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Coming into the 2009-2010 men’s basketball season, the University of Maine was not expected to compete for the America East crown. They had never won the conference title, were coming off a 21-loss season and were eliminated in the first round of the America East tournament last March. Coupled with conference powers Boston University and the University of Vermont returning plenty of talent, the Black Bears were picked to finish eighth in the league, ahead of only Binghamton University, whose team was gutted due to their highly-publicized legal problems in the offseason.
Nearly halfway through the conference schedule, BU and Vermont are both near the top of the conference. The team sitting ahead of the two favorites is surprising though. Heading into Wednesday night’s showdown with the No. 2 Terriers of BU, the University of Maine has used its depth and defensive prowess to win five straight conference games and currently sits atop the America East standings.
Let’s take a look at the Black Bears, the keys to their success and an outlook on the rest of the season as March Madness approaches rapidly.
Following the departure of leading scorer and perimeter player Mark Socoby last season, UMaine has found a new identity this season. The Black Bears have thrived with their high-energy defensive approach where they are second in the conference in scoring defense (62.8 points per game). That number is inflated by a non-conference game against Big East power and third-ranked Syracuse University who scored 101 points in a December game. UMaine also leads the conference in steals per game averaging nearly eight steals.
The key to UMaine’s resurgence on the defensive end is depth. Eight Black Bears consistently average double-digit minutes allowing fresh legs to be on the floor for most of the game. More importantly, UMaine’s roster features only one senior, starting point guard Junior Bernal, marking a bright future for the squad.
After dropping their first conference game of the season to Vermont, a game in which they were in it until the very end, the Black Bears have not only reeled off five straight conference wins to sit at 5-1 overall in America East, but they have won nine of their last 10 games overall. Included is a 52-51 win at Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference, who defeated No. 21 Clemson University on Tuesday night. UMaine is 13-6 overall and has four more wins than they did last season.
Leading the way for UMaine is sophomore guard Gerald McLemore, last week’s America East Co-Player of the Week. McLemore averaged 19 points in three wins, and converted 12 three-pointers in the final two wins. Junior Sean McNally has been a steady force inside for UMaine averaging 11 points and nearly eight rebounds per contest. Junior guard Terrance Mitchell has provided a huge spark off the bench scoring nearly 11 points per game as well.
With three double-digit scorers leading the way, the rest of the UMaine rotation consists of players who have defined roles and have the Black Bears running like a well-oiled machine.
While UMaine has certainly caught the eye of the rest of America East with its hot start and impressive RPI ranking (115th in the nation), they must beat BU or Vermont to announce that they are a legitimate contender and will be their in the end for a NCAA Tournament berth.
Stony Brook University sits tied for second with BU with a 6-2 record in conference play is another contender for the conference title, but the Terriers and Catamounts (5-2 AE) are the chief challengers for the crown. With a more up-tempo and high-octane offensive approach, both squads boast some of America East’s elite players. Leading Vermont is last season’s Player of the Year, Marqus Blakely, who averages nearly a double-double per game and has caught the eye of NBA scouts due to his exceptional athleticism. BU is led by a two-headed scoring monster of John Holland (19.6 ppg) and Corey Lowe (16.5 ppg).
The outlook for the season is much brighter for UMaine than it was from the outset when they were picked to finish near the bottom of the conference. With Wednesday night’s game against BU and a visit to Vermont on Feb. 3, the Black Bears can gauge how they matchup against the league’s top competition. If they pass that test, Alfond Arena could be packed on March 14 with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line.
