Catamounts host Wildcats: Revenge.

This day has been on Vermont's calendar for exactly two weeks. Before that, it was just another game on the conference schedule. Just another drubbing of UNH at home.

The only excusable reason that the Vermont Catamounts are not in first place is because they lost the first game of conference play to a very good Stony Brook team. The other reason: an inexcusable, disheartening loss to Vermont's ugly twin, New Hampshire. To sum up how I generally feel about New Hampshire, a haiku:

NH makes me laugh

hey, old man on the mountain:

where's your other half?

More sour grapes and possibly a game preview after the jump.

If you're looking for a game preview, you're going to have to wait. Let's first go back and revisit what I will from now on be referring to as "that unfortunate little accident". What happened? Well, Vermont shot 36% from the floor. For this, we can credit New Hampshire's defense; they do rank 168th overall in the country in defensive efficiency. That is middle of the road, but they've put together some good defensive performances so far this season (see: giving up 52 points to BU). We can also credit New Hampshire's extremely good perimeter defense for limiting Vermont to 1-8 shooting from beyond the arc -- Four McGlynn did not even attempt a three-pointer, the only time that has happened this season. This theme follows what New Hampshire fans would know (if there were any): New Hampshire's ranks second in the country in opponent's three point field goals attempted. If you need me to contextualize this, Hartford only shot 14 threes against New Hampshire! They only made one...and they won! How did they manage that?

New Hampshire does not have a good offensive club.

This brings us to the inexcusable nature of Vermont's loss to UNH: Marist is the only other Division I school who has given up 72 points or more to New Hampshire (Vermont lost 72-65, for those who are wondering and those who just want to hear me say it). Marist's defense ranks 291st in the country. So Vermont gave up too many points to a bad offense (one that ranks 326th in the nation). Essentially, what New Hampshire did was rain threes (10-22) and not let Vermont shoot many. That's what is going to need to change in today's match-up. Time to look ahead.

Vermont's Keys to the Game:

1. Four McGlynn (and maybe others) need to shoot threes. I don't care if they're from Sorrentineville, he needs to hit a couple threes early in order to open up lanes to penetrate into, and passing lanes to get the ball inside. If Brandon Bald feels like doing this, that's great. You know Matt Glass is going to jack a couple, and that's fine. I'd like to say Sandro will be trigger happy, but that's probably not true. Clancy Rugg can do anything he wants in my book, so maybe we'll see him hoist a couple. Somebody needs to hit some threes against the Wildcats' stingy perimeter defense. Anybody.

2. Voelkel, Apfeld & company need to control the glass early and often. Last game Vermont held a +3 rebounding edge, which is not going to cut it against a poor rebounding team.

3. Patrick Konan needs to be stopped. He scored 19 points in 22 minutes in "that unfortunate little accident" (I remembered to call it that, this time!). at 6'6" he is an interesting matchup. I expect to see a lot of Brian Voelkel on him, maybe some Matt Glass, or even a little Brendan Bald. But I do not expect to see him play only 22 minutes, and I do not expect him to get more than 12 points.

4. Vermont needs to get inside production from Apfeld, Crenca, Bergmann, Rugg -- someone. In the first meeting, or that unfortunate little accident, those four guys combined for 15 points on 5-13 from the floor. More shooting, more scoring. That's what we need down low.

On a side note, here's a bit of trivia: starting with this game tomorrow, Vermont has four home games left this season; none of them start after 1:00 pm. Welcome to the old folks home: Patrick Gymlet, where people from New Hampshire go to die... or lose basketball games. Or something.

Prediction: Vermont 70, New Hampshire 57.