Vermont Catamounts
America East (23-11, 13-3)
Coach John Becker has been around the Vermont program for a while, but this has been his first year as head coach. And the Catamounts have done what many expect the Catamounts to do, whether it be under Mike Lonergan or Tom Brennan. Coach Becker quickly continued the legacy. This may not be a team that can upset anybody in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament, but this is a young team that has grown up a lot throughout the 2011-2012 season and they continue to be a major force in the conference and always a popular upset pick.
Big Wins: 11/23 at Old Dominion (65-63), 2/12 Stony Brook (68-49), 3/10 at Stony Brook (51-43)
Bad Losses: 12/30 Northeastern (51-53), 1/14 at New Hampshire (65-72), 2/21 at Binghamton (53-57)
Coach: John Becker (1 season at Vermont)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Vermont frontcourt is a dynamic and interesting group. Matt Glass, the lone senior that sees significant playing time, can score both inside and out. At 6-8, he has good size and can hang out in the paint and score, but he is an extremely efficient three-point shooter and his ability to stretch the defense can open up an offense that can struggle at times. Luke Apfeld is the more traditional interior scorer and has had a breakout sophomore season, averaging double figures in the scoring column. He was not even a starter at the beginning of the year, but when the Catamounts needed an interior scorer, he answered the call. Glass and Apfeld are not strong rebounders, but that is partially due to the fact that Brian Voelkel nabs most of them. Voelkel is a 6-6 small forward, but he is a beast on the glass and easily leads the team in assists. Usually the glue guy does not put up big numbers, but Voelkel almost always fills up the stat sheet, even if it is not in the scoring column. The frontcourt even has plenty of depth with sophomore Clancy Rugg and experienced junior Ben Crenca. Both reserves have made big strides this season and can fill in anywhere in the frontcourt without much of a drop off in production.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The best perimeter scorer for Vermont is freshman Four McGlynn, who has absolutely zero career starts. McGlynn is the only consistent outside shooter on the team besides Glass. So when the backcourt needs to shoot, it pretty much has to be McGlynn. Starters Brendan Bald and Sandro Carissimo are capable of hitting the long ball, but neither are extremely effective scorers. And with Voelkel joining them in the starting lineup, this is a Vermont team that starts only two players who are a major threat to score. McGlynn can spark the offense off of the bench, but the Catamounts suffocating defense can only do so much against the quality competition Vermont will run into during the NCAA Tournament. It will take that defense and great games offensively from Glass, Apfeld and McGlynn. And it would not hurt at all if Bald or Carissimo found their shot for a day and knocked down some long balls.
Probable Starters:
Sandro Carissimo, Sophomore, Guard, 6.9 ppg, 2.5 apg
Brendan Bald, Junior, Guard, 7.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Brian Voelkel, Sophomore, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.2 apg
Matt Glass, Senior, Forward, 11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Luke Apfeld, Sophomore, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Ben Crenca, Junior, Center, 4.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Josh Elbaum, Sophomore, Guard, 1.7 ppg, 1.5 apg
Four McGlynn, Freshman, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 1.1 apg
Clancy Rugg, Sophomore, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.7 (180th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.0 (33, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.4 (128, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (79, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (244, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (166, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.4 (34, 2)
Rebound Margin: 3.8 (59, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (134, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.4 (75, 2)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Vermont 2011 NIT First Round loss to Cleveland State
Vermont 2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Syracuse
Vermont 2009 CBI First Round win over UW-Green Bay
Vermont 2009 CBI Second Round loss to Oregon State
Vermont 2007 NIT First Round loss to Kansas State
Vermont 2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Syracuse
Vermont 2005 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Michigan State
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
