100th post!! (Siena at Vermont) 12/29/15

It is cool to have reached the 100th post mark and I want to thank everyone who reads the blog. Each time I see the number of page views go up it feeds my motivation to keep going. It has been a busy holiday for me and as a result I did not write up the Northeastern game or any reaction to the Dre Wills situation. Here are a few quick thoughts. Northeastern is a very good team and even though there were some concerning things about that game, I think it was a step in the right direction. Vermont only played 7 guys and still hung around for 75% percent of a tough road match up. If (and this is a big if) Vermont does have a full squad at some point, they will execute better on the court and thus win more games. Speaking of not having a full squad, eight games for selling books? That is complete garbage. Wills should have known better but it is not like it was a criminal act. A poor college kid trying to make a few extra bucks, oh no!!! The integrity of the game is at risk. Coaches who breaks rules for years and years get lesser or equal suspensions. Eight games is a ludicrous number. He should have received somewhere in the 2-4 range and learned his lesson. Anyway, I cant wait to have him back.  That is all the ranting for today....now on to the game...

Vermont 73 Siena 64

Vermont continued their recent dominance over Siena winning their sixth straight over the Saints. The Cats struggled in the first half letting Siena push them around and getting crushed on the boards. Then after a back and forth beginning to the second half, Trae Bell-Haynes took over. Bell-Haynes scored 7 straight points to stretch the Vermont lead and ultimately put the game away. He finished with 19 points and 5 assists  while running the Cats offense efficiently and effectively. Vermont made timely shots in the second half and cashed in at the free throw line. Siena struggled from the free throw line throughout the game and it allowed Vermont to hang around. The Saints were without their best player Marquis Wright, who may be out for the season with a foot injury. There were times when it was apparent that the Saints were lacking a go to scorer on the offensive end. This made it even more important for Vermont to take advantage, get the win, and push their record to 7-7. Ethan O'Day played tough and gritty in this one and it was nice to see him assert himself on the defensive end. O'Day struggled to score but finished with 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Those are the type of contributions Vermont needs from him night in and night out. Kurt Steidl scored an efficient 15 points by shooting 4-5 from the field (3-4 from three) and 4-4 from the free throw line. He really has been the steady hand for Vermont this year. Don't look know but Drew Urquhart has put together quite a nice string of games. He has scored in double figures in three straight and here are his numbers over the last 5 games: 27 mpg, 48% shooting, 9.6 ppg, and 6.4 rpg. Those are big contributions and he may have finally worked himself out of Becker's doghouse. This is the Drew U that Vermont saw down the stretch last year. If Vermont can continue to get that type of production from him, their frontcourt will get a little bit tougher. A great win and a total team effort. One more road contest before conference play at Harvard on Sunday. It would be great to get a road win before diving into conference play. Vermont has struggled mightily on the road and predicting their performance up to this point has been a difficult task. Harvard is always a tough match up and Vermont will have to bottle up some of the toughness and grit they showed in the win today and take it down the highway. I wish everyone a Happy New Year and again, thanks for reading. 

Fisher at Vermont 12/19/15

Vermont 84 Fisher 37

In a game where the result was never in doubt, it is how Vermont played that matters. In the past I have personally watched Vermont teams slog through these match ups with no energy and poor play. In today's game the Cats did several positive things and played with energy. In a season where they have faced a fair amount of adversity it is important to feel some success. For players who are struggling it is important to see some shots fall through the net and start to build momentum. It is also an opportunity for Becker to evaluate every player. Already this season Vermont has been forced to juggle lineups due to injury (and a suspension). As the season wears on there are going to be times where some of the other guys on the bench need to be ready to play minutes. Today Dylan Sinnickson certainly was able to showcase what he can bring to the Cats. It was no coincidence that with the lower level of opponent, Dylan was able to log more successful minutes. However, if he can learn the offense and some of the finer points of the game, he could find some positive minutes later in the season. Dylan is an exceptional athlete and a very strong rebounder. Those are two aspects of his game that can definitely get him on the court. He also showcased a very nice shooting touch and I think most importantly showed that in the right situation he could be valuable. I am by no means saying he is going to start playing every game, but in a pinch due to foul trouble or injury he may be able to contribute. Either way what a great game for him to get a double double (11 points, 12 rebounds)  for the Cats. I will also say that during this stretch of tough games and turmoil, Cam Ward has quietly been Vermont's most consistent player. He has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games and still has a knack for hitting big shots. He is the young player this year who seems to be stepping up and becoming a bit of a leader on the team. Now it is off to Northeastern which will be a very tough game on the road. Hopefully Vermont can use some of the positive momentum to put together a full effort away from Patrick Gym.

UCSB at Vermont 12/16/15

Vermont 75 UCSB 68

It wasn't pretty but it was a win.

Vermont clawed their way to a much needed victory over UCSB. The game was marred by fouls and poor execution from both teams. During pregame it was announced that Dre Wills was suspended indefinitely due to a violation of the student-athlete conduct code. This is a serious blow to the Vermont team and in warm ups it looked like the team was reeling from the effects of the news. This negative energy continued throughout the first part of the game as Vermont tossed up air balls and struggled to execute. Whatever happens with Wills is going to have a tremendous effect on the Vermont program. This could be a small violation or a big one and it will be a difficult time for the team. Regardless, the Cats were able to overcome the sluggish start and began to knock down shots. No one shot particularly well overall but several people made big shots when Vermont needed a bucket. The balanced scoring was on full display as everyone contributed to the win. On defense, the Cats got physical underneath and made it difficult for UCSB to finish around the rim. This physicality was something that Vermont has been lacking and it paid off as UCSB struggled to cash in their opportunities at the free throw line. On the reverse side Vermont was effective at the free throw line and it was the difference in the game. Kurt Steidl played hard and hit big shots. This was a big win for Vermont as they need to start building some positive energy around the  team. Many of the players are lacking confidence and this next stretch of games is an opportunity to build momentum before the conference schedule. The next game on Saturday is a cupcake against NAIA Fishers College. This is good timing for that game as the team is going to need some time to sort out all of the emotions surrounding the Wills situation. The roller coaster ride continues.

Vermont at St. Bonaventure 12/8/15

St. Bonaventure 80 Vermont 68

Vermont takes another tough loss on the road. The hits keep on coming for the Cats as they struggle to find consistency. Ernie Duncan missed another game which continues to negatively affect Vermont's offense. This game boils down to free throws and threes. Vermont could not stop the Bonnie's perimeter shooting and did not cash in on their own chances at the foul line. I think back to when Vermont was around 4th in the country in free throw percentage just a few games ago. The Cats free throw percentage has fallen off a cliff and it has coincided with Duncan sitting out and Dre Wills returning. For the first part of the season the right players on Vermont were taking the free throws and it definitely inflated the numbers. Free throw shooting is going to continue to be a struggle as Dre Wills, Ethan O' Day, and Drew Urquhart are below average free throw shooters. As far as the perimeter defense, it is becoming a significant concern for Vermont. In years past they have struggled through the non conference with their defense and it has never seemed like it was going to be a season long problem. This year there is something different about their defense and it is going to need to improve by leaps and bounds over the next month in order for the Cats to find success in the conference schedule. The America East is looking like it is going to be significantly better this year and Vermont is going to have to start getting on track soon. Getting healthy will be the first step in the right direction. Since it was announced that Duncan was a game time decision for this game it seems likely he will play in the next game as Vermont has a week off to prepare. Vermont absolutely needs Duncan to be healthy. This week is going to be a time where Ethan O'Day really has to do some soul searching. He is playing very poorly and it is unclear as to why. Vermont needs O'Day to dig deep and find himself again or it is going to be a long season. I am also very interested to see what happens with Urquhart's playing time. He has been on a yo-yo this season and it seems like neither he nor the coaching staff know which Drew is going to show up. He put up a 9 point, 12 rebound performance in tonight's game and it would be a significant boost if he can start to find some of the consistency he began to display at the end of last season. With a week off to mull over the losing streak, this is a critical point in Vermont's season. If the players and coaching staff don't start feeling some positive momentum soon, this season has a chance to slip away. This is one of the stretches where a team finds out what they a really made of and the game next week will be a good indication of which direction Vermont is headed.

Vermont at Yale 12/5/15

Yale 72 Vermont 54

Vermont fell apart in the second half and lost big to Yale. The first half was well played by both teams and it looked like it was going to be another back a forth contest with Yale. The Bulldogs had different ideas and took control of the game early in the second half and did not look back. Yale is a very good team and should be the Ivy representative in the NCAA tournament this year. Justin Sears is a great player and Makai Mason has looked tremendous to start his sophomore season. At the beginning of the year I had this game circled as a loss. When Yale got pounded by Albany a week ago, it did not change my feeling because they were without Sears. He is the type of player that changes the entire dynamic for a team. I did think that Vermont would have a better showing but this was a very motivated Yale team. After losing to Albany, Yale has now won the following two games by a combined 57 points. This game was all about the inability to make shots. Much of that credit goes to Yale's defense. The Bulldogs blocked 9 shots and made it difficult to finish at the rim. Vermont also really misses Ernie Duncan's presence from the perimeter. He has been the Cats best shooter by far this year and when he is not in the lineup, Vermont's offense is going to struggle. If Vermont is going to beat a top flight opponent, they need a full squad to do so. Vermont also struggled with fouls for much of the game which did not help them find any rhythm. It comes down to not letting the game get the best of you as a player. Vermont let Yale push them around and beat them down mentally throughout the game. This is going to be very frustrating to Becker and rightfully so. I think Becker is struggling with how to get consistent effort from this Vermont team. I believe what is causing most of the inconsistency is the lack of defined roles. Due to the continued health issues, there has been no continuity in what each player is being asked to do and as a result Becker can not find a consistent rotation. This creates stretches of games where Vermont is off kilter because the lineups are still not used to playing together. Despite the fact that Vermont returned a large part of their core they are working in several new players and for the first time in several years the Cats have a very thin bench. Injuries are part of the game and I cant help but think back to last year when Vermont dealt with several injuries in the early going. They lost several games and looked similarly discombobulated. When Vermont was at full strength they were able to find a rhythm and had success in the conference schedule. That is what the Cats will look to do this year as well. The game against St. Bonaventure becomes a crucial game for Vermont's confidence. St. Bonaventure is an opponent who Vermont can beat when they are at full strength so it will be a good test of how they respond to letting a game get away from them in such a disappointing fashion.

Vermont at Dartmouth 12/2/15

Vermont 68 Dartmouth 63

When Vermont and Dartmouth play it can be expected that the game will be close, hard fought, and ugly. This game did not buck that trend and Vermont was able to rise from the rubble with a victory. Winning on the road is tough and a rivalry game makes it even tougher. The task became more difficult due to the fact that Vermont was without Ernie Duncan who suffered a concussion during the Marist game. Health continues to be a struggle for Vermont and it is no surprise that without their best shooter from deep, the Cats struggled from the perimeter. This should be the post where Ethan O'Day gets nothing but adulation for posting a 16 point, 8 rebound, 3 block night. He scored tough buckets underneath and played with grit and determination. Unfortunately what really sticks out is the 4-12 shooting from the free throw line. That is a pitiful number and it is made worse by the fact that most of those misses were in crunch time when Vermont was trying to put the game away. Poor O'Day just cant put it all together in the same game. Something always seems to be lacking. Nonetheless, O'Day did what senior captains do on the road and that is set the tone and play tough. Kurt Steidl put together another nice night on the boards and hit some crucial free throws. Trae Bell-Haynes also had a nice game with 15 points. Cam Ward continued his strong play and hit a big shot down the stretch. For Vermont to win a tough game on the road without one of their top players is a step in the right direction. The Cats will have to hope for a healthy Duncan on Saturday for a tough road game against preseason Ivy favorite Yale. They will need all hands on deck in what should be another grinder.