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University at Albany defeated Stony Brook, 51-50, in the America East title game to punch their ticket to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament. They finished the season 24-8 overall and 15-1 in the conference.
Last season, they were the 16th seed in the South and got knocked out in the second round by top-seed Florida.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Albany’s Roster
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Evan Singletary, guard (Junior)
Ray Sanders, guard-forward (Junior)
Tre Green, guard (Sophomore)
Mike Rowley, forward (Sophomore)
Mike Wells, guard (Freshman)
Peter Hooley, guard (Junior)
Reece Williams, guard (Junior)
Sam Rowley, forward (Senior)
Ede Egharevba, forward (Junior)
Max Twyman, guard (Freshman)
Richard Peters, center (Sophomore)
Dallas Ennema, forward (Sophomore)
Wheeler Baker, guard (Freshman)
Geremy McKay, forward (Freshman)
Greig Stire, forward (Freshman)
2. Coach Will Brown is the Only Albany Coach to go to the Tournament
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Coach Will Brown became the team’s interim head coach in 2001 and was officially hired to take the job in 2002. In 2006, he helped the school make their first ever Tournament appearance. Since, they’ve gone four more times, including this year. However, the furthest they’ve ever gone is the second round, which happened in each of the past two years.
Before coaching at Albany, Brown was the head coach for Sullivan Community College for three years. He left the school with a 90-10 record.
3. Albany in Basketball
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Albany is located in Upstate New York, the state’s capital.
University at Albany is part of the America East conference and the South division. Their regionals are held in Memphis, Tennessee.
4. Albany Became a Division I School in 1999
Albany’s Peter Hooley in a 2014 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 game against the No. 1 seeded Florida Gators. (Getty)
In 1999, Albany finally became a Division I school. In their first five seasons as a Division I school, they went 48-118. But in 2005, things turned around. That season, they finished 21-11. The following year, they went to their — and the SUNY system’s — first NCAA Tournament.
5. University at Albany is a SUNY School
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University at Albany is a SUNY, or State University of New York, school. The school has a wide range of majors, from accounting to art to biology to theatre.
The school was established in 1844, making it the oldest SUNY school in the system.
