2017–18 Vermont Catamounts men's basketball team

2017–18 Vermont Catamounts men's basketball
America East regular season champions
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase champions
NIT, first round
ConferenceAmerica East Conference
Record27–8 (15–1 America East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Kyle Cieplicki
  • Ryan Schneider
  • Hamlet Tibbs
Home arenaPatrick Gym
Seasons
2017–18 America East Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Vermont 15 – 1   .938 27 – 8   .771
UMBC † 12 – 4   .750 25 – 11   .694
Hartford 11 – 5   .688 19 – 14   .576
Albany 10 – 6   .625 22 – 10   .688
Stony Brook 7 – 9   .438 13 – 19   .406
New Hampshire 6 – 10   .375 10 – 21   .323
UMass Lowell 6 – 10   .375 12 – 18   .400
Maine 3 – 13   .188 6 – 26   .188
Binghamton 2 – 14   .125 11 – 20   .355
† 2018 America East tournament winner

The 2017–18 Vermont Catamounts men's basketball team represented the University of Vermont during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Catamounts, led by seventh-year head coach John Becker, played their home games at Patrick Gym in Burlington, Vermont as members of the America East Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 15–1 in America East play to win the America East regular season championship. The Catamounts defeated Maine and Stony Brook to advance to the championship game of the America East tournament where they lost to UMBC. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, the Catamounts received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to Middle Tennessee in the first round.

Previous season

The Catamounts finished the 2016–17 season 29–6, 16–0 in America East play to win the America East regular season championship. In the America East tournament, they defeated Maine, New Hampshire,[1] and Albany to win the tournament championship.[2] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 13 seed in the Midwest region, they lost to No. 4 seed Purdue in the first round.[3][4]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Josh Hearlihy 1 G/F 6'8" 213 RS Junior Los Angeles, CA Graduate transferred to Seattle
Darren Payen 12 F 6'8" 217 RS Senior Milford, CT Graduated
Kian Dalyrimple 15 G 6'4" 177 Freshman Dix Hills, NY Transferred to New Haven
Dre Wills 24 G 6'1" 185 Senior Indianapolis, IN Graduated
Kurt Steidl 34 G/F 6'6" 181 Senior Ridgefield, CT Graduated

2017 incoming recruits

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Bailey Patella
#87 SF 		Lenox, MA Vermont Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 7, 2015 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 64
Stefan Smith
PG 		Unionville, ON Bill Crothers Secondary School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 12, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Skyler Nash
SG 		Chicago, IL Gould Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: POST
Ra Kpedi
PF 		Indianapolis, IN Lawrence North 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 23, 2017.

Preseason

In a poll by the conference’s nine head coaches (who were not allowed to pick their own team) at the America East media day, the Catamounts were picked to win the America East.[5] Senior Trae Bell-Haynes and sophomore Anthony Lamb were named to the preseason All-America East team.[6]

Roster

2017–18 Vermont Catamounts men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Stef Smith 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Bill Crothers Ajax, ON
G 1 Skyler Nash Current redshirt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Gould Academy Chicago, IL
G 2 Trae Bell-Haynes 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Bill Crothers Secondary Toronto, ON
F 3 Anthony Lamb 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 227 lb (103 kg) So Greece Athena Rochester, NY
G 4 David Urso (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Central Catholic Pittsburgh, PA
F 5 Sam Dingba 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Salisbury School
Qunnipiac 		Yaoundé, Cameroon
F 12 Bailey Patella 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Vermont Academy Lenox, MA
G 14 Cam Ward 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Marshall Marshall, WI
G 15 Ra Kpedi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Lawrence North Indianapolis, IN
G 20 Ernie Duncan 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Harrison Evansville, IN
G 21 Everett Duncan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Harrison Evansville, IN
G 24 Ben Shungu (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Rice Memorial Burlington, VT
F 25 Drew Urquhart 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Sr Eastside Catholic Vancouver, BC
F 32 Josh Speidel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Fr Columbus North Columbus, IN
F 35 Payton Henson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Siloam Springs
Tulane 		Siloam Springs, AR
F 44 Nate Rohrer (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Leland Underhill, VT
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 27, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Boston University
Exhibition for hurricane relief 		W 87–66 
 22 – Er. Duncan   6 – Lamb   2 – Tied  Patrick Gym (1,446)
Burlington, VT
Oct 29, 2017*
2:00 pm, AE.TV 		Concordia (QC) W 92–64 
 17 – Tied   6 – Tied   4 – Tied  Patrick Gym (1,646)
Burlington, VT
Nov 4, 2017*
7:00 pm, AE.TV 		Saint Michael's W 102–53 
 17 – Henson   7 – Henson   5 – Shungu  Patrick Gym (2,661)
Burlington, VT
Regular season
Nov 12, 2017*
3:30 pm, ESPN 		at No. 5 Kentucky L 69–73  0–1
  16 – Bell-Haynes   7 – Lamb   5 – Bell-Haynes  Rupp Arena (20,174)
Lexington, KY
Nov 17, 2017*
11:00 am 		vs. Bradley
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase quarterfinals 		W 65–64  1–1
  14 – Tied   9 – Henson   5 – Bell-Haynes  Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (334)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 18, 2017*
5:00 pm 		vs. Coastal Carolina
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase semifinals 		W 80–67  2–1
  19 – Er. Duncan   6 – Urquhart   6 – Er. Duncan  Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (452)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 19, 2017*
8:00 pm 		vs. Northern Kentucky
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase championship game 		W 66–64  3–1
  26 – Lamb   14 – Lamb   3 – Bell-Haynes  Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (477)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Maine–Fort Kent
The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase campus game 		W 90–54  4–1
  13 – Dingba   7 – Tied   4 – Bell-Haynes  Patrick Gym (2,363)
Burlington, VT
Nov 25, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Yale W 79–73  5–1
  22 – Lamb   7 – Lamb   10 – Bell-Haynes  Payne Whitney Gymnasium (1,644)
New Haven, CT
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, NBCSWA+ 		at Richmond W 71–65  6–1
  21 – Er. Duncan   8 – Henson   6 – Bell-Haynes  Robins Center (4,615)
Richmond, VA
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at Bucknell L 77–81  6–2
  20 – Lamb   5 – Tied   2 – Bell-Haynes  Sojka Pavilion (3,044)
Lewisburg, PA
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1 		at Marquette L 81–91  6–3
  20 – Smith   6 – Tied   8 – Bell-Haynes  Bradley Center (12,055)
Milwaukee, WI
Dec 9, 2017*
4:00 pm 		at Northeastern L 67–71  6–4
  32 – Lamb   9 – Henson   2 – Tied  Matthews Arena (1,600)
Boston, MA
Dec 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Siena W 81–57  7–4
  13 – Urquhart   7 – Bell-Haynes   5 – Tied  Patrick Gym (3,266)
Burlington, VT
Dec 16, 2017*
4:00 pm 		vs. St. Bonaventure
Roc City Hoops Classic 		L 79–81  7–5
  27 – Lamb   8 – Lamb   5 – Er. Duncan  Blue Cross Arena (5,828)
Rochester, NY
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Quinnipiac W 80–73  8–5
  20 – Lamb   8 – Bell-Haynes   5 – Bell-Haynes  Patrick Gym (2,349)
Burlington, VT
Jan 2, 2018*
4:00 pm, NESN+ 		at Harvard W 62–56  9–5
  17 – Henson   5 – Tied   4 – Ward  Lavietes Pavilion (1,215)
Cambridge, MA
Jan 4, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at UMass Lowell W 88–77  10–5
(1–0) 		 32 – Er. Duncan   12 – Urquhart   5 – Bell-Haynes  Costello Athletic Center (289)
Lowell, MA
Jan 6, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		UMBC W 71–56  11–5
(2–0) 		 16 – Henson   14 – Henson   4 – Urquhart  Patrick Gym (2,734)
Burlington, VT
Jan 10, 2018*
7:00 pm 		at Dartmouth W 91–78  12–5
  27 – Bell-Haynes   4 – Tied   4 – Ward  Leede Arena (1,263)
Hanover, NH
Jan 13, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Stony Brook W 73–62  13–5
(3–0) 		 20 – Bell-Haynes   6 – Bell-Haynes   2 – Tied  Patrick Gym (3,266)
Burlington, VT
Jan 15, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Maine W 83–62  14–5
(4–0) 		 21 – Urquhart   5 – Tied   6 – Er. Duncan  Patrick Gym (2,405)
Burlington, VT
Jan 18, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at New Hampshire W 67–56  15–5
(5–0) 		 20 – Bell-Haynes   9 – Urquhart   3 – Urquhart  Lundholm Gym (560)
Durham, NH
Jan 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Hartford W 76–53  16–5
(6–0) 		 18 – Henson   6 – Bell-Haynes   6 – Er. Duncan  Chase Arena (1,784)
Hartford, CT
Jan 24, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Albany W 61–50  17–5
(7–0) 		 21 – Bell-Haynes   11 – Ev. Duncan   4 – Er. Duncan  Patrick Gym (3,266)
Burlington, VT
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Binghamton W 68–54  18–5
(8–0) 		 21 – Bell-Haynes   9 – Ev. Duncan   6 – Bell-Haynes  Binghamton University Events Center (4,445)
Vestal, NY
Feb 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at UMBC W 81–53  19–5
(9–0) 		 18 – Urquhart   8 – Tied   4 – Tied  UMBC Event Center (4,753)
Catonsville, MD
Feb 8, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Albany W 72–67  20–5
(10–0) 		 20 – Bell-Haynes   8 – Urquhart   5 – Tied  SEFCU Arena (3,602)
Albany, NY
Feb 11, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		UMass Lowell W 81–69  21–5
(11–0) 		 27 – Bell-Haynes   6 – Tied   4 – Bell-Haynes  Patrick Gym (2,910)
Burlington, VT
Feb 15, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		New Hampshire W 71–58  22–5
(12–0) 		 14 – Ward   8 – Urquhart   2 – Tied  Patrick Gym (2,633)
Burlington, VT
Feb 18, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Hartford L 68–69  22–6
(12–1) 		 15 – Urquhart   10 – Urquhart   5 – Urquhart  Patrick Gym (3,168)
Burlington, VT
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Binghamton W 75–54  23–6
(13–1) 		 18 – Tied   10 – Urquhart   7 – Henson  Patrick Gym (2,854)
Burlington, VT
Feb 24, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Stony Brook W 69–60  24–6
(14–1) 		 19 – Bell-Haynes   9 – Henson   6 – Bell-Haynes  Island Federal Credit Union Arena (3,528)
Stony Brook, NY
Feb 27, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Maine W 74–62  25–6
(15–1) 		 16 – Bell-Haynes   9 – Henson   4 – Urquhart  Cross Insurance Center (907)
Bangor, ME
America East tournament
Mar 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		(1) (8) Maine
Quarterfinals 		W 75–60  26–6
  21 – Tied   12 – Urquhart   4 – Tied  Patrick Gym (3,266)
Burlington, VT
Mar 5, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		(1) (5) Stony Brook
Semifinals 		W 70–51  27–6
  19 – Urquhart   8 – Tied   6 – Bell-Haynes  Patrick Gym (3,266)
Burlington, VT
Mar 10, 2018
11:00 am, ESPN2 		(1) (2) UMBC
Championship game 		L 62–65  27–7
  18 – Bell-Haynes   10 – Urquhart   5 – Bell-Haynes  Patrick Gym (3,266)
Burlington, VT
NIT
Mar 13, 2018*
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		(6) at (3) Middle Tennessee
First Round – Baylor Bracket 		L 64–91  27–8
  18 – Lamb   5 – Tied   7 – Bell-Haynes  Murphy Center (5,010)
Murfreesboro, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[7]

References

  1. ^ "Vermont beats New Hampshire 74–41 in America East semis". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Vermont tops Albany 56–53 for 6th America East tourney crown (Mar 11, 2017)". FOX Sports. March 11, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Purdue holds off UVM's upset bid in NCAA tournament". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  4. ^ "Vermont vs. Purdue – Game Recap – March 16, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  5. ^ "Coming off Historic Season, Vermont Unanimously Chosen as 2017–18 #AEHoops Men's Favorite". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  6. ^ "7 Returning Men's #AEHoops Standouts Highlight 2017–18 Preseason All-Conference Squad". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  7. ^ "Vermont Catamounts Basketball 2017–18 Schedule – Catamounts Home and Away – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2017.