March Madness 2012: The Vermont Catamounts are Dancing in the NCAA Tournament
By Jason Lisk
Conference: America East (23-11)
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Famous Alums: Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback Mountain, ESPN’s Ryen Russillo, Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
They’re Back! This is Vermont’s fifth appearance, most recently in 2010. The only win, and most notable appearance, was in 2005 when Tom Brennan’s Catamounts shocked Syracuse.
Resume: Best win was Old Dominion. Played competitively against South Florida, Iona, and Harvard. They also lost to St. Louis.
Notable Player(s): They’ve got pretty balanced contribution across the starters, so freshman guard Four McGlynn, who’s parents must have been both Seinfeld and Brett Favre fans, gets the nod here.
Team Style/Strengths: They’ve got size along the front line and can bring in four different players 6’7″ or taller. They rebound well for a small school and play good half court man to man defense.
All-Important Rankings: 146 (RPI), 127 (Pomeroy)
Projected Outlook/Seed: The Catamounts are likely headed for a 16 seed, and will probably be playing in Dayton.
[photo via US Presswire]
NCAA Tournament Automatic Berths:
UNC-Asheville
Murray State
Belmont
Creighton
Loyola (Maryland)
VCU
Davidson
St. Mary’s
Western Kentucky
Harvard
Detroit
Lehigh