19-20 Season Preview

After an offseason of unending hype, it is time for the season to begin. This year's Cats have the highest ceiling of any Vermont team in history. Period. They have the star power, depth, athleticism, and leadership to go toe to toe with any team on their schedule.

Here are three keys to this season:

Three point shooting

The Cats most significant loss from last season was the graduation of Ernie Duncan. He is one of the best three point shooters in Vermont history and his consistency will not be easy to replace. Add in the extra layer of the three point line being moved further out and there is going to be an adjustment period. Vermont has many capable three point shooters but consistency can be a problem. Anthony Lamb and Stef Smith tend to run in streaks and they will certainly bear some of the load. The key will be Everett Duncan. Does he regain the form he displayed during his sophomore year when he set the record for single season three point percentage? That is the big question. He had an up and down season a year ago and will need to rediscover his stroke if the Cats are going to rise to the level they are shooting for. Early returns are good as he has been lights out during the preseason. Ryan Davis will also be a key contributor from beyond the arc as he too has shown improvement. 

Battle for minutes

With such a deep and talented team there are going to be some intense playing time battles. It is a good problem to have but this season there are going to be some very good players on Vermont's roster that are relegated to the bench. Becker and his coaching staff do as good a job as any in managing playing time but it can be a difficult process. The Vermont staff have built a winning culture where everyone is ready to contribute and makes the most out of the role that they are given. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to manage that as players minutes may vary widely from game to game. Keeping the players focused on the larger goal while getting them ready when their number is called will be a challenge for the coaching staff.

Staying sharp

This years team wants to win a game in the NCAA tournament. That is the goal. As a result the team wants to peak at the right time and be playing their best basketball in March. The bottom half of the America East is again going to be on the weaker end of the spectrum and as a result there are going to be a lot of lopsided conference games. This team is mentally tough and will be able to excel no matter the opponent. The more concerning piece is just the game reps against tough opponents. When you are in a pattern of dominating games night in and night out it can be tough to stay sharp. This is nothing new for this crew as they have been meeting this challenge for several years now. The gap just might be even a little wider this year as the profile of the Vermont program continues to rise.

Final prediction: 26-5 (14-2) America East Champs

This team should once again raise a banner. They are well rounded and have great leadership. They have a bona fide star in Anthony Lamb who is poised to have another tremendous season and cement his Vermont legend status. I would like to predict a NCAA tourney win as this team is more than capable of pulling a big upset. The problem is that winning a tourney game is so match-up dependent. The last two Vermont tourney teams were very much capable of upsets as well. They unfortunately got the most difficult match-ups possible when the bracket was released. So much has to fall right for a team to be in position for an upset. More than anything as fans this is a season to enjoy, appreciate, and savor. Lamb is a once in a generation player. His leadership and dedication on and off the court is the best I have ever seen. He is joy to watch and I am going to appreciate every last game. It is going to be a fun ride and I can't wait to get it started.