I thought today would be the end. I had planned on doing a roundup of all the games the NYC Buckets coverage had played in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament and beyond and that would be it. Continue reading “A Stunning Win (And Other Thoughts)”
Like many of Shaka Smart’s recruits after his Final Four run, Jairus Lyles came to VCU with many stars next to his name and national rankings not usually associated with mid-majors.
But the 2013-14 campaign was mostly frustrating for Lyles, as he scored only 13 points all season. Lyles decided – like many players – that he would like to have a chance to be on the court more than not, so he transferred to Robert Morris, joining up with what would have been an NEC powerhouse. After his first semester there, though, he missed home (Silver Spring, Md.) and he left that program without ever suiting up in a regular season game.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about a streak like Vermont’s is taking perspective when it finally ends. The Catamounts had the longest current win streak in the nation (15), hadn’t lost a regular season conference game in more than two years (33 games), and had the country’s second-longest home win streak nationally (22, and would have been tops if Vermont had won, as Cincinnati lost later in the day to Wichita State).
But it was a poised, veteran, well-coached Hartford squad that came to Patrick Gym and finally wiped all those streaks off the board with a 69-68 upset in front of a sellout crowd of 3,168. While the Hawks hope the ultimate culmination will come in the America East finals in three weeks, this win will show the national crowd just how far Hartford has come since posting a 19-46 record the last two seasons (and just 8-24 in America East).
Continue reading “Hartford Ends All Vermont’s Streaks, Will It Matter In March?”
Welcome to another America East weekly recap! The top of the conference took a few losses this past week, but other teams showed some improvements. Continue reading “America East Weekly Recap: Battling Bearcats Edition”
Vermont and Yale have had the same problem the last couple of seasons. They have become too successful to fill a non-conference schedule without a whole lot of work.
So on Saturday afternoon, they were happy to see each other, even if for Yale, it meant a first home non-conference loss in nearly three years (Dec. 20, 2014 to Albany) as the experienced Catamounts continued to add to their resume with a 79-73 victory at Lee Amphitheater.
Continue reading “Success Makes It Hard For Vermont, Yale To Fill Schedules”
It’s that time of year again! Basketball starts in a few hours. Thus it’s time for my third annual bold predictions. Continue reading “7 Bold Predictions for 2017-18”
An old friend of the site returns from the realignment ashes and football starts to play an even bigger role as we move into the conferences that would be in the top half of college basketball. Continue reading “Realignment Conferences 17 Through 13”
Mount St. Mary’s played an incredible half against Villanova and there was lots of other action around the country on a big day for the college basketball postseason. Continue reading “About Last Night: March 16, 2017”
Princeton lost its season opener at BYU and the American Conference struggled with some mid-major opponents on the opening Monday of the regular season. Continue reading “About Last Night: Nov. 14, 2016”
Had its 15-point second half lead in the America East final last March held, you might have noticed that Vermont was playing its best basketball of the season. Heading into that fateful day in Stony Brook, the Catamounts had won seven straight and had scored at least 1 point per possession in 10 consecutive outings.
But while the focus – rightfully so given their history – was squarely on the Seawolves on that Saturday morning eight months ago, Vermont’s impressive performance, and the fact that they were there in the firstplace, were no fluke. And it also highlights just how amazing Jameel Warney’s 43-point effort in the Stony Brook comeback was that day.
Continue reading “Vermont Might Be One Of Those Mid-Majors Again”
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