Statement made: Part Two

Vermont 67 Bryant 57

Set 'em up and knock 'em down.

Vermont dominated Bryant with a tremendous effort on the defensive end and passed their weekend road swing with flying colors. Defeating the other two undefeated conference teams in their home gyms on a quick turnaround is a tremendous accomplishment and continues to demonstrate the resolve that this team has. In both games they were challenged to win when they were not at their best offensively and each time they made adjustments and found a way to win. The first half was back and forth with the teams feeling each other out. Vermont exploded out of the gate in the second half and maintained a double digit lead the rest of the way. With the perimeter shots not falling once again, Vermont took advantage of mismatches in the post and relentlessly attacked the rim. One of the big keys to defeating Bryant is to make them play at a slower tempo and the Cats put on a masterclass in executing that gameplan today. The Cats finished with 10 steals and 7 blocks and made life miserable for Bryant on every drive to the rim. Once again the depth of Vermont and the balanced scoring shined through. The bench had 35 points in this game, outscoring the starters. Every time a team schemes to take a part of the Cats offense away, someone else steps up. The Cats have had a different person lead the team in scoring in eight consecutive games. That is a rare feat. Their unselfishness and commitment to winning is quite an advantage. 

Today it was Nick Fiorillo's turn to lead the Cats in scoring. He finished with 15 points, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Efficient, under control, and steady as a rock. The game was very physical throughout and Fiorillo held his ground and never wavered. Aaron Deloney scored 12 points and dished out a team high 4 assists. Deloney has very quietly scored in double figures in four consecutive games and is back to the steady AD we know and love. Jace Roquemore provided a huge spark early in the first half after Shamir Bogues tweaked his foot and needed a breather. Rocquemore scored 8 points to go with 3 assists and 3 steals and had an absolute poster dunk on conference leading shot blocker Daniel Rivera. Speaking of Bogues, he gutted it out and played tremendous defense on conference leading scorer Sherif Gross-Bullock. He finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds but missed some bunnies at the rim as his vertical explosiveness has taken a slight hit due to the injury. He battled hard today and the game served as a prime example of how many different ways he can impact the outcome. TJ Hurley was the only starter in double figures with 10 points and he has really assumed the silent assassin role that Everett Duncan was so good at. Hurley doesn't need the ball in his hands to make a huge impact and very quietly moves himself around the perimeter, ready to knock down big shots. Ileri Ayo-Faleye continued his strong play with 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. He took a beating in this one and struggled from the field but has really become a player that can impose his will on the game and change the momentum with a single play. Matt Veretto played tough defense and finished with 5 points and 6 rebounds. TJ Long has hit quite a slump with the added defensive attention and is struggling to find his rhythm. It will be his time again soon and I am sure he will bounce back. 

Vermont is back home on Thursday with the challenge of maintaining focus after a big weekend of key wins. Old rival Albany comes to Patrick as another uptempo team looking to speed up the Cats. This Cats group is fun to watch and I can't wait for the game. 

WHAT A GAME!!!

Vermont 72 UMass Lowell 65 OT

This is why college basketball is the best. What a incredible game.

Vermont overcame several very uncharacteristic mental errors down the stretch of regulation and pulled out a gutsy win in overtime. The game was back and forth throughout and lived up to the billing of the two top teams and bitter America East rivals in an early season conference battle. Defenses were locked in, physical play was par for the course, and every run had a equal response. With Lowell's trademark three point defense stifling the Cats, Vermont turned to a flurry of backdoor cuts on the offensive end. It looked as though the Cats had taken a stranglehold on the game at 60-53 with 2:36 left. Then the wheels fell off with mental errors left and right. A travel on an inbound, a fouled three point shooter, an ill advised three, and giving up a offensive rebound on a free throw. Phew. That was rough. The Cats survived and with shotmaking and defense, pulled out the huge road win. Vermont's defense was incredible throughout, holding the potent Lowell offense to 37% shooting, forcing 16 turnovers, and challenging everything at the rim. A big time statement from this group that they are ready and up to the challenge of conference play. 

The MVP, as he has been for the last few weeks, was Ileri Ayo-Faleye. Impacting the game on both ends of the floor and coming up with big play after big play. Career highs across the board with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and big free throws down the stretch to boot. It felt like every one of his buckets, blocks, and rebounds were big. The block of the Max Brooks dunk in overtime was masterful. He has just exploded over the last few weeks and it has been his versatility that has impressed the most. He is making an impact in just about every aspect of the game. Incredible. Shamir Bogues returned to the starting lineup and reminded everybody how great he can be when healthy. He led the Cats with 19 points and added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. In the second half it felt like there was a stretch where his defense single handedly turned the tide of the game. A fully healthy Bogues completely changes this Cats group. He is dynamic on both sides of the ball and supercharges the Vermont attack. Aaron Deloney provided his trademark spark off the bench and hit big shots throughout, finishing with 12 points. His floater over Brooks late in the second half was a thing of beauty. TJ Hurley battled throughout and hit a couple big threes, rounding out the double figure scorers with 10 points. Nick Fiorillo's passing was a game changer in the second half, running the offense out of the high post. Fiorillo finished with 6 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals in a savvy veteran performance. And of course, TJ Long struggles throughout the game as the focus of the Lowell defense, can't get anything going, misses some open looks but................ hits the biggest shot of the night in overtime to give the Cats a late lead. 

No time to rest on their laurels as the Cats are faced with an equally big test on a quick turnaround against an also undefeated in conference Bryant on Saturday afternoon. An absolute gauntlet weekend against the top tier America East challengers. Should be another incredible matchup and another absolute battle. 

Vermont at Binghamton 1/18/24

Vermont 82 Binghamton 62

I finally got around to watching Thursday night's game. An incredible team performance that really showcased not only the depth of this team but the versatility. The interchangeable pieces and lineup options on this team are progressing nicely and are putting a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. As teams are looking to sell out to take away the three or focus on stopping one or two main options, other players are stepping up and making the most of their opportunity. One of the exciting things about watching this team is how every player looks empowered to look for their offense when they have an opportunity. The ball continues to move around and when it finds a player with an advantage, they attack. The defense is executing better each game and in this game the steals were particularly effective in jumpstarting the Cats. 

Sam Alamutu led the Cats with 13 points and added 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He continues to grow into his role and is attacking off the dribble, which is creating opportunities for him and his teammates. The perimeter shooting is a nice bonus and has made himself enough of a threat that he has to be accounted for when the ball is moving around the perimeter. Nick Fiorillo added 12 points and and his sweet shooting has returned after battling injuries this year and last. The bench unit scoring 44 points is representative of the fact that Vermont has so many guys who are and have been starters in that bench unit. They truly have 10 guys who have been starters and any combination of those players makes Vermont dangerous. TJ Long also dropped in 12 points and had 4 steals. He is such an opportunistic defender who has a nose for the ball. Aaron Deloney rounded out the double digit scorers with 10 points and looks locked in once again. Shamir Bogues returned and looked as though he got through the game healthy. If he can remain healthy he pushes the Cats ceiling even higher. Jace Roquemore has been an absolute revelation for Vermont. He sparked the Cats second half run with tremendous patience and execution from the point guard spot. Since entering the rotation at the Brown game, Roquemore is averaging roughly 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 23 minutes per game. He has also committed only one turnover during that five game stretch. Earlier in the season Vermont was searching for stability at the point guard spot and they have absolutely found it. 

The next two games are the biggest of this early conference slate. Both UMass Lowell and Bryant have been very good and are hungry to take their shot at Vermont. One of the keys over the next two games is that both Bryant and Lowell defend the three very well with Lowell currently second in the nation in opponent 3 point percentage (27%). One of the other interesting trends to watch over the course of this conference season is a leagewide stylistic change. Gone are the days of the America East grinding teams as Vermont and Maine are the only slow tempo holdovers from that past era. Six out of the nine AE teams are top 100 in tempo and 4 of those (Bryant, UMBC, Albany, New Hampshire) are top 20. Offensive efficiency is up across college basketball and the league is seeing a shift in offensive philosophy as well. Can't wait for these next two games!

Vermont vs NJIT 1/13/24

Vermont 76 NJIT 55

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. 

Vermont vs UMBC 1/11/24

Vermont 77 UMBC 72

Vermont rode the UMBC rollercoaster and hit enough shots to pull out the victory. It was a wierd, hectic game with bodies flying everywhere and very few fouls called. Conference play is a different animal than the non-conference and this group is still finding itself, many going through that for the first time. UMass Lowell similarly struggled with last place NJIT at home this evening. Anything can happen in these hotly contested conference matchups. The Cats got off to a slow start and then caught fire, building a big lead. The pace became increasingly frenetic and UMBC did a great job getting the game to be played at their pace. Back and forth and up and down with shotmaking from all over. Vermont used a balanced team attack to respond to every run from the Retrievers. The Cats finished with 18 assists and only 5 turnovers and knocked down 12 three pointers. Right now there are just to many stretches where the Cats take their foot off the gas on the defensive end. I am sure that is really sticking in Becker's craw as this team is still searching for that locked in defensive identity. The ball movement, shotmaking, and unselfish play continue to propel the Cats to victories as they look for 40 minutes of consistent, locked in Catamount basketball. 

TJ Hurley led the balanced attack with 14 points. He continues to provide an efficient offensive presence and does such a great job of letting the game come to him. Matt Veretto was right behind him with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Ileri Ayo-Faleye is becoming quite the second half hero as of late, going on a 8-0 run all by himself and finishing with 12 points. The leap he has made over the last week is impressive and he continues to come up big for the Cats. TJ Long rounded out the double digit scorers with 11 points. Long is in a bit of a slump as teams are putting a lot more defensive pressure on him but he still managed to knock down a big shot late. Jace Roquemore earned the start and ran the offense nicely. His calm presence and point guard mentality are are filling a great need for Vermont with Bogues out. Sam Alamutu played well off the bench scoring 8 points and leading the Cats with 7 rebounds. He is doing a great job learning on the fly with more and more nice cuts to the basket to compliment his physical defense. Aaron Deloney played a nice game off the bench with 8 points and a team high 6 assists. 

Vermont will always get every team's best shot and today's game was no exception. This group continues to find a way to win and they get one more home game before a great early conference road trip that will give these Cats a huge test. 

Vermont vs Maine 1/6/24

Vermont 65 Maine 58

Vermont used a strong second half to defeat a hungry Maine team in their conference opener. The game started with a electric run sparked by the return of Shamir Bogues, giving what turned out to be short glimpse into what a fully healthy Cats team can do. Unfortunately, Bogues re-aggravated his injury and did not return. I feel so bad for him. It was clear that he was so excited to get back out there and play and it must be very discouraging that his body keeps betraying him. I hope he can get healthy but you have to start to wonder if he is going to get back to 100%. Sending healing thoughts. The team was very clearly deflated by the Bogues injury and Maine took advantage going on a 16-2 run to end the half and the Black Bears went into the break with a four point lead. Maine was determined to take away Vermont's three point shooting and executed that plan perfectly, holding the Cats to 3-17 shooting from deep. The Cats made a great adjustment and attacked the rim, dominating points in the paint 44-28. The story of the game was the Cats defense. This was a bread and butter Vermont program victory where the team dug deep and swallowed up the Maine offense in the second half. The Cats finished with 9 steals, 5 blocks, and won the rebounding battle 36-33. It was a gritty hard fought game led by Vermont's frontcourt. This Cats team can really challenge shots at the rim and make every shot inside the arc a difficult one. They also took exceptional care of the ball with only 6 turnovers. 

This game was all about the big men. Matt Veretto got the Cats off to a good start and Ileri Ayo-Faleye and Nick Fiorillo came up big in the second half. Veretto finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds, knocking down 2 of the Cats 3 threes. He continues to improve his ability to punish mismatches in the post. For the second straight game Ayo-Faleye really took control of the game offensively with hard drives to the rim. He is still refining his offense game but has made a tremendous leap in his ability to get to rim and put himself in position to finish. Ayo-Faleye finished with a career high 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in a tremendous two-way performance. He had the defensive play of the game, chasing down a wide open Maine fast break and single handedly forcing a turnover in a crucial moment. Incredible growth over the course of the season so far. Nick Fiorillo rounded out the double figure scores with 13 points on 5-6 shooting, canning a huge three (the Cats only one of the second half) in a crucial moment to give Vermont some breathing room. You know he was hyped to play his home state team. He also had a crucial block down the stretch and has really solidified the frontcourt rotation. TJ Long scored 9 points in a game where he struggled to get anything going offensively. He also blocked a couple of shots and made some timely defensive plays in the second half. Jace Roquemore was great for the second straight game, taking over for the injured Bogues. Roquemore finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 22 minutes off the bench. He is running the offense with poise and has a nice calm to his game. Adjusting to a new program is tough and never a linear process so it is great to see him starting to find his footing. TJ Hurley and Aaron Deloney struggled with the Maine defensive pressure, shooting a combined 2-12 from the field  and finishing with 2 points apiece. Sam Alamutu and Brenton Mills were great on the boards, both grabbing 4 rebounds in limited minutes. The Vermont depth was huge in this one, helping to rebound from the loss of Bogues.

Every game in conference play is tough and every team has plans and backup plans to take away a team's strengths and take advantage of their weakness. Now the Cats get UMBC at home on Thursday in what should be the polar opposite of today's matchup. Vermont and Maine are slow tempo teams (340th and 290th out of 362 total DI teams) who want to grind out games with their defense. UMBC on the other hand is second in the country in fatest tempo and just about dead last (360th out of 362) in defensive efficiency. It will be quite a contrast of styles at Patrick on Thursday night. 

CARDIAC CATS!!

Vermont 71 Brown 70

The Cardiac Carts strike again!

Vermont took their very first lead of the game at 71-70 and locked defensively to make it count, stunning Brown in the second half. Vermont started sluggish, looking like a team coming off a long layoff, and Brown couldn't miss. The Bears took a 17 point lead at at 42-25 with 3:30 left in the first half and things were looking grim for the Cats. Then Vermont went on a 9-0 run heading into the locker room and gave themselves new life. The second half was back and forth to start with but the Cats struggled to get over the hump. Brown pushed the lead back up to 10 with 14 minutes left. Vermont then went on a 16-6 run to tie things up at 61. Back and forth the teams went and then with 1:21 left TJ Long (who else) knocked down a three to put the Cats ahead 71-70. That lead held with tough defense from both sides to finish out the game. One huge plus from this game was the free throw shooting showed up big. After a disappointing effort last time out the Cats went 14-16 from the line to help secure the victory. They also took excellent care of the ball with only 4 turnovers. With the perimeter shooting struggling Vermont did a nice job getting shots at the rim, outscoring the Bears 32-26 in the paint. It would be nice not to have to sweat it out in every game but the Cats certainly have gained valuable experience with all of the tight, hard fought contests they have played in the non-conference. Honestly they manage to play almost every type of game (blowout win, blowout loss, buzzer beater win, buzzer beater loss, etc.) during this stretch and at the very least they will be ready for anything during conference play. 

Matt Veretto led the Cats with 16 points and what was most impressive was that he did so without hitting a single three pointer. He looked great taking advantage of mismatches and looking for his shot going to the rim. That is major growth for Veretto who has predominantly functioned as a shooter in a Catamount uniform. Ileri Ayo-Faleye was massive in the second half scoring 11 points and once again challenging every shot at the rim. Brown went up 68-63 late and Ayo-Faleye responded with a quick 5-0 run to tie things up. He has done a great job picking his spots from the three point line. TJ Hurley also had a huge second half with 10 points and played a team high 28 minutes. TJ Long struggled on both sides of the ball for much of the game but gutted it out and once again hit the big shot late. Long finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds and continues to hit big shots when the Cats need a bucket. There were two big time unsung hero performances in this one with Sam Alamutu and Jace Roquemore giving the Cats a huge lift off the bench. Alamutu brought energy and is looking for his offense more and more. He scored 5 points in only 12 minutes but each play he made seemed like a big moment. Roquemore was a huge difference maker, guarding Brown's leading scorer and barely letting him touch the ball in the second half. He scored 6 points in 17 minutes and went 4-4 from the line, really stabilizing the Cats in the second half. Nick Fiorillo led the bench squad with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. He hit a big three that really energized the Cats with about 8 minutes to go in the game. 

A strong non-conference performance from the Cats and now it is time to make it count with the conference schedule beginning this weekend. The Cats proved themselves as the favorites but face some stiff competition in what looks like a tough, competitive conference this season. Lowell has battled injuries and looks very tough. Bryant has found a new identity as a tough defensive team. Maine, Binghamton, and New Hampshire have been tough and competitive in the non-conference as well. The Cats schedule is odd to start with three straight home games followed by a tough three game road stretch. Can't wait for Saturday's game in what should be a great atmosphere at Patrick.