Things Are Looking Up For Vermont
BOSTON – Things are finally starting to look a little like Mike Lonergan envisioned them. The road to this point wasn’t easy, and it won’t be a walk in the park the rest of the way, but it’s starting to look a little better.
Vermont knocked off Boston University 70-57 on Friday night at Agganis Arena in a game that wasn’t quite that close. The Catamounts seemed to be on the verge of breaking the game open a couple of times, but never really did. Part of it was their own sloppiness, part of it was the Terriers being a tough team to shake as they have been most of the season.
Perhaps the biggest part of things looking as they were envisioned is the presence of Nick Vier. The sophomore point guard was expected to come in and take over at the point guard spot, allowing Mike Trimboli to play off the ball some and also reduce Trimboli’s minutes to let him be more fresh late in games. But he didn’t come along quite as quickly as hoped, starting just six games.
Lately, Vier has gotten untracked during the team’s four-game winning streak. In wins over New Hampshire and Maine, he had 12 assists, and he’s reached double digits in scoring the last two times out. In Friday night’s win, he also had a few key plays to help the Catamounts try to break the game open, like a layup and three-pointer on successive trips that turned a two-point Catamount lead into a seven-point margin. Later, he hit a clutch three-pointer after the Terriers rallied to within three, and the Catamounts never led by less than four after that.
Lonergan wants to see Vier take better care of the ball, and there’s certainly room for improvement there. Friday night was one of the worst games in that department for him as he committed five turnovers without an assist. If Vier can get going as he has of late, Trimboli becomes more dangerous.
The Catamounts are also finally healthy after battling an assortment of injuries during non-conference play. They have their entire team, and two players who were originally question marks played significant minutes and roles in the win over the Terriers. Kyle Cieplicki played 27 minutes on an ankle that’s certainly not 100 percent, scoring 11 points and handing out three assists. Senior Timothy McCrory played 25 minutes, and although his numbers weren’t big (six points, four rebounds), he was effective. The Catamounts planned to have him on a short leash as far as his health went, but he looked just fine.
As important as Vier can be, Cieplicki clearly made a difference on Friday night with his play. Lonergan calls him their “glue” guy, and with him out there the team looked different. They had a more controlled look and seemed to make better plays.
With their entire team together, they can now get on with the business of competing in America East. Vermont appears to have hit its stride with four straight wins, two coming on the road. They have held each opponent under 62 points, and the four opponents have combined to shoot below 33 percent from the field. They have also out-rebounded the last three teams, which goes back to something they were the best in the conference at last season.
Even with their current play, the staff isn’t getting too high. This season has proven to be a topsy-turvy one nationally, and America East hasn’t been exempt from that. Lonergan knew during the non-conference slate that the team would have growing pains in part because of the injuries, which left them very short-handed for a while. He was cautious about how soon each player would return from injury, and that same cautiousness shows in how he feels about his team at this point.
“Finally, we’re at .500, but as we know, this league is wide open, so it doesn’t really mean a whole lot,” said the third-year head coach.
What means something is how the team is playing. What also matters is their personnel state, which is one where every player is able to go on a given night, even if they’re not quite 100 percent. With the team playing well and the lineup Lonergan looked forward to having in place, things are starting to look a little more like the way he envisioned them.
