Vermont at Yale
Tues., Nov. 22 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's basketball team is back in the friendly confines of the John J. Lee Amphitheater on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs, who trounced John Jay on Sunday, host Vermont at 7 p.m. in a game that features two of the most successful programs in New England in recent years.
 
It's been quite a start to the season for Yale, which has won its first five games for the first time since the 1945-46 team started 7-0 on its way to a 14-1 record and a New England championship. Three of this year's victories came in Hawaii where the Bulldogs captured the Outrigger Rainbow Classic, defeating Eastern Washington, Mississippi Valley State and the University of Hawaii.
 
The Rainbow Classic title is the second in school history for Yale. The Bulldogs won the 1969 event, defeating Hawaii and San Francisco in the first two games before earning a memorable 97-94 victory over LSU in the championship game. Jim Morgan '71 scored 35 points for Yale in the title game, outdueling LSU's Pete Maravich, who scored 34.
 
Yale is one of 52 undefeated teams in Division I through games of Sunday. The Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents by 31.6 points per game which is fifth in the nation. In addition, Yale is 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.329), 12th in assists (19.8 per game) and 14th in rebounding margin (+12.6).
 
Matt Knowling, who was named the Rainbow Classic Most Valuable Player, is off to a fast start as well. Knowling leads the team in scoring at 19.2 ppg. and is third in the nation in field goals made (44) and 22nd in field goal percentage (.698).
 
The Bulldogs, who received votes in last week's College Insider Mid Major top 25 poll, are coming off a 112-55 victory over John Jay on Sunday. The 112 points scored were two shy of the school record, set in a win over Middlebury in 1980.
 
Next up for Yale is a trip to Colorado on Sunday.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
Yale and Vermont played in every season between 2007-08 and 2019-20, missed 2020-21 due to the pandemic and then resumed last year. There have been some memorable games between the regional rivals. In 2014, Matt Townsend's jumper from the top of the key with three seconds left lifted the Bulldogs to a 57-56 win in Burlington. Two years later, Vermont's Ernie Duncan hit a driving layup with one second left to lift the Catamounts to a 67-65 victory. Last year in Burlington, UVM scored the game's final seven points to escape with a 61-53 win. The Catamounts lead the all-time series 18-14.
 
SCOUTING VERMONT
 
The Catamounts (1-4) have played a very challenging early-season schedule. They are coming off a 71-50 loss to Rick Pitino's Iona squad on Friday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Prior to that, UVM dropped a 59-57 overtime decision to USC in Los Angeles. Yale is the second Ivy League opponent for Vermont, which opened the season with an 80-65 win over Brown. Dylan Penn (13.8 ppg.) and Aaron Deloney (11.4 ppg.) both average double figures in scoring. The Catamounts finished 28-6 last season, capturing the America East Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament where they fell 75-71 to Arkansas in the first round.