David Nichols, the sophomore guard for the University at Albany men's basketball team, hoped he would be able to sleep Friday night.
His Great Dane teammates couldn't wait to board the bus Thursday to make the three-hour trip to Burlington, the largest city in Vermont.
"I've been playing basketball since I was 5 years old," UAlbany sophomore guard Joe Cremo said. "If you don't want to play in this moment, you should probably not be playing basketball."
The moment is here for the Danes, who will try to pull off the upset in the America East Conference Tournament championship game Saturday morning at Patrick Gymnasium.
UAlbany has a formidable task ahead. Standing in the way of a fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past five years is the best team in the league. Vermont, which owns the longest current winning streak (20) in the country, is 28-5 and hasn't lost a league game.
"I guess you could say the pressure is on them a little bit," Nichols said.
No one who got on that UAlbany team bus is kidding themselves. They know it is going to take a back-breaking effort to beat Vermont. Every one of coach Will Brown's players wants the chance to try.
"They are the clear-cut best team in our league this year and are heavily favored," Brown said. "That is not Jedi mind tricks coming from me. Vermont is the heavy favorite. They should be the favorites, and we have a lot of respect for them. But we are not going to back down one inch. We don't fear them, and we are going there to win."
UAlbany (21-12) already has tried Vermont twice this year and failed. On Jan. 25, the Danes got behind by as many as 15 and lost 60-49 at SEFCU Arena. In the rematch at Vermont on Feb. 22, the Danes led for more than 22 minutes but still fell, 62-50. Those were the two lowest-scoring games the Danes had in the league this year and also the two America East lows for Vermont.
"I thought that Albany was built for February and March basketball," said John Becker, in his sixth year as Vermont coach and looking to get the Catamounts to the NCAAs for the first time since 2012.
Vermont junior guard Trae Bell-Haynes, the America East Player of the Year, said he and his teammates thought all along it would be UAlbany the Catamounts would have to beat in the title game. UAlbany got to this point after beating Stony Brook on Long Island in the semifinal.
When asked which team he would have preferred to play, Bell-Haynes was brutally honest.
"I'm not gonna lie," he said. "I wanted Stony Brook to win that game."
Part of that was because Stony Brook beat Vermont for the America East title last year on Long Island. And there is also part of Bell-Haynes that thinks the Catamounts match up better with the Seawolves.
Of course, the way Vermont's season is going, confidence is not lacking at all.
"I don't want to sound too cocky, but I think we are really good," said Bell-Haynes, one of three double-figure scorers for the Catamounts with 11.2 points per game. "But, the whole year, we thought (Albany) was going to be the team to beat. We prepared to beat Albany."
Brown said there are more than a few things that need to happen for his team to pull off the upset. He expects Vermont to key on his two leading scorers: Nichols, who has 18.1 ppg, and Cremo, who has 16.2. So the Danes will need someone else, maybe everyone else, to put the ball in the basket.
And, of course, the Danes can't win if they score like they did in the first two games with Vermont.
One more thing: Two foul shots in the last game with Vermont won't cut it.
"I think we are a team that is going to walk in that gym 1,000 percent believing we can win that game," Brown said. "We are a team, that if we play well, we can win this game."
UAlbany is 5-1 all-time against Vermont in America East playoff games and 2-0 in championship games at Patrick.
Becker said ancient history won't win this game.
"Will is not playing on Saturday, John Becker is not playing on Saturday," Becker said. "This team has nothing to do with any other Vermont team that did not have success against Albany. We are not worried about Will Brown. We are worried about their players. And they are good."
His Great Dane teammates couldn't wait to board the bus Thursday to make the three-hour trip to Burlington, the largest city in Vermont.
"I've been playing basketball since I was 5 years old," UAlbany sophomore guard Joe Cremo said. "If you don't want to play in this moment, you should probably not be playing basketball."
The moment is here for the Danes, who will try to pull off the upset in the America East Conference Tournament championship game Saturday morning at Patrick Gymnasium.
UAlbany has a formidable task ahead. Standing in the way of a fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past five years is the best team in the league. Vermont, which owns the longest current winning streak (20) in the country, is 28-5 and hasn't lost a league game.
"I guess you could say the pressure is on them a little bit," Nichols said.
No one who got on that UAlbany team bus is kidding themselves. They know it is going to take a back-breaking effort to beat Vermont. Every one of coach Will Brown's players wants the chance to try.
"They are the clear-cut best team in our league this year and are heavily favored," Brown said. "That is not Jedi mind tricks coming from me. Vermont is the heavy favorite. They should be the favorites, and we have a lot of respect for them. But we are not going to back down one inch. We don't fear them, and we are going there to win."
UAlbany (21-12) already has tried Vermont twice this year and failed. On Jan. 25, the Danes got behind by as many as 15 and lost 60-49 at SEFCU Arena. In the rematch at Vermont on Feb. 22, the Danes led for more than 22 minutes but still fell, 62-50. Those were the two lowest-scoring games the Danes had in the league this year and also the two America East lows for Vermont.
"I thought that Albany was built for February and March basketball," said John Becker, in his sixth year as Vermont coach and looking to get the Catamounts to the NCAAs for the first time since 2012.
Vermont junior guard Trae Bell-Haynes, the America East Player of the Year, said he and his teammates thought all along it would be UAlbany the Catamounts would have to beat in the title game. UAlbany got to this point after beating Stony Brook on Long Island in the semifinal.
When asked which team he would have preferred to play, Bell-Haynes was brutally honest.
"I'm not gonna lie," he said. "I wanted Stony Brook to win that game."
Part of that was because Stony Brook beat Vermont for the America East title last year on Long Island. And there is also part of Bell-Haynes that thinks the Catamounts match up better with the Seawolves.
Of course, the way Vermont's season is going, confidence is not lacking at all.
"I don't want to sound too cocky, but I think we are really good," said Bell-Haynes, one of three double-figure scorers for the Catamounts with 11.2 points per game. "But, the whole year, we thought (Albany) was going to be the team to beat. We prepared to beat Albany."
Brown said there are more than a few things that need to happen for his team to pull off the upset. He expects Vermont to key on his two leading scorers: Nichols, who has 18.1 ppg, and Cremo, who has 16.2. So the Danes will need someone else, maybe everyone else, to put the ball in the basket.
And, of course, the Danes can't win if they score like they did in the first two games with Vermont.
One more thing: Two foul shots in the last game with Vermont won't cut it.
"I think we are a team that is going to walk in that gym 1,000 percent believing we can win that game," Brown said. "We are a team, that if we play well, we can win this game."
UAlbany is 5-1 all-time against Vermont in America East playoff games and 2-0 in championship games at Patrick.
Becker said ancient history won't win this game.
"Will is not playing on Saturday, John Becker is not playing on Saturday," Becker said. "This team has nothing to do with any other Vermont team that did not have success against Albany. We are not worried about Will Brown. We are worried about their players. And they are good."
