Vermont met little resistance from the Albany defense and shot 55% from the field in a big road win. The game was played at Albany's breakneck pace but the Cats were able to take advantage by getting to the rim, scoring 46 points in the paint. In the first half, Vermont shot the ball very well and attacked the Great Dane defense with a faster paced offensive attack. It looked like the Cats were going to run Albany out of the gym early but Tyler Bertram single handedly kept the Great Danes in the game with an impressive shooting display. In the second half, Albany kept punching back and looked to be swinging the momentum in their favor before Coach Becker switched to a zone defense, totally deflating the Albany offensive attack. The Cats continued to get shot after shot at the rim and hit a couple big threes to put the game away. It was great to see the offense take advantage of a good matchup and Vermont's incredible balance shined through. Six players in double figures and big contributions from the bench. Proving that they can win a more shootout style game is a good experience for this team as they head toward March. The defense had a few lapses but did a much better job overall in the second half. That was a game where you kind of tip your cap to Bertram as he hit some insane shots.
Shamir Bogues led the way with 17 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. He was masterful in all aspects tonight, particularly running the offense to near perfection. He did a great job striking a balance between attacking and setting up his teammates. TJ Long scored 15 points and did a nice job attacking the rim and finishing through contact. Aaron Deloney was the closer in this one, hitting big shots down the stretch to put the game away and finishing with 14 points. TJ Hurley chipped in 12 points, efficiently picking his spots on offense and playing tough physical defense. Ileri Ayo-Faleye had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in a nice all around game. He played with force and also showed a little playmaking with some nice drive and dish moments. Nick Fiorillo scored 10 points and his putback tip in at the halftime buzzer was a big lift for the Cats. Matt Veretto finally found his shooting stroke, knocking down 3-6 from three for 9 points. His three from the corner with about 8 minutes to go really broke Albany's spirit. Sam Alamutu played some nice minutes and finished with 5 points and 5 rebounds.
Now the big homestand against the other title contenders where Vermont will have a chance to clinch the regular season title. This is is the week where that all of the hard work and preparation gives the Cats an opportunity to check the first box on their season goals. First up is Bryant on Saturday in what should be a great game.
I will be travelling internationally over my February break and likely will not be able to watch or blog these two huge matchups. I will nonetheless be cheering from afar and spreading that Catamount pride around the world!
Loved the performance overall, Albany is stronger than a lot of people take them for, I’m curious why Jace wasnt with the team tonight? I’m guessing he caught Beckers flu but hopefully it’s nothing long term because he’s a key piece to the Vermont bench. Let’s get this chip on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteI think the Cats can play this style and with their depth it might be the way to go vs these uptempo games. As long as under control and the defense stays firm. The Bryant and Lowell should be incredible!! Need to clinch home court! Go Cats Go!
ReplyDeleteDeath by a thousand cuts (Cats) overwhelms the Bertram Bombs. Fans should pony up good money just to watch Ileri and Shamir do their thing. When Albany got to within 2 pts with 10 minutes to play, it was anybody’s game, right? But then Cats go on a 35-20 run to say, “that’s all folks”. Great response.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see BM get a few minutes although he was pushing to hard and made some turnovers. Where was Roqamore tonight?
ReplyDeleteLook the have seemingly shortened the bench a bit which should lead to more consistency. LGC
ReplyDeleteJace had/has the flu!
ReplyDeleteHope the other players don't catch the flu.
ReplyDeleteAlbany is terrible. Zero effort on defense. The one kid got hot shooting. Otherwise it's a 30 point margin. Of all the America East teams Albany scares me the least. If Vermont gets them in the first round of the tournament it's like a bye.
In a one-and-done tourney from the America East with no chance for an at large bid every game has to be taken seriously. Albany scored in bunches and we did not have an answer for Bertram so it is best to take each team very seriously. Vermont's success has a downside... the Cats always have been a big target for the other teams. It's time to think one at a time.
ReplyDeleteCats beat Bryant for the 2nd time this year! Win at least a share of the AE title, now at 8 in a row in front of the Patrick faithful. Now they get to rest up for a finishing touch on UML next Saturday.
ReplyDeleteWhat a win against Bryant... steadfast, great defense and very timely shooting. Bogues' ability to get to the rim is amazing. Loved ADs very timely 3 point shooting!! Next up... bring it on!
ReplyDeleteI believe Shamir has now had 5 stellar games in a row since the loss to NJIT.
ReplyDeleteWe need him but he seems to be back!
Thanks everyone for posting on the Bryant game with Lee away. Agree with the previous posts . One area of concern is Veretto’s and to a lesser extent Fiorillo’s 3 PT shooting . We can beat most AE teams on most nights without them . But we are a very dangerous tournament team if they hit the 3 . . Long and AD are a little streaky . Finally Sam really seams to be carving out a role on this team , if he would only grow 2/3,inches his strength and athleticism are first class . Now we have to secure home court and not let down during the AE tournament. Not to get ahead of ourselves Lunardi bracketology has UVM as a 14 playing Duke in Pittsburg. We gave them a great game in Cameron several years ago. GO CATS GO
ReplyDeleteDuke got a little help with a phantom foul call on Clancy.
ReplyDeleteThat Duke team had great offensive talent but were horrible defensively
ReplyDeleteJust watched UML vs Bryant. Bryant really lacks the emotional capacity to be a championship caliber team. The technical fouls are evidence of this. UVM has been in important games where they have been frustrated yet they didn’t respond with the kind of emotional outbursts that Bryant had. The UML win makes the game this weekend all the more exciting…
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know the “ tiebreaker “ system in the AE to determine home court ? As I see the records it’s easy win one of the remaining games UVM wins the regular season outright . Lose both and assuming UML wins both , UVM and UML would have identical league Won/Lost records and both would have split the season series Are there “ tie breakers “ beyond that ? Do they flip a coin ? As a UVM fan I hope we will take care of business today and remove the suspense . But if not next weeks game takes on more significance
ReplyDelete. Anyone have the answer ?
UMass Lowell has the tie breaker advantage via a better AE road winning %. We need to win one or UMass Lowell needs to lose one for us to get the number one seed.
ReplyDeleteNo tiebreaker needed, close out the regular season , get Veretto and Hurley healthy , win three and on to the Dance
ReplyDeleteAaron Deloney!!! Have you ever had such a game? Well yes at Brown…but not one with such significance I dare say. For the undisputed regular season title against our big time rivals these days and on Senior Night (Afternoon). Gosh, it was fun watching you Aaron and without you scorching hot today, who knows what would have been. It was an “I am your LEADER” kind of game. Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteThe UML game felt a whole lot like a game in which the Vermont team played the way they are capable of playing. AD stepped up; different star in a different game! The defense was locked in and the rebounding was a main focus. Even when the Cats began to play uptempo in the second half (and UML made a run as a result) AD slowed it back down and they focused on the UVM style half court offense. I can't help but believe they can not be beaten the rest of the year if they play UVM basketball and dictate the pace and flow of the game like this last one versus UML. And speaking of roles played perfectly; Alamutu and JR were incredible off the bench. JR had an awesome block in the second and Alamutu was huge on the boards. Joba was also played quite well and can, I believe, help in the tourney as the team goes forward.
ReplyDeleteBTW: I went back a reread Lee's preseason preview. Amazing that once again Lee demonstrated the reason this blog is so informative. Lee's preview has played out to be spot on including (if UVM wins tomorrow) another season total win/loss record. It will be close if not exact. Thanks for doing your research year-in-and-year-out!
Correction: Wins vs UNH
DeleteThanks for the compliment and thanks for reading. I love digging into the numbers and getting that season preview together and I am glad that you are enjoying it!
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