Vermont Basketball

Former 3-star recruit Josh Speidel scored his first career points for Vermont on Tuesday, making his first start since suffering a traumatic brain injury five years ago.

In a Senior Day matchup with Albany, Speidel got the start and converted the team's first shot of the game in a prearranged moment:

Vermont's Josh Speidel was a highly touted prospect before a car accident derailed his college career.

Tonight, on Senior Night, he scored his first basket on the first possession of the game 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZyOBXj7dw5

— ESPN (@espn) March 4, 2020

Vermont went on to beat Albany 85-62.

Per ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Speidel was a standout at Columbus North High School in Indiana, averaging over 28 points per game during his senior season. But on Super Bowl Sunday in 2015, the Vermont commit suffered traumatic brain damage in a car crash that left him in a coma for five weeks.

Doctors told his parents their son might live the rest of his days in a vegetative state, need 24-hour care and never read above a fourth-grade level:

It's been nearly five years since Josh Speidel was involved in a traumatic car accident that would change his life.

Tonight he made his first start for @UVMmbb and scored the opening points for his team: https://t.co/dEu0lDCxEp pic.twitter.com/rJCctp6QXU

— NCAA (@NCAA) March 4, 2020

According to Medcalf, he will graduate with a 3.4 GPA this year.

After the game, the senior joked he considered missing his shot so he could grab a rebound:

POSTGAME: @JSpeidel24 talks to @MichaelELehr about his special night & what seeing his name on the boxscore meant to him. #ThisIsVermont pic.twitter.com/2s2mOt8Sy8

— UVM Athletics (@UVMathletics) March 4, 2020

It was an emotional night, according to UVM:

Should've put tissues under every seat in Patrick. #UVMProud https://t.co/VVm7bu8lFr

— University of Vermont (@uvmvermont) March 4, 2020

Vermont will start the America East Tournament as the top seed and face Maine in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Shakedown

The America East Conference tournament will be held at the high seed with dates ranging from March 1- March 10. The America East traditionally has been dominated by Vermont but has a new team at the top of the conference this year. Who are they and what do they have to offer? Let's take a look. 

The Breakdown

1. Stony Brook 20-8 (14-2 America East)

Stony Brook spent most of the last decade in the America East cellar, but the Seawolves have turned things around. After winning the regular-season crown in 2009 and 2011, it looks like Stony Brook may be establishing itself as something more than a one-year flash in the pan. Stony Brook has won 17 of its last 19 games and looks to turn that momentum it into an NCAA Tournament berth. 

2. Vermont 20-11 (13-3 America East)

The Vermont Catamounts have won won 14 of their last 16 games. While they have been playing well, the Catamounts did hand Binghamton its only win on February 21, a loss that deprived Vermont of the conference regular-season title. If focus is an issue, Vermont could struggle to win three games in three days.

Vermont did sweep both Maine and Boston, the likely teams they would face before advancing to the title game. If the Catamounts meet Stony Brook, it would be an epic battle of No. 1 versus No. 2 at Stony Brook, where Vermont lost by six earlier this season. 

3. Boston University 16-15 (12-4 America East)

The Terriers of Boston finished third in the America East and are the only team besides Stony Brook and Vermont with a good chance to win the conference title. The Terriers won games against teams below them in the conference standings, but they were a combined 1-3 against Vermont and Stony Brook. Boston is the defending conference champion and is looking for its second consecutive chance to dance. 

4. Albany 18-13 (9-7 America East)

Albany slipped into the No. 4 spot with nine conference wins. The Great Danes are looking for their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007. They will face off with New Hampshire in the first round, a team they split with during the regular season. With the sensational play of Gerardo Suero, (21.7 ppg), Albany could make a run as it is often one guy who carries a team through these tournaments.  

5. New Hampshire 13-15 (7-9 America East)

New Hampshire is the other side of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 split. The Wildcats have won five of their last six games and have jumped three spots in the conference standings in the past two weeks. If New Hampshire continues to play inspired basketball, they too could be a surprise team out of the America East.  

6. Hartford 8-21 (7-9 America East)

Hartford is one of the better stories in the conference this year. After starting the season 0-13, Hartford won eight of its last 16 games to earn the No. 6 seed. Statistically, Hartford is one of the worst offensive teams in the nation (324th in points per game). But stats don't matter because Hartford looks to use its  slow pace to lull teams to sleep. The Hawks could make it interesting against Boston, but I don't see them being a real threat to win the tournament.

7. Maine 12-16 (6-10 America East)

The Maine Black Bears are paired against a veteran Vermont team that swept them in the regular season. In a state more known for hockey, Maine looks to try to impress its hoops followers by knocking off Vermont in the first round. Like Hartford, I don't see Maine making it past Saturday. 

8. UMBC 4-25 (3-13 America East)

In some ways, the UMBC Retrievers have been more disappointing than Binghamton. Eighteen of UMBC's 25 losses have been by double digits. Better luck next year!

9. Binghamton 1-28 (1-15 America East)

Binghamton avoided history with a win over Vermont last week. The last winless team in Division I pulled off a huge upset of Vermont at home. Binghamton will not win the America East tournament, but I say the third time is a charm against UMBC in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game. Bearcats win, 39-38. 

The Takedown

Here is how I see the America East tournament playing out.

First Round

No. 9 Binghamton over No. 8 UMBC

Second Round

No. 1 Stony Brook over No. 9 Binghamton

No. 2 Vermont over No. 7 Maine

No. 3 Boston over No. 6 Hartford

No. 4 Albany over No. 5 New Hampshire

Semifinals

No. 1 Stony Brook over No. 4 Albany

No. 2 Vermont over No. 3 Boston

Championship

No. 2 Vermont over No. 1 Stony Brook

America East Champion: Vermont Catamounts (23-11 16 Seed in NCAA Tournament)

The Final Buzzer

The America East tournament winner will most likely be a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While the Catamounts don't have Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine to lift them in the tournament, they will have plenty to be proud of. This would be their fifth tournament trip in the past nine years. 

With all of the hullabaloo over Jimmer Fredette returning to his hometown of Glens Falls, N.Y., the 18th-ranked Cougars better not lose sight of the fact that they will be facing a very capable team in Vermont on Wednesday night.

If they get caught up in all pomp and circumstance and forget to focus on the game at hand, this one could slip away from them.

The Catamounts were the NCAA tournament representatives out of the America East Conference last season.

This year they are off to their best start since 1956 with 6-1 mark, their lone loss was a 89-73 setback at sixth-ranked UConn.

Vermont is led by 6'8" senior forward Evan Fjeld, who averages 20.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The preseason America East All-Conference player shoots an impressive 61 percent from the field.

At 5'8", the reserve point guard Joey Accaoui comes off the bench and fills it up. He’s the second leading scorer averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the three-point line.

Forward Matt Glass is Vermont’s best three-point shooter averaging 57 percent. The 6'8" forward is also the third leading scorer for the Catamounts averaging 11 points per game.

Freshman forward Brian Voelkel is the leader in both rebounds and assists, averaging 9.7 boards and 5.3 dishes per game.

The Catamounts are a good shooting team, making 49.5 percent of their shots from the floor and hitting 42 percent from the three-point line. They are also a solid rebounding team, out-rebounding their opponents by six boards per game.

However, they have a tendency to turn the ball over, which could really hurt them against a BYU team that averages 10 steals an outing. Vermont has given up 55 steals in seven games, nearly eight per game, and have averaged 5.3 more turnovers than their opponents.

In order to stay in the game they will need to take better care of the basketball. If Vermont turns it over and allows the Cougars to get out in transition and feed off of the pro-BYU crowd, they could get buried in a hurry.

Wednesday’s game will take place at the Glens Falls Civic Center, which is sold out, including all of the standing room only tickets. Virtually all of the 6,200 fans will be cheering for the hometown hero Fredette and the Cougars in a rabid fashion.

Earlier this season though, Vermont faced a similar challenge and came away with an 80-76 victory at Siena in front of a hostile crowd of over 8,000. This team is well coached by Mike Lonergan, who has 354 coaching victories to his credit, and they will come ready to play.

The Cougars better do so as well.

The beauty of the NCAA Tournament is that there is more than one winner —or so it seems each year.

Only one team will be crowned national champion, but for some schools making the trek to the Final Four, reaching the Sweet 16, pulling the huge first round upset, or even just making it to the tournament, can be just as important and memorable in a school’s history.

The phrase “one shining moment” is often associated with the NCAA tournament.  Over the next few days it’s time to look at each of this year’s 65 teams and assess its chances of achieving its own “shining moment” and what exactly that would entail for each school.

Let’s start the first part of this series with the 16 seeds.

Arkansas Pine-Bluff

The Golden Lions started the season by losing 11 straight games, but finished the year with a 17-15 record to reach their first NCAA Tournament. The squad has been thrown into the opening round play-in game tonight against Winthrop with the right to play powerhouse Duke in the first round on the line.

Making it to the tournament for the first time ever is already historic in itself. A win over Winthrop and a chance to play Duke would be a nice bonus so they get to feel like they are “really” in the main field. Beating Duke would be the biggest upset in NCAA history.

Winthrop

March Madness is nothing new for the Eagles.

They played in the tournament every year from 2005 to 2008 and even pulled out an upset victory over Notre Dame as an 11 seed in 2007. Perhaps even more impressively, they lost to two seed Tennessee as a 15 seed in the waning seconds in 2006, 63-61.

Thus a play-in game win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff would be nothing special, but a chance to play Duke after that would be. Frankly, the Eagles will be hard pressed to take any sort of school history away from this dance. A victory over Duke as a 16 seed would more than qualify, but it would be incredibly unlikely.

Lehigh

The Mountain Hawks have been to the tournament three times before—1985, 1988, and 2004—and have never won a game.

In 2004, they were relegated to the play-in game and lost to Florida A&M and never got a shot at upsetting one of college basketball’s powerhouses in a packed arena as a result. At least they get that shot this time around for the first time in more than 20 years (when they lost to Temple 87-73).

The best possible result for the Mountain Hawks, however, would probably not be a victory, but instead a close game—for at least the first half—against the top ranked team in the entire tournament, Kansas.

Vermont

Playing Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a big underdog is nothing new for the Catamounts. Neither is upsetting the Orange.

Vermont did just that in its last trip to the Big Dance in 2005 as a 13 seed when they upended four seed Syracuse 60-57 in overtime for the school’s (and state’s) only victory ever in the NCAA Tournament.

A victory this time around could be even bigger as they would only add to their legend by upsetting the same team a second time and more importantly by becoming the first 16 seed to ever knock off a one seed in the first round. The Catamounts path to history in this year’s tournament is quite simple. Beat Syracuse—again.

East Tennessee St.

The Bucs will be hard pressed to match what they did as a 16 seed a year ago.

With less than three minutes to play ETSU trailed one seed Pittsburgh, a team many experts picked to win the National Championship, by just three points.

Shut out over the final minutes, the Bucs fell 62-52, but not before giving Pittsburgh one of the toughest challenges that a number one seed had faced in the first round since Western Carolina suffered a two point loss to Purdue in 1996.

After last year’s near upset, the Bucs current players have more tournament experience than the rosters of any of the other 16 seeds in this year’s tournament. They also have more experience with hanging with a top team on the biggest possible stage.

In addition, they will be playing a Kentucky team led by a corps of freshman with no tournament experience, so anything is possible as unlikely as it might seem.

Bottom Line:

Vermont and East Tennessee St. would seem to be the only two teams that can even entertain the fantasy of becoming the first 16 seed to ever beat a one seed.

Pulling off the upset would give either of those teams a place in NCAA Tournament history that even the ultimate champion in this year’s bracket would find it difficult to contend with (after all a team wins the tournament every year, but no 16 seed has ever done so much as win a first round game).

However, given that Vermont has already pulled a momentous first round upset over Syracuse in recent years and given that East Tennessee St. already pushed a No. 1 seed to the limit just a year ago, neither squad can really accomplish a piece of school history just by playing its opponent close.

They would have to actually win the game—and that seems unlikely.

With its past tournament success, Winthrop is more or less in the same boat. Except the Eagles have to manage their way through a play-in game just to get a shot at Duke, and they have much less of a chance of pulling off that first round upset than Vermont or ETSU does.

Lehigh could achieve a piece of school history simply by playing Kansas close for a half—or even better well into the second half—but even that will be a difficult task. The Mountain Hawks real accomplishment may simply be having the chance to play a top team like Kansas in front of a national audience for the first time in more than 20 years.

The Golden Lions of Arkansas Pine-Bluff have already achieved their piece of school history simply by making the tournament, and from a 0-11 start to the season no less. A win over Winthrop in the play-in game and a semi-respectable showing against Duke in the first round would just be icing on the cake.

Likelihood of each team achieving its own “one shining moment”:

1. Arkansas Pine-Bluff

2. Lehigh

3. East Tennessee St.

4. Vermont

5. Winthrop

Boston University and Vermont have dominated the America East Conference for much of the past decade, but the two haven't fought each other for a league title since 2005.

In 2010, that will change.

The Terriers return their top six scorers after finishing third last season with an 11-5 record in the league. The Catamounts don't bring back as much talent in 2010, but it's still enough to fight the Terriers for the championship.

Vermont has one of the league's best player, Marqus Blakely, and the conference's best recruiting class. That combination makes the Catamounts, who finished 13-3 last year, a favorite and a better bet to win the league than reigning champion, Binghamton.

But that doesn't mean the Bearcats are slouches.

The conference's most dominant player, DJ Rivera, calls Binghamton home. But the surrounding cast this year is a bit thin, as second-leading scorer Dwayne Jackson is gone, as well as several key role players.

While Boston and Vermont have the most complete teams, Binghamton has enough star power to be considered a serious contender. The Bearcats did win three of four meetings with Vermont and Boston last season.

The rest of the league will be as a whole be better than last year. Hartford, Stony Brook, and Albany will be taking steps forward. The Danes will have the best shot to challenging the top three, as they have two potential All-League players in point guard Tim Ambrose and small forward Will Harris.

New Hampshire and Maine won't be too far behind the middle-tier teams in the league, while Maryland-Baltimore County should be headed for the conference dungeon.

Team by team capsules, projections, and all-league teams after the jump.

1. Boston University

The Terriers have one of the best trios of any mid-major in the country.

Small forward John Holland is an explosive scorer who can change the scoreboard from any spot on the floor. Point guard Corey Lowe does the same in addition to being a reliable distributor. Boston's future lies with sophomore big man Jake O'Brien who, averaged almost 13 points per game as a freshman. As a whole, the trio scored 47 points per game.

Boston also returns its next three leading scorers from last year. On top of all the talent, the Terriers also have one of the best incoming freshmen in the league. Point guard BJ Bailey will allow Lowe to slide over to the two-guard position, as Lowe is a deadly scorer.

2. Vermont

The Catamounts have the reigning Conference Player of the Year, as power forward Marqus Blakely can dominate both ends of the floor. Blakely is a double-double waiting to happen each night, as the senior averaged 16 points and nine boards a game last season. Blakely also is one of only a few players that averaged at least two blocks and two steals per game last season.

Blakely's supporting cast isn't as strong as what Holland and Lowe have at BU, but the Catamounts have some nice players returning. Vermont will need Michigan State transfer Maurice Joesph to step up and take on a more prominent role in the offense.

Vermont also has two of the highest-rated freshmen in the conference, and Luke Apfeld and Brendan Bald will have an immediate impact. Apfeld's versatility to guard multiple positions will make Vermont an even better defensive team after the squad led the conference in defensive efficiency last season.

3. Binghamton

The only reason Binghamton's best player, DJ Rivera, didn't win the league's Player of the Year award last season was because America East coaches weren't happy with the kind of players coach Kevin Broadus brought in from other schools. He's easily the most explosive talent in the conference, but wasn't awarded for it with any accolades.

Binghamton had five players average double-digit points last year, and three return this season. Gone are guards Malik Alvin and Dwayne Jackson, but returning is one of the league's most valuable players: Emanuel Mayben.

Binghamton's biggest weakness is actually being too small. The Bearcats only have one contributor over 6'5'', and the tallest member of their starting lineup from last year graduated. Coach Broadus's team was killed on the glass last year, and that trend should continue this season.

4. Albany

The only tandem in the league better than Tim Ambrose and Will Harris is Boston's John Holland and Corey Lowe. Like Lowe and Holland, Ambrose and Harris are a point guard-small forward duo.

The supporting cast just isn't there for the Great Danes. One other starter returns and a few reserves, but no real impact players.

The Great Danes do have an above-average class for an America East team, which will help build coach Will Brown's team for the future since point guard Ambrose will only be a junior this season.

5. Stony Brook

The league's second-best defensive team returns the majority of its core players from that finished .500 in the league.

There is the potential for the Seawolves to finish much higher than fifth with a roster as complete and experienced as theirs, but Stony Brook struggled significantly at times on offense.

6. New Hampshire

The Wildcats somehow finished .500 last year, despite being well below the league average in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

The Wildcats return the majority of their roster, but New Hampshire lacks a star player capable of taking over a game.

7. Hartford

The Hawks were anemic offensively last season, ranking 317th in offensive efficiency in the country.

Star player Joe Zeglinski returns after missing most of last season. As a sophomore, Zeglinski was named to the All-League team after averaging over 16 points per game.

8. Maine

The Black Bears' leading scorer is gone, but now-sophomore Gerald McLemore was second on the team in scoring as a freshman.

If Maine is going to make a noise in the league, it will be behind McLemore. He's the only bright spot for the Black Bears, as the defense last year was abysmal and there aren't any banner recruits coming in.

9. Maryland-Baltimore County

Only two role players remain from UM-BC's 2008 championship winning team, but those two players are going to be thrust into major roles, as just three real contributors return from last year's sixth place team. 

There is hope for the future, as the Retrievers bring in several solid recruits and transfers from Marshall and Siena.

All-America East Team

Boston point guard Corey Lowe

Albany point guard Tim Ambrose

Boston forward John Holland

Binghamton forward DJ Rivera

Vermont forward Marqus Blakely

America East Player of the Year

DJ Rivera

America East Coach of the Year

Patrick Chambers

America East Freshman of the Year

Vermont forward Luke Apfeld

Conference Previews:

Dayton is Class of Atlantic 10, but Richmond, Charlotte, and La Salle Could Surprise

Tulsa Will Take an Unrecognizable Conference USA by Storm

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The America East Conference is a small conference centered around the New York-New England area.

Vermont's upset of Syracuse in the 2005 NCAA Tournament is what the America East is best known for. Other than that one game, the conference has not accomplished too much. 

Marqus Blakely will change that. 

Blakely, a junior forward at Vermont, is only 6'5", but he puts up big man numbers because of his outstanding leaping ability and overall talent. 

He only averaged 13.4 minutes per game as a freshman, but his playing time skyrocketed in his sophomore year.

Blakely played 34 minutes per game and averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and two steals en route to winning the America East Player and Defender of the Year Awards and being an Honorable Mention for the AP's All-American Team. 

Vermont generally does not schedule too many games against big opponents, but they traveled to Virginia and Florida last season. Blakely posted impressive stat lines in both games; he recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Virginia, and had 16 points and nine boards in Gainesville. The then-sophomore also blocked two shots in each contest. 

In 2007-08, the native of Metuchen, New Jersey scored in double-figures in every game except for an America East semifinal loss to UMBC. 

DraftExpress saw something that they liked from Blakely, as they ranked him 37th on this year's juniors list.

He started the 2008-09 season with a bang, as he scored 24 points, grabbed eight misses off the glass, blocked four shots, and recorded four steals in a tough overtime loss to George Mason. 

Vermont coach Mike Lonergan expects an impressive season from his 6'5", 220-pound forward, and was quoted saying, "Marqus is going to have another terrific year. His stats might not improve, but I think he will become a better all-around player. He is a tremendous athlete that is developing into a great basketball player. Marqus will continue to make spectacular plays for the Catamounts and be the top player in the America East."

Vermont was chosen by America East coaches to finish second on the season, and if they make it to the NCAA Tournament, Blakely's name will come up when analysts discuss Vermont's first round match-up. 

Even if Blakely transcends his sophomore campaign and leads Vermont to the Tournament, it is very unlikely that the Catamount will bounce for the draft after this season.

His stock will only increase by the time his senior campaign concludes.