MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The defending America East champion Vermont Catamounts will begin their title defense with a two-game set at UMass Lowell. The season opener is set for Monday (Dec. 21) at 5 p.m. followed up a matinee on Tuesday (Dec. 22) at 3 p.m.
 
TELEVISION AND RADIO COVERAGE
All of the action will be available on ESPN3 and the ESPN app by logging in with your television provider. Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College, on 101.3 The Game or online at Catamounts All-Access with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
UMass Lowell: Video | Live Stats | Audio
Game Notes: Vermont
CatamounTV: Season Preview Press Conference
 
BE A PART OF THE CROWD AT PATRICK THIS YEAR
Miss being in the stands at Patrick Gym this season? You can still be a part of the action by purchasing a cutout version of yourself or pet to be displayed the entire season. For more information visit go.uvm.edu/cutouts.
 
LEGENDS HEADED TO THE HALL
UVM Athletics announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2020 last Monday and three former men's basketball stars received the distinct honor. Two-time America East Player of the Year Marqus Blakely '10, 2,000-point scorer Mike Trimboli '09, and former NBA head coach Herb Brown '57 will get enshrined next year as a part of a joint ceremony with the Class of 2021. To see the complete Class of 2020, click here.
 
CATAMOUNT NEWCOMERS
The Catamounts welcomed three fresh faces to the program this year – freshman Georges Lefebvre, George Washington transfer Justin Mazzulla, and Northeastern graduate transfer Tomas Murphy.
 
FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW
The Catamounts were picked as the America East preseason favorite for the fifth consecutive year. UVM is the only Division I program tabbed No. 1 in a conference's preseason poll in each of the last five seasons. The season marks the seventh time under Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker that the Cats have been selected as the frontrunner in the America East Preseason Poll. 
 
THE SMITH-SONIAN
Senior guard Stef Smith was named to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team. The sharpshooter from Ajax, Ontario enters his senior year with the fifth-best career three-point percentage (.394) in school history. Smith is accompanied on the Preseason All-Conference Team by NJIT's Zach Cooks, New Hampshire's Nick Guadarrama, UAlbany's Cam Healy, and UMass Lowell's Obadiah Noel.
 
SENIOR LEADERSHIP GROUP
Seniors Bailey Patella, Ben Shungu, and Smith will serve as team captains for the 2020-21 campaign. Patella was one of four Catamounts to appear in every game a year ago and ranked third on the team with a 51.7% field-goal percentage. Shungu was named America East Defensive Player of the Year and finished second on the squad with 5.0 rebounds per game. Smith was an America East All-Conference First Team performer in 2019-20 after leading the league with a 42.3% overall three-point percentage, including a 49.4% clip in conference play.
 
SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL
UML upset San Francisco 76-68 in the season opener as a part of the Mohegan Sun 'Bubbleville' series but has dropped its last three contests. In the conference preseason rankings, the River Hawks are slated to finished seventh after tallying 38 points. Noel has paced the team with a 20.5 scoring average and 5.8 rebounds per game in the early going. The senior jumped out of the gate with 22 points against USF, then netted a career-high 35 points three days later at Illinois State. The 20-plus scoring surges helped the 6-4 guard collect America East Player of the Week honors. Sophomores Connor Withers and Darion Jordan-Thomas follow with 7.8 points per game. Withers has gathered at least three boards in each of his four games played this year. Jordan-Thomas has provided a spark off the bench with a 48.0% field goal percentage.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
The head-to-head series with UML has been one-sided, 12-2, in favor of the Catamounts. The Green and Gold have won the last eight matchups. The pair of UML victories came as a part of a regular season sweep back in 2015-16. Last year in Lowell, Aaron Deloney had his best game as a rookie with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting including two triples.
 
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of the 2020-21 Vermont men's basketball season