MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Vermont (1-1, 1-1 AE) will host the newest member of the America East Conference, NJIT (1-1), for a home-opening two-game series. The Catamounts and Highlanders will play on Sunday (Dec. 27) at 3 p.m. and Monday (Dec. 28) at 2 p.m.
TELEVISION AND RADIO COVERAGE
All of the action will be available on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with a paid subscription. 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
NJIT: Video | Live Stats | Audio
Game Notes: Vermont | NJIT
CatamounTV: Weekly Media Day (12/24/20)
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.
MUSIAL AWARDS WILL HONOR SPEIDEL
Former Catamount
Josh Speidel '20 will be honored on Saturday (Dec. 26) with the Musial Award for Extraordinary Sportsmanship for his Senior Night moment. Named after baseball great Stan Musial, the Musial Awards celebrate the year's greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who embody class and character. The ceremony will be broadcasted on CBS at 3 p.m. ET.
HOME OPENERS
The Green and Gold have won their last six home openers and nine out of the last 10 overall. In the six victories, the Cats have won by an average of 39.0 points per game. UVM has a 57-47 all-time record in home openers.
SHUNGU SHINES
In the first two games of the season,
Ben Shungu has produced 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The senior guard scored 13 points in the season opener on Monday then followed it up with 12 points on Tuesday. The 25-point total is the second-highest for Shungu in back-to-back games, trailing only a 27-point spree against Stony Brook and UMBC late last season.
WELCOME TO THE LEAGUE
Vermont has made it a habit of welcoming a new member of the America East Conference. NJIT will make its America East debut on Sunday after moving from the A-SUN in June. The last time the conference introduced a new member, UMass Lowell back in 2013-14, the River Hawks made their debut against the Cats on December 18, 2013. UVM won the matchup 62-48.
SCOUTING NJIT
The Highlanders have split their only two games of the year – a 72-60 setback at Temple on December 19 then triumphed with an 82-66 victory at in-state rival Rider on Wednesday. Senior guard Zach Cooks was an America East Preseason All-Conference Team selection. He currently leads the team in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (5.5). He is coming off an 18-point effort at Rider with seven boards and two steals. Dylan O'Hearn follows with a 15.0 scoring average. The junior from Westland, Michigan added 19 points as a key reserve to the win over the Broncs. Last season as a member of the A-SUN, NJIT finished the season with a 9-21 overall record and 6-10 mark in conference play. The Highlanders earned the No. 8 seed in the A-SUN Tournament but fell to top overall seed Liberty 55-49 in the quarterfinals.
INSIDE THE SERIES
UVM and NJIT have met four times and all four games have resulted in a Vermont win. The two teams first met back on November 20, 2007 in Newark, New Jersey as the Cats came out on top 91-71. Current UVM associate head coach
Kyle Cieplicki had 16 points off the bench and drained three triples. The foes met again on January 3, 2009 in Burlington with the Green and Gold walking away with a 73-47 home victory. The series continued on December 5, 2009 back in Newark with UVM cruising to an 88-49 win. The last meeting was on November 27, 2010 in Burlington as Vermont rode a game-high 25 points from Evan Fjeld to reach the win column 69-50.
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of the 2020-21 Vermont men's basketball season
