SIMON SAYS WIN!!!!

Vermont 65 Pepperdine 56

Vermont used a strong second half on both sides of the ball to grind out a big road win in their first ever meeting with Pepperdine. The first half was a tough watch. Both teams struggling to make shots and lots of turnovers and sloppy play. The Cats survived and were able to enter halftime down just two. Then as the second half began, it felt like each team was waiting for a breakout, with neither team scoring for the first two and a half minutes. It took a whole 4 minutes for Vermont to score but after the first shot fell, the floodgates were open. The Cats made a three on three straight possessions and then continued the onslaught with three more to finish with six second half triples. The Cats defense held strong down the stretch and they came away with a hard fought road win. Cats fans were treated to the old rock fight, defensive grinder that they know and love from the Becker era. Like a warm blanket. The ball movement and passing in the second half was what really turned the game around and Vermont finished with 17 assists on 24 made field goals. Vermont showed a lot of guts bouncing back from the tough first half. This was a really important win to give the Cats a boost of confidence going into the upcoming three game homestand. 

This game was all about the David Simon breakout. What a performance from an unexpected source. He must have felt the vibes in his return to the west coast. After playing an effective 21 minutes on Wednesday, Simon exploded for 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, a steal, and two threes in 23 minutes. You name it, he did it. His length allowed the Cats to change their screen coverage in the second half and was a big reason why they were able get more stops. TJ Hurley matched Simon with 18 points of his own, including 4/8 from three. Hurley also chipped in 4 rebounds and 4 assists in a strong all around game. Sean Blake rounded out the Canadian attack with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. That's 44 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists combined from across the border. Pretty nice, eh? Blake struggled mightily in the first half but was dynamic down the stretch. The turnovers are a concern but ultimately the Cats really miss Lucas Mari's playmaking and point guard play to take the pressure off Blake. TJ Long made it three whole halves without scoring before breaking the ice for the Cats in the second half and finishing with 9 points on 3/8 shooting from three. He is in a bit of a slump and I bet is looking forward to the friendly confines of Patrick. Gus Yalden struggled with the double teams from Pepperdine and his struggles in screen action opened the door for the Simon breakout. He finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists and was part of a perfectly executed offense/defense switch by Becker, converting a big three point play in crunch time. Ben Johnson now sits 3 points away from 1,000 for his career. 

The Cats get a well deserved week off before a three game homestand as they prepare for Merrimack next Sunday. 

Vermont at Oregon State 12/3/25

Oregon State 80 Vermont 58

Vermont opened their west coast swing with a clunker against Oregon State. The Cats started slow and couldn't dig themselves out of an early hole. Oregon State shot the lights out from three and for the first time this season the Cats offense couldn't keep pace. The length of Oregon State really bothered the Cats. Lots of pass deflections and the Beavers finished with 8 blocked shots. Vermont struggled to establish the low post or the drive and kick game and as a result were forced into many tough shots. 

Gus Yalden led the Cats with 16 points, He struggled in the first half but was able to bounce back and have a nice second half. Ben Johnson came off the bench and made 4/6 from three to finish as the other Catamount in double figures with 12 points. That leaves him 5 points short of 1,000 for his career. Noah Barnett finished with 4 points and 7 rebounds in a physical effort underneath. David Simon got his first extended minutes in a while and looked good offensively, scoring 6 points to go along with 3 rebounds. Jackson Skipper chipped in 7 points off the bench. Sean Blake struggled to finish over the Beavers length, finishing 3-10 from the floor. That was the big story of the night for the Cats, as the starting guards never got going. TJ Hurley finished with 4 points on 1-8 shooting and TJ Long put up a goose egg on 0-4 shooting. Pretty tough to win games when two of your top scorers make one combined shot from the field. I thought the Cats really missed Lucas Mari's size in this one. 

No time to dwell with another tough matchup against Pepperdine on Saturday. With some home games on the horizon, Saturday is an opportunity to regroup and try to build some momentum for the homestand. 

Vermont vs Yale 11/30/25

Yale 77 Vermont 74

In another exciting back and forth college basketball game, Vermont came up just short against Yale. I know it would be nice to have won a few more but to be one or two plays away against 8-0 Buffalo, 6-2 Liberty, and 7-1 Yale during a stretch where the team is still finding itself points to a breakthrough at some point. This game continued the trend of the Cats digging deep and not letting a game get away from them as they battled back from a 10 point deficit in the second half. Three straight Yale offensive possessions at the end of the game had the ball hanging in excruciating fashion on the rim before falling for the visitors. Sometimes they don't roll your way. Yale was the best three point shooting team in the country going into the game today and Vermont did a great job limiting those perimeter opportunities. Defensively they still need to figure out how to improve their paint defense as teams are relentlessly attacking them at the rim, but they made some strides and even got a big stop before a questionable final play call that Becker took responsibility for at the end of the game. Vermont having a post presence to dump it into on offense is really opening up that end of the court and there is a lot to like about just how efficient this offense can become this season. 

Gus Yalden led the Cats once again, scoring 22 points to go along with 7 rebounds in a team high 32 minutes. He continues to be the hub of the Catamount offense, either scoring underneath, playing the pick and pop, or kicking out to open shooters. He looks better and better each game. Congratulations to TJ Hurley for surpassing 1,000 points. In the age of the transfer portal, Hurley is a throwback to the four year player, developing and growing within one program. Incredible accomplishment. Hurley finished with 19 points and looked much better following a bought with the flu in Florida. TJ Long came off the bench due to disciplinary reasons but finished with 18 points, including some highlight level shotmaking. Sean Blake was the other Catamount in double figures with 10 points and chipped in 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. He is really growing into his role in the offense and it feels like he is on the verge of a breakout game. He did finish with 5 turnovers, the last one being costly, but he had more of a playmaking burden with Lucas Mari in street clothes. Momo Nkugwa continues impress on the boards finishing with another 4 rebounds and he also played a little point guard this afternoon. 

Nothing easy for these Cats as they continue to face challenge after challenge early this season. A west coast swing for two tough games before the schedule finally calms down and gives the Cats a chance to take a breath. 

ESPN Invitational: Vermont vs Princeton

Vermont 79 Princeton 74

GusBus turbo charged!!

In a roller-coaster of a game, Vermont went on an 8-0 run down the stretch to pull out a much needed win. It is hard not to overstate how important of a win this was for the Cats. After looking like a well oiled machine in the first half, Vermont disappeared and blew a 23 point lead. They needed to find a way or it would have been quite a demoralizing trip north. In the first half, the ball was flying around on offense and the Cats built a big lead. They finally had both sides of the ball working and were really hustling, diving for loose balls and looking good on the boards. Then all of sudden, Vermont was completely deflated and Princeton could not be stopped. All of the struggles the Cats have had on defense manifested at the same time and things looked grim. Then the Cats did just enough to pull out the win in the end. Vermont sure learned a lot about themselves on this trip and they responded just enough in this one. It is definitely taking some getting used to seeing a Vermont team where the offense is the side of the ball coming up with plays to win games. 

Gus Yalden was an absolute force on the offensive end, finishing with a career high 27 points on 11-14 shooting (in only 22 minutes). He hit the game tying three and then the go ahead bucket on back to back possessions to rescue the Cats. He showcased his inside outside game and beautiful touch around the basket. The coaching staff is in an interesting position as Yalden is so key to the offense but much of the run that Princeton went on to get back into the game was putting Yalden in all the screen actions and taking advantage of his defensive limitations. That will be an interesting battle for Yalden during the season. In this one, the offense won out and he was fabulous getting Vermont buckets when they needed them. TJ Long chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds. He did a nice job picking his spots and taking what the defense gave him. Sean Blake earned the start as the Cats went with the smaller lineup to get more scoring punch and Blake continued his stat stuffing start to this season. Blake finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. TJ Hurley battled the flu all week and finished with 7 points. Every Catamount that played scored in an all around team effort. Jackson Skipper scored two big buckets when the offense was struggling and Momo Nkugwa continued an impressive tournament with 4 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.

Now Vermont is home for a tough game against Yale before another big road trip to the west coast. If nothing else the games this season sure have been full of excitement! I am going to miss the game on Sunday but will try to watch it later in the evening and get a post out. Until then have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

ESPN Tournament: Vermont vs Rhode Island

Rhode Island 80 Vermont 65

That one’s on me. Blogger jinx. 

After praising the Cats ability to not let games get away from them….they let one get away from them. Rhode Island came out in the second half and switched to a scramble, trapping defense that overwhelmed Vermont and changed the complexion of the game. The Cats were back on their heels and never really recovered, getting out-worked in the second half. They particularly struggled with the Rams physicality on the boards, getting absolutely dominated in the trenches in the second half. Going in, the chief concern was Rhode Island getting to the line and that played out in that exact fashion. The Rams made more free throws (26) than the Cats attempted (23). These three games in three days tourneys push teams to their limit and will test their mental fortitude. There was definitely some frustration and exasperation in this one. Tomorrow’s game will say a lot about how this team is going to handle this difficult stretch of games.

With the GusBus parked in the second half, and Becker trying to find a combination that had the gusto to compete with the Rams physicality, the bench got a lot of run. TJ Long led the Cats with 13 points but struggled to get much going against the relentless Rhode Island defense. Ben Johnson was the other Catamount in double figures with 11. Ben Michaels finally got some extended time in the second half and chipped in 9 points and 4 rebounds. It was good to see him get some positive minutes. Momo Nkugwa played well again, grabbing 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Noah Barnett battled hard with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Gus Yalden and Lucas Mari struggled with the frenetic defense early in the second half and did not play much afterword. 

This is the first real dig deep moment of the season and it will be interesting to see how the Cats respond. No gimmies during this stretch and this game was incredibly physical so it will be a good test to see who has something left in the tank tomorrow.  

ESPN Tournament: Vermont vs Liberty

Liberty 79 Vermont 73

Hello from sunny Florida!!

I am writing this up on my phone while exploring Disney Springs! In another very exciting game the Cats fell short to the Liberty Flames. The script was similar to most games so far this year. Slow start followed by keeping it close and then a much improved second half. Liberty was as good as advertised and used an ultra efficient offense to keep Vermont at arms length. I thought Vermont played well and the defense made some incremental improvements. I continue to be impressed by the grit and fight this team has displayed this season to not let games get away from them and they are consistently responding to runs from the other teams with runs of their own. This stretch of games coming up is going to be very tough and they may take their lumps. This will be the most difficult few weeks of the season. As long as they can keep their mentality intact and focus on the ultimate goal, there will be a big payoff at the end of the season.

TJ Long bounced back from a very tough game at Buffalo and led the Cats with 19 points and added 5 rebounds. His shot wasn’t falling but he found other ways to score. Gus Yalden added 17 points in only 19 minutes as the coaching staff tried some offense/defense switching with Yalden in a tough spot defensively against a guard heavy Liberty team. His growth throughout the season will have a huge impact on the ceiling for the Cats. Lucas Mari finished with his first career double double, contributing 10 points and 11 rebounds. Mari, like Yalden, has so much room to grow within the Vermont system and has already improved significantly. His ceiling is sky high. Momo Nkugwa earned 27 minutes on the back of his tough perimeter defense and continues to impress as a true freshman. TJ Hurley, as always, chipped in a businesslike 15 points as he closes in on 1,000 career points. Sean Blake found little room to work on the offensive end but finished with 4 rebounds and 5 assists as he is finding ways to impact the game beyond scoring.

The early season this year is certainly quite process focused with an eye toward the future, and I think Vermont keeps taking steps in the right direction despite a few tough results. Each game this season has had moments where Vermont was teetering on the edge of letting a game get away from them and has battled hard to stay within striking distance. That is a good sign as they continue to build toward the conference season. Can’t wait for the game tomorrow! In the meantime, fun in the sun!

P.S. Ken Griffey Jr. was in the crowd! Pretty cool!

Vermont at Buffalo 11/18/25

Buffalo 94 Vermont 90

In a high flying and exciting game, Buffalo used a red hot second half to hand Vermont their first loss of the season. Daniel Freitag took over in the second half and led the Bulls to victory with 33 points. Boy these games have been fun to watch to start the season. The Cats came out on the wrong end this time but it was another game where there is a lot to be excited about. The shooting is very real. In a game where TJ Long struggled mightily the Cats still knocked down 12 threes and shot 55% from the field. This offense is very versatile and the spacing has finally opened up to give players driving lanes. The passing on this team is at a very high level. Multiple play-makers on the floor at most times and today 23 assists on 30 made baskets. The better spacing is creating more ball movement, which in turn is creating great looks at the basket and from three. After a few seasons of struggling to stay in games offensively, it will be nice to have the reverse experience. Which brings the discussion around to the defense. Buffalo did a great job exploiting the Cats defense and there is obviously room to grow on that side of the ball. The rotations are not quite there and this year they lack a rim protector to erase shots when guards get beat on the perimeter. This has left players out of position and as a result Vermont is fouling too much. It allowed Buffalo to hang around in the first half and down the stretch they couldn't quite get the stop when they needed it. I will take this offense any day and trust that the defense will pick up as the year goes on. 

TJ Hurley led the Cats with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Always makes the right play and never tries to do too much. Sean Blake was electric again, finishing with another new career high of 20 points and 8 assists on 9-12 shooing. His improved shooting is forcing defenders to close him out and the extra spacing is giving him room to work. The breakout is on. Gus Yalden chipped in 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Once again he showed great versatility and the ability to play from the block or the perimeter. He was exposed several times on defense and will need to lock in on the defensive rotations. Lucas Mari finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. He knocked down another couple of threes and continues to make progress in getting comfortable int he system. Noah Barnett is providing good physicality in the post and finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Teams have been throwing lots of attention toward Long after his explosive game against Brown and he finished 1-6 from the field for 4 points. The pendulum is probably going to swing back and forth as teams try to figure out which player on Vermont they want to stop. 

A tough hard fought loss on the road between two hot teams to start the season. The quality of basketball has been high so far and it is only going to continue as the Cats travel down to Disney for a very tough tournament. The field down at the ESPN Wide World of Sports is absolutely loaded and Vermont starts off with Liberty, who might be the best mid major team in the country. In exciting news, the family and I will be there! We decided to go down for a little Disney vacation and watch some basketball. Fun in the sun, here we come!