Four women’s basketball teams in Maine, and one men’s, are contending for the No. 1 seed in their conference playoffs, as the regular season winds down in the next few weeks.
The University of Maine moved into a first-place tie with Albany in America East, each with 12-2 records, after the Great Danes lost at New Hampshire Saturday, 74-68.
Maine is 15-8 overall and has a six-game winning streak, heading into Monday night’s home game against Hartford.
After Hartford, the Black Bears have five games remaining, ending with a Feb. 25 home game against Albany.
The America East playoffs begin March 3-4 with quarterfinals and semifinals at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. The title game will be at the top remaining seed.
Among the Division III women, Bowdoin College (21-1, 7-1) remains ranked No. 3 in the d3hoops national poll. With two games to go, the Polar Bears could finish first but will likely be the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC, with top-ranked Amherst at 22-0, 8-0.
Amherst, which beat Bowdoin 49-45 two weeks ago, knocked off Tufts 50-43 last weekend, clearing its way to the No. 1 seed.
The NESCAC quarterfinals are Feb. 17, with the final four the following weekend and the top remaining seed.
St. Joseph’s College (20-1, 12-0) remain atop the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, one game ahead of Emmanuel (15-6, 11-1). St. Joseph’s beat the Saints early in the season and don’t face them again. The Monks have four games left, including Tuesday’s home game against Suffolk. St. Joseph’s won at Suffolk two weeks ago, rallying from a 12-point deficit with six minutes to go.
The University of New England (16-5, 12-2) is tied for first with Roger Williams (18-3, 12-2) in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The two teams split their season series, but Roger Williams holds the tiebreaker should the two teams win out their four remaining games.
Both the GNAC and CCC playoffs begin Feb. 20.
The one men’s team in contention, Husson, leads the North Atlantic Conference with a 12-2 record, one game ahead of New England College, a team that has beaten Husson twice. The Eagles have four games left, the last on Feb. 17 at Thomas College.
The NAC playoffs begin Feb. 20.
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