Back in October, when a reporter suggested to University of Maine men’s basketball coach Ted Woodward that he might be in for a rebuilding year, he frowned.

The coach said he was not using the R-word. And, in fact, these 2011-12 Black Bears had some talent.

“We have some pieces we have to mesh together,” he said.

Well, so far so good. Maine has a respectable 8-5 record and is 2-0 in America East — one of only two unbeaten in league play (Stony Brook is 8-6, 3-0).

“I like a lot, and there’s a lot to work on,” Woodward said Monday. “I like the way we’re sharing the ball on offense.”

Senior guard Gerald McLemore is leading as expected, with 20.5 points a game. Touted freshman guard Justin Edwards from Ontario is playing even better than advertised, with 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Sophomore Alasdair Fraser, a 6-foot-7 forward from Scotland, is adding 14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds.

Senior point guard Andrew Rogers leads Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.36), with 61 assists and 14 turnovers.

“On defense, we’ve had good moments,” Woodward said. “We have to be more consistent there, and rebounding remains a challenge.”

Maine has only 158 offensive rebounds, to its opponents’ 197.

America East has no dominant member this year. Stony Brook and Albany (10-7, 2-1) are the only other teams with winning records. The conference ranks between 28th and 30th among 32 conferences, according to various power rankings.

This could be the season the Black Bears make a run. The next seven days will be telling, as Maine hosts Boston University (5-11, 1-1) on Wednesday night, then hits the road Saturday against Albany and Monday at Vermont (8-9, 2-1).

STEFANO MANCINI, a freshman guard from Falmouth, has not played for Maine this season and will likely red-shirt, retaining four years of eligibility. Mancini, a 2010 Falmouth High grad, played for New Hampton Prep last year.

MAINE HOCKEY was last ranked in the USCHO.com Division I poll when it was 20th on Oct. 31. The team received votes the next week and then dropped out completely.

The Black Bears (10-7-2, 7-6-1 in Hockey East) are back to receiving votes in the latest poll, which features three Hockey East schools in the top 10 — Boston College (fourth), Boston University (sixth) and Merrimack (seventh).

Merrimack (11-4-4, 7-3-2) will play host to Maine on Friday and Saturday. The Warriors are coming off a 4-2 loss at BU, and a 2-2 tie at Boston College this past weekend.

BEST LINE FROM the Frozen Fenway doubleheader came after the first game, when Massachusetts beat Vermont 3-2, with 23 seconds left in overtime.

“I can relate to Big Papi when he hits a walk-off home run in the 11th, because that’s what it felt like,” UMass Coach Don Cahoon said.

If Cahoon had said the 12th inning, he would have received bonus points for referencing David Ortiz’s two-run walk-off homer in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series.

USM WRESTLER Peter Gilman, from Alfred and Massabesic High, won all four of his matches to win the Williams College Invitational 149-pound class. Gilman, a junior who is 18-3 this year, was also named Pilgrim Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week.

SOUTHERN MAINE women’s basketball is on a six-game winning streak after handing Keene State its first Little East Conference loss, 65-58. Falmouth’s Haley Jordan scored 21 points.

The Huskies (10-3, 2-1) play tonight at first-place Rhode Island College (9-2, 3-0).

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinThomasPPH