# 2017–18 Vermont Catamounts men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Vermont Catamounts men's basketball team represented the University of Vermont during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Catamounts, led by seventh-year head coach John Becker, played their home games at Patrick Gym in Burlington, Vermont as members of the America East Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 15–1 in America East play to win the America East regular season championship. The Catamounts defeated Maine and Stony Brook to advance to the championship game of the America East tournament where they lost to UMBC. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, the Catamounts received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to Middle Tennessee in the first round.

## Previous season

The Catamounts finished the 2016–17 season 29–6, 16–0 in America East play to win the America East regular season championship. In the America East tournament, they defeated Maine, New Hampshire, and Albany to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 13 seed in the Midwest region, they lost to No. 4 seed Purdue in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Josh Hearlihy | 1 | G/F | 6'8" | 213 | RS Junior | Los Angeles, CA | Graduate transferred to Seattle |
| Darren Payen | 12 | F | 6'8" | 217 | RS Senior | Milford, CT | Graduated |
| Kian Dalyrimple | 15 | G | 6'4" | 177 | Freshman | Dix Hills, NY | Transferred to New Haven |
| Dre Wills | 24 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |
| Kurt Steidl | 34 | G/F | 6'6" | 181 | Senior | Ridgefield, CT | Graduated |

### 2017 incoming recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Bailey Patella #87 SF | Lenox, MA | Vermont Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 7, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 64 ||||||
| Stefan Smith PG | Unionville, ON | Bill Crothers Secondary School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 12, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Skyler Nash SG | Chicago, IL | Gould Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: POST ||||||
| Ra Kpedi PF | Indianapolis, IN | Lawrence North | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 23, 2017. ||||||

## Preseason

In a poll by the conference’s nine head coaches (who were not allowed to pick their own team) at the America East media day, the Catamounts were picked to win the America East. Senior Trae Bell-Haynes and sophomore Anthony Lamb were named to the preseason All-America East team.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 27, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Boston University Exhibition for hurricane relief | W 87–66 | | 22 – Er. Duncan | 6 – Lamb | 2 – Tied | Patrick Gym (1,446) Burlington, VT |
| Oct 29, 2017* 2:00 pm, AE.TV | | Concordia (QC) | W 92–64 | | 17 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Patrick Gym (1,646) Burlington, VT |
| Nov 4, 2017* 7:00 pm, AE.TV | | Saint Michael's | W 102–53 | | 17 – Henson | 7 – Henson | 5 – Shungu | Patrick Gym (2,661) Burlington, VT |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 12, 2017* 3:30 pm, ESPN | | at No. 5 Kentucky | L 69–73 | 0–1 | 16 – Bell-Haynes | 7 – Lamb | 5 – Bell-Haynes | Rupp Arena (20,174) Lexington, KY |
| Nov 17, 2017* 11:00 am | | vs. Bradley The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase quarterfinals | W 65–64 | 1–1 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Henson | 5 – Bell-Haynes | Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (334) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 18, 2017* 5:00 pm | | vs. Coastal Carolina The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase semifinals | W 80–67 | 2–1 | 19 – Er. Duncan | 6 – Urquhart | 6 – Er. Duncan | Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (452) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 19, 2017* 8:00 pm | | vs. Northern Kentucky The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase championship game | W 66–64 | 3–1 | 26 – Lamb | 14 – Lamb | 3 – Bell-Haynes | Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (477) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 22, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Maine–Fort Kent The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase campus game | W 90–54 | 4–1 | 13 – Dingba | 7 – Tied | 4 – Bell-Haynes | Patrick Gym (2,363) Burlington, VT |
| Nov 25, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Yale | W 79–73 | 5–1 | 22 – Lamb | 7 – Lamb | 10 – Bell-Haynes | Payne Whitney Gymnasium (1,644) New Haven, CT |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, NBCSWA+ | | at Richmond | W 71–65 | 6–1 | 21 – Er. Duncan | 8 – Henson | 6 – Bell-Haynes | Robins Center (4,615) Richmond, VA |
| Dec 2, 2017* 7:00 pm | | at Bucknell | L 77–81 | 6–2 | 20 – Lamb | 5 – Tied | 2 – Bell-Haynes | Sojka Pavilion (3,044) Lewisburg, PA |
| Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at Marquette | L 81–91 | 6–3 | 20 – Smith | 6 – Tied | 8 – Bell-Haynes | Bradley Center (12,055) Milwaukee, WI |
| Dec 9, 2017* 4:00 pm | | at Northeastern | L 67–71 | 6–4 | 32 – Lamb | 9 – Henson | 2 – Tied | Matthews Arena (1,600) Boston, MA |
| Dec 11, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Siena | W 81–57 | 7–4 | 13 – Urquhart | 7 – Bell-Haynes | 5 – Tied | Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT |
| Dec 16, 2017* 4:00 pm | | vs. St. Bonaventure Roc City Hoops Classic | L 79–81 | 7–5 | 27 – Lamb | 8 – Lamb | 5 – Er. Duncan | Blue Cross Arena (5,828) Rochester, NY |
| Dec 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Quinnipiac | W 80–73 | 8–5 | 20 – Lamb | 8 – Bell-Haynes | 5 – Bell-Haynes | Patrick Gym (2,349) Burlington, VT |
| Jan 2, 2018* 4:00 pm, NESN+ | | at Harvard | W 62–56 | 9–5 | 17 – Henson | 5 – Tied | 4 – Ward | Lavietes Pavilion (1,215) Cambridge, MA |
| Jan 4, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at UMass Lowell | W 88–77 | 10–5 (1–0) | 32 – Er. Duncan | 12 – Urquhart | 5 – Bell-Haynes | Costello Athletic Center (289) Lowell, MA |
| Jan 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UMBC | W 71–56 | 11–5 (2–0) | 16 – Henson | 14 – Henson | 4 – Urquhart | Patrick Gym (2,734) Burlington, VT |
| Jan 10, 2018* 7:00 pm | | at Dartmouth | W 91–78 | 12–5 | 27 – Bell-Haynes | 4 – Tied | 4 – Ward | Leede Arena (1,263) Hanover, NH |
| Jan 13, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Stony Brook | W 73–62 | 13–5 (3–0) | 20 – Bell-Haynes | 6 – Bell-Haynes | 2 – Tied | Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT |
| Jan 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Maine | W 83–62 | 14–5 (4–0) | 21 – Urquhart | 5 – Tied | 6 – Er. Duncan | Patrick Gym (2,405) Burlington, VT |
| Jan 18, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at New Hampshire | W 67–56 | 15–5 (5–0) | 20 – Bell-Haynes | 9 – Urquhart | 3 – Urquhart | Lundholm Gym (560) Durham, NH |
| Jan 21, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Hartford | W 76–53 | 16–5 (6–0) | 18 – Henson | 6 – Bell-Haynes | 6 – Er. Duncan | Chase Arena (1,784) Hartford, CT |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Albany | W 61–50 | 17–5 (7–0) | 21 – Bell-Haynes | 11 – Ev. Duncan | 4 – Er. Duncan | Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT |
| Jan 31, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Binghamton | W 68–54 | 18–5 (8–0) | 21 – Bell-Haynes | 9 – Ev. Duncan | 6 – Bell-Haynes | Binghamton University Events Center (4,445) Vestal, NY |
| Feb 3, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at UMBC | W 81–53 | 19–5 (9–0) | 18 – Urquhart | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | UMBC Event Center (4,753) Catonsville, MD |
| Feb 8, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Albany | W 72–67 | 20–5 (10–0) | 20 – Bell-Haynes | 8 – Urquhart | 5 – Tied | SEFCU Arena (3,602) Albany, NY |
| Feb 11, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | UMass Lowell | W 81–69 | 21–5 (11–0) | 27 – Bell-Haynes | 6 – Tied | 4 – Bell-Haynes | Patrick Gym (2,910) Burlington, VT |
| Feb 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | New Hampshire | W 71–58 | 22–5 (12–0) | 14 – Ward | 8 – Urquhart | 2 – Tied | Patrick Gym (2,633) Burlington, VT |
| Feb 18, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Hartford | L 68–69 | 22–6 (12–1) | 15 – Urquhart | 10 – Urquhart | 5 – Urquhart | Patrick Gym (3,168) Burlington, VT |
| Feb 21, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Binghamton | W 75–54 | 23–6 (13–1) | 18 – Tied | 10 – Urquhart | 7 – Henson | Patrick Gym (2,854) Burlington, VT |
| Feb 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Stony Brook | W 69–60 | 24–6 (14–1) | 19 – Bell-Haynes | 9 – Henson | 6 – Bell-Haynes | Island Federal Credit Union Arena (3,528) Stony Brook, NY |
| Feb 27, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Maine | W 74–62 | 25–6 (15–1) | 16 – Bell-Haynes | 9 – Henson | 4 – Urquhart | Cross Insurance Center (907) Bangor, ME |
| America East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 3, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | (8) Maine Quarterfinals | W 75–60 | 26–6 | 21 – Tied | 12 – Urquhart | 4 – Tied | Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT |
| Mar 5, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | (5) Stony Brook Semifinals | W 70–51 | 27–6 | 19 – Urquhart | 8 – Tied | 6 – Bell-Haynes | Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT |
| Mar 10, 2018 11:00 am, ESPN2 | (1) | (2) UMBC Championship game | L 62–65 | 27–7 | 18 – Bell-Haynes | 10 – Urquhart | 5 – Bell-Haynes | Patrick Gym (3,266) Burlington, VT |
| NIT |||||||||
| Mar 13, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | (6) | at (3) Middle Tennessee First Round – Baylor Bracket | L 64–91 | 27–8 | 18 – Lamb | 5 – Tied | 7 – Bell-Haynes | Murphy Center (5,010) Murfreesboro, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source