Purdue 107 Vermont 79
It may be crazy to feel good about a 28 point loss, but Vermont has to feel good about most of their performance in the game against Purdue. Playing a top 25 team is a tall task early in the season. The task is made tougher when the underdog is missing their most important player. Then the task gets even tougher when the top 25 team has a historically good shooting night. To top it all off, one of the underdogs other captains and starters gets hurt and misses the entire second half. All in all, I feel as though Vermont rose to the challenge and gave it their all. Early in the season it is all about playing better than the game before. Vermont made some significant improvements from the opener and looked like a team headed in the right direction (excluding player health). First off, Trae Bell-Haynes rebounded from his worst performance to have one of his best. Trae finished with 17 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. He looked fast, decisive, and was back to finishing through contact around the rim. He took better care of the ball and looked more confident and sure of himself. That is the way great players respond to a poor performance. There will be a lot of gushing about Ernie Duncan this year and it is easy to see why when watching him play the game of basketball. He has been very impressive and has the chance to really take hold of this team. Ethan O'Day looked good in a tough match-up and Darren Payen is looking like an immediate contributor off his transfer year. Nate Rohrer will play a large role of this team by the time the conference schedule rolls around. He is strong, smart, and leaves it all on the floor. A great guy off the bench. Now I realize losing by 28 is not all sunshine and rainbows but Purdue is a very good team with great interior players. Vermont held their own on the boards and didn't make it easy for Purdue underneath. Purdue shot a record setting 18-36 from three and sometimes you just have to tip your cap to a great performance. Some of the shots were tough shots and some were slow defensive rotations. Either way the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Vermont played hard and looked like they took the opening loss to heart and are ready to make sure they don't waste any more opportunities. On the very negative side of things, if Kurt Steidl has any sort of injury, Vermont could be in some trouble. Already missing Dre Wills, to be down two starters will make it a tall task to win games. Especially considering Steidl and Wills are the two best rebounders on this years team. Injuries are exactly what the Cats can't afford this year with such a short bench. They will be forced into a smaller three guard lineup if Steidl misses any time. The match-up with Quinnipiac is a tough game for Vermont to be without their best rebounding lineup as the Bobcats are always tough on the boards. I am excited to see a game in person and can't wait for the home opener on Wednesday. See you there!!
It was great to see Josh Speidel at the game with the team and I continue to send positive thoughts his way.
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