Vermont got off to a nightmare start and never recovered, getting steamrolled by Virginia Tech on the road. Nothing was falling for Cats and everything was falling to the Hokies in the first half as Vermont got down 28-4 to start the game. The nightmare was worsened by the fact the Shamir Bogues re-aggravated his foot injury, tried to play through it, and then sat for the rest of the game. The Cats have looked sluggish in back to back games and are missing that toughness and spark they were playing with during the first month off the season. This game was going to be a tall task no matter what, but became a near impossible one with such a disastrous opening 10 minutes. The coaching staff did a nice job using the rest of the game as an opportunity to both get some messages across to the regulars and give some playign time to the bench. It was a good opportunity to let the young guys play through mistakes in a highly competitive but low stakes situation.
Nick Fiorillo led the Cats with 13 points and continues to provide a nice spark off the bench for the Cats. TJ Hurley had some nice buckets in the second half and finished with 9 points. Seth Joba finally got a perimeter shot to fall and Jackson Skipper got his first shot at extended minutes in a Catamount uniform. Matt Veretto looks like a completely different player following his eye injury and it is certainly a concern for the Cats. Bogues was hobbled in the first half and does not have the same burst as he is very obviously not at 100%.
Not the best way to start the road trip and there is no time to wallow as they face a very tough Toledo squad on Wednesday. The Rockets are a high flying, high scoring team that likes to get up and down so it will be a very different type of game than the one they played in this evening. Every non-conference slate there is a game where you learn a lot about a teams mentality and I think this next game at Toledo is the one on this year's schedule. The Cats have to regroup and recapture that spark.
No post presence and no 3s for much of the game = disaster. I didn’t know about Shamir’s injury which would be a real concern if he can’t get back to his usual self. It’s so rare when we see almost the whole team struggle but a team’s stellar perimeter defense will do that to us especially if that team does have post presence that Tech possesses. I was really surprised at
ReplyDeletehow the game turned out as the stats for both teams prior to today looked quite even. But the matchup was not so given who they are and who we are. Learning experience!
We all love coach Becker but something has to change. I was at the game against Colgate and then there’s today. The game against Colgate to me was a coaching disaster in which they didn’t remotely attempt to make in game adjustments. Letting them get the ball down low and do whatever they wanted to from there was demoralizing. And on offense they’re relying way too much on the penetrate and kick out for a 3. Then there was today. It was way too familiar of a game against a higher caliber team/high major. They never seem to even compete in these games let alone win one. Look around college basketball and low/mid majors knock off the big boys all the time and yet we, with all of our success, never do. Lowell knocked off GT and almost ASU. Just finished watching Northeastern almost beat UVA and we beat them on the road without 2 starters. I can’t tell if Becker doesn’t instill the confidence or what but they look like a dear in headlights. They missed, rushed, and short armed so many layups and mid range shots in the first half that it was over before it started. This team has the potential to be very good but they have to commit to driving and scoring around the rim when there are opportunities instead of always looking for the 3. They have enough guys that have the ability to do so but yet I never see them at the line. Its a coaching adjustment that needs to be made. Which is a commitment to going up strong and whatever happens happens. Sam A is a great example, he’s big strong and can jump out of the gym and yet when gets the ball down low he looks to pass it out. Anyway, I think they really need to win these next to games to put them back in the conversation of a top 25 mid major team..
ReplyDeleteI can agree that it is frustrating to watch the UVM teams play just on the outskirts of national recognition, but it still always comes down to winning the America East tournament in order to get into the big dance. That’s the reality of sports in the ncaa. With that said, if losing to Virginia Tech helps UVM find its rotations or polish their game on the pathway to the America East regular schedule then so be it. I’m not diminishing my expectations or my hopes for a great season filled with upset wins, I just want to keep my focus squarely on the pathway into the ncaa tournament where just maybe another Syracuse moment may happen. Until then, the team needs to keep finding its way forward!
ReplyDeleteI don’t know, I agree it’s amazing to watch them do what they do and get to the tournament so often, but at some point it would be nice to see them take it to another level. There’s no reason at this point they shouldn’t be rewarded for their success. And that means a new friggin gym, better recruits and top 50 type rankings. This idea that kids don’t want to play in Burlington seems silly, they play for national championships in storr ct. The fan base shows up every game which you can’t say for 75% of the country.
DeleteDisappointing performance, but when two of your best players appear out of sorts Bogues and Veretto it explains a lot . if they are still banged up maybe they need to sit until conference play ? But perhaps it explains their poor performance. Moreover , perhaps the team is missing a Ben Shungu , Ryan Davis , Anthony Lamb , TBH , Ernie D ,Finn Sullivan ie maybe the team is missing someone of their caliber
ReplyDeleteI think Bogues will prove to be a big upgrade over Sullivan. But yes right now they are missing a Shungu or trae, guys that scrapped and got into the lane and finished…
DeleteI think we are learning about this team. Last year it was apparent it wasn’t going to be deep and had to play small as Penn, Finn, AD and Robin were clearly the better players. This year I don’t think we will see a set rotation for a while… and we shouldn’t. AD going to the bench was a good thing. He is a spark plug in certain games. His size limits him outside the America East. I think the big man rotation is still being defined and I wouldn’t mind seeing a 3 big lineup from time to time. Joba could make a difference and Nick F is playing great. Verdetto’s minutes should be in jeopardy. When not hitting 3s he is a liability on defense. Need to bounce back on this road trip. Character games coming up. No matter the opponent you should be able to bring the defense and strong effort. And someone mentioned it….. when things aren’t going right need to diversify the offense. Go Cats!
ReplyDeleteWell, this team relies more on finesse than brute strength. So when they're not hitting 3's.. And when an aggressive perimeter defense gets on them.. it's going to be a problem.
ReplyDeleteThis gives them a lower ceiling than we're accustomed to. They're not going to beat higher level teams with superior athletes. On the plus side, they'll have plenty of offense to compete in conference.
I disagree. This is by far their most athletic team they’ve ever had. Bogues, ileri, alamatu are as athletic as anyone we’ve ever had. They need to match it with their mindset which means go up strong, don’t be intimidated in the paint, etc.
DeleteThe 'most athletic' conversation starts and ends with Marcus Blakely. But what I really mean is this team, aside from Bogues, is limited to scoring from the outside. You're right that Ayo-Faleye and Alamutu also have great athleticism, but they're not scorers. Long, Hurley, Varetto, Deloney and Fiorillo are primarily outside shooters. Can they score in the paint? Maybe once in a while. But that's not really their game. Any team with a strong perimeter defense is going to give this team problems.
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny you say that, I was literally going to write as athletic as anyone we’ve had since Marcus. I think what you’re saying is true but the blueprint can’t be so easy for the other team to beat us. In fact look at the Colgate game, Bogues had success early on going to the rim, they made an adjustment but then we got away from it. It’s like in football, you have to throw the ball deep to prevent them from bringing the safeties up to stop the run. Or any sport, keeping the other team honest. And I think we have the talent to do it but they’re settling for 3’s too much, and in some cases bad looks, and also not getting to the line at all.
ReplyDeleteI watched Sam get an offensive rebound right under the hoop and instead of going up strong he passed it out, thats a mindset…
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty of athleticism to reminisce about from past teams. Certainly Kevin Roberson has to enter into that discussion. However, the strength of the Becker era Cats has been the ability to get the athletes they have to play as a team. I watched games where Eddie Benton scored 50 points and the team lost. This season's will greatly depend on how the coaching staff gets the most from the athletes that have. I agree with the statement that when the UVM game scores in the paint with some consistency then the three becomes open. The coaching staff needs to get the team playing a more balanced offense and we will see the ball fall at a higher rate. AD, both the TJs and Bogues all can drive the paint and score. Settling on the perimeter shot will simply telecast to other teams exactly how to defend...
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