Santa Clara vs. Vermont

College Basketball Invitational: First Round

Vermont Catamounts at Santa Clara Broncos

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013, 7:00 PM PDT

Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.

Vermont hails from the America East. The Catamounts are 21-11 on the season, 11-5 in America East regular season play, they are currently on a one game losing streak. Vermont is 10-8 away from home this season.

Santa Clara is 21-11 on the season, went 9-7 in WCC regular season play and is currently on a one game losing streak, to LMU in the WCC Tournament Quarterfinals. Santa Clara is 13-5 at home this season.

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Vermont is in the CBI because it missed the NCAA Tournament by four points. The Catamounts lost, at home, to Albany in the America East championship game on Saturday.

Santa Clara is in the CBI because it lost in the WCC Quarterfinals to Loyola Marymount back on March 8th. The Broncos will have only played two games in the month of March at tip time on Tuesday, the other being a defeat at Saint Mary's on the 2nd.

Harvard (91) and Stony Brook (80) are the only top-100 wins for Vermont this season. The Catamounts have played only three top-100 teams (Connecticut being the other). Santa Clara has faced six top-100 teams, nine times total, and won twice. The Broncos have defeated Saint Louis (15) and Pacific (97), both are NCAA Tournament teams and both victories came on the road.



Vermont likes to pound the ball inside to 6'8'' forward Clancy Rugg and 6'7'' forward Luke Apfeld. Those two account for 22 of the Catamounts' 63.4 points per game. The team gets 52.7% of its points from inside the arc.

Santa Clara's defense holds teams to a worse two point shooting percentage than Vermont's offense puts up, but that might not matter. Vermont plays a much slower game than Santa Clara, five possessions less per game. In those possessions, thanks to their frequent interior play, they get to the line a lot. Only 11 teams attempt more free throws per field goal than Vermont. Apfeld and Rugg, the team's two leading scorers, shoot 87.8% and 71.3% from the line respectively.

All that matters because the Broncos foul, a lot. Of WCC teams, only Loyola Marymount fouls with a higher frequency than Santa Clara and the Broncos have actually averaged a higher number of fouls per game than the Lions.

Luckily for the Broncos, the players that foul the most are the players that will be facing Vermont's foul drawing duo.

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The Broncos offense is capable of outgunning the Catamounts, easily, if players like Foster and Trasolini avoid foul trouble. Trasolini will have his work cut out for him going up against the Vermont front line, but he's been training against the likes of Kelly Olynyk, Sam Dower, Elias Harris, Brandon Davies and Brad Waldow. The America East offers no such competition for Apfeld and Rugg to gain experience against.

As I mentioned earlier, the Broncos have only played twice this month and will have had 11 days off since their last game when this game tips off. The Catamounts will be traveling nearly all the way across the country. That sets up the Broncos to come out rusty but rested while the Catamounts should be in a flow but tired.

If the Broncos can start strong and not foul the Catamounts will pose no threat.