Vermont Catamounts
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #50
Conference Rank: #1 America East
Vermont has dominated the America East lately. They have won the outright regular season title three years in a row and have gone 45-3 in conference play during that span. Another conference title seems extremely likely and this is a Catamounts team that could be eyeing an at-large bid should they happen to stumble in the conference tournament. But there is a long way to go before the Catamounts can start worrying about that.
2018-19 Record: 27-7, 14-2
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: John Becker
Coach Record: 193-84 at Vermont, 193-84 overall
Key Departed Players:
Ernie Duncan, Guard, 13.8 ppg
Samuel Dingba, Forward, 2.9 ppg
Ra Kpedi, Forward, 2.5 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Anthony Lamb, Senior, Forward, 21.2 ppg
Stef Smith, Junior, Guard, 12.4 ppg
Robin Duncan, Sophomore, Guard, 4.4 ppg
Everett Duncan, Senior, Guard, 6.2 ppg
Isaiah Powell, Sophomore, Forward, 5.4 ppg
Ben Shungu, Junior, Guard, 4.3 ppg
Ryan Davis, Sophomore, Forward, 3.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Deng Adiang, Freshman, Guard
Eric Beckett, Freshman, Guard
Aaron Deloney, Freshman, Guard
Duncan Demuth, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Oklahoma State
Nick Fiorillo, Freshman, Forward
Daniel Giddens, Senior, Center, Grad Transfer from Alabama
Projection:
Anthony Lamb is the clear star of this team. The senior forward led the team with 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The 6-6 senior also hit 50 three-pointers at a 36.5 percent clip. Lamb has had a superb career at Vermont and you can be sure he is going to want to end it with a successful journey to the NCAA Tournament. He will get plenty of help from the remaining Duncan’s. Ernie is gone after averaging 13.8 points per game, but brothers Robin and Everett return. Robin started at the point guard spot as a freshman and averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Everett added 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Stef Smith is a dynamic scorer who hit 62 three-pointers and can finish around the basket too. Isaiah Powell and Ryan Davis earned valuable experience as freshmen and are the only returning forwards besides Lamb on the roster. They will be pushed for frontcourt minutes by Oklahoma State transfer Duncan Demuth and Alabama graduate transfer Daniel Giddens. Both bring some much needed size to the team and should immediately bolster Vermont’s production on the glass and on the defensive side of the floor. Add some freshmen to the mix, including Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Aaron Deloney, and Coach John Becker has a lot of options with this group. He will find the proper pieces to easily win another America East title and possibly be one of those teams that nobody wants to see in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.8 (132nd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.0 (17, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.8 (87, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.9 (69, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.0 (142, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (102, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.8 (39, 1)
Rebound Margin: 4.2 (49, 2)
Assists Per Game: 11.7 (285, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.1 (35, 1)
