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.