UAlbany received mixed reviews at today's America East Conference media day at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford.

The men were picked third, a bit of a surprise, while the women were chosen last out of nine teams.

The men, who have numerous newcomers on the roster, were picked behind Boston University and Vermont based on the return of junior guard Tim Ambrose and senior forward Will Harris. Ambrose led the team in scoring at 14 ppg. He was named to the preseason all-conference team. Harris averaged 12 ppg and was a strong rebounder.

Albany was 15-16 a year ago. The Danes knocked off Vermont in the opening round of the conference tounament.

"We don't know how good we are," said UAlbany head coach Will Brown, who liked what he saw from his team's offense at a recent scrimmage but was disappointed in its defensive effort. "It all comes down to three days in March and the matchups we have for the tournament."

Rounding out the men's poll were Stony Brook, New Hampshire, Hartford, UMBC, Maine and defending champion Binghamton, which had six players dismissed from its roster. Head coach Kevin Broadus is on indefinite paid leave because of NCAA violations. Mark Macon is the interim head coach.

Joining Ambrose on the preseason all-conference team were two-time defending player of the year Marqus Blakely of Vermont, John Holland and Corey Lowe of Boston University, Joe Zeglinski of Hartford and Muhammad El-Amin of Stony Brook.

Vermont was chosen No. 1 in the women's poll, followed by Hartford, Binghamton, New Hampshire, Boston University, UMBC, Stony Brook, Maine and Albany.