Duke 64 Vermont 47
Vermont hung around and the defense showed up before the offense sputtered and the Cats fell to Duke. Most of the game was back and forth and it was exciting to see the Cats fight back every time Duke tried to pull away. The biggest takeaway for me was that the defense showed up in a big way. Early on the Cats were getting beat for big dunks at the rim and things were looking a little bleak. But just like they have all season they dug in on the defensive end and made life very difficult for the Blue Devils. That game really legitimized how good this defense is. Watching the defense work this year has been incredible. The shots just wouldn't fall and the length of the Duke defenders really bothered the Cats. Unfortunately all I can think about is TJ Long and his injury. So heartbreaking and I just feel for him. Crossing my fingers and sending positive thoughts.
Shamir Bogues was great, scoring 18 points including the 1,000th of his career. I love watching him play and he really showed out in this game. Aaron Deloney chipped in 14 points and capped off his career with a nice game. The floater at the end of the first half is one of my all time favorite Vermont shots. I know it is not a buzzer beater or a game winner, but that was just so incredibly exciting. What an incredible career for AD. One of my fav catamounts of all time. Gonna miss him in Catamount country. Sam Alamutu was incredible, playing physical defense, and pulling down 7 rebounds. Seth Joba played huge minutes in the first half and gave fans a taste of what could be over the next few years.
What a great season. I really fell in love with this group. The grit and never say die attitude was just incredible. Every game and every big moment they had the ability to make you believe. The offseason in college basketball is more unpredictable than ever but I am so excited to see this group potentially run it back.
That is all for now. The Long injury really put a damper on my spirits. I will post a season wrap up sometime over the next week.
Fantastic season. Proud of the catamounts. I feel they maximized their potential. Duke is a strong team at every position but Vermont battled them hard. Tremendous defensive performance. Just not enough offense to beat such a good team. It was a fun season.
ReplyDeleteVermont needs to get some offense if they ever want to win in the tournament. Defense gets you in the game, but you still have to put the ball in the hoop.
ReplyDeleteHeld Duke to their lowest point total of the year, but you need more than defense to win at this level. Vermont has been an inconsistent offensive team all year, and it showed up again last night. Also, 29 fouls shots for Duke - yikes!
ReplyDeleteFun season for sure and a great group. I hope TJ is OK….! If Becker and staff can keep everyone coming back I’m excited to see Joba and Skipper develop, year 2 of Bogues and Long in the program and have Ileri continue to develop. Glad Deloney came back for year 5! And my goodness is Sammy tough and hard worker. Would love to see us add one “scorer” through the portal this off-season. And the hope is Becker is back and books a tough preseason schedule to prep us for the length of Duke.
ReplyDeleteJB addressed what has been the issue all year that I’ve seen and it’s that they have zero post presence. It’s not that they don’t have shooters or players it’s just that their offense is one dimensional without a post presence. I think all of our tournament frustrations stem from being undersized and I pray this is the yr that we go out in the portal and find one athletic big that can score around the rim. I think JB’s defense first mentality really has him shy away from bigs it seems but he’s got to realize that it’s our Achilles heal at this point. If they can do that and get one more piece, like a Deloney with a bit more size I think it will be the best team of JB’s tenure. The athleticism of Sammy, Ileri, Shamir was really on display last night and TJH I thought played really good def which speaks to his athleticism and ability to stay in front of the duke guards. Again I think the ceiling is very high if they can just tweak their roster. I’m already looking forward to next year already.
ReplyDeleteHaving a post player would be great but it would be even better if they could make open shots. Agree that they need a consistent outside scorer. Although Long made some game winning shots this year, he is streaky. Bogues is not a great outside shooter and really needs to work on his foul shooting. Ileri can make an occasional 3, but not his strength. Nick? Really disappointed in his shooting down the stretch. Hurley, maybe - his injury hampered him I'm sure. Alamutu is strictly an inside player. Time to hit the transfer portal, I think, for a proven scorer.
ReplyDeleteWith the limited resources and lack of NIL money in Burlington, really hard to get big guys and big scorers to come here. Money talks these days, unfortunately. It is what it is. UVM will continue to be a big fish in a small pond unless a big commitment is made to upgrade and I don't see a will for that to happen.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t necessarily talking about some 3-4 star recruit or transfer looking for money. There have been plenty of games against mid majors when we’ve been undersized and that’s what needs to be addressed. I think back to a guy like Jordan minor last yr who was playing at Merrimack, that’s the type of player we need. Just someone who has to be respected and defended in the post.
DeleteWhat a great season! Enjoyed all of the accomplishments. UVM played Duke straight up and can really hold their heads up after that game. I am ver impressed with the string of successes UVM has accomplished lately. Becker, his coaches, and the teams over the past years has put UVM on the division I basketball map. With all of the talk about what UVM needs it is easy to forget that a team like Duke "selects" the players from the list of 5 star athletes dying to play there. UVM has to "recruit" athletes and convince them to attend school in the great white north. All that said and still look at the amazing accomplishments over the past decade and lately this year. On top of that, we have next year to look forward to. I for one am excited and do not place any conditions on my exuberance for what happened this season.
ReplyDeleteWell said and I agree wholeheartedly. Perhaps Seth Joba hasn’t finished growing. It will be interesting to see how he develops. I wonder if Jace is perhaps going to return. In a season where Cats rarely fouled out, they showed they were human as the fouls added up, a product of accelerated play against a big and tall lineup. I thoroughly enjoyed Shamir and Ileri on defense (and offense) all year. It was also really cool to see AD work and play well as a leader, making it worthwhile that he decided to return. Finally, thank you Lee, for all your efforts and I look forward to recruiting season and your reports on the same. Go CATS!
ReplyDeleteI see the Atlantic 10 will be looking for a team to replace UMASS after this season. Could that team be UVM, would the decision be wise…if only to escape a 1 bid conference?
ReplyDeleteA-10 membership might help with recruiting, but it would be a competitive jump up. I wouldn't expect UVM to be a perennial conference champ in that league like they are in A-East, at least for a while. They would be competitive, though.
ReplyDeleteLee, thanks for everything you do, this community is great and growing. I was at the game Friday night with family and college buddies. This fan base is amazing, it really is and showed up in Brooklyn. Here’s my question, if we don’t have the traditional resources to bring players in is there some form of go fund me (for lack of a better term)account that we can set up for fans to contribute. It’s one thing to donate to the school but to be able to send $ directly to the program is different. Judging from the games turnout(I would say the largest of the 4 schools)and all the texts I received during the game, I would say something like this would make an impact and could easily raise 7 figures. I don’t know the legality of it all but could get us over the top since we already have name recognition, great coaching, post college career success, home sellout crowds and the probability you will play in the big dance. Just an idea, thx….
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Obviously you may be giving up the attraction of “ donating “ and being able to deduct the donation on your tax return but if I’m getting your point this is designed to attract the smaller amount donor. You also didn’t mention ( specifically ) the fact that the facility they play in is way below anything they should be playing in. One big issue is the amount of money the school would have to borrow to compete the Tarrant Center. Finishing the Tarrant Center should be the number 1 priority of the Athletic Department. That should allow the coaches to recruit better players which leads to better teams.
ReplyDeleteNIL deals are primarily set up through "collectives," which are separate third-party businesses typically formed by boosters or fans of a specific school to create and support NIL opportunities for the school's athletes, such as public appearances, autograph signings and brand deals. The only people who cannot currently donate to NIL opportunities are coaches and athletic administrators. Fans and boosters can donate through collectives or agencies and can get very specific in where they want their money targeted.
ReplyDeleteUVM has something called an 'Excellence Fund' whereby you can donate money to a specific team, tax deductible.
ReplyDeleteGreat, thx for this. I looked around the stadium and thought if everyone was willing to spend $250 to go the game we should be willing to donate $25-$250 to the program. Quite honestly sometimes when I’m watching a great game or Shamir wrecking havoc on defense or ileri dunking or blocking a shot I wish I could just Venmo the team for all the fun I have watching them. I don’t watch the nba anymore and I just love following this program…
ReplyDeleteIf you go to the UVM mens basketball site and go to the Victory Club link, under there you will find the 'Excellence Fund' as well as other ways to donate.
ReplyDeleteThanks!, they might want to do a better job advertising this, ie Twitter, emails,, newsletters, Instagram, etc.
DeleteDuke just blew away JMU which bolsters UVM’s prestige. UVM held the Duke offense to its lowest level of the year!
ReplyDeleteI think this illustrates how close this program is to being where Becker wants to be. It’s frustrating for sure that we haven’t gotten over the hump but in a lot ways speaks to where this program is. No team overlooks us in the first round and quite honestly I feel like we get the toughest matchups year in and out. Let’s be honest the ncaa doesn’t want a program like Vermont to be knocking off a power conference and the draws prove it. We’ve held it close in much of these games and had chances to win against very good teams, all of which have gone on to make at least the sweet 16. The Arkansas team we lost to went on to beat Gonzaga handily, etc etc…. One of these yrs we’ll make the leap
ReplyDeleteSolid defense.. check
DeletePost player.. need
Knockdown shooter.. need
Reliable FT shooting.. FFS
(apologies for the language)
DeleteOffseason wish list. Keep all eligible players, I’m hoping Joba or Skipper don’t enter portal. Verettos, Deloney and Mills minutes open up and while we don’t hope for it, players will miss time… like Bogues, Veretto and Hurley did this year.
ReplyDeleteWe have a ton of defense coming back. Imagine Ileri, Bogues, Hurley and Sammy on the floor at the same time. Who is scoring in them!!
We need one flat out scorer this offseason, likely through the portal. A guy a that can get a bucket when needed. The recruitment pitch should be, you are the one that gets us over the hump.
In addition, schedule strong, competitive pre season slate. Get them ready for the Dukes, Marquettes and Arkansas of the world. Who knows maybe we get a few “signature” wins in the process!
Amazing season by the Cats! Congrats! To prepare for next season, send I.A. to a big man's camp to develop a signature move or two, and send Long, Fiorillo, and Hurley to an elite conditioning program to increase their speed and quickness. The talent is there.... these improvements will take them from good to great!
ReplyDeleteAnyone know the status of Long's injury?
ReplyDeleteApparently Long will not need surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. Great news.
ReplyDelete