“Next guy, step up.”

This mantra is what made the difference for the Albany men’s basketball team this season, according to UAlbany head coach Will Brown. Despite the loss of its top-scorer for half of the conference season, the reigning America East Champions are set to enter the conference tournament one game shy of perfect in conference play, thanks to a basic but powerful strategy.

“We’ve kept things really simple,” Brown said. “I don’t think we’ll waver from that with the conference tournament … Our guys will be very relaxed, very confident. But not over-confident. And I think they’ll continue doing everything that we’ve asked them to do.”

For Albany (21-8, 15-1), its KISS style of play has taken them to a 15-1 conference record — winning 19 of its last 21 while outscoring its opponents by 149 total points this season. With three different Great Danes averaging over 12 points per game, the team also showcased its depth and unselfish nature, which proved to be the team’s greatest asset when tragedy struck junior guard Peter Hooley.

With news that his mother’s illness had taken a turn for the worst, the junior captain was out for eight of Albany’s 16 conference match-ups after taking a leave of absence. But despite Hooley’s departure, the Great Danes continued to roll behind first-team All-Conference honorees senior guard Evan Singletary and senior forward Sam Rowley, along with a few budding faces.

“I think in Peter’s absence, it really gave an opportunity for a guy like sophomore forward Dallas Ennema to really play extended minutes and to produce,” Brown said. “That’s what’s special about this group. We played eight games without — in my opinion — the best guard in the league, and we went 8-0.”

Ennema came onto the scene strong this season putting up 153 points in 589 minutes while shooting 33 percent from 3-point range. Also impressive as the next man up was freshman guard Wheeler Baker. Despite starting only one game this season, the newcomer averaged 5.8 points per game on the season with 25 appearances off of the bench.

“I think if [Baker] played for a team that wasn’t winning a lot of games and played 28 minutes a night, he’d be a double-figure scorer easily in our league,” Brown said. “But I think in Hooley’s absence, it gave those guys a lot of confidence, so now with Peter returning and heading into the conference tournament, I think we’re really deep on the perimeter.”

Earning the top seed, the Great Danes are guaranteed a home-court advantage through the AE playoffs as they seek their third consecutive tournament title. Winning its previous two titles at Vermont in 2013 and in Stony Brook in 2014, Albany knows how to win during crunch time regardless of the setting. But how sweet must it be to play for all of the chips at home?

“Any coach that says you don’t have an advantage when playing at home is probably lying to you,” Brown said. “The one thing is, you’re comfortable with your surroundings. It’s your own locker room, you’re sleeping in your own bed, there’s no travel to worry about, you control your own shoot around time … But I think it’s very easy for teams to take that for granted, and maybe get a little complacent and not play with a sense of urgency.”

Outscoring their competition in the first half of their last 17 games, the Great Danes should have no issue with urgency come Wednesday. But if Albany hopes to punch its ticket to its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in nine seasons, consistency must be key.

“I think we’ve just got to continue to stay the course and do what we’ve been doing all along — especially the last two months,” Brown said. “It sounds like coach talk, but just taking [the AE tournament] one day at a time.”

Albany is set to face Maine in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the SEFCU Arena in Albany, New York.