It’s no secret: The Vermont Catamounts have had Binghamton University’s number the past few seasons.
The Catamounts have won the last five matchups, including two this season, and are 13-3 all-time against the Bearcats. Vermont’s 5-1 versus Binghamton all-time at the Events Center, where fifth-seeded Binghamton will take on fourth-seeded Vermont in a quarterfinal matchup on at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Bearcats are 2-4 in the America East Tournament and, when they managed to get to the semifinals in 2005 and 2006, it was the Catamounts who were waiting to shut down their dreams.
“A lot of the guys on this team have not beaten them before,” said Binghamton senior guard Richie Forbes. “Before I leave, I want to know we can beat them.”
But the Bearcats know it’s a lot easier said than done as they are going up against a Catamount offense that averaged 77 points per game against Binghamton this season. Vermont shot greater than 54 percent in three of the four halves, including a 72 percent clip in one half.
“The biggest thing is we have to play together defensively,” said BU head coach Kevin Broadus. “We have to really defend against these guys. We just have to play together and find ways to stop them.”
Vermont as a team is first in the conference in field goal percentage shooting 46 percent and individually, the Catamounts have Player of the Year candidate Marqus Blakely, who averaged 19.4 ppg (45th in the nation) and 11 rpg this season (ninth in the nation).
In the Catamounts’ 29 games this season, Blakely led the team in scoring 18 times, including a 30-point and 20-rebound performance in a 94-82 win against Hartford on Feb. 20. Blakely also went for 20 or more points 12 times this season.
What makes Blakely even more dangerous is that he excels at the defensive end as well, as he led the conference and is 24th in the nation in blocked shots, averaging 2.6 bpg.
Although the Bearcats may not be able to totally shut him down, they will try to at least slow him down. Blakely put up 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and added 14 rebounds in the team’s first meeting and managed a reasonable 14 points and 10 rebounds in the second game.
“The biggest thing is we have to keep him off of the glass,” said senior Mike Gordon. “He gets a bunch of his buckets from rebounds and put-backs so we have to force him to shoot the mid-range jump shot and get him off of the block.”
What makes Vermont so tough is even if Blakely’s touches are limited, the Catamounts still have several other players who can do damage. If it’s not Blakely, it’s junior Mike Trimboli or senior Kyle Cieplicki. Trimboli averaged 18 ppg while Cieplicki averaged 10.8 ppg. When Binghamton and Vermont last faced off at the Events Center in February, the two guards combined for 42 points, including 7-for-12 from behind the arc.
To score on the Catamounts, Binghamton will need to be stellar in its halfcourt offense, which is most likely going to be countered by different kinds of zones from Vermont. While the Bearcats are always expecting the unexpected, the Catamounts played 90 percent zone, which is something Binghamton has struggled against.
“We were stagnant, just way too stagnant,” Gordon said of the last meeting with Vermont. “People were just standing around. Now, we are moving, cutting through out the zone. We will not be stationary this time.”
“Every possession, every shot counts,” Broadus said.
Broadus preached all week to his players that this could be their last shot.
“You are playing for keeps now,” Broadus said. “You win, you keep playing. You lose, you pack your uniforms up. You have to play extremely hard as a team for 40 minutes. We are going to come playing with nothing to lose.”
Broadus, who sports his Georgetown Big East Championship ring to help motivate his players, knows what it takes to get there.
“These guys right here have a chance of a lifetime, it’s as simple as that,” Broadus said. “You talk all year about being America East champs, well here’s their chance to do something special.”