Coming off its first win of the season, the Vermont men's basketball team travels to Uncasville, Conn. to take part in the 2015 Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament this weekend. The Catamounts take on Niagara Saturday at 5 p.m. and then either Buffalo or North Carolina A&T on Sunday (2:30/8 p.m.).
 
All the action this weekend can be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app and heard locally on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell on the call.

RELATED LINKS
Game Notes (.pdf)
Live Game Coverage vs. Niagara: ESPN3 -- Live Audio -- Live Stats
Quinnipiac Game Summary
CatamounTV - Quinnipiac Highlights
 
Last Time Out: Trae Bell-Haynes tied a career-high with 21 points to lead four Catamounts in double figures and the Vermont men's basketball team got in the win column for the first time this season, winning its home opener, 83-70, over Quinnipiac. The Cats are now 4-1 under head coach John Becker in home openers. Ethan O'Day contributed 19 points and six boards in the win while Darren Payen and Nate Rohrer both played their best games in a UVM uniform finishing with 14 and 13 points, respectively. All five Vermont starters shot over 50% and the win snapped a two game skid against the Bobcats.
 
About Niagara: The Niagara Purple Eagles will be second straight opponent Vermont faces from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Niagara is coming off its first win of the season having defeated Brown, 75-66, in its home opener. Matt Scott scored 23 points to lead Niagara. Head coach Chris Casey in in his third season leading the Purple Eagles. NU, which was the third youngest team in the nation last season, wrapped up the 2014-15 regular season winning four straight games. NU was picked to finished 11th in the MAAC preseason poll while Emile Blackman was selected to the preseason All-MAAC third team.
 
Series History: Niagara holds a commanding edge in the head-to-head meetings with the Catamounts. The Purple Eagles are 15-3 against Vermont all-time.
 
Last Meeting vs. Niagara: In the last meeting between the Catamounts and Purple Eagles (Dec. 16, 2012), Brian Voelkel scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but Niagara got the win, 68-58. Ethan O'Day is the only current member of the team to play in that game. O'Day went 1-of-3 from the floor in 17 minutes of action and finished with three points.
 
Nutmeg State Success: The Cats have played well in the state of Connecticut over the last several seasons, as they have won 26 of their last 33 games played in the Nutmeg State.
 
Six Years Later: Trae Bell-Haynes' performance (17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) at #23 Purdue on Nov. 15 is the first time a Vermont player has scored at least 15 points with at least seven rebounds and seven assists since Marqus Blakely went for 17-12-7 at Buffalo on Nov. 15, 2009.
 
Preseason Poll: The University of Vermont was picked to finish third in the 2015-16 America East Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, while Ethan O'Day was named to the preseason all-conference team. Vermont has been picked in the top-four of the preseason poll in each of the last five years. The last time UVM was picked third was in 2011-12. That season saw Vermont finish the season in second place and go on to win its fifth America East title.