Vermont vs Illinois State 11/27/13

Vermont 87 Illinois State 76

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. All of the UVM fans out there can be thankful that the Cats were able to pull out a win. This is going to be a short recap as it is thanksgiving and I was not able to stay awake all night to listen to the game.

The script was much the same for Vermont. Come out completely flat and look slow and confused on offense. This has been the pattern with this group for the entirety of their four years. There seems to be no explanation for it and personally I have just accepted it and no longer pull my hair out over it. If I had to pick between being a first or second half team, I will always pick the latter. At least if we are ever down in the first half the Cats can most often be counted on to get back into the game. Alright enough about that. Lets focus on the tremendous second half Vermont put together. Vermont outscored Illinois State 56-33 in the second half.  Cats fans of the past four years are used to Vermont scoring 56 points in a game. Finally, shots are falling. While the last two games are the other extreme from the shooting at the beginning of the season, the Cats will happily fall somewhere in the middle. Sandro Carissimo has broken out of his early season funk in a big way. This game is almost identical to his game at Harvard last year. It is great to see that he is back to playing at the high level UVM fans have come to expect. Brian Voelkel is putting it all together as well. He is actually taking shots in the lane when he is open and still ending up with 9 assists. After last nights game Voelkel is tied for 10th in the nation at 6.7 assists per game. The key to the last two games has been the offense that the Cats have been getting from Kurt Steidl and Hector Harold. They were a combined 5-7 from three and scored 7 and 11 points respectively. This production off a thin bench is crucial for Vermont to get through this stretch with victories. In every write up I could go on and on about the high level that Clancy Rugg is playing at night in and night out. During the two week break from games for UVM, I will have a post all about Rugg. Now Vermont has a day off to enjoy the warm California weather and eat some turkey before battling a tough San Francisco squad Friday night.

Lastly, today Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincide and this event will not happen for another 70,000 years. So mark this day in whatever way you see fit. Happy Thanksgivukkah!!!