Vermont men's basketball draws Marquette in March Madness

The University of Vermont men's basketball team has drawn the Big East champion in the NCAA Tournament.

The Catamounts earned a No. 15 seed and will face off against the No. 2 Golden Eagles (28-6) in a first-round game in the East Region in Columbus, Ohio.

The Vermont-Marquette game is set for a 2:45 p.m. tip-off on Friday. The game will be televised on CBS, with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas on the call.

UVM will make its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance, and fifth in coach John Becker's 12-year tenure.

"This week has been a lot of anxiety of just waiting and waiting and waiting. A little bit more waiting here, but a little bit more enjoyable knowing that we’re going to the NCAA Tournament and not a lot of people get to do that," fifth-year senior Robin Duncan said. "It’s really a blessing to be able to rep Vermont."

Marquette in midst of historic season

Marquette captured the regular-season and tournament title in the Big East for the first time in program history. The Shaka Smart-coached Golden Eagles are ranked sixth in the country. Marquette's Tyler Kolek was the Big East player of the year and the conference tournament's most outstanding player.

Marquette is on a nine-game winning streak and are 14-1 in its last 15 games. Kolek and the Golden Eagles beat Xavier 65-51 for the Big East tournament crown on Saturday.

"I don’t think they are that big, so that’s a good sign," Becker said minutes after the full bracket was revealed on CBS. 'But I know they are one of the best offensive teams in the country and we’ll have our hands full."

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, this is Marquette's highest seed since the NCAA began full tournament positioning in 1979.

"I think for our guys the hard work that they have put in all year has put us in this position," Smart told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the team's watch party on Sunday. "We also understand that once the tournament starts, yeah there is seeding, but it's more about who plays better on that day.

"Our job is to play our best basketball so we can advance."

Vermont on 15-game winning streak

The Catamounts (23-10) have won 15 straight games, which is the nation's second-longest streak. On Saturday, Vermont marched to their fourth America East tournament in five seasons and league-record sixth for Becker with a 72-59 victory over No. 2 UMass Lowell at Patrick Gym.

More:Vermont men's basketball pulls away for America East championship repeat

The Columbus location gives family and friends of Robin Duncan, Dylan Penn and Kam Gibson a manageable trip to go watch the Catamounts. Duncan and Penn hail from Evansville, Indiana, about 320 miles from Columbus. Gibson is from Cincinnati, which is just over 100 miles south of Columbus.

"I know we are far away from Vermont, but we are going to have a lot of green and gold out there," Duncan said.

UVM won all three conference playoff games by double digits. But in the title game vs. the RiverHawks, the Catamounts rallied from a 29-25 halftime deficit with a 47-point second half. It was the first time in nine tries this season Vermont overcame a deficit at the break.

Penn was named the tourney's most outstanding player after averaging 23.3 points a game over the three playoff games. Matt Veretto and Aaron Deloney joined Penn on America East's all-championship team.

More:'Fairy tale ending': Matt Veretto and Dylan Penn lead Vermont to NCAA Tournament

Becker called UVM's run to the program's 10th America East crown "unexpected" and "the hardest" given the team's biggest year-to-year turnover in the coach's tenure and an uninspiring 2-7 start during nonconference play.

The Catamounts did return seven players from last year's NCAA Tournament team that pushed Arkansas to the wire in a 75-71, first-round loss in Buffalo, New York. Duncan, Deloney, Finn Sullivan and Nick Fiorillo have game experience in March Madness.

"We are preparing to win the game and we played a great nonconference schedule and our guys won’t be overwhelmed by the moment or the opponent,' Becker said "But we are playing a really good opponent in a two seed.

Marquette and Vermont ties?

Marquette assistant coach Cody Hatt is a Vermont native. Hatt was an all-state basketball player who graduated from Springfield High School in 2004 and Norwich University in 2008. Hatt scored over 1,000 career points at Springfield.

Vermont's previous NCAA Tournament appearances

UVM has two NCAA tournament wins on its resume — 2012's first-four victory over Lamar, in Becker's first season, and the famous triumph as a 13-seed in 2005 when senior stars Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine topped Syracuse in overtime in coach Tom Brennan's swan song.

UVM's March Madness previous appearances are: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2022.

The UVM women, who won the America East crown on Friday at home, were tabbed a No. 15 seed and will play two-seed Connecticut in Storrs on Saturday. This is the second time both UVM basketball teams reached the NCAA Tournament in the same season and first since 2010.

"It’s been a magical weekend and we’re really excited for the tournament," Becker said.

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 draw Marquette in NCAA Tournament