There it is.
40 minutes of Catamount basketball (maybe 37 but you get the picture).
Vermont dominated a shorthanded and overmatched NJIT squad to sweep the early conference homestand. That game really put on display this group's strengths. The win was powered by the Cats depth, shotmaking, toughness, unselfishness, drive to win, and leadership. From start to finish Vermont maintained focus and executed really well. The passing over the last two games has been impressive with another 20 assists in this one. You can really see the joy that this group takes from each others success. The ball was zipping around and finding its way to the best shot. A great win to build momentum going into a very tough early season road trip.
Jace Roquemore and Aaron Deloney put on an absolute point guard clinic in this game. The pair combined for 26 points, 11 assists, and 0 turnovers. Roquemore is epitomizing the Vermont program's "next man up" matra, stepping right into the starting point guard role and putting up a dominant performance. He finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and knocked down 3/4 from deep. Kudos to him for buying in and working hard to be ready when it was his time. He is providing the veteran presence that Vermont was looking for this offseason. Aaron Deloney has settled into the "starter off the bench" role and is thriving as a facilitator. Over the last 4 games Deloney is up to 18 assists and 0 turnovers. You can see how much he LOVES getting that perfect pass to a teammate for a big bucket. Today he finally got some shots to go down and finished with 12 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds. TJ Long led the Cats with 17 points on 3/6 shooting from three. His ability to hit tough shots is such a valuable asset for Vermont. Ileri Ayo-Faleye had some huge dunks, big blocks, and continues to pick the right spots to shoot the three. Sam Alamutu was great off the bench finishing with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Total team win with everyone who played finding a way to contribute.
Huge road trip over the next two weeks that includes an always difficult Binghamton game in Vestal and both of the other potential contenders in UMass Lowell and Bryant. A great opportunity to take stock of the league and an early conference litmus test for the Cats.
