Albany at Vermont 1/28/15

Albany 47 Vermont 44

Another game, another close loss. This pattern is becoming disheartening and it is taking its toll on the team. After the game Becker's comments were direct and honest. He mentioned the lack of attention to detail and execution of the scouting report in letting Albany step into a shot on their final possession. His statement of "It's hard to understand why" is a tough one to hear. It is one of the few things that Becker has said that concerns me. It is his responsibility to know why and if not get after it during practice to make sure it stops happening. Becker sounds exhausted and frustrated with this young team and he as the leader needs to find a way to channel that energy. The team is a reflection of their coach and right now Vermont is playing like a team that is exhausted and crumbling under the weight of the season. The early success is coming back to bite them because they made themselves a "favorite" even though they weren't ready. This was supposed to be a year where they lost games and that was going to be okay because it was a rebuilding year. This was the year Vermont was going to be a scrappy young team who pushed the top teams to the brink. The tough part is Vermont is that team. However, the early success created an atmosphere where they were no longer the plucky underdogs. Those expectations are clearly weighing on this young team and as a result they are no longer playing with the freedom and energy they had at the beginning of the season. They look tight and are playing like a team who is not living up to expectations. Becker needs to find a way to get this team to remember where they were at the beginning of the season and where they are now. At the beginning of the year he was preaching the process and after the quick start to conference play it feels like that attitude has been lost and Vermont is playing with the "anything short of a title is a disappointment attitude". That is going to be on Becker to fix and I hope he does because it feels like the moral is getting dangerously low and with road games at Hartford and Stony Brook looming, things aren't getting any easier. As for this particular game, it was awful. Quite possibly one of the worst college basketball games I have ever watched. Even all of the drama and excitement at the end couldn't salvage the game. Missed shots, poor execution, and no flow for either team. The best player on the floor shot 8-20 and never took a shot outside of 8 feet. Both defenses were very good but it did not make for a exciting game. Vermont's three point shooting has fallen off a cliff. This is where the "tight" play is manifesting most egregiously. Over the last four games Vermont is 12-58 (21%) from three. For a college team that is abysmal. On the season Hector Harold is shooting 29%, Brandon Hatton is at 31%, Kurt Steidl is sitting at 35%, and Cam Ward leads the team at 38%. The most concerning part is most of the time the shots don't even look like they are going in. Harold looks tentative after he misses his first look, Hatton shot is short and flat every time, Steidl isn't elevating, and Ward is too often drifting when he shoots. Without the three point shot Vermont's offense can't function because teams can just sit back, pack it in, and cut off dribble penetration. Without dribble penetration Vermont's offense slows to a halt because they lack that one or two dribble and pull up for a mid-range jumper type player. Maybe it is fatigue for these young guys in their first season of college basketball but whatever it is, it has to change or the end of the year is going to be very tough.