Vermont’s Basketball Players Playing Basketball Beat Lamar’s Athletes Playing Basketball 71-59 in Play-in Game Now Meet North Carolina Next

A classic example of how basketball players playing basketball relying on solid basic fundamentals, team play, good decision making, pass oriented, great shot selection, controlling the tempo offense and solid basic defense defeated athletes playing basketball, who relied mostly on their athletic ability. Played their offense off the dribble not off the pass, individual 1 on 1, poor rushed shot selection and poor basic defensive skills got schooled by Vermont 71-59.

After trailing early 12-9 Vermont moved ahead in the middle of the first half and led at half-time 30-21 and continued their patiented patterned flex offense and got many open high percentage shots off passes. not on l on 1 dribbling that Lamar continually relied on.

Vermont shot 25 for 50 for a high 50% Field Goal% to Lamar;s 20 of 60 for 33%.

Vermont shot 17-24 from the line for 70% and Lamar was 15 of 21 for 71%.

Vermont shot 4-11 from the 3 point arc for 36% and Lamar was 4 for 13 for 30%.

Vermont had 16 assists to just 5 turnovers while Lamar had just 6 assists and 7 turnovers. 16 of Vermonts 22 field goals came off assists while Lamar only had 6 assists off their 20 field goals.

Vermont controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish and showed what a well-coached team that relies on team play  and making great basketball decisions, playing the game from the shoulders up can do against a team that has better athletes who rely on their athletic skills, not their basketball skills, make poor basketball decisions and play the game for the most part from the shoulders down.

Four McGlynn the AE “rookie of the year”. playing off the bench lead all scorers with 18 points as the Vermont bench outscored the Lamar bench 35 to 5.

This was a great illustraion of how underrated teams can beat better higher rated teams by controlling the tempo of the game, make good decisons, play as a team, relying the passing game,   take most of their shots off the pass. not the dribble and with very little one on one play off the dribble.

lst year head coach Becker who was named the head coach at Vermont after being the assistant there has a team that has less athletic talent, then 5  teams in the America East Conference. Including, Stonybrook who lost to Seton Hall 63-61 last nite in the opening round of the NIT, Boston  University, Albany, Hartford and yes the University of Maine.

It just goes to show if you play the game as a team, run continuity patterns, control the tempo, take great shots, get shots off the pass not off the dribble and make great basketball decisons, teams with less athletic ability can beat the more athletic teams. I just don’t underdtand why more teams like Vermont (without alot of atthletes) don’t play this style of play. Now don’t tell me it is boring, they scored 71 points and frustrated their opponents for 40 minutes.

Vermont was without a doubt, by far the best coached, disciplined team that I have seen all season long at all levels from middle school thru the NBA.

Pat Knight who has had 6 years of head coaching experience really got schooled tonight by a rookie head D1 coach.