Tournament Time: Day 1

It is officially tournament time here in Albany! Thanks to a solid three inches of snow here in the capitol region, roads are slick and the walk from the Dutch Gold lot over to SEFCU Arena is a cold one. But none of that matters because America East hoops is about to take center stage. We've got three women's quarterfinal matchups coming you way today and they should all be exciting games. Make sure you tune in to every game this weekend on ESPN3, as play-by-play guru Eric Friede will guide you through this crazy weekend. With all of that in mind, let's take a quick look at the matchups today.

Championship Preview

Quarterfinal #1: No. 7 Binghamton vs. No. 2 Hartford

The Hawks are 2-0 and versus the Bearcats this season, but don't expect an easy win for Jen Rizzotti and co. In the first conference game of the season, Binghamton played Hartford right down to the wire in a 46-44 loss in Vestal. When the matchup traveled to West Hartford, the Hawks had an easier go of it, winning 65-50.

Keep an eye on Sharae Swinson from Binghamton, who poured in 11 points in the first matchup of the year and will be a tough matchup for the Hawks. For Hartford, Nikkia Smith has been the answer versus Binghamton this year, averaging 13.5 points in the season series.

Raven Harris

Quarterfinal #2: No. 6 Vermont vs. No. 3 UMBC

Both teams finished the conference season with a 6-10 record in conference and the Retrievers earned the No. 3 seed thanks to a tiebreaker. With that in mind, expect this to be a tight game. Both teams defended their home court in the season series, with the Catamounts claiming a 63-60 win in Burlington and UMBC winning 71-55.

Raven Harris will continue to be the go-to player for the Retrievers, as she averaged 21.5 points this season against Vermont. The Catamounts will turn to Tierra Shumpert to help combat the UMBC guard play. The sophomore averaged 11 points in the two games this year.

Quarterfinal #3: No. 5 New Hampshire vs. No. 4 Stony Brook

The Seawolves are one of the most improved teams anywhere this season and earned a series sweep of the Wildcats this year. After a 48-44 win in Durham, Stony Brook then held serve with a 60-47 victory at home. Both squads were 6-10 in conference play.

Chikilra Goodman led the Seawolves against New Hampshire, averaging 14.5 points between the two games. For New Hampshire, Cari Reed averaged 11 against the quarterfinal foe and her versatility will be important in this matchup.