MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Sixth-seeded Vermont (27-7, 15-1 AE) will travel to third-seeded Middle Tennessee (24-7, 16-2 C-USA) for the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) on Tuesday (March 13). The opening tip is set for 8 p.m. EST. Tickets are available for purchase at
TicketMaster.com for $10. All seats will be general admission. Fans can also listen to the game on 101.3 ESPN FM and online at
1013ESPN.com with Sam Hyman and Bernie Cieplicki on the call.
TELEVISION COVERAGE
The NIT first round matchup will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Jim Barbar and Mike Wise on the call. ESPNU is located on DirecTV channel 208, DirecTV Video on Demand channel 1208, and Dish Network channel 141. For full cable channel listings, contact your local cable provider.
RELATED LINKS
Middle Tennessee: Video | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets
CatamounTV:
Middle Tennessee Preview | UMBC Highlights
Game Notes: Vermont | Middle Tennessee
NIT: Bracket
LAST TIME OUT | UMBC Highlights
UMBC senior Jairus Lyles made a game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds and lifted the second-seeded Retrievers to a 65-62 win over top-seeded Vermont in the 2018 America East Championship Game on Saturday.
Trae Bell-Haynes scored a team-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The senior collected six rebounds and dished out five assists.
Payton Henson followed with 14 points and three rebounds.
Ernie Duncan added 10 points and made a pair from beyond the arc.
HISTORY OF UVM IN THE NIT
The Catamounts will be making their fourth trip to the NIT. UVM has earned its highest seed in the postseason tournament in school history. The Green and Gold were the No. 7 seed in 2007 but fell to No. 2 seed Kansas State 59-57. In 2011, seventh-seeded Vermont traveled to second-seeded Cleveland State and dropped a 63-60 heartbreaker. Matt Glass had a good look at a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime, but it bounced on the rim four times and just fell out. Three years later, No. 2 seed Georgia used a late second-half rally to edge the seventh-seeded Cats 63-56 at Stegeman Coliseum.
ROAD WARRIORS
UVM is tied with Middle Tennessee for the most Division I road wins this season (12). The Cats currently own the longest active road winning streak in the country at 10 games. The school record for consecutive road wins and road victories in a season is 13 by the 2006-07 team.
GOING FOR THE CENTURY MARK
With one more win, the Class of 2018 can become the first UVM graduating class to accrue 100 career victories.
SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE
The Blue Raiders posted a 16-2 record in Conference USA play and captured the regular season crown and earned their first AP Top-25 rankings earlier this year. In the Conference USA Tournament, top-seeded MT was upset by ninth-seeded Southern Miss 71-68 on March 8 in the quarterfinal round. Nick King was one of five finalists for the Karl Malone Award, given annually to the top power forward in Division I. The senior averaged 21.2 points and 8.4 boards this season and also earned USA Today Third Team All-American Honors. Giddy Potts was a Conference USA All-Conference Second Team selection. Potts holds the school record for most career three-pointers (274) and he is one of the top long-distance shooters on the team with a 40.1% three-point percentage.
CATS VS. C-USA
Tuesday's game will be the rubber match for the Cats against current members of Conference USA. Vermont owns a 2-2 record with wins against Florida International and Old Dominion, but will face Middle Tennessee for the first time in school history.
NIT SECOND ROUND
If Vermont can advance to the second round of the NIT, the Cats would face the winner of second-seeded Louisville and seventh-seeded Northern Kentucky.
Canon Solutions America is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 Vermont men's basketball season
