Vermont 74 Maine 62
Vermont closed out the regular season with a win against their quarterfinal opponent, the Maine Black Bears. It is strange to play a team twice in a row and this game definitely looked like the first in a series. Neither team really asserted themselves, and there was very little energy from either side. It had the feel of a game where the players were going through the motions and as a result is was quite choppy. Trae Bell-Haynes rebounded from a very poor first 75% of the game and finished with a flurry. Bell-Haynes led the Cats with 16 points and added 7 rebounds. Ernie Duncan and Drew Urquhart followed with 14 points each. Payton Henson continued his strong play with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Ernie Duncan hit the 224th three pointer of his career to move into a tie for 6th all time in made threes with former teammate Kurt Steidl. The big news out of the game was the return of Anthony Lamb. Lamb had 5 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes. It was good to get him back out there now to work out the kinks before he is asked to play a much larger role in the postseason. Now it is time to win three straight at home to secure the crown. The bracket gives the Cats a tough road with a possible Albany matchup looming in the semifinal. Patrick should be rocking on Saturday and there is nothing better in sports than college basketball in March.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Vermont at Stony Brook 2/24/18
Vermont 69 Stony Brook 60
Payton Henson scored the 1,000th point of his career, finishing with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Henson hit big shots for Vermont in the second half and led a dominant Vermont effort on the boards. The Cats out rebounded Stony Brook 37-22 in a very physical game on both sides. Trae Bell-Haynes led the way with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Drew Urquhart chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds, bouncing back after sitting most of the first half with foul trouble. Nate Rohrer really stepped up due to foul trouble and played some big minutes in tonight's game. It was another uneven effort for Vermont as they turned the ball over 17 times. This continues a concerning trend recently for the Cats. They have looked very careless with the ball and many of the turnovers are just plain old mental mistakes. It is so uncharacteristic to see this group struggle with taking care of the ball. That is the single most important area that the Cats need to tighten up for the playoff run. The defensive effort continues to be strong and they are still getting quality, high percentage shots on offense. They have one more regular season game to make the necessary tweaks before playoff time. One of the tweaks will be how to reintegrate Anthony Lamb into the rotation. I would imagine it is unlikely that the coaching staff will change the starting lineup at this point with Drew U's emergence. This means finding a way the best utilize Lamb without disrupting the chemistry that this team has formed during his absence. Coming off a long term injury can be tough so it will be interesting to see if Lamb is able to step right back into it. I am excited to see him back on the floor and what a luxury it will be to add him to this team. Time to lock in.
Payton Henson scored the 1,000th point of his career, finishing with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Henson hit big shots for Vermont in the second half and led a dominant Vermont effort on the boards. The Cats out rebounded Stony Brook 37-22 in a very physical game on both sides. Trae Bell-Haynes led the way with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Drew Urquhart chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds, bouncing back after sitting most of the first half with foul trouble. Nate Rohrer really stepped up due to foul trouble and played some big minutes in tonight's game. It was another uneven effort for Vermont as they turned the ball over 17 times. This continues a concerning trend recently for the Cats. They have looked very careless with the ball and many of the turnovers are just plain old mental mistakes. It is so uncharacteristic to see this group struggle with taking care of the ball. That is the single most important area that the Cats need to tighten up for the playoff run. The defensive effort continues to be strong and they are still getting quality, high percentage shots on offense. They have one more regular season game to make the necessary tweaks before playoff time. One of the tweaks will be how to reintegrate Anthony Lamb into the rotation. I would imagine it is unlikely that the coaching staff will change the starting lineup at this point with Drew U's emergence. This means finding a way the best utilize Lamb without disrupting the chemistry that this team has formed during his absence. Coming off a long term injury can be tough so it will be interesting to see if Lamb is able to step right back into it. I am excited to see him back on the floor and what a luxury it will be to add him to this team. Time to lock in.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Senior night
My attendance at Patrick was thwarted yet again by flooding on the Missisquoi river. I was unable to watch the game and was super bummed to miss senior night for this group. This was the first recruiting class I blogged about and the first group who I have blogged their entire career. My fandom and relationship with the Vermont program has changed and grown kind of parallel to this senior class. What a senior class they are. The Vermont program was in a good place when they arrived but they have taken it to another level. When this class arrived on campus I felt as though it was a program changing group. The more widespread recruiting net was being cast and the excitement around the program was incredible. This group managed to lived up to and exceed the expectations that were placed on them as freshman. That is a rare feat and has been so fun to be a part of this journey. This group has accomplished so much and checked off the first box for their senior campaign. The Cats secured home court in the America East playoffs to ensure that the title will go through Patrick for the second consecutive year. As far as last nights game is concerned, a big congratulations to Ernie Duncan (an honorary member of this senior class) for scoring the 1,000 point of his career. He was really dialed in and has hopefully recovered from his concussion. Payton Henson rebounded from a tough stretch of games and filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and a career high 7 assists. Drew Urquhart had his second straight double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. As I said in a earlier post he has been the Cats most consistent player during the conference season and has been the best big man in the America East since the conference schedule began. An incredible transformation from Drew U since Anthony Lamb went down. Now it is time to tighten things up and get momentum going into the playoffs. Stony Brook is always tough at home and they are coming off a big win over UMBC. I think we are going to learn a lot about this teams mindset coming off their first loss in a while by how they play in the game on Saturday night. Payton Henson is next up on the 1,000 point watch as he needs 14 points to reach that milestone.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
The streak comes to an end
Hartford 69 Vermont 68
Vermont lost it first conference game in over two years, falling to Hartford at home. The Hawks were motivated and executed well down the stretch thanks to an incredible game by Jason Dunne. Vermont started slow again and this time they were unable to turn up the heat in the second half. You could kind of see a loss coming over the last few games. Despite the exciting, Herculean efforts that the Cats had been using to win, they have been struggling to execute for a few games now. Each time they had been able to turn it on in the second half and grind down their opponents. Today the sluggish body language and poor execution continued all the way to the final buzzer. If you have read my blog in the past I often talk about how losses can have some value. I don't like the term "good loss" cause that doesn't even make any sense but sometimes a team needs to lose to reignite their fire. I truly believe that the Cats needed a extra motivator. Whether the team talked about it or not the streak was starting to be a bigger storyline than their championship drive and I think it will be a relief to go out and just try to win a championship. As long as Vermont can right the ship, this loss doesn't change anything. They still control their own destiny for the conference championship and they are still the team to beat come playoff time. Time to let the steam valve open a little and snap the focus back on winning that championship. The streak was wonderful and great and hopefully after the season it will be great to look back on it and how much fun it was. It is also interesting that every team across college basketball with a long winning streak lost this week. This week began with 6 teams that were undefeated in their conference and now there are none. Some of those team even lost multiple games this week. These are the dog days of the college basketball season and wins are not easy to come by. Hartford is actually a good team and if you dive into the statistics they rate out as the second best team in the conference as they are very well rounded. They rank very highly in both offensive and defensive statistics and have shown a strong ability to play well on the road. The projections gave Hartford very little chance of winning but if you look at the conference only statistics they are a team that can beat anyone on any given night. I was quite concerned about this game because of the way Vermont had been coming out in the first half lately. Senior night is on Wednesday and this a group that deserves to be honored for their tremendous accomplishments and contributions to the Vermont program. This group wont dwell on this loss and I think they will be playing with a special fire the rest of the way.
Vermont lost it first conference game in over two years, falling to Hartford at home. The Hawks were motivated and executed well down the stretch thanks to an incredible game by Jason Dunne. Vermont started slow again and this time they were unable to turn up the heat in the second half. You could kind of see a loss coming over the last few games. Despite the exciting, Herculean efforts that the Cats had been using to win, they have been struggling to execute for a few games now. Each time they had been able to turn it on in the second half and grind down their opponents. Today the sluggish body language and poor execution continued all the way to the final buzzer. If you have read my blog in the past I often talk about how losses can have some value. I don't like the term "good loss" cause that doesn't even make any sense but sometimes a team needs to lose to reignite their fire. I truly believe that the Cats needed a extra motivator. Whether the team talked about it or not the streak was starting to be a bigger storyline than their championship drive and I think it will be a relief to go out and just try to win a championship. As long as Vermont can right the ship, this loss doesn't change anything. They still control their own destiny for the conference championship and they are still the team to beat come playoff time. Time to let the steam valve open a little and snap the focus back on winning that championship. The streak was wonderful and great and hopefully after the season it will be great to look back on it and how much fun it was. It is also interesting that every team across college basketball with a long winning streak lost this week. This week began with 6 teams that were undefeated in their conference and now there are none. Some of those team even lost multiple games this week. These are the dog days of the college basketball season and wins are not easy to come by. Hartford is actually a good team and if you dive into the statistics they rate out as the second best team in the conference as they are very well rounded. They rank very highly in both offensive and defensive statistics and have shown a strong ability to play well on the road. The projections gave Hartford very little chance of winning but if you look at the conference only statistics they are a team that can beat anyone on any given night. I was quite concerned about this game because of the way Vermont had been coming out in the first half lately. Senior night is on Wednesday and this a group that deserves to be honored for their tremendous accomplishments and contributions to the Vermont program. This group wont dwell on this loss and I think they will be playing with a special fire the rest of the way.
Friday, February 16, 2018
The incredible drive of this Vermont team
I am little late for the game recap but wanted to comment on last nights game anyway. I enjoyed that win more than probably any win this season. It was fun to watch because it was amazing to see how everyone stepped up and it was the most team win of the season. Cam Ward was an absolute beast. With Trae Bell-Haynes in foul trouble Ward was the one who refused to lose and put the team on his back. He was all over the boards, making tough plays on defense, and sacrificing his body to keep Vermont in that game. So great to see him seizing his opportunity and playing with a tremendous amount of guts. It was an incredible team rebounding effort. UNH is a very strong rebounding team and Vermont dominated them on the boards. What made the rebounding effort special was that it wasn't just one guy. Seven different players grabbed at least four rebounds and the guards combined for 18 rebounds. What a team effort. Ben Shungu looked tremendous playing with strength and quickness for the second straight game. Ra Kpedi is certainly still a very raw player, but his effort and energy have been a great spark for the Cats. Stef Smith had a nice game as well as Vermont didn't skip a beat with Trae Bell-Haynes only playing 20 minutes. Drew Urquhart put up another strong 13 point, 8 rebound performance and he has quietly become one of the Cats most consistent players. This is a time of year where wins are not easy to come by. Everyone is tired. Teams are dealing with injuries and many teams are playing a conference foe for the second time. You are seeing upsets all across college basketball as the regular season begins to wind down. What this Vermont team has been able to do, despite dealing with their own adversity is a once in a lifetime kind of run. I cant wait to get back out to Patrick on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
UMass Lowell at Vermont 2/11/18
Vermont 81 UMass Lowell 69
Another game. More adversity. Next man up. 14 in a row.
Vermont battled through more injuries and a slow start to defeat UMass Lowell. Ernie Duncan was no where to be found dealing with concussion symptoms. Vermont got off to a slow start without him and then Trae Bell-Haynes went down with a scary looking injury on a play that drew the ire of Coach Becker. Lowell couldn't miss from three and the Cats fell behind by 14. As this group has done all year, they never wavered, took the opposing teams best shot, and battled back. Bell-Haynes returned from under the bleachers and powered the Cats to victory. He finished with 27 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals, willing Vermont to victory yet again. In the process he scored his 1,500th career point and passed the great Kevin Roberson to move into 8th on the career scoring list. Congratulations to him on another incredible game and another great career milestone. Cam Ward jumped into Ernie's starting spot and delivered a strong effort. Ward finished with 13 points and tied for the team lead with 6 rebounds. He also got three steals in an impressive all around performance. Ward made crucial plays on both ends of the floor and steadied the ship when Bell-Haynes was out. Everett Duncan supplied the three point shooting going 4-5 from three and finishing with 13 points. Ben Shungu played the best minutes of his young career scoring 4 points in 15 minutes. He also provided tough defense and showcased his strength and speed. Drew Urquhart finished with 13 points on 6-6 shooting while grabbing 6 rebounds and adding 3 blocks. Until he got into foul trouble he played strong defense on Jahad Thomas and continues to get better with each game. He has scored in double figures in 5 straight games and during those five games is shooting 74% (32/43) from the field. The only major blemish in today's game was the uncharacteristic 18 turnovers by the Cats. Vermont does need to clean up their first half play after falling behind big in their last two first halves. You can see that opposing teams are coming in fired up and playing with nothing to lose. The Cats return to action against New Hampshire on Thursday night so we will see if Ernie is recovered by then. It is so great to finally get a homestand after watching so many games on television this season.
Another game. More adversity. Next man up. 14 in a row.
Vermont battled through more injuries and a slow start to defeat UMass Lowell. Ernie Duncan was no where to be found dealing with concussion symptoms. Vermont got off to a slow start without him and then Trae Bell-Haynes went down with a scary looking injury on a play that drew the ire of Coach Becker. Lowell couldn't miss from three and the Cats fell behind by 14. As this group has done all year, they never wavered, took the opposing teams best shot, and battled back. Bell-Haynes returned from under the bleachers and powered the Cats to victory. He finished with 27 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals, willing Vermont to victory yet again. In the process he scored his 1,500th career point and passed the great Kevin Roberson to move into 8th on the career scoring list. Congratulations to him on another incredible game and another great career milestone. Cam Ward jumped into Ernie's starting spot and delivered a strong effort. Ward finished with 13 points and tied for the team lead with 6 rebounds. He also got three steals in an impressive all around performance. Ward made crucial plays on both ends of the floor and steadied the ship when Bell-Haynes was out. Everett Duncan supplied the three point shooting going 4-5 from three and finishing with 13 points. Ben Shungu played the best minutes of his young career scoring 4 points in 15 minutes. He also provided tough defense and showcased his strength and speed. Drew Urquhart finished with 13 points on 6-6 shooting while grabbing 6 rebounds and adding 3 blocks. Until he got into foul trouble he played strong defense on Jahad Thomas and continues to get better with each game. He has scored in double figures in 5 straight games and during those five games is shooting 74% (32/43) from the field. The only major blemish in today's game was the uncharacteristic 18 turnovers by the Cats. Vermont does need to clean up their first half play after falling behind big in their last two first halves. You can see that opposing teams are coming in fired up and playing with nothing to lose. The Cats return to action against New Hampshire on Thursday night so we will see if Ernie is recovered by then. It is so great to finally get a homestand after watching so many games on television this season.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Vermont at Albany 2/8/18
Vermont 72 Albany 67
A few day after thoughts on last nights big win.
First and foremost, for the one millionth time I can not get over the mental fortitude of this team. They have the same demeanor up 15 or down 15. The same demeanor against the last place team as their bitter rival. They just come out and will themselves to victory. It is something to appreciate because a group like this rare. If you need anymore evidence just look at the 20/20 effort from the free throw line. Shooting from the line is such a mental process and to be perfect on the road in a hostile environment against your bitter rival is nothing short of spectacular. That is absolutely what won them the game. Also what a time to reflect on the decade on success they are currently in. To win 20 games in college basketball is a really nice benchmark of success. For Vermont to have won 20 games for 10 seasons in a row is a level of consistency not always seen at the mid-major level. Just more reinforcement for the incredible atmosphere this program has created by recruiting players who are more about winning than any individual accolade. I am going to appreciate this homestand because watching this team play is so rewarding and I want to soak up every last second of this group's career. On the individual side of things how incredible is Drew Urquhart's meteoric rise this season. He looks like a completely different player. His passing has just been incredible. To see Drew U put up a 19 point, 8 rebound, 5 assist, 2 block night is a demonstration of the maturity and growth he has experienced this season. He is the poster child for not chasing minutes and looking for better pastures. He put in the hard work and is being rewarded by seizing the opportunity he has been given. Trae-Bell Haynes is continues to raise his level of play as the season goes on. Another 20 point performance. More incredible leadership, drive, and determination. He is a flat out warrior on the court. Bell-Haynes is only 16 points away from 1,500 for his career. He will be the 9th Catamount to reach that level. Payton Henson grabbed the 500th rebound of his career and became the 29th member of the 500 point/500 rebound club for the Catamounts. And last but not least Ernie Duncan is closing in on 1,000 career points. He needs 23 to get into quadruple digits. It is going to be exciting to watch this team push toward their goal and great to finally have an extended homestand. I can't wait to be at Patrick on Sunday.
A few day after thoughts on last nights big win.
First and foremost, for the one millionth time I can not get over the mental fortitude of this team. They have the same demeanor up 15 or down 15. The same demeanor against the last place team as their bitter rival. They just come out and will themselves to victory. It is something to appreciate because a group like this rare. If you need anymore evidence just look at the 20/20 effort from the free throw line. Shooting from the line is such a mental process and to be perfect on the road in a hostile environment against your bitter rival is nothing short of spectacular. That is absolutely what won them the game. Also what a time to reflect on the decade on success they are currently in. To win 20 games in college basketball is a really nice benchmark of success. For Vermont to have won 20 games for 10 seasons in a row is a level of consistency not always seen at the mid-major level. Just more reinforcement for the incredible atmosphere this program has created by recruiting players who are more about winning than any individual accolade. I am going to appreciate this homestand because watching this team play is so rewarding and I want to soak up every last second of this group's career. On the individual side of things how incredible is Drew Urquhart's meteoric rise this season. He looks like a completely different player. His passing has just been incredible. To see Drew U put up a 19 point, 8 rebound, 5 assist, 2 block night is a demonstration of the maturity and growth he has experienced this season. He is the poster child for not chasing minutes and looking for better pastures. He put in the hard work and is being rewarded by seizing the opportunity he has been given. Trae-Bell Haynes is continues to raise his level of play as the season goes on. Another 20 point performance. More incredible leadership, drive, and determination. He is a flat out warrior on the court. Bell-Haynes is only 16 points away from 1,500 for his career. He will be the 9th Catamount to reach that level. Payton Henson grabbed the 500th rebound of his career and became the 29th member of the 500 point/500 rebound club for the Catamounts. And last but not least Ernie Duncan is closing in on 1,000 career points. He needs 23 to get into quadruple digits. It is going to be exciting to watch this team push toward their goal and great to finally have an extended homestand. I can't wait to be at Patrick on Sunday.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Vermont at UMBC 2/3/18
Vermont 81 UMBC 53
Vermont put themselves squarely in the drivers seat for the regular season title by dominating UMBC on the road. Today's game was the first game played in UMBC's new events center and I think that might have worked to the Retrievers disadvantage. UMBC was undefeated at home this season and this big showdown basically became a neutral court game. Vermont came out firing in the first half scoring 15 unanswered points after UMBC went up 4-0. The Retrievers made a run and it was a see-saw first half from there. In the second half Vermont wore the Retrievers down with an aggressive zone defense. It was the most they played zone this season and it worked to perfection. After putting UMBC on the line too much in the first half, the Retrievers did not make a foul shot in the second half. Vermont was 14-19 (74%) from the field in the second half in a master class of offensive efficiency. A big win against the team that was keeping pace with them in the race for first place. Vermont now has a three game cushion in the loss column and they are playing better basketball each game. The defense has come alive and the team is coming together as a unit. Drew Urquhart and Payton Henson dominated the game for the Cats. Drew U finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Henson just about mirrored Drew U's game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. As the season has wore on Vermont has been running much more high low action with the bigs facilitating at the top of the key. Drew U's passing has improved exponentially and along with Henson and Rohrer the post guys accounted for 10 assists in today's game. A nice wrinkle to the offense and it has helped mitigate some of the struggles they were experiencing against the zone at the beginning of the season. Cam Ward and Stef Smith played well in extended minutes due to significant foul trouble. A big shout out to Iron Man Cam for breaking the consecutive games played record with his 130th straight game today. That is an incredible accomplishment and it speaks to Ward's toughness. Vermont now takes their 12 game win streak to SEFCU arena for a showdown with Albany on Thursday night. The game at Albany is the toughest of the conference schedule each season. It will be another great battle in the best rivalry in the America East.
Vermont put themselves squarely in the drivers seat for the regular season title by dominating UMBC on the road. Today's game was the first game played in UMBC's new events center and I think that might have worked to the Retrievers disadvantage. UMBC was undefeated at home this season and this big showdown basically became a neutral court game. Vermont came out firing in the first half scoring 15 unanswered points after UMBC went up 4-0. The Retrievers made a run and it was a see-saw first half from there. In the second half Vermont wore the Retrievers down with an aggressive zone defense. It was the most they played zone this season and it worked to perfection. After putting UMBC on the line too much in the first half, the Retrievers did not make a foul shot in the second half. Vermont was 14-19 (74%) from the field in the second half in a master class of offensive efficiency. A big win against the team that was keeping pace with them in the race for first place. Vermont now has a three game cushion in the loss column and they are playing better basketball each game. The defense has come alive and the team is coming together as a unit. Drew Urquhart and Payton Henson dominated the game for the Cats. Drew U finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Henson just about mirrored Drew U's game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. As the season has wore on Vermont has been running much more high low action with the bigs facilitating at the top of the key. Drew U's passing has improved exponentially and along with Henson and Rohrer the post guys accounted for 10 assists in today's game. A nice wrinkle to the offense and it has helped mitigate some of the struggles they were experiencing against the zone at the beginning of the season. Cam Ward and Stef Smith played well in extended minutes due to significant foul trouble. A big shout out to Iron Man Cam for breaking the consecutive games played record with his 130th straight game today. That is an incredible accomplishment and it speaks to Ward's toughness. Vermont now takes their 12 game win streak to SEFCU arena for a showdown with Albany on Thursday night. The game at Albany is the toughest of the conference schedule each season. It will be another great battle in the best rivalry in the America East.
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