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.
Tough to see the player of the year injured and on the bench... what a dramatic difference with Bogues on the floor. Kudos to the rest of the squad for responding and recovering for the win. Nice to see the bigs play well...
ReplyDeleteIt s really tough. You can see how hard it is for him. The frontcourt is really shaping up.
DeleteNice to see Jace get his chance. I hope Bogues is back soon. He is such a difference maker. You have to wonder is ADs minutes will soon disappear? When he isn’t scoring, he is not much of a playmaker or defender. They are better when the taller/bigger guards are out there and Jace certainly appears to be earning a role. Great work by the big guys tonight. Ayo-Fayele is just coming into his own… can be a difference maker.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it but AD should be the last guard to get minutes. He’s given everything to the program and Becker definitely trusts him but he really hasn’t been very impactful since deciding to come back and you might even say since the Brown game last yr. He’s been here for 6 yrs and maybe his drive and spark are gone. With Shamir or Jace at PG they are very long and athletic especially on the defensive end and I think they’re going to need that size and length against UML and Bryant. I love the roster otherwise and would like to see more minutes for Sam. Anyone’s thoughts on Joba? He looks like another big that may be gone after one yr, it’s a shame these kids can’t understand that there will be growing pains. But he looks miserable on the sidelines and I get it, he’s got talent and wants to play. Next yr we are losing two bigs so he should realize there will be tons of minutes.
DeletePS Nick has been great this yr but quit attempting those backdoor passes. He has to have at least a half dozen turnovers if not more from them…
AD needs to drive the lane with greater intensity. He will either get a shot or a pass. Currently he is too passive offensively. It would be a shame to lose Joba. It would nice if he could be thrown some minutes to keep him on the hook.
DeleteAD has always functioned better playing off other playmakers. Now that he is more of a defensive focal point it is much harder to generate his own offense. He really wants to get others involved and I agree that it has caused him to be too passive at times. Nick's passing has been successful enough so far I don't mind continuing to probe the defense. They need that type of playmaking especially with Bogues out. Joba will be an all conference player if he sticks around. It is a major conundrum for the coaching staff. He isn't ready for big minutes this season and they are not going to sacrifice winning just to try and keep everyone happy. There has been almost no game time with big leads with every game being close and I am sure he wants to get out there and play. The portal era is still new and balancing player development and winning is even tougher than before.
DeleteThat would stink if we lost Joba. Hopefully the staff paints a picture for hi:the next 3 years in VT. How is Noah Barnett doing? Redshirt, is he a sure thing to come back next year? How is he progressing? Also, Skipper? Is he developing?
DeleteI don’t think getting Joba 8-10 minutes a game is going to cost them games against the bottom half of the league, and maybe he actually proves he belongs now. I remember Davis’ first yr it was very up and down but he got to play and I don’t think he was as highly regarded coming in. Perry Smith has been doing pretty well since he left and we need to try to avoid that being commonplace as a program…
DeleteBarnett is definitely redshirting. Skipper has developed well on offense but is quite lost on the defensive end still. There might be some opportunities for minutes against some of the lower tier teams. I don't know if there is a secret formula for keeping players outside of running a winning program where players are bought in. Across college basketball freshman have huge seasons and go elsewhere, and guys play very little and go elsewhere. It really runs a gamut and there is not set formula as each decision is unique. There are too many factors that go into transfer decisions to be able to try and predict what all the factors. Smith has done a nice job at his new spot and that is great for him. Finding the right fit is important. I am sure the coaching staff has laid out a path for Joba and if he wants it, great! If not, that will work itself out.
DeleteSecond half was Catamount Basketball
ReplyDeleteFor Sure!
DeleteWith Bogues in lineup at beginning of game they were locked in offensively and defensively. Quick 11-2 start. Glad they fought back and took care of business once Bogues went down.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteInjuries impact sports all the time unfortunately. There have been times for Cats where they have had to overcome them and it seems by and large they do, most recent at Toledo but historically they have also. I credit that to coaching, defense and depth and Cats have all of that. But forever how long, we will miss SB as he is so much fun to watch for every second he plays. Great play in the 2nd half. We have to defend Patrick Gym as it looks like Cats will have their hands full this year and it will take every last player to ward off the stars on Bryant and UML!
ReplyDeleteThey have historically done very well with players out and they have the depth to do it. However I would say that this team more than in years past is constructed relying on an individual player (Bogues) as a crucial part and he is the guy that really take them to the next level. The league looks very tough this year and they will need to really dig deep night in and night out.
DeleteThe path forward still is dependent on winning the AE tourney. That is and has been the only route and this team has the talent and depth to win that tourney even without Bogues. It will all come down to whether they have the heart and energy to defend the title. Don't get me wrong, I think it is made much easier with SB healthy and playing but this is Vermont basketball and they need to lean into the headwinds and show their grit!
ReplyDeleteThis team still has the goods without Bogues for sure. Their margin for error is just a little slimmer as Bogues really takes them up a notch.
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