March 22 marked the third straight year that UVM’s men’s team played in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. However, it also marked the third straight year with a first round exit, as the Catamounts lost to the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils.
Redshirt junior and forward Ileri Ayo-Faleye put the Catamounts on the board first with a deep 3-pointer that brought the visiting fans to their feet. Duke responded by capitalizing off the many fouls UVM committed in the first half, slowly building their lead by sinking free throws and taking the open 3-pointers.
Graduate guard Aaron Deloney was everywhere in the first half, helping to keep Vermont in the game by aggressively pursuing lay-ups and jump shots in the paint. But Duke’s offense continued to put pressure on the Catamount defense, pressure that led to a multitude of fouls committed throughout the match.
UVM committed 20 total fouls on the day, with one being a technical foul on head coach John Becker after a heated conversation courtside with a referee. Duke ended up going 20-29 on free throw attempts compared to UVM’s line of 2-6.
UVM managed to keep the game competitive going into the second half with the score set at 34-29 in Duke’s favor. Junior guard Shamir Bouges, who went on a streak of scoring just before halftime, helped to reinvigorate the Vermont offense by doing what he does best: causing mayhem on defense.
A quick steal by Bouges helped start a run of Vermont scoring, and soon the Catamounts found themselves trailing 36-34 with 16:30 minutes left in the game. Redshirt sophomore and guard Sam Alamutu was a rebound machine, with multiple of his seven total rebounds coming during this stretch.
However, this was the closest the match ended up being. In the next eight minutes, Duke went on a 14 point scoring run that pushed their lead to double digits at 50-39.
Things took a turn for the worse when junior guard TJ Long suffered a non-contact knee injury late in the game, his knee hyperextending in an attempt to corral a wild lay up pass on a break away in Blue Devil’s territory. Long was helped off the court and did not return to the game.
Duke cruised through the final two minutes of the game as both squads removed their starters, and the final buzzer sounded off on the 64-47 loss for the Catamounts.
This is now UVM’s seventh straight trip to the March Madness Tournament without leaving the first round, but that shouldn’t detract from the stellar year the men’s team had. They compiled an impressive 15-1 record in divisional play, clinched their third straight America East conference championship and look primed to defend that title for 2024-2025 season.
