Back-to-back losses to in-state rivals N. C. State and North Carolina gave Duke men’s basketball plenty to stew on before the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils’ redemption story starts Friday evening, as they kick off their slate in the South region with a matchup against No. 13-seed Vermont:
March Madness. In a tournament known for chaos and upsets, no team is safe. After historic years of improbable underdog wins, Vermont will look to add another to the tournament this year against head coach Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils.
The last time these two teams faced off was in 2013 while former President Barack Obama was still in office (Obama notably picked Vermont to win this weekend’s matchup). Duke came into the game ranked No. 6 in the country, but Vermont was easily able to rise to the occasion. Duke snuck away with a 91-90 win, on a clutch free throw by Rodney Hood with five seconds left on the clock.
This weekend, the Blue Devil faithful will hope for a more convincing win, but the Catamounts have the playmakers to keep them in the game.
Similar to Duke, Vermont trots out a starting lineup of three guards, with TJ Long, Shamir Bogues and Aaron Deloney operating out of the backcourt.
Long leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game. The 6-foot-4 junior transferred from Fairfield, and brought a deep offensive bag to Burlington, Vt. He shoots 37% from 3-point territory, and 43.3% overall. The lefty is effective in catch-and-shoot situations, and drives strong with his dominant hand. However, in the attached video, he shows a reluctance to finish around the rim with his right hand, a weakness Scheyer's squad can exploit to push Long into uncomfortable situations.
The 6-foot-4 Bogues is less of a prototypical guard, playing much bigger than his size. In his first year at Vermont following a transfer from Tarleton State, he only takes 1.4 attempts from deep per game, making just 23.7% of them. The brunt of his 11 points per game come inside the arc, with a large percentage in the paint, and he leads the team with 5.3 rebounds in each contest. He has also brought value to head coach John Becker’s team on the defensive end, averaging 1.9 steals per game. The attached video shows his ability to drive and finish in the paint, as well as provide a spark on the defensive end.
Deloney rounds out the dynamic starting backcourt, and he’s undoubtedly the most well-rounded member of the group. In his fifth season at Vermont, he scores 10.9 points per game, leads the team in assists with 3.0 per game and shoots a respectable 42.4% from the field. He’s been quarterbacking the offense, taking the ball up the court and distributing the offensive workload, but when the time comes for him to be the one to get a shot up, he's ready for it as well. In the clips below, his ability as a playmaker and scorer are on full display.
If they hope to properly stop the Catamounts’ offensive attack, the Blue Devils’ backcourt defense will have their hands full with a versatile group of scorers on Friday.
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