Vermont vs Arkansas initial thoughts

March Madness is all about matchups.

For the first time in a while Vermont has a decent matchup.

The last two times Vermont made the tourney in 2017 and 2019 they got matched up with big, physical teams in Purdue and Florida State. Now the Cats get an Arkansas team that is more perimeter oriented and not huge. They absolutely have a chance to win this game. The strengths for the Razorbacks are forcing turnovers, playing tough defense, getting to the line, and playing a high flying uptempo style. Their weakness is they don't shoot the ball efficiently, particularly from three where they are at 30% which is 310th in the country. I think the Cats strengths matchup well. Vermont does not turn the ball over at a high rate and has big experienced guards to deal with the pressure. They are also good at forcing teams to play more in the half court and not letting teams get out and run. The Cats are a significantly more efficient shooting team and if they can force Arkansas to play in the halfcourt they will be able to take advantage of that efficiency. With Vermont's strong three point shooting and the Razorbacks struggles, that could be an area where the Cats hold an advantage. It is still going to take a down game from Arkansas and a big game from Vermont, but this Cats team is built to succeed in March with the things they do well. I will post a more in depth preview sometime before Thursday but this is a going to be a very exciting game that the Cats will have a chance to win. 

March Madness is officially here!