MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (12-4, 2-0) returns to Burlington to host Hartford (8-8, 1-0) in the America East home opener on Saturday night (Jan. 12). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday.
 
TELEVISION AND RADIO COVERAGE
All of the action can be seen on ESPN+. Fans can access ESPN+ with a seven-day free trial, followed by a subscription fee of $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with the ability to cancel at any time. Fans can also listen to the contest on 101.3 The Game and 1013TheGame.com with Jake Marsh on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
Hartford: Video | Radio | Live Stats | Tickets
Game Notes: Vermont | Hartford
 
RALLY AGAINST CANCER GAME
Save the date for our annual Rally Against Cancer game, presented by Inspired Closets, on Saturday, Jan. 19. Vermont will host Binghamton with a 7 p.m. opening tip. The Catamounts will be wearing special edition lavender jerseys this year - the color that represents the fight against all cancers. Jerseys will be auctioned off following the game and the proceeds will benefit the UVM Cancer Center.
 
LOU HENSON AWARD MID-SEASON WATCH LIST
Anthony Lamb was one of 50 players named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List on Wednesday. He was also one of two America East student-athletes to make the list accompanied by Stony Brook's Akwasi Yeboah. The award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player in Division I college basketball.
 
12-4 STARTS
The Catamounts are off to a 12-4 start for the first under John Becker and 12th time in school history. The previous two 12-4 starts resulted in a postseason berth - the NIT in 2010-11 and NCAA Tournament in 2004-05.
 
REVISITING THE AMERICA EAST PRESEASON AWARDS
Saturday will feature the top two teams in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll and four members of the Preseason All-Conference Team. Vermont was picked as the preseason frontrunner for the third straight season and received six first-place votes. Hartford followed in second place with the remaining three first-place votes. From the Preseason All-Conference Team, Vermont's Ernie Duncan and Lamb will square off against Hartford's John Carroll and Jason Dunne.
 
AVENGING LAST YEAR'S LOSS TO THE HAWKS | CatamounTV Highlights 
The Catamounts will try to avenge last year's home loss to the Hawks as the setback snapped some impressive streaks. The Green and Gold had produced a 33-game regular season conference winning streak – the longest of its kind in America East history. The Cats also owned the nation's longest overall winning streak (15 games), the second-longest home winning streak (22 games) in Division I, and UVM was the only remaining team with an undefeated conference record prior to the defeat.
 
SCOUTING HARTFORD
The Hawks will bring their three-game winning streak to Burlington, which includes an ACC win at Boston College on Dec. 31. Hartford is the top three-point shooting team in America East with a 35.3% team percentage. The Hawks have the third-highest scoring offense in the league at 73.5 points per game. Hartford has four players averaging double figures, guided by 15.7 points per game from Carroll. In the last three games, he has averaged 11.7 points and 8.3 rebounds including a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds) against UMBC on Wednesday. J.R. Lynch follows close behind with a 15.3 scoring average. Lynch has logged double figures in 13 straight games and ranks fourth in the league with 60 assists.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont has a commanding 48-24 edge over Hartford in the all-time series. Since beating Hartford in the 2003 America East Semifinal, the Cats are 30-3 against their conference counterpart and have won nine out of the last 10 meetings. During Becker's eight-year tenure as head coach, his Catamounts are 13-2 against the Hawks with a 15.6 average margin of victory.
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 Vermont men's basketball season