ESPN Invitational: Vermont vs Princeton

Vermont 79 Princeton 74

GusBus turbo charged!!

In a roller-coaster of a game, Vermont went on an 8-0 run down the stretch to pull out a much needed win. It is hard not to overstate how important of a win this was for the Cats. After looking like a well oiled machine in the first half, Vermont disappeared and blew a 23 point lead. They needed to find a way or it would have been quite a demoralizing trip north. In the first half, the ball was flying around on offense and the Cats built a big lead. They finally had both sides of the ball working and were really hustling, diving for loose balls and looking good on the boards. Then all of sudden, Vermont was completely deflated and Princeton could not be stopped. All of the struggles the Cats have had on defense manifested at the same time and things looked grim. Then the Cats did just enough to pull out the win in the end. Vermont sure learned a lot about themselves on this trip and they responded just enough in this one. It is definitely taking some getting used to seeing a Vermont team where the offense is the side of the ball coming up with plays to win games. 

Gus Yalden was an absolute force on the offensive end, finishing with a career high 27 points on 11-14 shooting (in only 22 minutes). He hit the game tying three and then the go ahead bucket on back to back possessions to rescue the Cats. He showcased his inside outside game and beautiful touch around the basket. The coaching staff is in an interesting position as Yalden is so key to the offense but much of the run that Princeton went on to get back into the game was putting Yalden in all the screen actions and taking advantage of his defensive limitations. That will be an interesting battle for Yalden during the season. In this one, the offense won out and he was fabulous getting Vermont buckets when they needed them. TJ Long chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds. He did a nice job picking his spots and taking what the defense gave him. Sean Blake earned the start as the Cats went with the smaller lineup to get more scoring punch and Blake continued his stat stuffing start to this season. Blake finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. TJ Hurley battled the flu all week and finished with 7 points. Every Catamount that played scored in an all around team effort. Jackson Skipper scored two big buckets when the offense was struggling and Momo Nkugwa continued an impressive tournament with 4 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.

Now Vermont is home for a tough game against Yale before another big road trip to the west coast. If nothing else the games this season sure have been full of excitement! I am going to miss the game on Sunday but will try to watch it later in the evening and get a post out. Until then have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

ESPN Tournament: Vermont vs Rhode Island

Rhode Island 80 Vermont 65

That one’s on me. Blogger jinx. 

After praising the Cats ability to not let games get away from them….they let one get away from them. Rhode Island came out in the second half and switched to a scramble, trapping defense that overwhelmed Vermont and changed the complexion of the game. The Cats were back on their heels and never really recovered, getting out-worked in the second half. They particularly struggled with the Rams physicality on the boards, getting absolutely dominated in the trenches in the second half. Going in, the chief concern was Rhode Island getting to the line and that played out in that exact fashion. The Rams made more free throws (26) than the Cats attempted (23). These three games in three days tourneys push teams to their limit and will test their mental fortitude. There was definitely some frustration and exasperation in this one. Tomorrow’s game will say a lot about how this team is going to handle this difficult stretch of games.

With the GusBus parked in the second half, and Becker trying to find a combination that had the gusto to compete with the Rams physicality, the bench got a lot of run. TJ Long led the Cats with 13 points but struggled to get much going against the relentless Rhode Island defense. Ben Johnson was the other Catamount in double figures with 11. Ben Michaels finally got some extended time in the second half and chipped in 9 points and 4 rebounds. It was good to see him get some positive minutes. Momo Nkugwa played well again, grabbing 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noah Barnett battled hard with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Gus Yalden and Lucas Mari struggled with the frenetic defense early in the second half and did not play much afterword. 

This is the first real dig deep moment of the season and it will be interesting to see how the Cats respond. No gimmies during this stretch and this game was incredibly physical so it will be a good test to see who has something left in the tank tomorrow.  

ESPN Tournament: Vermont vs Liberty

Liberty 79 Vermont 73

Hello from sunny Florida!!

I am writing this up on my phone while exploring Disney Springs! In another very exciting game the Cats fell short to the Liberty Flames. The script was similar to most games so far this year. Slow start followed by keeping it close and then a much improved second half. Liberty was as good as advertised and used an ultra efficient offense to keep Vermont at arms length. I thought Vermont played well and the defense made some incremental improvements. I continue to be impressed by the grit and fight this team has displayed this season to not let games get away from them and they are consistently responding to runs from the other teams with runs of their own. This stretch of games coming up is going to be very tough and they may take their lumps. This will be the most difficult few weeks of the season. As long as they can keep their mentality intact and focus on the ultimate goal, there will be a big payoff at the end of the season.

TJ Long bounced back from a very tough game at Buffalo and led the Cats with 19 points and added 5 rebounds. His shot wasn’t falling but he found other ways to score. Gus Yalden added 17 points in only 19 minutes as the coaching staff tried some offense/defense switching with Yalden in a tough spot defensively against a guard heavy Liberty team. His growth throughout the season will have a huge impact on the ceiling for the Cats. Lucas Mari finished with his first career double double, contributing 10 points and 11 rebounds. Mari, like Yalden, has so much room to grow within the Vermont system and has already improved significantly. His ceiling is sky high. Momo Nkugwa earned 27 minutes on the back of his tough perimeter defense and continues to impress as a true freshman. TJ Hurley, as always, chipped in a businesslike 15 points as he closes in on 1,000 career points. Sean Blake found little room to work on the offensive end but finished with 4 rebounds and 5 assists as he is finding ways to impact the game beyond scoring.

The early season this year is certainly quite process focused with an eye toward the future, and I think Vermont keeps taking steps in the right direction despite a few tough results. Each game this season has had moments where Vermont was teetering on the edge of letting a game get away from them and has battled hard to stay within striking distance. That is a good sign as they continue to build toward the conference season. Can’t wait for the game tomorrow! In the meantime, fun in the sun!

P.S. Ken Griffey Jr. was in the crowd! Pretty cool!

Vermont at Buffalo 11/18/25

Buffalo 94 Vermont 90

In a high flying and exciting game, Buffalo used a red hot second half to hand Vermont their first loss of the season. Daniel Freitag took over in the second half and led the Bulls to victory with 33 points. Boy these games have been fun to watch to start the season. The Cats came out on the wrong end this time but it was another game where there is a lot to be excited about. The shooting is very real. In a game where TJ Long struggled mightily the Cats still knocked down 12 threes and shot 55% from the field. This offense is very versatile and the spacing has finally opened up to give players driving lanes. The passing on this team is at a very high level. Multiple play-makers on the floor at most times and today 23 assists on 30 made baskets. The better spacing is creating more ball movement, which in turn is creating great looks at the basket and from three. After a few seasons of struggling to stay in games offensively, it will be nice to have the reverse experience. Which brings the discussion around to the defense. Buffalo did a great job exploiting the Cats defense and there is obviously room to grow on that side of the ball. The rotations are not quite there and this year they lack a rim protector to erase shots when guards get beat on the perimeter. This has left players out of position and as a result Vermont is fouling too much. It allowed Buffalo to hang around in the first half and down the stretch they couldn't quite get the stop when they needed it. I will take this offense any day and trust that the defense will pick up as the year goes on. 

TJ Hurley led the Cats with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Always makes the right play and never tries to do too much. Sean Blake was electric again, finishing with another new career high of 20 points and 8 assists on 9-12 shooing. His improved shooting is forcing defenders to close him out and the extra spacing is giving him room to work. The breakout is on. Gus Yalden chipped in 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Once again he showed great versatility and the ability to play from the block or the perimeter. He was exposed several times on defense and will need to lock in on the defensive rotations. Lucas Mari finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. He knocked down another couple of threes and continues to make progress in getting comfortable int he system. Noah Barnett is providing good physicality in the post and finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Teams have been throwing lots of attention toward Long after his explosive game against Brown and he finished 1-6 from the field for 4 points. The pendulum is probably going to swing back and forth as teams try to figure out which player on Vermont they want to stop. 

A tough hard fought loss on the road between two hot teams to start the season. The quality of basketball has been high so far and it is only going to continue as the Cats travel down to Disney for a very tough tournament. The field down at the ESPN Wide World of Sports is absolutely loaded and Vermont starts off with Liberty, who might be the best mid major team in the country. In exciting news, the family and I will be there! We decided to go down for a little Disney vacation and watch some basketball. Fun in the sun, here we come!

Vermont at Northeastern 11/15/25

Vermont 85 Northeastern 74

All aboard the Gus Bus!

Vermont used another explosive second half to pick the win in the final game at historic Matthews Arena. In an eerily similar game script to Brown, Vermont came out slow and struggled to get their offense going. Once again the defense kept them in the game while they ground through the first half, going into the break down three. A slow start out of the gates in the second half until the Cats offense started to flow and they went on a 21-3 run to take over the game. Besides a little bit more "hold the lead" drama at the end, the Cats were able to close out a tough road win. Picking up another road win while tinkering with lineups and building chemistry was really impressive. The second half turnarounds are a credit to the coaching staff and the players for making adjustments and executing a plan of attack. Even thought the personnel was different this time, the second half adjustment was the same: put more shooters on the floor and spread out the defense with good ball movement. The offensive flow in the second half was tremendous and Vermont finished 13-23 (57%)  from three, largely because of great open looks off kick outs. This game was all about the bench with the subs outscoring the starters 46-39. The depth started to show through in this game with contributions up and down the lineup. 

Gus Yalden made his Catamount debut and changed the entire dynamic of the Catamount offense. He drew tons of defensive attention on the low block and passed out of the double team very effectively. The Cats also used him as an offensive hub out of the high post, where he found backdoor cutters. The Cats finally got the back to the basket scoring dimension they have been looking for. Yalden finished with a career high 18 points and also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He is full of emotion and intensity and completely took over the game in the second half with his scoring and passing. Absolute game changer for Vermont. Sean Blake continued his strong start to the season, scoring a career high 16 points, including 3-5 from three. He is learning how to dial the speed up and down while running the offense. Every part of Blake's game looks like it is taking a step up this year and it is a testament to his hard work in the offseason. Jackson Skipper played some more point guard in this one and continued his hot shooting to start the year, going 3-3 from deep for his 9 points. The TJs were hounded by the defense all afternoon, but fought through it to finish with 14 (Hurley) and 12 (Long) points. Both continue to play really strong physical defense. Ben Johnson has provided very solid minutes for the Cats, making the right play and knocking down shots when he is called upon.  

The excitement continues to build as Vermont has flashed some serious potential over these last couple games. A long road trip ahead to Buffalo on Tuesday before heading down to Disney for Thanksgiving. 

TJ LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vermont 89 Brown 84 Double OT

College basketball is the best. What an incredible game. Part of me wanted to write this post in all caps because I am so full of adrenaline. 

TJ Long went full legend mode after halftime scoring 34 of his career high 40 points after the break. On top of that he pulled down a career high 13 rebounds in an all time Catamount performance. Just insane. Lets recap. 

The Cats started the game stuck in the mud, struggling to make shots on offense while Brown started the game hot from three. The defense did just enough and the Cats were strong on the boards, keeping the game within reach going into halftime. Coming out of halftime, things were looking bleak. Vermont continued to struggle from the field and Brown kept the lead hovering around double digits. Then with about ten minutes to go in regulation, the TJ Long shot making bonanza began. He scored 17 points over the next 6 minutes, putting Vermont up 12 with 4:30 left. Then Brown came roaring back, flying around on defense and making big time shots. With the game tied, Becker called a questionable time out before the Long missed a corner three and the game went to OT. In the first overtime, the shot-making was off the charts. Each team answered every call and back and forth it went. With the Cats down two, Long let the potential game winner fly, no good, off the rim. Noah Barnett grabbed the rebound and was blocked on his putback attempt. Ball out of bounds to the Cats with .6 seconds left. With the whole gym looking at Long, the coaching staff drew up a great play to get TJ Hurley at the rim with a scoop shot to tie the game and send it to a second overtime. In the second overtime, legs started to shake and for the first two minutes, no buckets either way. Then......who else. Long put the Cats on his back, this time with relentless drives to the rim, finishing every which way to give the Cats the lead. Hurley finished the game off at the free throw line, blood pouring into the gauze in his nose. The TJ's scored every point from two minutes left in the first OT until the end. The last 17 Catamount points. Absolutely incredible performance. 

Long was all over the game from the start. Even though his shot wasn't falling in the first half, he affected the game with his rebounding and defense (3 steals), all the while lying in wait until his offensive explosion. He did all of this while playing 45 minutes to lead the Cats. A monster all around performance. TJ Hurley battled through a bloody nose with tough physical defense and finished with 18 points. The game tying shot was a thing of beauty and perfectly executed. Ben Johnson wins the unsung hero award with 9 points in 31 minutes, taking over after Sean Blake fouled out. He spent most of that time guarding Brown's 6'10" forward as the Cats small lineup was giving the Bears fits. Lucas Mari also gets a beyond the box score award for playing 40 minutes, calmly running the offense, and holding his own on the defensive end. Noah Barnett was tremendous as the lone post player for much of the second half, scoring 10 points and pulling down 6 rebounds before fouling out. Before Blake fouled out, he was having a nice floor game with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. David Simon used his length all over the court after Barnett fouled out, disrupting the Bears offense in the second OT. Jackson Skipper hit a huge three from the corner to give the Cats their first lead of the game.

An incredible performance that showcased some serious heart from the Catamounts. Now a week to rest up before heading down to play old rival Northeastern on Saturday. Again, what an electric game!

Something in the water

Vermont 113 Plattsburgh 62

Apparently the lids are off at Patrick over the last two days. 

After the Vermont women's team scored 137 points last night, the Vermont men came out and scored 113 of their own. Epic back to back nights of shotmaking in Patrick. In the early going, it looked like the struggles were going to continue for the Cats. More missed defensive assignments and miscommunications. I don't know who gave the halftime speech but kudos to them because the Cats came out an entirely different team in the second half. Engaged on both ends, playing connected, and getting out into the open floor. Vermont exploded for 69 second half points and everyone who was dressed got in on the action. The Cats definitely exorcised some of the early season demons and it was great to see the players having fun playing basketball. With the slightly extended "exhibition" season finished, Vermont couldn't have picked a better time to find a little energy, chemistry, and excitement. 

Lucas Mari got his first career start and stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. His performance included an electrifying 4/5 shooting from three. He was able to get out and run in the open floor where he is most comfortable. He loves slinging passes to open shooters and plays with tremendous energy. The coaching staff even got to experiment with Mari at the four and playing him and Sean Blake at the same time. The sky is the limit as he continues his adjustment to the program. Tonight was validation for my initial "Lightning & Thunder" Blake & Mari dynamic point guard duo (although Blake did bring the thunder with a huge dunk to close the first half). Blake came off the bench and stuffed the stat sheet as well with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. He also did a great job finding cutters and getting good looks for his teammates., His free throw shooting also looks much improved. The TJs did their thing, making tough shots look easy and getting physical on defense. Long led the Cats with 18 points and Hurley finished with 13. Noah Barnett and Momo Nkugwa chipped in 9 points apiece. Ben Michaels looked the most inspired after the halftime speech, shaking off a sluggish first half to finish with 4 points and 6 rebounds. He was far more engaged and energetic in the second half. Drew Bessette and Ben Wesson scored their first ever Catamount points and Wesson exploded for a crazy 13 points in only 6 minutes of action.

A great way to go into the weekend and get ready for Brown on Sunday. They are going to have to replace the nets at Patrick after these last two games!