MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
 
The Vermont men's basketball team continues its west-coast adventure on Wednesday with a College Basketball Invitational semifinal contest against the Wolfpack of Nevada. Tipoff from the Lawlor Events Center in Reno is scheduled for 10 p.m. (EST).
 
All the live action can be seen on NevadaWolfPack.tv with local radio coverage beginning at 9:30 on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
Vermont Game Notes (.pdf)
Nevada Game Notes
Nevada Game Coverage: Live Video – Live Audio – Live Stats
Seattle Flashback: Game Recap – CatamounTV Highlights
 
Last Time Out at Seattle: Vermont used a stifling defensive effort to run past Seattle U, 73-54, and advance to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational for the second straight season. UVM's inspired defensive performance forced 19 Seattle turnovers and the Catamounts turned them into 17 points at the other end. The Redhawks shot just 33.3% (18-of-54) for the game and 5-of-21 from beyond the arc. Kurt Steidl's 17 points paced four Catamounts in double figures as the junior shot 5-of-7 overall and 3-of-4 from downtown. Trae Bell-Haynes pumped in 16 points, six rebounds and five assists while Ernie Duncan and Darren Payen both chipped in with 14 points. Dre Wills once again filled the stat sheet scoring five points, hauling in a game-high eight rebounds to go along with four steals. After the Redhawks cut the lead to two with 11 minutes to play, a Duncan trifecta triggered a 12-0 UVM run over the next six minutes. Bell-Haynes capped off the stretch with a pair at the line to give his squad a 54-40 lead with just under five minutes to play. The lead ballooned to as many as 22 late in the contest.
 
About Nevada: Nevada comes into Wednesday night's semifinal contest after a 85-70 win over Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals on Monday. In that victory, Tyron Criswell scored a career-high 32 points and Cameron Oliver added a career-best 28 for the Wolfpack.  Nevada finished as the No. 5 seed in the Mountain West Conference knocking off New Mexico in the quarterfinals before falling to San Diego State in the semis. Nevada comes into the matchup with a 21-13 overall record, which is a 12-win improvement from last season's 9-22 record. The Wolfpack also boast a 13-3 mark at the Lawlor Events Center. This is Nevada's first postseason appearance since 2012 when it advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT.
 
Series History: This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Vermont and Nevada. The Catamounts are 0-3 against the Wolfpack.
 
Last Meeting vs. Nevada: Vermont's last meeting with the Nevada Wolfpack came a decade ago at Patrick Gym on Nov. 23, 2005. Vermont lost the game, a return contest from a Bracket Busters game the season prior, 77-62. In what was the 16th straight sellout at Patrick Gym, the Catamounts got 24 points from Martin Klimes and 19 from Mike Trimboli. Current Vermont assistant coach Ryan Schneider grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Current associate head coach Kyle Cieplicki had four points and three assists. Note: Vermont fell to Nevada late in the 2004-05 season in Reno, 74-64. TJ Sorrentine scored 24 points and dished out five assists in the loss.
 
Postseason Notes: This is Vermont's 8th straight postseason appearance and 12th in the last 14 seasons (5 NCAA, 3 NIT, 4 CBI). The Catamounts have won at least one game in the CBI in three of its four appearances in the tournament. John Becker has the most postseason wins in program history (John Becker 5; Mike Lonergan 1; Tom Brennan 1).
 
This Year in the CBI: In two games in the 2016 CBI, Kurt Steidl and Trae Bell-Haynes have been stellar for the Catamounts. Steidl has shot 55.6% from the field while averaging 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Bell-Haynes, meanwhile, is averaging 16.0 points, six rebounds and four assists in the two Catamount wins.
 
Playoff Defense: During the three America East Playoff games and first two rounds of the CBI, Vermont held opponents to just 38.4% shooting on the defensive end while shooting 49.2% offensively. In ten halves of basketball, UVM opponents shot below 40% six times.
 
Not So Road Weary: Vermont started the season, 1-6 on the road. Since Dec. 22, the Cats are 8-3 in their last 10 road games. UVM is averaging 77.4 points per game in those last ten games while giving up just 66.3 to its opponents.
 
Bench Boosters: Vermont's bench has been a key factor recently. The Cats have outscored their opponents 287-104 off the bench over the last ten games, which is a +18.3 points per game average. Vermont outscored Stony Brook in the AE title game 27-0. Cam Ward averaged 11.1 points per game off the bench during that stretch.
 
Cats on a Roll: Despite falling short in the America East title game, the Catamounts have still won nine of their last ten games and outscoring opponents by 13.2 points per game. Five different Catamounts are averaging double figures in scoring during that stretch led by Ernie Duncan's 13.0 points per game.
 
Three's Company: Three Catamounts landed on the All-Conference Third Team following the regular season - Ethan O'Day, Kurt Steidl and Trae Bell-Haynes. O'Day earns in second all-conference selection while Bell-Haynes and Steidl - both all-rookie selections following their freshman seasons - earned all-league status for the first time.
 
Did it all for the Rookie: Averaging 15 points per game while shooting 55.6% from the field in two Vermont wins in the final week of the regular season, Ernie Duncan earned Rookie of the Week honors on Monday. He also was selected to the AE All-Rookie team.