March Madness: History of UVM men's basketball at the NCAA Tournament
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2019 by former Free Press Staff Writer Austin Danforth. It's been updated through UVM's 2022 NCAA Tournament appearance.
Once a little-known outsider from basketball's backwoods — not that long ago, actually — the University of Vermont men's team is headed back to the NCAA tournament for the ninth time.
More:Vermont women's basketball draws Connecticut in NCAA Tournament
More:Vermont men's basketball pulls away for America East championship repeat
For those a little rusty or unfamiliar with the Catamounts' March Madness history, here's a look at what's happened each time UVM reached the Big Dance:
2003 ...
David Hehn hit the shot that dreams are made of: His 10-foot jumper with 5.6 seconds to play lifted Vermont to a 56-55 win over host Boston University, the school's first America East title and the NCAA tournament berth that comes with it. Longtime coach Tom Brennan, a genuine quote machine, finally had his chance to shine in the national spotlight.
But 16th-seeded UVM's debut trip to the Big Dance was an arduous — and brief — one. A record-setting snowstorm stranded the Catamounts in Denver on what became a 42-hour ordeal to get from Burlington to Salt Lake City, Utah, where No. 1 Arizona cruised to an 80-51 win.
2004 ...
UVM's second straight league crown served up a 15-seed for Brennan's team and a first-round matchup against perennial powerhouse Connecticut.
Vermont managed to put an early scare into the Huskies, arguably the toughest test they faced en route to the Final Four, before falling 70-53 with star Taylor Coppenrath, the nation's third-leading scorer, held to just 12 points by the eventual national champs.
2005 ...
I think we all know what happened here.
Two years removed from its national title run, fourth-seeded Syracuse was a dark horse candidate to win it all. And No. 13 Vermont killed that notion in one fateful night in Worcester, Massachusetts. Role player Germain Mopa Njila had the game of his life, leading UVM with 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting, and T.J. Sorrentine buried an audacious 28-footer — "From the parking lot!" — to help seal a 60-57 upset in overtime.
Two days later, Vermont's upset train ran out of steam in a 72-61 loss against a fifth-seeded Michigan State team that went on to reach the Final Four. Sorrentine knocked down six trifectas to post a game-high 26 points.
2010 ...
Ha! Syracuse again. Who says the NCAA selection committee doesn't have a sense of humor?
Five years after their Cinderella turn that became an all-time classic March Madness call, the Catamounts were paired with coach Jim Boeheim's Orange once more. But this time it was a 1-vs.-16 showdown in Buffalo — Syracuse's backyard.
Vermont used a 15-2 run to close the first half and make it somewhat interesting, 37-25, by the break but Syracuse simply proved too strong for a repeat of 2005. The Orange shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half to roll to a 79-56 rout.
2012 ...
First-year coach John Becker's UVM team beat top-seeded Stony Brook 51-43 to earn a spot in the first-four action in Dayton, Ohio. There, the Catamounts claimed their second tourney win, a 71-59 result against Lamar, to advance to the round of 64. Freshman sharpshooter Four McGlynn supplied a trio of 3-pointers in an 18-point night and Vermonter Matt Glass added 11 as UVM improved its NCAA record to 2-4.
A second-half surge from top-seeded North Carolina, a championship contender, spoiled the fun in the No. 16 Catamounts' second game of the tournament. One item of note from the Tar Heels' 77-58 win: Vermont owned a 42-37 edge on the glass, bettering a UNC outfit that led nation with a +10.8 rebounding margin.
2017 ...
Vermont's first NCAA berth in five seasons — a year after letting the chance slip away in the second half of the America East final at Stony Brook — sent them to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to tangle with Purdue of the Big 10 conference.
Anthony Lamb led the 13th-seeded Catamounts with 20 points that night, an eventual 80-70 loss to the No. 4 Boilermakers that was even closer than the final score would suggest.
From 2017:Purdue holds off UVM's upset bid in NCAA tournament
2019 ...
In what turned into Patrick Gym South at Hartford's XL Center, Florida State's size wore down the Catamounts, who made a season-high 16 3-pointers but faltered down the stretch in a 76-69 loss to the ACC powerhouse.
Lamb recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Ben Shungu, Ernie Duncan and Stef Smith each tallied 15 points and combined for 11 3-pointers on the day.
From 2019:NCAA Tournament: UVM's upset bid falls short in loss to Florida State
2022 ...
Two-time America East player of the year Ryan Davis and hometown hero Ben Shungu each scored 20 points and the Catamounts put up a mighty challenge against SEC power Arkansas.
But the Razorbacks pulled out the win, 75-71, as the Catamounts missed opportunities at the foul line and were on the wrong side of an officials' video replay in the final seconds to suffer the team's third one-and-done near-miss since 2019.
From 2019:Officials' overturn halts UVM's comeback in loss to Arkansas at NCAA Tournament
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont men's basketball: Catamounts' history at NCAA Tournament
