Vermont tries to become the first #16 seed to beat a #1 seed. Tip-off is set for 4:20 pm in Greensboro, N.C. The game can be seen on TBS. The Catamounts defeated Lamar in the "First Four" game to make it to Greensboro. It was the second NCAA victory in school history.

UNC comes in at 29-5, averaging 82 points per game. However, star John Henson will not play for the Tar Heels, as he is battling a wrist injury he received during the ACC Tournament.

Join the discussion and get excited. CAN THE AE PULL OFF THE BIGGEST UPSET IN NCAA HISTORY? We will find out.

Hey Greg Gumble, it is the America East...NOT THE AMERICAN EAST! ON that note, Vermont will play Lamar out of the Southland Conference. They will play in one of the "First Four" games in the Midwest Region. The winner will play North Carolina in Greensboro, NC.

Bracketologist had Mississippi Valley St. and Norfolk St. as possible opponents. Mississippi Valley St. will play Western Kentucky in a "First Four" game, with the winner getting Kentucky, the #1 overall seed. Norfolk St. got a #15 seed in the West Region and will play Missouri.

The big shocker was Iona getting in. They will play in a "First Four" against BYU. The winner gets Marquette, #3 seed in West region. It will be a battle between #14 seeds. Loyola (MD), the MAAC Champion, will play Ohio St., the #2 seed in the East Region.

For the AE fans that wanted it, Syracuse will play UNC-Asheville in the East Region in Pittsburgh. The Orange are the #1 seed in that region.

We are a very close to the announcement of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Field. Most figure Vermont, the AE rep, to be placed as a #16 seed, with little shot at a #15 seed based on the conference RPI. With the announcement coming, it seems that their is an agreement among the major sports websites that Vermont will be a #16 seed, but also be in the "First Four" Opening Round Game.

Under the new NCAA Tournament format, the NCAA is having four "play-in games" to the tournament, with two games between #16 seeds and two between what many guess will be #11 and #12 seeds (typical ranking for teams on the bubble). However, the NCAA does not want to refer to them as "play-in" games", so they are calling them the "First Four" or the "Opening Round". Here are the Bracketologist predictions for UVM...

ESPN.com Joe Lunardi – vs. Norfolk St. (Opening Round: Winner plays #1 seed North Carolina) – Greensboro, N.C. (South Region)

CNNSI.com – vs. Norfolk St. (Opening Round: Winner plays #1 seed North Carolina) – Greensboro, N.C. (Midwest Region)

CBSSportsline.com – vs. Mississippi Valley St. (Opening Round: Winner plays #1 seed Kentucky) – Louisville, KY (Midwest Region)

FoxSports.com – vs. Mississippi Valley St. (Opening Round: Winner plays #1 seed Michigan St) – Omaha, NE (West Region)

Yahoo! Sports – vs. Norfolk St. (Opening Round: Winner plays #1 seed North Carolina) – Greensboro, N.C.

Norfolk St. or Mississippi Valley St. also is the consensus pick for the opponent for UVM. While AE fans maybe bummed by the news, they should not. Each of the "First Four" games will be played on national T.V. (TruTV - hence the title of this article) on March 13th and 14th in Dayton, OH. No other games are scheduled for this time, so all of the media focused on the tournament will be focused on these games. This could mean some solid exposure for players and teams. Thus, it seems like a win for the conference and Vermont.

We will find out if the predictions are correct very shortly. Stay tuned to UnrankedAE.com for all the postseason action in the AE Conference.

Here are some images UnrankedAE got from UVM's post-game celebration after winning the AE Championship...

More pictures after the jump

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All it takes to earn an NCAA tournament bid is three straight wins. W. W. W. For Vermont, that quest starts on Saturday against the Maine Black Bears, a team they have beat by double digits on two separate occasions this season. Will tomorrow be the start of a glorious run to the Big Dance for the Cats, or the scene of a March Meltdown similar to last year? At least they don't have to play Binghamton.

A year ago, for those who do not remember, Vermont celebrated a regular season crown in Orono. The proverbial champagne was popped, team photos were snapped, and the Cats were champions. A lot of good that does in America East, where a regular season crown decides home court advantage in the conference championship -- should you be fortunate enough to survive playing two games in 24 hours a week prior to the big game. Vermont choked in the semifinals to Stony Brook last year. Stony Brook choked in the finals to BU. I choked on the worm at the bottom of my tequila bottle.

Vermont returns four starters from that team who lost to Stony Brook. This weekend is about redemption. This weekend is about Vermont restoring its reputation as the Kings of America East. This weekend is about unfinished business.

Less BS, more basketball after the jump.

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His name is Sandro Carissimo. All he did tonight was put the state of Vermont on his back and lead them to a win, scoring 8 points in 2 minutes to open up an 11 point lead over that funny, upside-down state people call New Hampshire. Vermont never looked back.

You see, before that happened, Vermont had trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half. They had weathered the perfect storm of New Hampshire shooting 68% in the first half. They had endured foul trouble for two of their best players. New Hampshire stayed in the game until Carissimo went to work with just over 7 minutes remaining, with Vermont clinging to a 61-58 point lead.

The Sandro and Four Show Continues After the Jump.

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The last several years, I have felt like Albany and Vermont fans are oddly in the same boat: they look on, hoping their team can restore the magic of years gone by. Because, in our tiny conference, these two teams are the only ones who have really competed on the national stage, in the NCAA tournament. When Albany fans close their eyes, they picture Jamar Wilson and company up on Connecticut, 50-38 with 11 minutes to go. When Vermont fans slide a VHS into the cassette player, it is to re-watch the grainy images of TJ Sorrentine letting one fly from 28 feet, en route to the biggest win in America East history. And, yet, the dream seems so far gone.

America East has gone downhill, fast. Every team Albany or Vermont has fielded (with perhaps the exceptions of the 2007 Albany team and the 2010 Vermont team) has seemed good enough to win the conference, but you can't really picture them competing against a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Tonight, the rivals played a surprisingly exciting basketball game. They traded buckets at a frenetic pace during parts of the second half, making us foolish fans believe these teams could hang with the big boys, if only given a chance.

Reality after the jump.

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