Beat-Up Cats Drop Regular Season Finale to Beat-Up Terriers

Boston University beat Vermont 66-64 in overtime on Sunday. The Terriers played without likely America East Player of the Year, John Holland. The Catamounts were without Brandon Bald, and senior leading-scorer Evan Fjeld left 10 minutes into the game with an apparent injury. Having missed the radio call of the game due to work, I cannot tell you anything about these two injuries. The UVM Athletics website somehow did not address Fjeld's injury whatsoever, and merely mentioned that Bald is banged up. It also did not address that Holland was out for the game. All of this I find very confusing.

In the postgame news conference, both Coach Lonergan and Joey Accaoui allude to not being at full strength, but they do not say what injuries Fjeld and Bald actually have. I am completely frustrated trying to figure out if Fjeld and Bald will be ready for the tournament. Without those two, every potential game in the America East tournament becomes a lot scarier. With those two, Vermont has to like their chances of advancing to the championship game in Burlington.

Which brings us back to the game yesterday. About the only bright spots for Vermont were Sandro Carissimo, who had a career high 17 points, and Brian Voelkel generally did his thing -- he had 12 points, 6 rebound, and 5 assists. Two freshmen led the way on senior day. The Cats were out-rebounded, out-hustled, and out-scored, and that is the bottom line.

This game may not be a preview of the America East championship at all. The two teams who seemed most likely to advance to that championship game, BU and UVM, are banged up. They will have to get healthy to have the mental and physical edge in the quarterfinals and semifinals. (On a side note, if I am a Maine fan, I'm liking my chances right now). I'm not discounting the fact that the Terriers beat the Catamounts twice this season, but I have a feeling if they play for a third time in Burlington, it will be a much different game. It's possible that it could be a tougher game, considering that Holland would probably be back in the lineup.

But Vermont has a lot of work to do before they get that far. They have lost two games in a row for the first time all season. They have not resembled the team that won 10 straight conference games from January 20-February 16. They are not playing lock down defense, and they are not rebounding the way they are capable of. Is this a team that peaked too soon? Have we already seen the best of the 2011 Catamounts? The conference tournament will shed light on those questions.

Vermont plays the winner of Binghamton and UMBC on Saturday afternoon, around 2:15. It's do-or-die time: here is to doing.

Why Tomorrow Sorta Matters

It's easy to look at tomorrow's game at home against Boston University as a throw away game: it will have no effect on the conference tournament. Or will it?

Vermont regular season finale cannot change the seeding of BU or UVM heading into the tournament -- BU is the 2 seed and Vermont is the 1 seed. But this game is important for two reasons:
1) This is Vermont's only game over a 13 day span, and it is also their only tune up for the conference tournament. The things that went wrong against Charleston will need to be addressed in tomorrow's game.
2) BU could gain a major mental edge over the Cats if they win at Patrick tomorrow and prove once and for all that they can win on the road (and more specifically, in Burlington). Of course, Vermont is 12-1 in home games this season. BU is currently 3-10 in road games (3-4 in conference). The Terriers have won 7 games in a row overall, however, including two straight on the road. There is something really strange about BU's road woes: I have never attended a game at Case gym, but from what I have heard, it is a soft place to play. People hardly show up, and if they do, they are not very loud. So why do they play better at home? I guess it just beats playing on the road -- the traveling, the fans actually showing up and cheering against you, etc. I digress.

Tomorrow is also a very special day for the three Catamount seniors: Evan Fjeld, Joey Accaoui, and Garrett Kissel. The three seniors are determined to be playing their second to last home game tomorrow, and the fans are likewise looking forward to the opportunity to send the off the right way, the way last year's seniors ended their careers in Burlington: by clinching a birth to the NCAA tournament.

Go Vermont Go Vermont Go!

Business Time

The America East tournament seeding is close to being cemented. While BU and Maine continue to duke it out for the 2 seed, UNH and Hartford play on Sunday to determine who gets the 6 seed. Regardless of what occurs in those games, BU and Maine will get matched up with either UNH or Hartford, and if they win they will play each other in the semis. However, that is all on the opposite side of the bracket that Vermont finds itself on as the 1 seed. Let's take a look at that side of the bracket, where matchups are already determined:

1. Vermont
to play the winner of
8. BInghamton/9. UMBC (though it seems like these seeds could switch if Binghamton loses its next two, but that is completely insignificant)
The winner of Vermont vs. Binghamton/UMBC plays the winner of:
4. Albany/5. Stony Brook

Is this all too confusing? Then find a bracket online. It's not difficult to understand.

Vermont has beaten every one of those teams twice. They have to like their chances to move on and host the championship game on March 12. Of course, as they say, the toughest thing to do in sports is beat a team 3 times. And that's exactly why they have to play the games, because anyone can win.

My humble predictions: Vermont gets a tough game from Binghamton, who beats UMBC in the play-in game. The Bearcats lose by somewhere around 10. I think Albany should handle Stony Brook without too much trouble, setting up a game that no Vermont fan wants to see on a neutral court (or any court for that matter): Vermont vs. Albany. While Vermont beat Albany by 12 at home and 9 on the road, neither game was all that close. But I hope I do not have to bring up the awful 2007 tournament, when Albany took down Vermont after losing to them twice in the regular season. In spite of that, Vermont will morph into "Business-Time" mode against Albany in Hartford, and move on to face Boston University in Burlington, for a chance to get to the NCAA tournament. And for that game, I offer no predictions. Just this video:

If you are a BU fan who actually reads this blog for some reason: expect me to stop posting this video when basketball no longer exists or I am no longer alive, whichever happens first. Wagers, anyone?

Be Careful What You Wish For

So the Catamounts got their national TV game for ESPN's Bracketbusters bonanza. And they got absolutely shellacked by the College of Charleston, 85-70. 85-70, you say, that cannot be so bad, right? Oh no, it wasn't even close -- this was an absolute drubbing. Charleston used a 25-0 run en route to a 52-24 halftime lead. The Cats couldn't do anything right. Their defense looked completely lost, they could hardly get the ball across half court, and they burned through three timeouts well before the first half was over. One thing that the Catamounts should get credit for from their faithful is that they never gave up.

It was quite remarkable really. The Cats never put their heads down, they never got on one another about making bad plays; they stuck together and fought like they do when they're going on 25-0 runs. Okay, so maybe they haven't been on any of those, but you know what I mean. The Catamounts, as usual, are a classy team to get excited for. And that's about all you can ask for.

I'll spare you the gory details about how Andrew Goudelock somehow only managed 24 points, despite knocking down shot after shot in the huge first half spurt. I'll even ignore the fact that Vermont shot 32% from the floor, while Charleston shot 58% (they really did not execute a solid defensive gameplan at all). The fact is, aside from the horrid 25-0 run (I couldn't decide whether to turn the game off, pretend it wasn't happening, or cry), Vermont actually outscored the Cougars by 10. But, for some reason, you gotta count all the points in this silly game called basketball. Blasphemy.

Regardless, Vermont gets a bunch of time off before they play Boston University next Sunday. It's senior day for Evan Fjeld, Joey Accaoui, and Garrett Kissel, three guys who the program will miss dearly. Then the real season begins.

Vermont-Charleston Clash Saturday on ESPN U

Vermont will play the College of Charleston on national television tomorrow at 5 PM ET. I personally cannot wait.

Charleston is led by Andrew Goudelock, who averages 23.4 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 3.9 RPG, and shoots an impressive 41.8% from 3-point range. Expect to see Brendan Bald matching up with Goudelock. Bald was mighty impressive in the win against Maine, limiting Gerald McLemore to 2 points and 0 field goals. Hopefully he can contribute that type of effort to Saturday's game, but it seems like Goudelock is not the type of player one defender can stop on his own. The whole team will have to be watching out for him all over the floor.

All in all, Saturday should be a lot of fun. ESPN was criticized when the pairings for tomorrow were released about a month ago -- Maine was soundly in first place and had already beaten Vermont. People wondered why Vermont should have gotten the nationally televised matchup against Charleston. The Catamounts have proven the critics wrong and made ESPN look like a bunch of geniuses (which they surely are not) by winning the past 10 games. Hopefully they can show the country the types of things they have been doing so well during that run.

Cats Look Ahead to Last Two Games

As Coach Lonergan noted in his post game interview after beating Maine, the Cats can now enjoy their trip down to Charleston.

ESPN's Bracketbusters is a great thing for college basketball fans across the country. It can also be very helpful for mid-majors to have some agency in where they get seeded, should they be fortunate enough to play in the postseason (we'll get to that in a minute). But for some teams in the wrong circumstances, as the season is winding down, it can be a downright waste of time and energy when they have more important things to worry about. If Vermont had not clinched the America East title, they would have undoubtedly had their February 27th date with Boston University in the back of their minds heading into the matchup with Charleston. But now they can relax and focus on playing a good Charleston team on the road before they refocus on winning the America East tournament.

In terms of seeding for any postseason tournament the Catamounts find themselves in (the regular season title clinches an NIT birth if they do not go to the NCAA tournament), this Charleston game is a big one. Since it is on the road and Charleston is rated slightly higher in most bracket projections, it will not hurt Vermont that much if they lose a tight one. It will, however, help them out a lot if they can win this game. A win could move Vermont up to a coveted 14 seed should they go to the NCAA tournament. I'm about to get way ahead of ourselves, but bear with me: if Vermont runs the table and wins the next five games, including the three in the America East tournament, they would sit at 27-5, their RPI would likely be in the 60's and UVM could find themselves back on the 13 line in the NCAA tournament. Now that is a LONG ways away. But one can dream.

For now, I guess we just gotta enjoy playing on ESPNU this Saturday in Charleston.

10th Straight Win Clinches Title Outright

My favorite part of this photo: "Maine Pride" in the top right hand corner.

The Catamounts did it. They did it on the road. They did it in style. They wrapped up their first outright regular season conference title since the 2006-2007 season.

Vermont got their revenge on the Black Bears, the only team to beat them at home this year, by taking control in the second half and winning, 73-57. The Black Bears, of course, had beaten Vermont in Burlington, 72-58. So the Cats turned the tables, and then some. Top performers were Evan Fjeld (19 points on 9-13 shooting), Brendan Bald (17 points on 6-8 shooting), and Brian Voelkel added a signature Voelkel night, with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Matt Glass scored 11 and did a great job watching Troy Barnies for most of the night. Sandro Carissimo added 5 assists to Vermont's 22 total assists, the team's season-high. The Cats managed to shoot 59.6% from the field, also a season-high.

It's been a truly amazing season for the Catamounts. It's hard to say enough about how unselfish, hard-working, and exciting this team really is. They have now won 10 straight games and have a chance to be even better than last year's team. Really, this team has a chance to be as good as the 2004-2005 team. I know that last sentence sounds crazy, but it is true. The work is certainly not over, not in the least. They need to take care of business in their last two regular season games, and then in the conference tournament. That is no small task. But there is something very special about the way this team clicks. No player is bigger than the team, and that has turned Vermont into one of the three hottest teams in Division I right now.

According to my humble calculations, Vermont now owns the third longest win streak in the country at 10 straight wins. George Mason has 12 straight, Texas has 11, and Vermont has 10. Not bad company. The win against Maine also tied Vermont with Belmont for the second most road wins this year (also standing at 10 in a row).

So enjoy this one tonight Catamounts and Catamount fans. Tomorrow, we all go back to work.