The wheels fell off the Vermont offense in the second half and Northeastern took advantage to hand the Cats their first home loss of the season. Vermont was awful in the second half and they continue to look sluggish. The perimeter shooting has dropped off significantly. The Cats seem hesitant to shoot from three and are not getting as many good looks from the perimeter. The offense has come to a full stop and their halfcourt sets are not yielding great results. It is kind of tough to figure out how their offense can look so different from just a few weeks ago. Their defense has improved significantly and just as that has happened the offense has been the point of struggle. Maybe the two are related but Vermont has this week to figure out what they need to do to get the ball in the hoop. Northeastern made some nice adjustments in the second half on offense but if Vermont makes any shots in the middle portion of the second half, the game would have went in a very different direction. The end of this game is hard to describe. Trae Bell-Haynes both almost saved the Cats and let the game slip away. Bell-Haynes forced three late turnovers including two tremendous steals but missed a layup, a free throw, and got blocked at the rim. Vermont is now 50% on the season when it comes to late game execution (2 last second makes, 2 poorly executed finishes). I suppose that is the law of averages and they have had as much good luck as bad. Vermont was beat badly on the boards in this game and part of that has to do with Anthony Lamb's difficulties. Lamb is clearly in Becker's doghouse a this point due to his confusion on the defensive end. Lamb looks lost on the court and has lost complete confidence in his offensive game. Becker is pulling him in and out of the game constantly and Lamb is visibly frustrated. Lamb can't get a perimeter shot to fall and looks hesitant to drive to the hoop like he was doing in the beginning of the season. This is going to be an interesting situation to monitor as the season goes on because Lamb is crucial to Vermont's success in general but especially in their ability to be tough on the boards. Cam Ward and Darren Payen have become non-factors and that is limiting the effectiveness of the Vermont bench. The depth of this team was viewed as a strength entering this year and so far that has not really come to fruition. There is still no defined rotation and the lineups look very different from game to game. That uncertainty is beginning to play out on the court as many of the Cats do not look as though they feel comfortable in their roles. The only positive is that it is still early in the season and Vermont has time to straighten things out. Vermont has shown that this team can both have a good offense and an effective defense but putting the two together has been the challenge. This could be a tough stretch to see that progress and that might define how the Cats face this early season adversity. Eastern Michigan will be a very difficult opponent next Saturday. They return basically the same team that ran all over Vermont last year in Michigan. After that game it is off to Butler and then at Siena. Those are three very tough teams that are going to be physical and pound Vermont on the glass. This team is going to have to batten down the hatches and weather the storm in order to remain focused on playing their best basketball in March. These early season losses sting but can be learning opportunities and what matters in maintaining confidence and drive so that come conference play Vermont will be ready.
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