Vermont vs Albany 1/31/22

Vermont 73 Albany 61

Offensive identity? C'mon these are the Vermont Catamounts. 

Vermont held Albany scoreless for 5 minutes after the score was knotted at 49 and pulled away for their 10th win in a row. What an incredible college basketball game. Albany came in charged up and played with energy and emotion. Their best in the conference defense lived up to its name for much of the contest. A classic rivalry matchup where both teams kept punching but the other team punched right back. The crowd was as loud as I have heard it all season. The run of offensive firepower has been great but there were starting to be questions about how the defense would respond when it was needed. Those questions were certainly put to rest tonight with an incredible performance down the stretch. Every player dug deep and physically walled up Albany. Ben Shungu drew two charges and Finn Sullivan, Nick Fiorillo, and Isaiah Powell all had big defensive stops down the stretch. This team continues to demonstrate an incredible will to win and the way they play as a team is special to watch. Another 17 assists to only 8 turnovers and the offensive chemistry is a thing of beauty. 

Shungu once again demonstrated his uncanny ability to hit shots when it matters most. He was stymied for the entire first half by Albany's defense. Then every time Vermont needed a big play down the stretch, there was Shungu ready to meet the challenge. He finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Another in a growing list of big time second half performances. While Shungu was the closer, Powell was the MVP. He made big shots during the late Vermont run as well and broke out of a mini offensive slump with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Powell did everything for the Cats tonight. Ryan Davis led Vermont with his typical ultra efficient offense. He finished with 17 points and 5 boards on 6-8 shooting from the field. Justin Mazzulla chipped in 11 points of his own as the master of the cut to the basket. The bench mob once again played a big role as Aaron Deloney, Robin Duncan, Bailey Patella, and Nick Fiorillo all made big plays. Aaron Deloney has been playing particularly well and his physical play is starting to pay off on both sides of the ball. He works very hard on defense and is growing into a disruptive defender.  

Another big win and an important statement to the rest of the league that the defensive minded Cats are still there, hiding behind their powerful offense. Another quick turnaround for Vermont and the starters had to play big minutes tonight so it will be interesting to see how the rotation looks for Wednesday nights showdown with NJIT. 

Vermont vs Maine 1/29/22

Vermont 81 Maine 68

Vermont held off a scrappy and hot shooting Maine team to push their conference record to 7-0. The Black Bears  were hot out of the gate and led for most of the first half thanks to lights out shooting from Ja'Shonte Wright -McLeish who went 5-5 from three in the first half. The Cats shook off a sluggish start on offense and took the lead late. In the second half Vermont was able to make a run as they finally strung some stops together. Maine refused to go away and finished a scorching 14-26 from three. The Cats offense came largely from relentlessly attacking the interior of the Maine defense. They were only 3-12 from three but offset that lack of production with an 18-22 effort from the line. There are always a few ugly games in conference with the familiar opponents and especially this year with the unbalanced schedule. A win is a win and I don't like to nitpick too much but the Cats defense has lost a little bit of its edge during the winning streak. They have definitely taken their foot off the gas ever so slightly and so far have been able to rely on their offense to make up the difference. At some point I am sure they are going to need their defense to step it up would hope they can still find that extra gear. 

Maine had no answer for Ryan Davis and he finished with a team high 21 points. He continues to impress and today was a reminder of how good his hands are. Vermont had a tough time getting him the ball and he was able to catch some very tough off target entry passes several times. Ben Shungu made a living at the line as his quickness was too much for the Black Bear defenders. He finished with 19 points courtesy of an 11-12 effort from the line. Justin Mazzulla chipped in 10 points by making some great cuts to the rim. Finn Sullivan struggled shooting the ball but had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He also struggled a little bit with his emotions for the first time in awhile but it looked like Bailey Patella set him straight. The bench played well once again as Aaron Deloney scored 9 points and Nick Fiorillo scored 8. Deloney has such incredible quickness to the rim and is not afraid to go right through guys to score. Fiorillo's shooting has really come around as he knocked in two more from deep. Having another stretch big off the bench has been huge for their offense. Robin Duncan also had a great game off the bench scoring only 2 points but grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. Isaiah Powell has been struggling with turnovers in conference play. Over the last 5 games he has 18 turnovers. He has been playing a bit too fast and has to take better care of the ball.

Vermont now has a quick turnaround for the big rivalry game with Albany coming to Patrick on Monday. The game takes on a little extra twist with former assistant Hamlet Tibbs now on the sidelines for the Great Danes. Albany has been playing well and have been the best defensive team in the conference thus far. Vermont is going to need to play with a little more attention to detail in that matchup. 

Vermont at Stony Brook 1/26/22

Vermont 80 Stony Brook 67

At what point to these out of nowhere performances stop coming out of nowhere?

Eric Beckett came off the bench for a career high 13 points and sparked Vermont to a big win on the road over Stony Brook. More on Becket to come. Stony Brook came out strong and Vermont was uncharacteristically sloppy in the first half. Turnovers were piling up and the perimeter shots were not falling for the Cats. Then Beckett jumpstarted Vermont's offense with a few late threes and despite not playing their best basketball the Cats went onto halftime with a three point lead. In the second half the ultra-efficient offense and perimeter shooting returned as Vermont slowly and methodically built the lead. The Cats finished with another 20 assists and outrebounded the Seawolves 37-25. Another very strong showing by Vermont against a tough team on the road. This team continues to demonstrate an incredible ability to believe in each other and play so strongly as a unit. The rotation was completely different today and I don't know if the coaches saw something in practice or Becker was trying to get some guys fired up during a sluggish first half, but he certainly pushed the right buttons. The Cats depth is kind of bordering on absurd at this point. Between Aaron Deloney, Nick Fiorillo, and now Beckett, Vermont has had three games where players who were a very small part of the rotation (or in Beckett's case not in the rotation) come out and put up career highs in big spots. That is a testament to not only the players for believing in their teammates and being ready when it is their time, but a credit to the coaching staff to keep everyone engaged despite inconsistent playing time. That is not an easy feat and is one of the reasons Vermont is able to win as consistently as they do. The players go to Vermont to be a part of the winning program in whatever form that may take. It is so fun as a fan to see players wait their turn, get their chance, and see everyone on the team celebrate like they won the title when someone capitalizes on their chance. 

Beckett was the momentum swing in this game. Full stop. He got the offense going in the first half and had timely buckets in the second half as well. No hesitation on his way to the aforementioned career high 13 points on 3/4 shooting from three. No easy feat for a guy who had played a total of SEVEN MINUTES the entire season. He hadn't even attempted a shot until tonight. Amazing. Big congratulations to him on the incredible game. Ryan Davis battled through foul trouble and continues to churn out big time performances one after another. Davis finished with 20 points on 7-10 shooting and is forcing teams to double and triple team him almost every time he touches the ball. Ben Shungu played a strong all around game leading the Cats with 21 points and 6 assists. Justin Mazzulla and Isaiah Powell both had major impacts without scoring. Mazzulla hit one three pointer but finished with a team high 6 rebounds and chipped in 5 assists. Powell was scoreless with 5 rebounds and 4 assists of his own. Deloney and Evan Guillory chipped in 5 points each as the Cats benched scored 28 points.

A great win in what was the last regular season matchup as conference foes. Stony Brook announced this week that they are leaving the America East for the Colonial Athletic Association. This should be a surprise to no one as the Seawolves have had one foot out the door since the last round of conference realignment about a decade ago. I want to write an extended post about the conference realignment at some point but am not sure when that will be. Vermont is about to enter a tough stretch with the COVID rescheduled games filling their weeks. Thankfully this stretch is at home but a Sat/Mon/Wed game schedule is packed. That might have also factored in the extended rotation in tonight's game. Lots of basketball over the next week. No better antidote for the winter doldrums. 

Vermont vs Hartford 1/22/22

Vermont 82 Hartford 72

Vermont faced their first stiff test in the America East.

Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu made sure they passed. 

Vermont staved off an energized Hartford second half run and executed down the stretch to continue their hot start to conference play. In the first half Vermont had another ultra efficient offensive performance and raced out to a 45-28 halftime lead. In the second half the roles were reversed as Vermont's defense fell apart and Hartford took advantage. The Hawks ran relentless high pick and rolls, got to the rim at will, and were hot from beyond the arc. Vermont was visibly shaken and back on their heels for the first time in a long time. Hartford came all the way back and took the lead at 63-61 with 6:31 remaining. Shungu immediately hit a three to retake the lead. Hartford punched right back and retook the lead at 65-64. Then it was Davis' turn to knock down a three and Vermont took the lead for good. Shungu and Davis scored all but two of the Cats 21 points after Hartford took the lead. The dynamic duo were there to lead Vermont to victory. As I said in my last post, Hartford's record was deceptive and the Hawks were undeterred by the large first half deficit. This was a good test for the Cats. The last stretch of games was fun to watch but at some point every team is going to face some adversity or not be at their best and the mark of a great team is still finding a way to win. They needed a reminder about winning tough games and how important it is to not become complacent.  That was the first time all year the Cats have given up over 70 points and they will certainly need to go into the film room and fix a few things on defense. 

Shungu led the Cats with 24 points and punctuated the victory with a dunk. Shungu was flat out dominant down the stretch as he has been all year. Davis was right there with him pouring in 21 points of his own. Isaiah Powell shook off a tough game last time out and was huge with 16 points and 7 rebounds. He continues to impress with his all around play. Aaron Deloney has really come on strong and is providing a big time spark for Vermont off the bench. He scored 8 points off the bench and his ability to get to the rim is opening things up for the Cats on offense. Finn Sullivan finally came back down to earth with only one made three but did have 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and drew two huge charges on Hartford star Austin Williams. It was great that the first one went the Cats way as it was a 50/50 call (and close to a flop), but the second one was a great double by he and Shungu to force the foul. 

A good win ahead of the matchup with Stony Brook on the road. The Seawolves are going to want to redeem themselves and have won three in a row after getting demolished at Patrick. It was good for the Cats to play in a tough back and forth game before the big showdown. 

Vermont at NJIT 1/19/22

Vermont 83 NJIT 57

Vermont continued their dominating play in a road win against NJIT. The Cats put this one away by bookending halftime with big runs and hot shooting. The second unit played the last ten minutes of the game and the lead was as large as 37 points in the second half. There is not much else to say other than this team is playing at a ridiculously high level right now. The depth and versatility is overwhelming teams from the opening tip. So many different lineup combinations, so many different offensive and defensive weapons. Vermont is able to make any adjustment and if one player is having an off night, someone else steps up. One of the most fun parts about watching college basketball is witnessing the growth of a team in real time over the course of the season. Players growing into their roles and expanding their game, incorporating new players and watching them buy into the system. The Cats are in one of those stretches where you just get to sit back and watch the show. 

Finn Sullivan once again played his role as the offensive catalyst. He is on an otherworldly streak for sure. Another 18 points on the back of a 6-6 performance from three. That is 16 made threes over the past three games. Shooting with confidence and playing with a whole lot of swagger. Nick Fiorillo matched Sullivan with a career high 18 points of his own to go along with 7 rebounds. Fiorillo had struggled mightily with his shot so far this season and it was good to see some finally find the bottom of the net. The skills are there for Fiorillo to make an impact and maybe a game like this will help jumpstart his confidence. Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu earned their second half rest after dominating the first half. Both scored 13 points and were nearly unstoppable in building the lead early. 

The Cats will look to continue this hot stretch against the defending champs Hartford at home on Saturday night. Vermont will be looking to exact some revenge after last year's semifinal defeat at the hands (claws? talons?) of the Hawks. You would think welcoming a 3-10 team into Patrick on a streak like the Cats are on would be a cakewalk but this is a deceptive matchup. Hartford dealt with injuries in the non-conference and then just barely returned from nearly a month off due to COVID. They also brought back cult hero Traci Carter right at the end of the non conference and he has galvanized this team. They are coming off dominating UNH in tonight's matchup and are always a pesky, hard nosed team. I am very interested to see which version of the Hawks shows up Saturday night. I expect Vermont will be hungry to make another statement in front of the home crowd. 

Vermont at UMBC 1/15/22

Vermont 86 UMBC 69

On the road for the first time in over a month, Vermont used a scorching first 5 minutes to roll past UMBC. The hot shooting continued in the first half for the Cats as they put up 50 points thanks to 10-16 shooting from three. Vermont finally cooled off from three in the second half and the game became somewhat of a grind. UMBC kept trying to climb back in but each time the Cats made a big shot or came up with a big defensive play. The energy and engagement of this team continues to be there from start to finish. No matter the score, the Cats continue to play cohesive team offense and tough physical defense. Once again Vermont had 19 assists to only 8 turnovers. The chemistry over the last few games has been very good. This newfound offensive explosion demonstrates the value of playing such a tough non-conference schedule. It goes so far beyond wins and losses as the Cats play big, tough, physical teams from conferences that play with varying styles. With last year as a unique comparison with no non-conference schedule, the difference in the on court cohesion is clear. In order to be competitive in those early season games the Cats have to execute perfectly and as a result, the players are locked into where everyone is on the court on both ends of the floor. The shooting may come and go against good teams and long road trips, but the learning process in the trenches prepares the Cats to play better and better as the season goes on. Very impressive stretch from Vermont. 

Ryan Davis led the Cats with 21 points and 9 rebounds. He is all the way back to his player of the year form. Deadly from deep and in the paint, Davis is forcing teams in to mismatches all game long. Finn Sullivan continued his hot shooting and finished with 20 points on 6-12 shooting from three. The shooting has been great to see and exactly what the Cats need but Sullivan's best highlight of the night was him chasing down a lackadaisical two on none break by the Retrievers to get the stop and the steal. Those are the plays that win championships and Sullivan makes several of them a game. Isaiah Powell continued his incredible all around play. As I have said before he epitomizes the workmanlike way in which Vermont wins games and honestly might be Vermont's most indispensable player. Powell finished with 13 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. That is 18 assists over the last two games for the Cats 6-6 PF. Incredible performance. Aaron Deloney continued his strong play as well with 10 points and Ben Shungu shook off a tough day at the free throw line to finish with 13 points. 

Vermont is firing on all cylinders as it heads into another road matchup against NJIT on Wednesday. 

A record setting statement

Vermont 98 Stony Brook 65

You think the Cats had this game circled?

Vermont hit a team record 19 three pointers on their way to obliterating preseason number one Stony Brook. In the first half both teams were trading blows from deep. The game had all the feels of the two top teams playing for keeps. The first twenty was up and down and being played at Stony Brook's tempo. The Cats came out in the second half, turned up the defense, and played the game the way they wanted it to be played. Stony Brook had no answer. The Seawolves struggled on offense with a lot of one on one play and were pretty disengaged on defense. There was a stark difference in the chemistry between the two teams. Vermont displayed the forged in the trenches chemistry that comes from the gauntlet of a non-conference schedule while Stony Brook looked like a team still trying to find their identity. The Cats had 21 assists and out rebounded the Seawolves by a 34-16 margin. That was a big time statement game for the Catamounts. 

This victory was all about the team chemistry and depth that Vermont possess. You could pick names out of a hat tonight and every player performed their role and was ready to contribute when their name was called. Stony Brook tried several different lineup combinations but Becker was ready with a counter. The Seawolves tried to go small and the Cats were ready to match them. Finn Sullivan led the Cats with 19 points, all in the second half. Sullivan's offensive explosion came after spending most of the New Hampshire game and the first half of this one getting an earful from Becker. So to say he needed a stretch like that was an understatement. He was tremendous in the second half blowing the game wide open with three after three. Sullivan does so many things well and is just scratching the surface of his potential. Ryan Davis was right behind him with 17 points and 6 rebounds. With another 3-3 effort from three, Davis in now shooting 14-16 (88%) (!) from three over the last 5 games. Absolutely scorching. Ben Shungu, Justin Mazzulla, and Aaron Deloney stayed hot with 13, 10, and 11 points respectively while shooting a combined 8-12 from three. Deloney has looked very good since re-entering the rotation. Providing an offensive spark and playing his heart out on defense. Bailey Patella finally got in on the action, hitting his first two threes of the year and finishing with 8 points. Robin Duncan played aggressively once again. The box score hero award for tonight's game goes to isaiah Powell. He continues to do the dirty work and a little bit of everything for the Cats. Powell finished with 7 points, 10 rebounds, and a career high 9 assists while once again playing great defense. It felt like he grabbed every rebound. 

That was an incredibly fun game to watch and Vermont reasserted itself as the team to beat and now face their first road test in over a month. UMBC has become their most intense rivalry over the past 5 years and is the one team in conference who has had consistent success against the Cats. UMBC boasts a high octane offense and plays at the fastest tempo in the league. It will be a good first test on the road.

Ben Shungu has a day

Vermont 82 New Hampshire 68

Vermont prevailed in the twin state rivalry thanks to a career day from Ben Shungu. The long layoff was no problem for the two teams as each started red hot from three. UNH in particular made 8 first half threes in a back and forth first 20. Ryan Davis hit a late three to give Vermont a one point halftime lead. The Cats made some halftime adjustments to limit the Wildcats three point opportunities and Shungu and Davis did the rest. Both players attacked the basket, finished in traffic, and knocked down big perimeter jumpers. Justin Mazzulla and Robin Duncan played tough defense on UNH star Jayden Martinez, limiting him to 9 points on 3-10 shooting. Vermont as a team shot 63% from the field and 8-15 (53%) from three. An efficient and dominant offensive showing. 

Shungu was incredible. That was the best, most complete game I have ever seen him play. He keeps finding ways to get better and carried Vermont from start to finish. From the first possession he had the look of a player who wasn't going to be denied. He knocked down 4-6 from three including two big shots down the stretch in the second half. On what seemed like every other possession he drove to the rim relentlessly showcasing every dip, duck, spin, crossover, you name it, to knife through the defense and score. Shungu finished with a career high 29 points on 11-16 shooting. I know I say it every time but is there a better Vermont basketball story ever? Just an amazing journey and part of what makes college basketball so exciting. Ryan Davis was equal to the task as well with a dominant performance of his own. Davis finished with 19 points on 7-10 shooting and hauled in 7 rebounds. Facing a tough physical defensive effort from UNH, Davis met every challenge thrown at him and made big play after big play down the stretch as well. Justin Mazzulla fought for and stole the opening tip in the best example of hustling for all 40 minutes I have seen. He continues to be everywhere and do everything for the Cats. Mazzulla finished with 10 points and the team just feeds off of his energy. The out of nowhere performance for tonight belongs to Robin Duncan. After missing the last game due to injury, Duncan came off the bench like a man on a mission driving hard to the rim every time he had the ball and finished with 12 points. The last time Duncan was in double figures in scoring was against Hartford on 1-18-20. He has played in 38 games since without scoring in double figures. It was so great to see the old, aggressive Duncan back. 

A great way to kick off the conference schedule and I am very excited for the big showdown with the preseason favorites Stony Brook next Wednesday at Patrick. 

COVID disruption/Conference outlook

Happy New Year to all!!

In the first post of the 2022 I thought I would take a few minutes to ruminate on some thoughts that have been rattling around my head. First off, the conference opener against Albany this weekend was postponed as COVID comes roaring back to disrupt life once more. As the days of December passed, it was increasingly clear that there were going to be very similar schedule disruptions to last season. Due to COVID disruptions, when the Cats return to action on January 6th they will have played one game in the past month. It is very hard to stay sharp and in game shape with these types of long layoffs. I would expect a little rust whenever they return to action. 

Now that the non-conference portion of the season has ended it is time to take a fresh look at where each team stands. Let's start with the easy ones. Maine continues to be one the worst teams in all of DI and there doesn't seem to be a solution on the horizon. Binghamton has also looked like they will again be in a race to the bottom. NJIT and Albany have been very inconsistent and will have some surprising wins and head scratching losses during conference play. UMass Lowell and UMBC look very competitive and will be part of the middle tier that pushes the top teams. New Hampshire has shown some flashes of real potential but is very hard to judge because it has come against a very weak schedule. I am very intrigued for the new conference opener on January 6th against the Wildcats as a great test of how the teams stack up. Stony Brook started slow and has dealt with a few injuries but comes into conference play hot and has all the pieces that made them the preseason favorites. Elijah Olaniyi's health the rest of the way will determine if they have enough to get over the hump. Hartford is a real enigma. They have been awful this season coming in a 2-10. They have dealt with major injuries as Dejuan Clayton has missed significant time and Jared Kimbrough is injured as well. They did manage to get Traci Carter back a few weeks ago for one more go round, which is one of those COVID year crazy stories as he was a freshman at Marquette in 2015(!). There is just no way to project the Hawks right now. Now onto the Cats. As it stands now I think they have moved themselves into the pole position. They played a very tough schedule and of equal importance it was significantly tougher than the rest of the league. Finishing 8-4 is impressive and they accomplished that mark while not playing their best basketball. I think the shooting/offensive struggles have been largely overblown as their poor 3pt shooting is balanced by very efficient shooting numbers inside the arc. As I have said previously I think it is dangerous to become fixated on one aspect of a team and measure the totality of their success based on that one piece. The Cats do so many things well and the chemistry is there. In reality, Vermont's most significant deficit is their very poor offensive rebounding where they are almost dead last in the country. They do offset that weakness by preventing offensive rebounds at an elite rate, but the Cats are not giving themselves many second chances. The defense is elite as no opponent reached the 70 point mark against Vermont in the non-conference. If they can remain healthy, they currently have the inside track on the regular season title. 

I have also seen a lot of discussion about Ben Shungu's offensive struggles and how he is the key to their offensive improvement. I think that is somewhat of an unfair storyline. His offensive numbers are right in line with the rest of his career and his scoring is up. Shungu is a great player who does many things well, but a go to and efficient scoring machine is not really who he is. He has always been an offensive player who lets the game come to him and many of his points come out of hard work and physical play. The defense, the leadership, the clutch play down the stretch is what Shungu will always hang his hat on. The key to the Cats offense is someone out of the Mazzulla/Sullivan/Gibson/Deloney/Fiorillo part of the rotation becoming a consistent offensive threat. In the last game Aaron Deloney finally gave the Cats the offensive spark they have been looking for and that type of game is what they have been missing. It is pretty clear what Vermont is going to get out of Ryan Davis, Isaiah Powell, and Shungu. What is dragging down the offense is everyone elses production. If Vermont get more games from the rest of rotation like Deloney's effort against Colgate, watch out. 

Health and happiness to everyone and I hope to be back at Patrick on Thursday.