Under The Radar: Men's Basketball Part II

Last week we began the Under The Radar series by taking a look at some men's hoopsters from Albany, Binghamton and Boston U. It's time to continue our look at the players who are quietly having great seasons in the America East. Enjoy today's latest installment as we cover Hartford, Maine and UMBC.

Hartford Hawks

Wes Cole

The Hawks currently have three sophomores from Texas that make up their core. Mark Nwakamma is in the top 10 in the league in scoring, while Yolonzo Moore II is in the top 20. One of these two has led the team in scoring 13 out of 17 games. What about the other seven? Wes Cole, the third member of the sophomore class from Texas, leads the way with three games as the team's leading scorer.

Cole, a 6'0" guard, has been a big part of Hartford's outside attack this year. With 34 made triples this season, Cole ranks eighth in the conference and first on the team. Cole has been a big weapon off the bench this season for John Gallagher. While he has been a bit cold of late, Cole led the Hawks to one of their biggest wins this season with 22 points against Boston U. Look for him to play an important role come tournament time.

Maine Black Bears

Justin Edwards and Alasdair Fraser are both playing at all-conference levels this year for Maine. Xavier Pollard is one of the America East's leading assist men and Mike Allison has been a beast on the boards so far in conference play. But the past two games have featured some excellent outside shooting from a player who only has two starts on the year.

Zarko Valjarevic's two starts this year have come in the last two games and he has rewarded his squad with 10 triples. In his most recent game, Valjerevic notched seven from downtown which tied the single-game high for the conference this season. Maine, which has made the second fewest three-pointers in America East, may have just unleashed a new weapon.

UMBC Retrievers

Ryan Cook has been a great story for the Retrievers and this year is now the fourth-leading scorer in the conference at 15.7 per game. He and the rest of his teammates have received a huge boost this year from Brett Roseboro, the big man who transferred from St. Bonaventure. Roseboro, who is averaging 9.9 points per game this season on 49.1 percent shooting, has been the benefactor of numerous alley-oop lobs this year and has added a new dimension to the offense.

He has also made a huge impact on defense and you can tell by looking at the America East leaderboards. Roseboro is 11th in the conference in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots. With a talented big man in the middle, UMBC will still be a real threat in the conference tournament.

Linked Up

Congratulations to the Binghamton student-athletes, who achieved a 3.12 GPA this fall.

Jon Rothstein writes that the Stony Brook men have their eyes set on the field of 68.

Also from Stony Brook, Coach Steve Pikiell sat down with CollegeInsider.com for a podcast.

Relive UMBC's Mid-Day Madness with their Sights and Sounds video.

Stony Brook and Albany will tangle tonight in a huge men's basketball matchup. Check out the promo!