Vermont at Bucknell 11/10/19

Vermont 66 Bucknell 63

Everett Duncan sank four free throws down the stretch to seal the victory on the road at Bucknell. It was another ugly game on both sides featuring a combined 43 fouls and an eerily similar combined 7/47 (15%) from three. Through two games the new three point line is clearly having an effect. The defense is definitely being stretched which is opening up driving lanes. However, players are taking shots from VERY deep. I don't have any actual statistics to back up the average shot distance but players on the perimeter are taking shots that are several feet behind the new three point line. I read an article that across college basketball so far the percentage is around 31% from three which is about three percentage points lower than past seasons. However attempts are actually up. It is going to be very interesting how this plays out as players and teams adjust to the new distance. Anthony Lamb powered through foul trouble scoring 20 points in only 18 minutes. He worked for every point as Bucknell ran several bodies at Lamb every time he touched the ball. Ryan Davis continues to impress and finished with his first career double double (16 points, 10 rebounds). He has really been a revelation so far this season and gives the Cats quite a 1-2 punch underneath. Ben Shungu played an uneven game but finished with a team high 34 minutes. He shot 4-13 from the field and really struggled to finish around the rim. He did pull down 7 rebounds to go with his 10 points and played very tough perimeter defense. Duncan Demuth stepped up big time playing 23 minutes. He didn't do anything spectacular but played tough defense and made a few hustle plays. He was thrust into a bigger roll as Daniel Giddens battled ineffectiveness. Giddens only played 11 minutes and had a couple nice blocks but was lost on several other defensive rotations. Stef Smith's struggles continued as he finished 1-9 from the field. His shot selection had been particularly poor through the first two games. He seems to be struggling the most with his new role after Ernie Duncan's graduation. Despite the struggles this is another huge win. Bucknell had the Cats number the past two seasons and it was nice to get them back. The Bison are picked to finish second in the Patriot league this season so this is a big win against another strong mid-major program. Now time for another Patriot league opponent in the home opener against Boston University on Wednesday night. Patrick will be rocking!