For the third consecutive season, the Albany Great Danes are dancing. A thrilling emotional victory over Stony Brook in the America East championship game was sealed by a 3-pointer by Peter Hooley in the final seconds. Hooley, who had missed nearly a month of action to return to Australia to be with his mother, who died of cancer Jan. 30, was overwhelmed with emotion after the game. Will the chant of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" propel Albany to an underdog tournament victory?
ESPN Insider has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of Bracketologists to go deep on each team. Additionally, Joey Brackets will let you know how far he feels each team can go.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: at Yale, at Stony Brook
Worst losses: at Niagara, Quinnipiac, Holy Cross
Conference finish: 1st, America East
Polls and metrics: Albany finished the season ranked No. 107 in the RPI, having been dragged down by a weak strength of schedule (292nd in the nation).
All-time tourney record: 1-4, in 4 appearances
Coach's tourney record: Will Brown (1-4)
Bracketology chart | BPI information
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are for the regular season only.)
STARTING LINEUP
C Richard Peters (2.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
F Dallas Ennema (5.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG)
F Sam Rowley (14.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG)
G Ray Sanders (9.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG)
G Evan Singletary (13.1 PPG, 2.8 APG)
Key Bench Players
G Peter Hooley (13.8 PPG, 2.4 APG)
F Mike Rowley (3.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG)
G Wheeler Baker (5.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG)
Biggest strength: Controlling the pace. The Great Danes play at a snail's pace, frustrating opponents on both ends of the floor. This slow pace has held Albany's opponents to the 30th-fewest points per game nationally. On offense, this means using extreme patience to find open shots for their best shooters.
Biggest weakness: Athleticism. The Great Danes were able to dominate the America East, going 15-1 in conference play, but they don't have the athleticism to compete with power conference teams (or even most mid-majors). They rank in the bottom 150 in the nation in block and steal percentage. When the pace speeds up, Albany has a tough time keeping up.
Best player: Rowley. He had a rough game in the America East final, making only six of his 21 field goal attempts. The rest of the season, however, he has been excellent, shooting more than 50 percent from the field and notching nine double-doubles.
X factor: Hooley. His story is as inspiring as any in the tournament and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better reason to root for anyone. He brings much more than just a feel-good story to the table, though. He scored in double-digits in 20 of the 22 games he played this season.
SCOUTING REPORT
Offensive approach: Slow and methodical. The Great Danes' slow-paced attack flows from inside-out, with Rowley in the post and 3-point shooters ready for kick-outs. Going inside has additional benefits as Albany scores a tidy 23.2 percent of its points from the free throw line.
Defensive approach: Coach Brown's team plays both man-to-man and zone, allowing only 60.2 points per game. They have had immense difficulty running shooters off the 3-point line. Only two teams in the nation allow opponents to score a higher percentage of their points via the long ball.
How they beat you: Patience on offense and scoring a ton from the free throw line. Rowley has myriad post moves and is a willing passer to open teammates for shots. If it can get open looks and hold its opponent under 65 points, Albany can be very competitive.
How you beat them: Speed up the pace and make the Great Danes uncomfortable. They play a very specific style and will struggle if forced to adapt. A combination of athletic playmakers and hot shooters could make things very difficult on Albany.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of kenpom.com and are accurate through games of March 8.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 112th (105.1)
Defensive efficiency, 169th (102.3)
3-point percentage, 78th (36.5)
3-point percentage D, 281th (36.7)
Free throw rate, 87th (40.5)
Free throw rate D, 34th (30.1)
TO percentage, 114th (18.3)
TO percentage D, 109th (20.3)
Good stat: 23.2 percent of points scored off free throws
It's a stat that may be overlooked, but it's crucial for the Great Danes. When playing as slow as they do on offense, collecting points from the foul line is extremely helpful. When they do get to the line, they make the most of it, shooting the 12th-best percentage from the stripe in the country.
Bad stat: 36.7 3-point percentage allowed (281st in the nation)
Not only do the Great Danes allow their opponents to shoot a lot of 3-pointers -- a high percentage of those shots go swoosh, suggesting they are getting open looks. If Albany is unable to locate and lock down shooters, it could fall far behind quickly with little chance of recovering.
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: Competing in the second round
If they can dictate the pace of the game, the Great Danes can stay close with anyone. Rowley may have trouble scoring against bigger, more athletic giants, but he's crafty enough to continue getting to the foul line. Slow and low-scoring is the perfect recipe. If they pull that off for the first 35 minutes of a game, they'll find themselves in a close one.
Worst-case scenario: A blowout loss
On the other hand, if the Great Danes are forced into a track meet, they will be in serious trouble. They don't have the athletes or the scheme to keep up with a fast-paced attack. A pile of transition buckets and open 3-pointers will have Albany fans packing their bags by halftime.
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