Outhustled, outworked, outplayed.
Merrimack dominated Vermont with their matchup zone and handed the Cats a shocking loss. This was the poorest performance by a Cats team in recent memory. They were sluggish and played with little to no energy or excitement. For the second straight game the turnovers were plentiful as Vermont has been uncharacteristically loose with the ball. The offensive adjustments and plans have not clicked so far and the Cats look tentative and unsure. The coaching staff is struggling to find the right combinations and the shifting lineups seem to be making the roles undefined and murky. Becker is trying to light a fire under the veterans and find the right groups but the young players are not quite ready for the larger roles. Over the first few games the biggest shock has been how much the Cats have struggle to get and finish shots at the rim. After tonight they are shooting 34% (!!!!) from two point range. That is an almost unfathomable number for a Vermont squad. Quite a bit of soul searching after a busy week full of ups and downs. Interestingly enough as far as the record goes, 1-2 at this point was what was expected but Vermont got there in quite the backwards fashion.
TJ Long led the Cats with 22 points, including the 1,000th of his career. He kept the Cats afloat but no one else got going offensively. TJ Hurley finished with 11 points as the other double figure scorer. The elephant in the room is how poorly Shamir Bogues has played after his early explosion at against UAB. He does not look 100% and the missed time is clearly affecting him. Vermont does have strong depth but Bogues is such an important player that it is a uphill battle with him playing so ineffectively. Nick Fiorillo and Sam Alamutu have also struggled mightily to start the season after looking very good during the offseason/preseason. Ileri Ayo-Faleye, Seth Joba, and Shy Odom struggled to make an impact. Sean Blake was thrust into an even more prominent role and fell victim to the ups and downs of freshman inexperience. He grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 5 assists but struggled defensively and committed 4 turnovers. He is not quite ready for the full reins of the offense. Noah Barnett continues to show flashes with his hustle, finishing with 5 points and 5 rebounds, but he too showed some inexperience in the post.
What a difference from the beginning of the week. It is going to be a long week for Vermont as they try to right the ship before heading to Iona on Friday.
The Cats looked tired out there on the court. They didn’t seem to find their rhythm and Merrimack did a great job of capitalizing on their sluggishness.
ReplyDeleteBut they will definitely come around soon I feel.
It was the end of a tough week. I think they will get it going as well.
DeleteDisappointing is an understatement, it wasn’t just losing it was not showing up that hurts and says we need to reassess . It seems whatever worked against UAB has been lost . IAF was MIA and Nick seems out of sorts . Joba and Barnett seemed lost the last two games . While I fully expected that we would lose to Auburn I didn’t expect to get shellacked . To be fair their performance last Wednesday was final four worthy and But I fully expected a bounce back win against Merrimack . Thankfully , they have a week to get prepared for Iona. But the schedule isn’t easy from this point forward . First the non conference opponents are all challenging and then the conference begins. . We need to find our identity and as with all Becker it begins with defense. Then players need to understand their roles and finally execute . I haven’t looked at the stats but I’d guess our shooting was pretty bad , we didn’t get to the line nearly enough , and there were way to many TO’s . I’m hoping for a bounce back performance against Iona, and that begins a little pre conference run . . But the OOC schedule has mostly high quality mid major programs .. But I have confidence that players will get healthy and start performing.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the season is always full of ups and downs. History would dictate that they will figure it out.
DeleteRandom thoughts - they were manhandled in the post by that Trumper guy - a DII transfer. The Clark kid made UVM's back court look silly and is a really good player. So many misses around the rim - if the 'bigs' stop dribbling when they catch the ball and just catch and go up with it they might convert more. Looks like Long's shooting is coming around but nobody else's is. The team has a real problem playing against a zone defense like Merrimack's. Nick needs to be on the bench - he's mostly a liability out there. Blake needs to slow down a bit to cut down on the turnovers. Looks like he's still adjusting to the speed and quickness of D1 players. Bogues has been a no-show. Really disappointed in the team overall so far.
ReplyDeleteThe long week combined with the missed time due to preseason injuries caught up all at once. Guys like Bogues who missed so much time had a hard time recovering with short turnarounds between games. The rest will do them good.
DeleteI still think that this may be Beckers most talented group. Problem is, they lost their leader -Aaron Deloney- and no one has yet filled that role.
ReplyDeleteThat leadership role is definitely a work in progress. These types of losses can serve as a opportunity for leaders to step up.
DeleteWhat happened to Roquemore? Any news on his injury status? He could provide a bit of guard depth.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure where he is at.
DeleteLee, I’m wondering if you know why Jace
ReplyDeleteRoquemore isn’t getting any playing time. Thanks
Note sure. He was injured for the final exhibition but not sure where he is at now.
DeleteThese early non-league games serve only two purposes in my mind; they hopefully sort out all of the rotation issues and provide the team the opportunity to establish a chemistry (including leadership). UVM still has to win the America East tourney regardless of how every other game turns out. With that reality stated, I sure would love to see them win against these quality opponents instead of getting humbled. Here's to hoping for a change in course...
ReplyDeleteYeah, ultimately this is the part of the schedule where you "want" the tough losses. Help galvanize the team and build towards the conference schedule.
DeleteI have no inside information, but my guess is that Jace is injured. Bogues has been playing limited minutes, so my take is that he's hurt as well. Any information, Lee? Nick is great, but he's best coming off the bench, complimenting. Noah Barnett deserves a lot more time. Merrimack won 20 plus games last year. We were their opening night, and they came to play. Let's hope that the time off helps.
ReplyDeleteI think for Bogues it is a game shape/body recovery ramp up to the bigger minutes after missing time. I am not sure about Jace. Merrimack can be a tough matchup because of their unique zone. The rest will certainly help.
DeleteNo low-post scoring, weak penetration game, poor 3 point shooting, no dependable go-to guy. Result = 51 points. Unless there are major improvements in the chemistry & execution on offense, this will be a long and disappointing season for the cats.
ReplyDeleteThe Cats have shown over the years that they can bounce back and figure out early season chemistry/efficiency issues. Iona will be a great indicator of if this group can respond.
DeleteLee,
ReplyDeleteWhat openings do you have left for therapy sessions? Depressed Catamount fans want to know! Thank you!
Haha. I will look into some office hours!
DeleteThey got rocked at Auburn. I think their confidence is shot. Bogues isn't 100% I get it. Hurley and Ayo Fayeye need to play better. Long plays fine at America East level. Blake is still young. Not sure Alamutu is effective as a guard. Barnett can be a banger. Joba needs to play faster. Can he? What happened to Fiorillo? Needs to play hard and stop thinking. Coach needs to find a role for Odom. Can he be a post scorer without demanding the ball so much?
ReplyDeleteAll good questions that will be answered throughout the non-conference.
DeleteLee, Are you going to the AEast soccer championship game on Sunday - Bryant versus Vermont?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately no. Daughters have basketball.
Delete