The 2026 America East Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule takes place from March 7th through March 14th, 2026. The top eight of nine teams from the regular season earn spots in the post-season tournament. Games are played at the home courts of the higher seeds. The teams are reseeded after the quarterfinals to keep things competitive. As of late January 2026, the race is tight at the top, setting up potential upsets in March.
Current Standings (as of January 28, 2026)
Here’s a snapshot of the 2025-26 America East Conference standings, which will determine seeding. Ties are broken via conference tiebreakers (head-to-head, common opponents, etc.).
| Rank | Team | Conf Record | Overall Record | Streak |
| 1 | UMBC | 5-1 | 12-7 | W3 |
| 1 | Vermont | 5-1 | 13-8 | W2 |
| 3 | NJIT | 4-2 | 9-12 | L1 |
| 4 | UMass Lowell | 3-3 | 8-13 | L3 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 3-3 | 7-12 | W3 |
| 4 | UAlbany | 3-3 | 7-14 | L2 |
| 7 | Maine | 3-4 | 5-17 | W2 |
| 8 | Bryant | 2-4 | 6-14 | L2 |
| 9 | Binghamton | 0-7 | 4-18 | L7 |
Binghamton is currently on the outside looking in, but with games remaining until the regular season ends on March 3, shifts are possible.
2026 America East Tournament Schedule
The 2026 America East tournament schedule runs from March 7 to March 14, with all games at the campus sites of the higher-seeded teams. Times are TBA but typically tip off in the afternoon or evening (e.g., 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. ET). The format is single-elimination, and the bracket is reseeded after the quarterfinals to pair the highest remaining seed against the lowest, and so on.
- Quarterfinals: Saturday, March 7, 2026
- No. 8 seed at No. 1 seed
- No. 7 seed at No. 2 seed
- No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed
- No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed
- Semifinals: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
- Two games: Highest remaining seed vs. lowest remaining seed; middle two seeds face off (hosted by higher seeds)
- Championship: Saturday, March 14, 2026
- Semifinal winners (hosted by higher remaining seed)
This setup often leads to compelling mid-major stories, like Vermont’s historic runs or UMass Lowell’s potential to disrupt with their balanced attack.
Projected 2026 America East Tournament Bracket
Based on current standings and projections, here’s an early look at the bracket. Seeds could change, but assuming no major shifts and using tiebreakers (e.g., UMBC edges Vermont for No. 1 via head-to-head or strength of schedule), the quarterfinal matchups might shape up like this. Note: Binghamton would miss out if standings hold. ** Please note that these are as of January 28th, 2026 and will change between now and the conference tournament.
Quarterfinals (March 7)
- (8) Bryant at (1) UMBC
- (7) Maine at (2) Vermont
- (6) UAlbany at (3) NJIT
- (5) New Hampshire at (4) UMass Lowell
Potential Semifinals (March 10, after reseeding)
- Highest remaining vs. lowest remaining
- Middle two remaining
Championship (March 14)
- Semifinal winners
For a visual representation, fans often use blank brackets to fill in as games progress.
Printable 2026 America East Tournament Bracket
The official America East Conference provides a downloadable tournament bracket PDF, perfect for printing and tracking results. You can access it directly from their site for a clean, fillable format. Download here: Tournament Bracket (PDF). We also have the bracket for you below that you can print or save to PDF format as well. You can also checkout the 2026 March Madness schedule and printable 2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket to see where the tournament champion might be playing in March Madness or the 2026 NIT Tournament.
