University at Albany and Stony Brook University are out to make history in the America East. The thing standing in their ways: each other. No. 4 Albany and No. 5 Stony Brook face off in the first round of the America East tournament this weekend, each looking to become the first team seeded lower than No. 3 to win the conference title.

The two teams enter the tournament with very different storylines. Albany, a team that won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, entered the year coming off a 2-14 conference record and was predicted to finish eighth in the preseason coaches’ poll. Instead, the Great Danes earned the fourth seed on the strength of a 9-7 conference record. Albany ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak.

Much of the credit for the Great Danes’ success can be attributed to senior Tim Ambrose. The guard ranks second in the conference with 16.4 points per game, but his contributions go well beyond scoring. He averages 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals, all of which are in the top 15 in the conference. He shoots just over 45 percent from the field and over 42 percent from 3-point range.

Other than Ambrose, several other Great Danes have stood out. Five-time AE Rookie of the Week Luke Devlin is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.7 rebounds a game, while sophomores Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black are also prolific scorers. As a team, the Great Danes are the best 3-point shooting squad in the conference.

On the other side, Stony Brook — a team that has never won an AE title — finished last season as the regular season conference champions, but were upset in the conference semifinals by No. 4 Boston University. This year, despite a projected second-place finish, the Seawolves ended up in fifth with an 8-8 record in conference play. The team finished the year with alternating two-game winning and losing streaks over the course of its final 12 games.

Junior Bryan Dougher leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game, good for 11th in the conference, and is second in the league in 3-pointers made. The Seawolves also have three of the top 20 rebounders in the America East in juniors Dallis Joyner (6.7 rpg), Al Rapier (4.4) and Danny Carter (4.1).

Stony Brook is a team that prides itself on defense, holding opponents to league-low .393 field goal shooting and .315 3-point shooting. The team also wins the turnover battle, averaging a positive 1.31 turnover differential.

The season series between the teams included two very different games, though with similar results. The first time the teams met up, the squads played a back-and-forth affair. The teams were tied at 33 at halftime, but Albany erupted to build an 11-point second-half lead. The Seawolves’ defense stepped up, holding Albany without a field goal for the final 9:46 of the game. Unfortunately for Stony Brook, the squad simply couldn’t put in the final bucket it needed. Sophomore Preye Preboye couldn’t finish an alley oop and sophomore Marcus Rouse missed a jumper, each of which would have put the Seawolves ahead. The team then failed to rebound a missed free throw, and the game ended on a missed 3-pointer by Dougher, giving Albany a 52-50 victory. Ambrose had 15 points and 14 rebounds in that contest, while Dougher put in 20.

The second game once again featured a tight score at halftime and an Albany run in the second half. This time, though, the Great Danes wouldn’t relent. The Seawolves never got closer than seven points as Albany took the game 58-43. Ambrose had 22 points, while Stony Brook sophomore Leonard Hayes had 18.

The two teams are scheduled to face off at noon on Saturday at the University of Hartford. The winner is then scheduled to face the victor of the game between the University of Vermont and either Binghamton University or University of Maryland, Baltimore County at 11 a.m. Sunday.