Vermont at Maine 1/7/15

Vermont 68 Maine 54

Vermont opened conference play in earnest with a convincing win on the road. After another slow start the Cats got back to doing what make them a dangerous team. As I said previously the coaching staff really needs to figure out a way to get this team to come out firing on all cylinders because falling behind early is going to catch up with them against better teams. Vermont played tough perimeter defense and found driving lanes at will. This gave them a major advantage in points in the paint. Getting high percentage shots at the rim was the formula that made Vermont successful earlier in the year. This team is built to drive and finish or drive and dish. Dre Wills is looking better and better. He is looking like a player ready to make the leap and is able to affect the game in so many different ways. His offensive game is flourishing. He is finishing strong at the rim and even hit a three pointer. The outside shooting is still a work in progress but it is leaps and bounds from where he was last year. He has the makings of an all league player and could easily lead this year's Vermont team in rebounds and assists while drawing the toughest defensive assignment. He has really begun to fill that do-it-all role that  Brian Voelkel played for the last 4 years. Ethan O'Day is finishing with more authority and conviction with each passing game. He is trying to dunk everything and looking to finish strong in traffic. This is the O'Day that has been there in flashes before. If can continue to elevate his game Vermont will continue to grow as a team. With so many shooters and creators on the floor, the offense is versatile and tough to stop. As Vermont reduces the silly turnovers the efficiency will continue to increase. With a HUGE game against Stony Brook on Saturday, Vermont will look to refocus and come out hungry for a win,. If they are able to steal a win at home, they will be in the conversation to win the regular season title. With a loss second place becomes a more likely scenario. This will be the biggest game of the regular season and it will be interesting to see how this young team performs.