America East
Vermont is still the standard, but the margin has narrowed
One familiar favorite, one elite returning creator and a crowded chase behind them.
The cover line
Vermont's high-level transfer haul and Yalden's scoring make the Catamounts the favorite. Bryant is the most balanced challenger, while Binghamton’s Quigley-powered case for third is the preview’s defining bet.
Projected champion
Vermont
The team to beat on our official board
Dark horse
NJIT
The team most likely to break the bracket
Projected NCAA bids
1
A one-bid conference with a competitive upper half and only Vermont near the model’s national top 200.
Chaos rating
76 / 100
How likely the board is to get weird
The quick read
Conference superlatives
The opening tip
Who can mount a challenge to the Catamounts?
A guard-driven league with few proven primary creators, meaningful roster turnover and a narrow gap between the favorite and the dangerous middle.
Vermont starts where America East previews usually start: first. But after two straight seasons without either the regular season or tourney title, that placement no longer feels automatic. The model still agrees, placing John Becker's team atop the league behind Gus Yalden, who scored 16.3 points per conference game in 2025-26, and a guard group built to spread the playmaking around rather than lean on one star. The concern is structural. Our model flags light rim protection, and thin creation, while an unproven Frenchman is projected to start at center. Bryant has the clearest route to disrupting that order. Keegan Harvey is a proven, efficient interior scorer, Andre Pasha projects as a high-end defender, and pairing Eric Chatfield with Ty Tabales gives Bryant an opportunity to solve the advantage-creation problem Jamion Christian publicly identified during roster construction. Binghamton is the preview's most consequential editorial choice. Our model ranks the Bearcats seventh, but we place them third because Jeremiah Quigley is the league's best proven returning playmaker. His 14.5 points and 6.4 assists per game give Levell Sanders a late-clock solution that much of the conference lacks. NJIT is the dark horse. David Bolden returns after winning America East Rookie of the Year, and Mario Tatum gives the Highlanders a second creator. UAlbany and UMass Lowell possess enough defense to climb, but their offensive pecking orders are less convincing. New Hampshire, Maine and UMBC all have legitimate all-conference candidates; each also carries the same central question: who creates efficient offense when the first action fails? That uncertainty makes the league volatile, even if Vermont remains the rational favorite.
The defining storylineCan any challenger generate enough dependable half-court offense to punish a Vermont roster with frontcourt questions?
Official projection + model comparison
The big board
See how every team stacks up through projected records, finish ranges, and the model’s view of the race.
Ranking machine · comparison at a glance
Editorial board vs. model
Teams are ordered by the official Shooty Hoops editorial rank.
- 1VermontThe standard survives, but this version has pressure points.Conf / overall13-3 / 19-12TierFavoriteCeiling / floor1–3Boards agree · #11Official rankVermontThe standard survives, but this version has pressure points.Boards agree · #1Conf / overall13-3 / 19-12TierFavoriteRange1–3
- 2BryantThe best threat to Vermont is one reliable creator away.Conf / overall12-4 / 18-13TierFavoriteCeiling / floor1–5Boards agree · #22Official rankBryantThe best threat to Vermont is one reliable creator away.Boards agree · #2Conf / overall12-4 / 18-13TierFavoriteRange1–5
- 3BinghamtonQuigley and Lilley give Binghamton real star power; Popovic’s shooting and a Godfrey rebound could make the starting five one of the league’s best.Conf / overall10-6 / 16-15TierContenderCeiling / floor1–84 spots higher than published model · #73Official rankBinghamtonQuigley and Lilley give Binghamton real star power; Popovic’s shooting and a Godfrey rebound could make the starting five one of the league’s best.4 spots higher than published model · #7Conf / overall10-6 / 16-15TierContenderRange1–8
- 4NJITThe sophomore backcourt makes NJIT the league's best dark horse.Conf / overall9-7 / 15-16TierContenderCeiling / floor2–7Boards agree · #44Official rankNJITThe sophomore backcourt makes NJIT the league's best dark horse.Boards agree · #4Conf / overall9-7 / 15-16TierContenderRange2–7
- 5UAlbanyThe defense is believable; the primary scorer is not yet obvious.Conf / overall8-8 / 14-17TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor3–82 spots lower than published model · #35Official rankUAlbanyThe defense is believable; the primary scorer is not yet obvious.2 spots lower than published model · #3Conf / overall8-8 / 14-17TierDangerous MiddleRange3–8
- 6UMass LowellCannady gives a big, versatile roster the offensive ceiling it was missing.Conf / overall7-9 / 13-18TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor3–92 spots higher than published model · #86Official rankUMass LowellCannady gives a big, versatile roster the offensive ceiling it was missing.2 spots higher than published model · #8Conf / overall7-9 / 13-18TierDangerous MiddleRange3–9
- 7New HampshireA solid spine with too little room for an off night.Conf / overall6-10 / 12-19TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor4–92 spots lower than published model · #57Official rankNew HampshireA solid spine with too little room for an off night.2 spots lower than published model · #5Conf / overall6-10 / 12-19TierDangerous MiddleRange4–9
- 8MaineThe defense can surprise; the offense must prove it belongs.Conf / overall4-12 / 10-21TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor4–92 spots lower than published model · #68Official rankMaineThe defense can surprise; the offense must prove it belongs.2 spots lower than published model · #6Conf / overall4-12 / 10-21TierDangerous MiddleRange4–9
- 9UMBCLast season's NCAA tournament team turned over, but Burton and Able give UMBC's rebuild real scoring upside.Conf / overall3-13 / 9-22TierLong ShotCeiling / floor6–9Boards agree · #99Official rankUMBCLast season's NCAA tournament team turned over, but Burton and Able give UMBC's rebuild real scoring upside.Boards agree · #9Conf / overall3-13 / 9-22TierLong ShotRange6–9
The interactive scouting room
Team-by-team preview
Move across the conference one program at a time. Open projected rotations, meet the players, and inspect the identity and postseason case behind every ranking.
2026-27 team preview · official rank 1
Vermont
Conference
13-3
Overall
19-12
Finish window
1–3
Confidence
82%
Official order · choose a team file
Projected rotation · Published roster depth chart
10 of 10 primary spots filled
Five on the floor
The All-Conference court
Explore all three projected teams. Select a player for the spotlight, then choose Open Player Card for their full profile.
The basket is on the upper baseline. Guards are positioned around the lower three-point perimeter, while forwards and centers are positioned in the upper lane and around the rim.
The hardware
The awards race
Browse every projected award race. See the current favorite, the strongest challengers, and the case for each pick.
The projected podium
Player of the Year
Why this pick leads
Quigley's 14.5-point, 6.4-assist season gives him the clearest combination of production, responsibility and upward runway. Yalden is the best player on the favorite, while Harvey is the league's proven efficiency play.
How strongly the current projection favors this pick. These are not betting odds.
Beyond the main ballot
The extra pages
Meet the players outside our All-Conference and award picks who could still shape the race, then explore breakout candidates and bold predictions.
Beyond the ballots
Players Who Could Shape the Race
Five names beyond the ballots
None appears on our All-Conference teams or award ballots. Each still has a role large enough to change the league’s order.
Mario Tatum
NJITG · SoThe second creator
Another handler changes NJIT’s ceiling
Tatum averaged 8.5 points in 25.9 minutes as a freshman at VMI. His handle and passing give NJIT another initiator beside David Bolden, a combination that could turn the dark horse into a real contender.
Tyler Bike
New HampshireG · SoThe shot-maker
New Hampshire needs his creation
Bike averaged 7.5 points and 2.0 assists as a freshman while shooting 37.5 percent from three. If that efficiency holds in a larger role, the Wildcats have a cleaner path through the crowded middle.
John Broom
VermontG · R-JrThe lineup unlock
Four-guard Vermont starts here
Broom averaged 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.2 minutes at South Alabama, but his value is in the options he creates. His size, defense and ball handling can help Vermont play four guards without becoming small.
Eric Chatfield
BryantG · SoThe connector
Bryant needs one more organizer
Chatfield averaged 1.4 assists in 13.0 minutes as a freshman at Georgia Tech. Bryant already has proven finishers, so his ability to organize possessions and create advantages could decide whether the Bulldogs truly push Vermont.
Victor Okojie
UMass LowellF · SoThe interior answer
Lowell’s ceiling depends on the paint
Okojie averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 18.1 minutes as a freshman. A second-year jump would give UMass Lowell the rebounding and defensive backbone needed to support Jasiah Cannady’s scoring upside.
Next step
Breakout Team
The 2026-27 breakout five
These projections emphasize players with expanded roles, credible two-way indicators and room to outperform their established baselines.
David Bolden
NJITG · SoSophomore star
After winning America East Rookie of the Year, Bolden now gets the keys to a deeper NJIT backcourt and a credible all-conference campaign.
79% confident
Ace Flagg
MaineF · SoDefensive riser
Flagg's defensive rating already reads like an award candidate. A modest offensive step would make him Maine's defining player.
74% confident
Ty Tabales
BryantG · SoPrimary creator
Bryant needs more advantage creation, and Tabales has the starting role and offensive grade to supply it.
72% confident
Riley Jacobs
UMBCF · SoInterior anchor
Jacobs is the defensive backbone of an undersized UMBC front line. Better finishing could turn him into a genuine two-way threat.
69% confident
Brandon Stores
NJITF · R-FrHigh-upside wing
Stores gives NJIT size and defensive range on the wing, with enough projected offense to punish teams that load up on Bolden.
67% confident
Forecasts with teeth
Bold Predictions
Three calls that could define America East
Three aggressive predictions we are willing to own before the season begins.
The double
Binghamton wins the regular season and tournament
Jeremiah Quigley gives the Bearcats the league’s best creator, Demetrius Lilley controls the paint, and the pieces around them hold up. Binghamton takes the regular-season title, then finishes the job in the America East tournament.
The semifinal stunner
Bryant ends Vermont’s season
Bryant knocks Vermont out in the semifinals behind the size and shot-making of Keegan Harvey and Andre Pasha. For the third straight year, the Catamounts enter the offseason wondering whether they can get back to their peak.
The star turn
Cannady wins Player and Freshman of the Year
Jasiah Cannady becomes the league’s rare freshman centerpiece, sweeps both major player awards and carries UMass Lowell to fourth place. He then transfers up to a high-level non-Power conference such as the Atlantic 10.
Your turn on the record
Build your conference ballot
Make every call yourself, save your unfinished ballot on this device, and see where your picks agree with Shooty Hoops or go their own way.
Build your own board
Rank the league, draw your tiers, name fifteen All-Conference players, and hand out the hardware. Your draft stays on this device until you choose to publish it. You can return to the same link to edit and resubmit later.
Checking for a local draft
The crowd's ballot
Community consensus
See where completed fan ballots agree, where opinions split, and how the community compares with Shooty Hoops and your own picks.
Counting the room
Building the current community board…