After a gut-wrenching end to the 2019-2020 college basketball season for the Hawks, the men’s and women’s basketball teams finally have something to look forward to again. For the men’s team, they will get to take the court for the first time since COVID-19 robbed the Hawks the chance to compete against Vermont in the America East Championship, while the Hawks women’s team will be looking for revenge against division rivals after coming away with just 1 win the entire season.

Both the Hawks men’s and women’s basketball teams will be tipping off the 2020-2021 season on December 19th, against the Maine Black Bears. The men’s team will be hosting the Black Bears at Chase Arena, while the women’s team will be taking the hike up to Maine as the visitors. This season, however, will look different than years prior because the Hawks will play a total of 18 games against each team, on back-to-back dates.

The Hawks men’s team will be playing at home 10 times this season, while the women’s team will be hosting just 8 home games. Although both Hawk teams should not overlook any of their opponents, especially in such a short season, the men’s team will without a doubt be looking forward to their chance to take on Vermont in a homestand at the end of January. Last season, prior to COVID-19 canceling the remainder of the season, the Hawks and the Catamounts were supposed to face off in the America East Championship game.

For the Hawks, this was the team’s first time playing in the America East Championship game since 2008. For the women, they are looking to rebound from last year, and make a name for themselves under second-year head coach, Morgan Valley. Now, with the America East Board of Presidents approving a schedule format that follows safety protocols during these unprecedented times, the Hawks will once again have an opportunity to compete and bring a championship back to Hartford.