Vermont Rules Conference
Vermont completed the triple crown in the America East, leading the conference in scoring offense, scoring defense and scoring margin. Now the Catamounts are 40 minutes away from returning to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since 2010. They also get to play on their home court and against a UMBC team it handled with ease twice already this season.
Vermont is 57th in the NCAA NET rankings and had just one game, which it lost against a Quad 1 team, so there will be decisions to be made when the NCAA selection committee puts together the March Madness bracket. UMBC is looking to pull off the shocking upset. The Retrievers’ NET ranking of 223 would be among the worst in the tournament field.
Some March Madness predictions have Vermont as a No. 13 seed.
UMBC Offense is Firing on All Cylinders
The last time UMBC crossed paths with Vermont, the result was a humbling 27-point road loss. It was the type of defeat that could send a season going in one of two directions.
The Retrievers opted to use the Feb. 19 loss as a turning point in their season.
UMBC scored more than 90 points in its next two games and topped the 90-point mark again in the America East quarterfinals. UMBC outscored its opponents 104-46 at the foul line during its current five-game winning streak.
After making 20 free throws just once in the first 26 contests, UMBC has made more than 20 foul shots three times in the last five games. Time will tell if the trips to the charity stripe continue since the Retrievers were 16 of 23 from the line in two games against Vermont.
UMBC has covered against the Las Vegas odds in its last five games.
Vermont Rolling Through America East
It is hard to imagine a more dominating first two games in any conference tournament than what top-seeded Vermont has accomplished in the America East quarterfinals and semifinals.
The Catamounts never trailed in the games against NJIT and Binghamton, winning by 39 and 32 points, in reaching the program’s eighth America East title game since 2010. Vermont didn’t trail in either game.
Ben Shungu is averaging 19 points on 63 percent shooting while Ryan Davis is adding 16 points on 68 percent shooting. The Catamounts’ bench is contributing an average of 36 points in the two tournament games heading into Saturday morning’s championship game.
🎥 RECAP | Led by Ben Shungu and Ryan Davis, @UVMmbb advances to the championship game #AEPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zuK5uasfEy
— America East (@AmericaEast) March 10, 2022
Four of Vermont’s last five games went over the college basketball spreads total.
UMBC vs Vermont Head-to-Head
Vermont has won six of the last eight meetings with UMBC, including sweeping the season series with an 86-59 win on road on Jan. 15 as an 8½-point favorite and taking the rematch at home 86-59 on Feb. 19.
The teams met in the America East Tournament in 2018, 2019 and 2020, with Vermont winning the last two matchups.
Five of the last six games in the series have gone over the total while Vermont has covered in three of the last four games.
The March Madness odds could have Vermont as a favorite to pull off an upset if the Catamounts take care of business once again.
UMBC vs Vermont Game Information
- Game: UMBC (18-13) vs. Vermont (27-5)
- Location: Patrick Gymnasium, Burlington, Vermont
- Day/Time: Saturday, 11 a.m. ET
- Television: ESPN2
UMBC vs Vermont Betting Lines
UMBC vs Vermont Prediction
It is hard to find many statistical categories where UMBC is ahead of Vermont, but the Retrievers are leading the America East in 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
The biggest number of all is Vermont’s 15-0 record at home.
The line of 15½ is a large one but it will be hard for those who bet online to pick against the favored Catamounts.
