook (69-60)
Bad Losses: 12/14 Colgate (60-69), 1/15 Mass-Lowell (66-70), 1/23 at New Hampshire (56-60)
Coach: Will Brown (12 seasons at Albany)
Why They Can Surprise:
Albany wins games with their defense. During their last seven games, they allowed just 58 points per game. On the year that number is 64. Both are really good, but Coach Will Brown has his team playing great defense right now. The size and skill of the frontcourt is a big reason this team can keep potent offenses below 60 points. Center John Puk is 6-10 and 235 pounds and is the best shot blocking threat on the team. Sam Rowley and Gary Johnson are not the tallest forwards, but their toughness cannot be understated. Luke Devlin is a great option off of the bench too. The entire frontcourt is very good on the glass and they finished the third best rebounding margin in the conference.
Why They Can Disappoint:
But that size can quickly be negated against a bigger, tougher opponent than what the Great Danes ran into during conference play. The complete lack of depth, especially in the backcourt, is a concern as well. Dallas Ennema, a freshman forward, can join the fray in the frontcourt when needed, but Albany will run guards DJ Evans and Peter Hooley as close to 40 minutes as possible. Evans, a senior point guard, is a double-digit scorer who can knock down some shots. But Hooley is the best scorer on this team and he will have to be great for the Danes to pull off a massive NCAA Tournament upset.
Probable Starters:
DJ Evans, Senior, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 2.8 apg
Peter Hooley, Sophomore, Guard, 15.7 ppg, 2.6 apg
Gary Johnson, Senior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Sam Rowley, Junior, Forward, 11.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg
John Puk, Senior, Center, 6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Luke Devlin, Senior, Forward, 2.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Dallas Ennema, Freshman, Forward, 4.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.9 (285th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.0 (40, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (191, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.9 (93, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.9 (303, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: n/a
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (30, 1)
Rebound Margin: 3.2 (76, 3)
Assists Per Game: 11.1 (285-6)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (215, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
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 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
