Vermont vs. Buffalo 11/22/15

Buffalo 77 Vermont 71

The mistakes and turnovers caught up to Vermont in the loss to Buffalo. It was an uneven effort for the Cats. Vermont battled back from several second half deficits and ran some good sets. For most of game however, the Cats were pushed around by Buffalo and turned the ball over in crucial situations. The turnovers were careless and unforced and seemed to happen due to Vermont struggling with Buffalo's size underneath. Buffalo did a great job keeping Vermont from getting to the rim cutting off passing lanes. Vermont looked disjointed and they could not find an effective lineup. Even the coaching staff seemed unsure as some of the defensive switches were unnecessary and the substitutions were not as smooth as the last few games. Buffalo executed down the stretch and never let Vermont get comfortable. To me this game ended up being about the timing of the mistakes that Vermont made. Often they were on crucial possessions or times when they were building momentum and the turnovers often came in bunches. This allowed Buffalo too many chances to reverse the momentum and maintain control of the game. This is a game where the Cats are going to look at the tape and lament their missed opportunities, Ethan O'Day in particular looked awful. He turned the ball over, struggled finishing, and missed free throws. He looked physically over matched and unable to get out of his own way. He needs to cut down on the mistakes as they are detracting from the things he is doing well. Trae Bell-Haynes struggled in the game as well. Coming off such a great game the previous night, it wasn't a surprise to see him force the ball. He tried to do to much and ended up in tough situations which caused him to turn the ball over and miss shots. Unlike the previous games where he had success playing patiently, he was back to playing at one speed and rushing though the Cats offense. On the positive side Vermont did hold their own on the boards and Darren Payen in particular grabbed some tough rebounds. I don't really want to say he looked good as he also got beat on the boards several times, but he is getting tougher rebounds than he did even a few games ago. Hopefully that aspect of his game can continue to improve. Ernie Duncan continues to impress from the three point line as he finished the weekend 8-11 from three and at one point made 7 straight over the two game span. His shooting ability has been better than advertised. I wrote last night how poorly Cam Ward had been playing to start the year and I was hoping he would snap out of the funk. I didn't have to wait very long as Ward played a strong game. He finished with 11 points and finally looked comfortable and confident on the court. A tough loss for Vermont and now it is on the Florida which will be another tough game. Vermont is certainly taking their lumps early, and the hope is that it will serve them well as the season wears on.