Vermont at Harvard 1/3/16

Vermont 65 Harvard 62

Vermont opens 2016 with their most complete effort of the season. Harvard and Vermont are two of the most consistent programs in New England. Winning on the road at Harvard is exceptionally difficult. Anytime the Cats can beat a team and program of this caliber is a great game. Couple that with the fact that the on court performance was very sharp for the second consecutive game and Vermont is a team heading in the right direction. Consider that Vermont committed a season low 9 turnovers and put together their best defensive effort of the season on the road where they had been struggling mightily this season. The Cats fought off every Harvard rally and battled until the end to secure the victory. Vermont's defense looked tight and the rotations were as sharp as they have been this season. At the center of it all, Ethan O'Day is finally asserting himself on both ends of the floor. O'Day looked good on the offensive end and  showed off his full repertoire of offensive skills. He has been and will be the key to the Cats success. Helping solidify the frontcourt, Drew Urquhart continued his strong play finishing with 6 points and 10 rebounds. Drew U's emergence has allowed Becker to hide Darren Payen's defensive deficiencies. Being able to insert Payen in small spurts maximizes his offensive abilities and keeps the opposing team from taking advantage of the match up. Drew U finally looks confident and understands where he needs to be on the floor. Many of the big shots today were made by Ernie Duncan, who has slowly been expanding his game inside of the three point line. He is starting to get more comfortable going to the rim as he trusts his body more and more coming off the back injury. Trae Bell-Haynes hit another crucial three pointer and is making teams pay for leaving him open. He is getting harder and harder to stop as he gains confidence in his jumper. After all of the negativity surrounding this team in the early going, Vermont finished a strong 8-7 in the non-conference and is showing signs of improvement in each game. When a team is incorporating new pieces and relying on young players, it takes time for everyone to find their footing. Vermont has the look of a team that will be a tough match up in a much improved conference. There are going to be less cupcakes in the America East schedule this year and every team is going to have to come out focused each night in order to win games. Now the season really begins and it is going to be exciting to see which team can survive and come out on top.