Saturday’s quarterfinal round of the America East conference men’s tournament offered its share of shock, sorrow and celebration and then some.

First the shock, which registered clearly on the faces of players, coaches and fans alike after eighth-seeded Stony Brook University upset heavily-favored top seed Boston University 62-58.

It was only the second time in America East’s 25-year tournament history that a No. 8 seed knocked off a No. 1 (New Hampshire eliminated Siena in 1988) and the first time a team that had to play a first-round/preliminary game has ever advanced to the semifinals.

“I told our guys before the game we’d have to play a perfect game to beat BU … and today we played a perfect game,” said SBU coach Nick Marcarchuk, whose Seawolves lost to the Terriers 66-56 and 75-64 during the regular season.

What made this game even more shocking was Stony Brook’s regular-season record. The Seawolves limped into the AE tournament with a 9-19 overall record, a 5-13 AE record, and a three-game losing streak. The Terriers, on the other hand, were 23-4 (17-1 in AE play), and riding a 12-game win streak.

BU beat Big-10 power Michigan for its biggest nonconference win this season. SBU’s biggest non-AE victim? Hofstra or Dartmouth.

SBU has been playing basketball for 45 years, has been in Division I five years and in America East for three years. BU’s first basketball season was 1901-02, and the Terriers have been in Division I all that time and in the AE fold for all 25 years.

Want to talk pedigree? BU has won five AE titles, made six NCAA (Division I) Tournament appearances, and gone to the NIT three times. SBU has been to the AE quarterfinals three times, and this is its first semifinal trip.

Emotional outburst

It was just a question, asked innocently by a reporter at the postgame press conference, but to Binghamton University’s Nick Billings, it was more than that.

It was the trigger to his realization that he may have cost his team a chance to notch a win in their first America East playoff game.

Billings was asked what happened when he was given a technical foul with 57 seconds left in overtime against Maine.

“I had too much emotion and … I made a bad play, and my team suffered for it,” Billings said while shaking and sobbing. “Sorry … I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to. I wanted to give these guys everything, especially my seniors. I let them down and I’m sorry.”

Billings’ heart-wrenching outburst was the only sound as the room went silent. Head coach Al Walker walked over to his junior center and consoled him by giving him a hug and a quick kiss on his head.

Senior guard Brandon Carter defended his teammate.

“He didn’t let us down,” Carter said. “He was big down the stretch. He made every play. He took over the game a few times in the second half.”

The 7-foot center scored three straight baskets and 15 of his 20 points in the second half to rally the Bearcats from a 12-point deficit with 15 minutes to play. He also had nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

“We’re just trying to break through. I wanted to go out and give these guys everything I had,” Billings said after regaining his composure. “You weren’t going to be able to stop me. I mean, I was in the flow. I was stealing, rebounding, blocking … everything.”

Unfortunately, everything included overreacting, which he did after teammate Billy Williams fouled out of the game. Billings slammed the ball into the court with such force that it bounced a good 20 feet up in the air or more. The display of frustration drew the technical and Maine’s Kevin Reed hit the ensuing free throws that provided the winning margin in Maine’s 79-77 victory.