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.