BOSTON – The University of Vermont men's basketball team has been chosen as the preseason favorite for the fifth consecutive season in the 2020-21 America East Preseason Poll. Senior co-captain Stef Smith was also selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team. The league announced the results on Wednesday morning.
 
RELATED LINKS
America East Release | 2020-21 Conference Schedule
 
Voting was conducted by the conference's head men's basketball coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.
 
The Catamounts are the only Division I team with an active streak of five seasons as the preseason conference favorite. The Green and Gold received eight first-place votes and accrued 80 points. UMBC followed at No. 2 with 72 points and earned the remaining two first-place votes. New Hampshire was selected at No. 3 with 66 points and UAlbany landed at No. 4 with 51 points. Stony Brook rounded out the top five with 44 points.
 
Smith is joined on the Preseason All-Conference Team by NJIT's Zach Cooks, New Hampshire's Nick Guadarrama, UAlbany's Cam Healy, and UMass Lowell's Obadiah Noel.
 
Smith had an impressive junior year with a 14.2 scoring average and paced the team with 85 assists and 35 steals. He shot 42.3% from downtown including a 49.4% mark against conference foes – both led the league respectively. The Ajax, Ontario native made at least one triple in 32 of his 33 games played and scored double figures 26 times. The 6-2 floor general also surpassed the 1,000-career point milestone against Maine in the America East Quarterfinal. Smith's postseason list of accolades included an America East All-Conference First Team nod and he made the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District I Second Team.
 
Last season, Vermont was awarded its third America East crown in the last four years by rule as the highest remaining seed after the title game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference championship was the eighth in program history and broke a tie with Northeastern for the most league history. The Cats posted a 26-7 overall record, the third-highest single-season win total ever, and boasted a 14-2 conference record. UVM has won the last four regular-season outright conference championships – a first in the history of America East. Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker also became the first coach in league history to earn four consecutive America East Coach of the Year awards.
 
2020-21 AMERICA EAST MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
No., School, Points (1^st Place Votes)
1. Vermont, 80 (8)
2. UMBC, 72 (2)
3. New Hampshire, 66
4. UAlbany, 51
5. Stony Brook, 44
6. Hartford, 43
7. UMass Lowell, 38
8. NJIT, 28
T9. Binghamton, 14
T9. Maine, 14
 
2020-21 AMERICA EAST MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Zach Cooks, Sr., Guard, NJIT
Nick Guadarrama, Jr. Forward, New Hampshire
Cam Healy, Jr., Guard, UAlbany
Obadiah Noel, Sr., Guard, UMass Lowell 
Stef Smith, Sr., Guard, Vermont
 
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of the 2020-21 Vermont men's basketball season