MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (10-4) will travel to conference rival UAlbany (5-10) for the America East opener on Saturday night (Jan. 5). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at UAlbanySports.com.
 
TELEVISION AND RADIO COVERAGE
All of the action can be seen on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app by logging in with your television provider. Fans can also listen to the game on 101.3 The Game or 1013TheGame.com with Jake Marsh on the call. 
 
RELATED LINKS
UAlbany: Video | Radio | Live Stats | Tickets
Game Notes: Vermont | UAlbany

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
Vermont matched a school record with 10 regular season non-conference wins, tying the 2009-10, 2016-17, and 2017-18 Cats. The Green and Gold also posted a 2-2 record against preseason favorites with wins over Northeastern and Harvard. The record-tying slate included a six-game winning streak for the second straight season. The Catamounts completed season sweeps against three conferences - the Atlantic 10 (George Washington, George Mason, and St. Bonaventure), the Colonial Athletic Association (Towson, Northeastern), and the Ivy League (Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth). The Atlantic 10 sweep was a first ever for UVM while the Burlington bunch swept the Ivy League for the third straight year.
 
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Vermont is 19-1 against schools located in New York. The run includes non-conference victories over Marist, Hofstra, Siena, and St. Bonaventure while topping league rivals Albany, Binghamton, and Stony Brook.
 
MOLL'S HOMECOMING
Freshman Isaiah Moll will return to his hometown of Albany, New York on Saturday. He attended Colonie High School, which is located 2.6 miles away from SEFCU Arena, where he averaged 23.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game as a senior. He was a two-time Suburban Council Player of the Year and led the Garnet Raiders to back-to-back Section II Class AA Championship appearances.
 
BECKER IN AMERICA EAST OPENERS
Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker owns a commanding 6-1 record in America East openers during his UVM tenure, including six straight victories. The only defeat came during his rookie campaign in 2011-12 with a 65-59 loss at eventual regular season champion Stony Brook.
 
SCOUTING UALBANY
Coming into the season, the Great Danes were picked to finish fourth along with Stony Brook in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll. UAlbany posted a 5-10 record in non-conference play and have won two of their last three games. The group from the Capital Region have cleaned up the glass with 159 total offensive rebounds, the second-best total in America East. Ahmad Clark ranks second in the league with a 19.1 scoring average – trailing only Anthony Lamb's 21.9 points per game. Clark leads the conference in assists (67) and has logged 33 steals this season, the 17th-most in the country. Cameron Healy follows with 15.5 points per game and a lethal 41.2% three-point percentage. He sits 19th in Division I with 47 three-pointers.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Catamounts have won five straight against the Great Danes, including the 2017 America East Championship Game, and lead the all-time series 29-14. In the last 10 games between the rivals, the outcome has been decided by single digits five times. Last year, Vermont swept the season series capped off by a 17-point comeback victory at SEFCU Arena on Feb. 8, 2018. 
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 Vermont men's basketball season