Exhibition season is over and Vermont kicks off their 2021-2022 campaign on Thursday night against Northern Iowa. For the first time in a while the Cats were not picked to win the league in the preseason and are out to prove themselves contenders. So lets dig in and go through a few of the things I will be watching out for this season.
Projected record: 21-10 (14-4) second place in the America East. I think they will finish just behind Stony Brook for the regular season title. The early conference slate is tough and while I expect the Cats to make a big run at the end of the season. I think ultimately they will drop a couple tough games early on in the conference schedule. From there anything can happen in the playoffs and I feel like they will be ready to make a run in the conference tournament.
Keys to the season
Perimeter scoring
Last year Vermont struggled mightily to find consistent shooting from their guards. Then Stef Smith moved on to St. John's and left the Cats with very few proven perimeter shooters. The coaching staff addressed this through the transfer portal adding Kam Gibson and Finn Sullivan. Gibson has been a reliable threat from outside during his career and Sullivan has shown the ability to be a capable outside threat. With Aaron Deloney looking good in the preseason, it looks like by committee, Vermont should be a more capable outside shooting team. The Cats are going to need to be a consistent threat from deep because Ryan Davis is going to face more pressure and teams are going to scheme to stop him. In order to keep defenses honest, the guards will have to knock down their open shots on Davis kick outs.
Frontcourt depth
With the departure of Tomas Murphy, Vermont has no proven post players after Isaiah Powell and Ryan Davis. Nick Fiorillo and Georges Lefebvre are young and inexperienced and Duncan Demuth can't seem to get healthy. The coaching staff is going to have to get creative with lineups and use their big guards to play the four at times this season. Much of the early non-conference schedule is going to be dedicated to finding the right combinations and experimenting with different looks. I don't think it will be to much of a detriment on the offensive end but the defensive end is where I think the effects will be seen. The inexperience shows up most often when trying to execute the defensive system that Vermont employs. The system demands a lot of the post defenders and that is often why Vermont's young post players take a few years of seasoning before they are able to have a big impact.
Playing as the underdog
It has been a while since Vermont has been the hunter and not the hunted. Even though the coaching staff preaches approaching every game the same, the mentality is totally different when you are playing to exceed expectations versus meet them. Ultimately this team has a lot to prove after last season's semifinal loss. This group is going to be hungry to put last seasons struggles behind them and reclaim their place at the top of the league. The talent entering the league this season is a direct response to the success that Vermont has had. The Cats have raised the bar for the top half of the league and the league has responded. There are more teams with something to prove this season than in years past and it is going to create some fierce battles at the top.
Who makes the big jump?
Every year there is a player on Vermont who elevates their game with hard work in the offseason. Vermont knows what to expect out of players like Ben Shungu, Ryan Davis, and Isaiah Powell. They all made the jump last season and are building off of that success. In order for the team to exceed expectations there will be a player who elevates their game beyond what was predicted. Someone from the Deloney/Sullivan/Gibson/Fiorillo/Guillory group will play a very key role in giving Vermont that wildcard they need to make a championship run.
Vermont will be fun to watch this season with a great blend of returners and new faces. The most exciting part of college basketball is seeing which unheralded player is going to explode onto the scene and make a big impact. The Cats have some very intriguing pieces and seeing how the rotation shifts and changes throughout the season will be fun to follow.
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