CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: The UMBC Retrievers bench reacts near the end their game against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)The NCAA Tournament sits just over a month away, which means conference tournaments are drawing near.
With those conference tournaments coming up, each conference has difficult decisions to make. Earlier this month, the Big Ten announced a change to the location of its conference tournament.
A few days later, another conference is reportedly making a change. According to a report from college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, the American East Conference is changing things up as well.
“Nine teams in instead of 10,” Goodman said on Twitter. “Regular-season games after this weekend canceled, playoffs start Feb. 27-28 (one week earlier than originally planned).”
America East makes changes to the league tourney:
Nine teams in instead of 10.
Regular-season games after this weekend canceled, playoffs start Feb. 27-28 (one week earlier than originally planned).
No. 1 and 2 seeds get double-bye and play at own arenas weekend of March 6.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 17, 2021
As for the seeding and when games tip off, Goodman has more on the details.
“No. 1 and 2 seeds get double-bye and play at own arenas weekend of March 6,” he said. “No. 3 and No. 4 seed host their pods on March 27 and 28, but No. 3 gets single-game bye due to the fact that Maine opted out. Two teams coming out of the pods and play semis and final at higher seed on March 13.”
The decision to just have nine teams in the conference tournament comes after Maine opted out of the rest of the season At 2-7, the Black Bears likely weren’t destined for greatness anyway.
