MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The 13th-seeded Vermont Catamounts (27-6) take on the fourth-seeded Florida State Seminoles (27-7) in the first round of NCAA Tournament on Thursday (March 16). Action gets underway at 2 p.m. ET from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
 
TELEVISION AND RADIO COVERAGE
The first-round game will be nationally televised on TBS with Carter Blackburn, Debbie Antonelli, and John Schriffen on the call. TBS is located on channel 139 for Dish Network customers and DirecTV customers can find the game on channel 247. Xfinity customers can catch the contest on channel 24 (SD) and 761 (HD). For more cable listings, contact your local cable provider.
 
Local radio coverage can be heard on 101.3 The Game and 1013TheGame.com with Jake Marsh and Ethan O'Day on the call. National radio coverage will be carried on Westwood One and Sirius satellite radio channel 138, XM channel 207, and internet channel 974.

RELATED LINKS
Florida State: Video | Live Stats | Audio (Local) | Audio (Westwood One) | Audio (Sirius) 
CatamounTV: AE Championship Highlights |  Selection Show | Becker Mic'd Up
Game Notes: Vermont
NCAA Tournament: UVM Tournament Central | Bracket

WATCH PARTY
There are several Watch Parties throughout the Burlington area and around the country. The UVM Alumni House is hosting a watch party on campus. The event is free and open to the public and no RSVP is required. There are also Watch Parties setup through the Alumni Association in 10 other states, for more information click here. On campus, the game will also be shown in the Mt. Mansfield Room and Brennan's at the Davis Center.
 
Several local UVM Athletics partners including the Windjammer Upper Deck Pub, Duke's Public House, Vermont Pub & Brewery and Tavern 252 at the DoubleTree will also be hosting Watch Parties with select food specials.
 
#NCAAVCats
Fans watching the Catamounts can use the hashtag #NCAAVCats for the chance to be featured on UVM's social media platforms. 

HARTFORD PREGAME PEP RALLY
The University of Vermont will host a pregame Pep Rally at Dunkin Donuts Park, the home of the Hartford Yard Goats, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday. The YG Club at Dunkin Donuts Park is conveniently located two blocks from the XL Center, and is accessible through the main entrance of the stadium. This event is open to the public, a game ticket is not required to attend. Light appetizers and a cash bar will be available. 
 
The UVM Bookstore will be at the Pep Rally with a selection of green and gold apparel to help fans show their Catamount spirit. Fans can also shop online for America East Championship gear and other items at TheUVMBookstore.com. The UVM Bookstore will also be open their regular hours 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday this week at the Davis Center.

AMERICA EAST CHAMPS
The 2018-19 Cats earned the program's seventh America East crown with a 66-49 win over defending champion UMBC on Saturday. UVM tied Northeastern for the most tournament titles in the history of the conference. Anthony Lamb was named Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player for the second time in his career after racking up a game-high 28 points.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
The Catamounts are making their seventh appearance in the Big Dance and will be looking to capture their third tournament victory. Previously, UVM beat Lamar 71-59 in the First Four of the 2012 tournament and pulled off a 60-57 overtime win against Syracuse in 2005. The Green and Gold enter the tournament as a No. 13 seed for the third time – 2005 and 2017. From this year's field, Vermont played four opponents during the regular season – Kansas, Louisville, Northeastern and Yale with a pair of wins.
 
LAST UPSET OF A RANKED OPPONENT
Vermont will try to pull off its first upset over a ranked opponent in more than a decade. Sophomore Mike Trimboli led the Catamounts with 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds as UVM stunned 14th-ranked Boston College 77-63 at Conte Forum on Nov. 13, 2006. Senior Chris Holm picked up his third career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
CONNECTICUT CONNECTION
A pair of Catamounts have strong ties to the Constitution State. Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and was a guard at Roger Ludlowe High School. Senior forward Samuel Dingba attended The Salisbury School and began his collegiate career at Quinnipiac before transferring to UVM following the 2015-16 season.
 
BROTHERS MAKING HISTORY
Ernie Duncan, Everett Duncan, and Robin Duncan will become the first trio of brothers to play in the NCAA Tournament together. The Duncan trio joined Villanova's Herron trio (Larry, Keith, and Reggie) as the only brother three-pack to start in the same NCAA Division I game together against UMBC (Jan. 23). Each of the Duncans made a three-pointer in the game against the Retrievers.
 
NCAA CATS IN NEW ENGLAND
The Catamounts registered their biggest win in school history in their last NCAA Tournament visit to New England. Vermont played the first two rounds of the 2005 tournament at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts – the site of the historic upset against Syracuse. Germain Mopa Njila and T.J. Sorrentine guided the Green and Gold with a combined 37 points.

SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
FSU enters the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and had a successful run in the ACC Tournament before dropping the title game 73-63 to Duke. The Seminoles are one of the top rebounding teams in the county with the 27th-most total boards (1,271) and a top-50 rebound margin (+4.7) due to their size. Florida State's roster has an average height of 6-7 and 7-4 center Christ Koumadje (6.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg) was the tallest player in last year's NCAA Tournament. Mfiondu Kabengele paces the 'Noles offense with 12.9 points per game as the ACC Sixth Man of the Year. The sophomore was also named to the ACC All-Conference Honorable Mention along with teammate Terance Mann (11.2 ppg).

SERIES HISTORY
The only meeting between Vermont and Florida State was back on December 30, 1976 as a part of the Vermont Classic at Patrick Gym. The visiting Seminoles walked away with a 76-67 win, a day after beating a Mike Krzyzewski coached Army team. UVM was guided by a team-high 17 points from Mark Soblewski and Tom Perrin added an even dozen. FSU's Carlton Byrd netted 20 points to lead all scorers.  
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 men's basketball season