MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (16-5, 6-0 AE) hosts longtime conference foe UAlbany (11-10, 3-3 AE) on Thursday (Feb. 1) in the Rally Around Mental Health Game presented by Redstone. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at Patrick Gym. Tickets are available for purchase at
UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's game will broadcast live on
ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. An international stream will also be available on
AmericaEast.TV. Fans can listen to the game for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. The radio broadcast is also available via the
Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
RELATED LINKS
Purchase Tickets
Watch: ESPN+ | AE.TV (Int'l)
Listen on Varsity Network App
Live Stats
Game Notes: Vermont | UAlbany
CatamounTV Press Conference: Becker | Ayo-Faleye | Bogues
PROMOTIONS
Thursday is the Rally Around Mental Health Game presented by Redstone and benefiting United Way. Fans can visit the main lobby to enter to win a movie basket or UVM swag basket. Baystate Financial will be giving out UVM men's basketball trading cards.
CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK
Vermont owns the nation's longest conference winning streak, earning 21 straight victories against America East foes. UVM's last AE loss came on Jan. 11, 2023 at UMass Lowell. The Catamounts have won 25 straight home games against America East schools.
W7
UVM is riding a season-high seven-game winning streak. Vermont's streak is currently the seventh-longest active winning streak in the country.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
UAlbany enters Thursday's game fifth in the America East standings. The Great Danes have split their first six league games, with wins against NJIT (W, 79-73), Binghamton (W, 95-75), and New Hampshire (W, 86-79). Prior to the win at New Hampshire on Jan. 27, UAlbany had dropped three straight games to UMass Lowell (L, 97-76), Bryant (L, 98-89), and Maine (L, 81-73). The Great Danes boast a high-powered offense that has scored a league-high 83.0 points per game in conference play, but defensively, UAlbany has allowed a league-high 83.8 points per game. Transfer guards Sebastian Thomas and Amar'e Marshall lead the attack with 21.5 and 20.7 points per game, respectively, in conference play. They rank second and fourth, respectively, in league scoring average. 2023 America East Rookie of the Year Jonathan Beagle has pulled in a league-high 11.2 rebounds per game.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and UAlbany meet for the 54th time in the all-time series. UVM owns a 38-15 overall record, with a 20-8 mark at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts have won five straight meetings, and are 9-1 in the last 10 matchups.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ileri Ayo-Faleye picked up UVM's first America East weekly honor of the season when he was named Player of the Week on Monday. The 6-8 forward averaged 10.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals in UVM's 2-0 week on the road. Ayo-Faleye recorded his first career double-double against UMass Lowell with 15 points and 10 rebounds – he also had a career-high five blocks in the win.
MID-MAJOR POLL
The Catamounts climbed up seven spots to earn the No. 14 ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
BALANCED ATTACK
Vermont has had eight different Catamounts lead the squad in scoring this season.
TJ Long has led the Cats in scoring a team-best seven times this season, with UVM owning a 7-0 mark in those games. UVM has had a different leading scorer in each of its six America East victories.
PERFECT JANUARY
Vermont was a perfect 7-0 in January, outscoring opponents by 10.2 points per game. UVM has had a perfect January four times under Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach
John Becker, and have won the regular season title in each of the three previous seasons.
McGee Automotive Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball
