Vermont 59 Maine 57
Well that was brutal.
Vermont survived a determined Maine team and picked up their fourth straight victory. The Cats played uninspired basketball for much on the game. Maine kept Vermont off balance with changing defenses and physical play. The lone bright spot for the Cats was Ryan Davis who set a career high with 22 points. He also led the team with 7 rebounds while single-handedly keeping Vermont in the game. He has started to break out of his slump and his play down the stretch will be crucial as an offensive threat to relieve some pressure off Anthony Lamb in the post. The rest of the Cats struggled to find any kind of rhythm as the poor perimeter shooting once again reared its ugly head. Vermont finished 4-20 from downtown and it is time to wonder if they are going to be able to get it going from deep down the stretch. What was most disappointing about this game was that Vermont had taken some significant steps forward after the loss to Stony Brook. This game feels representative of the how the season has progressed. Each time the Cats start to put it together, they come out and take a step back. However, they did pull out the win on the road and if you look at some of the other scores from around the America East tonight, there was something in the water. Previously winless UMBC went on the road and defeated Hartford while Binghamton went out and beat Stony Brook on the road. A topsy-turvey night in the league and Vermont was able to pull out the win. The results form around the league tonight speak to how important it is to show up for every game as conference play offers no easy matchups. Now the Cats come home to a high flying UMass Lowell team that has always played Vermont very tough. Patrick should be rocking on Saturday night.
Any thoughts on Lamb's performance in conference play to date. In conference stats, he does not
ReplyDeletestandout as a former AE player of the year. I know he gets lots of attention, but he still does
not seem "right" to me.
He is definitely struggling. He has lost confidence in his shot for sure. Both the mid-range and outside shooting have suffered. Where the defensive attention comes into play is when he gets the ball with his back to the basket he is caught between being aggressive and looking for the open man. He is having a hard time identifying the double team and knowing when to go get his at the rim or kick it back out. Sitting out that month before the season really put him behind the eight ball and he hasn't been able to catch up. I still do think he will get going if they can keep winning with other guys stepping up because teams will have to send a little less defensive help.
DeleteLamb is getting double and triple coverage, and some of the other guys are not hitting shots. Ernie Duncan could hide a lot of imperfections...Glad I don't have to listen to those Maine announcers again, one in particular...Andrew Fleming has a new name: Andrew Floping. He's a great player, but he was trying to get Lamb out of the game. Not a bad move.
ReplyDeleteErnie was a great player who was more valuable than I think a lot of people realized both on and off the court. The announcers were rough for sure, but I have come to expect that from most of the conference broadcasts. The flopping was bad and the officials really lost control of that game.
DeleteNo Duncan Demuth. Injury or something else? More Ryan Davis inside, great outlet for Lamb. He has very nice touch... Great to see the coaching staff change it up with the final play. Spread it and let Benny do his thing.
ReplyDeleteI think Demuth’s lack of playing time has more to do with ineffectiveness.
DeleteIt's rare for a new player, either a freshman or a transfer, to come in right away and be a serious game changer. (Anthony Lamb is one of the obvious exceptions.) There's usually a period of transition for the player to find their groove.
ReplyDeleteFor sure. Vermont has been especially spoiled in the immediate impact player department over the years. Certainly is more the exception rather than the rule.
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