Not this year, but maybe soon for Maine men’s basketball

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Charley Martin-Berry holds “Big Bear,” who attends every home game, with her daughter Raven Berry, and her husband, Jake Berry. The family, from East Machias, traveled to Orono Brewing to watch the America East matchup between UMaine and Bryant on Saturday. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

ORONO — There will be another NCAA men’s basketball tournament without the University of Maine. This time, though, the thought of that doesn’t come with shoulder shrugs of resignation.

This time, it comes with hope.

Saturday’s 77-59 loss to Bryant in the America East championship game ended the best season in decades for the Black Bears.

There was a watch party at Orono Brewing, not far from campus, where dozens of fans gathered to view the game. A few admitted they’re newcomers to the men’s basketball team but, really, when you look at the recent history (and not-so-recent, depending on how you define recent), there hasn’t been much reason to follow the team.

“Mostly, I’ve been focused on the hockey team, but it’s been exciting to see them make a run in the playoffs,” said Drew Delaney, a senior from Livermore, pointing at the projection screen on which the Maine/Bryant game was getting underway. “I wanted to watch this with a crowd, not quietly at home.”

Until last week’s win over UMass Lowell in the America East quarterfinals, the Black Bears hadn’t won a conference playoff game for 20 years, nor had they hosted a postseason game. Winning at Vermont in the semifinals Tuesday was another step forward. Vermont has been America East’s juggernaut over the last decade, and the Black Bears went into the Catamounts’ raucous Patrick Gymnasium and left with a 57-42 win, becoming just the second team to beat Vermont on its home court by double digits this season.

Ben Barr, Maine’s men’s hockey coach, swung by Orono Brewing to watch the first half of the game. He had his own playoff game to prep for, but wanted to show his support for…

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Publish date : 2025-03-15 23:00:00

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