Insider Report: Let The Tourney Begin

DURHAM, N.H. – It took a late-season rally to clinch it, but in the end the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team got what it wanted: a home game for the America East tournament.

The Wildcats, the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, face No. 6 Bryant University in a quarterfinal matchup in Lundholm Gymnasium on Saturday at 1 p.m.

"I'm proud of our guys," said UNH coach Bill Herrion. "We wouldn't be in this situation if we had not won three of our last four games. And I think they're in a good frame of mind. In the locker room after that last game, they were real pumped up."

That last game was Tuesday night against NJIT in Lundholm and after a slow start UNH came back and thanks in part to tight defense down the stretch, held on for a 59-58 win.

The triumph evened UNH's overall record at 14-14 and more importantly improved the team to 9-7 in America East play.

That was just one piece of the playoff puzzle on Tuesday night. Besides needing a win over NJIT, the Wildcats were looking for a little help. They needed either UMBC to beat Binghamton or Maine to beat Bryant to give UNH a spot in the top four.

As it turned out both UMBC and Maine won, leaving the Wildcats in sole possession of third place, behind first-place Vermont (14-2 in the league) and UMass Lowell (11-5).

UMBC, Binghamton and Bryant all ended up at 8-8 in the league. When tiebreakers were sorted out, UMBC had the fourth spot, Binghamton was fifth and Bryant sixth. Maine finished seventh at 7-9 and NJIT eighth at 4-12.

The challenge now for UNH is to make the most of its homecourt advantage against a tough opponent and advance to the league semifinals for the first time since 2017.

Bryant is an America East newcomer and last season won the Northeast Conference championship and went to the NCAAs in its last year in the league.

The Bulldogs are a veteran group led by players coach Jared Grasso picked up from the NCAA transfer portal – UNH went a similar route in restocking its roster this season – and were picked to finish second in the league to Vermont in the preseason coaches poll. The Wildcats were seventh in the poll.

Bryant, which is 17-12 overall, beat UNH twice during the regular season, 87-81 in Durham on Jan. 14 and 70-46 in Smithfield, R.I., on Feb. 4.

UNH led the game at Bryant, 30-29, at the half before the Bulldogs ran away with it in the second.

Guard Sherif Gross-Bullock, who played at La Salle University of the Atlantic 10 before Bryant, had 28 points in the 87-81 win.

Gross-Bullock leads America East in scoring at 17.6 points per game and three of his teammates are also in the Top 10. Guard Charles Pride is at 14.6. Guard Earl Timberlake, who came in from Memphis, is at 13.6, and froward Antwan Walker, from Rhode Island, is at 12.9.

"They're going to press us and we've got to take care of the ball, they're very, very good in transition," Herrion said. "We've also got to really guard them. They're a very fast-paced and aggressive offense. Our defense is going to have to be good."

Bryant averages 75.4 points a game in America East games, third to UMass Lowell's 77.1 and Vermont's 76.5. UNH averages 66 points a game.

The Wildcats allow 68.4 points a game, second to Vermont's 65.7. Bryant is seventh at 73.5 points allowed per league game.

UNH, too, has four players averaging in double figures in scoring. Junior forward Clarence Daniels, the only player in the league averaging a double-double, is scoring 15.2 points a game. Junior guards Nick Johnson averages 12.9 points and Kyree Brown 10.7. Grad student guard Matt Herasme is at 10.6 points per game.

Bryant leads the league in rebounding at 39.2 per game, UMass Lowell is next at 38.9 and UNH is third at 36.

"They're big and the glass is going to be a concern, too," Herrion said. "We've got to limit their second shots."

Daniels leads the league at 10.7 rebounds per game overall. Herasme averages 5.2 rebounds a game, Johnson 5.1 and freshman Ridvan Tutic 5 for UNH.

Timberlake averages 8.5 rebounds a game for Bryant, Walker 7.2 and Pride 6.1.

Brown is fourth in the league at 3.9 assists per game.

Herasme led the Wildcats with 15 points against NJIT and Johnson had 14. Daniels had eight points and 17 rebounds and freshman Christian Moore provided a huge boost off the bench with eight points, three rebounds and four assists.

Now the season comes down to a Saturday showdown.

"I think we'll have a good crowd," Herrion said. "This is what we've been working towards. We've got a bunch of new guys who haven't been through it here and that's the unknown. We're going to have to play really well and we have to be ready to go."

Semifinal games are Tuesday night at the home of the higher seeds left in the tournament.

The Wildcats are aiming to be involved.

The championship game is Saturday, March 11, at the home of the higher seed remaining, and will be televised on ESPN2.

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Kyree Brown

Clarence Daniels

Matt Herasme

Nick Johnson

Christian Moore

Ridvan Tutic

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