By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

MEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Thirteenth-seeded Vermont (28-6, 15-1 AE) clashes with fourth-seeded Duke (24-8,15-5 ACC) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night (Mar. 22) in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tip-off is set for 7:10 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday’s matchup will broadcast nationally on CBS with Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, and Tracy Wolfson on the call. The broadcast will be available for streaming on Paramount+. Westwood One will carry a national radio broadcast, led by Chris Carrino and Jon Crispin. Fans can listen to the game for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. The radio broadcast is also available via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.

RELATED LINKS
NCAA Tournament Central
Watch on Paramount+
Listen on Varsity Network App
Live Stats
March Madness Live
Game Notes: Vermont | Duke
CatamounTV Press Conference: Becker | Long | Ayo-Faleye

INSIDE THE 2024 TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE
The 2024 NCAA Tournament marks the first time that Vermont has made appearances in three consecutive seasons since 2005. UVM is a No. 13 seed for the fourth time in its last five trips to the Big Dance.

DEJA VU?
Vermont’s only trip out of the Round of 64 came in 2005 when the Cats last won three straight titles. The 13th-seeded Cats upset No. 4 Syracuse 60-57 (OT) in Worcester, Mass. TJ Sorrentine hit the iconic three pointer “from the parking lot” in overtime. The game also tipped off at 7 p.m. on a Friday night on CBS.

NCAA APPERANCES SINCE 2016-17
UVM will be making its fifth NCAA Tournament in the last eight seasons. Gonzaga is the only mid-major to have made more NCAA Tournament appearances than Vermont since 2016-17.

HOW WE GOT HERE
The Catamounts defeated No. 2 UMass Lowell 66-61 in the Jersey Mike’s America East Championship, winning a league record 11th title. Shamir Bogues was named Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player, averaging 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 steals, and 3.0 assists in the playoffs. TJ Long and Ileri Ayo-Faleye received All-Championship recognition.

SCOUTING DUKE
The Blue Devils carry a two-game losing streak into Friday’s matchup, falling most recently to 10th-seeded NC State (L, 74-69) in the ACC Quarterfinals. Duke’s other loss came in the regular season finale when seventh-ranked North Carolina recorded a 84-79 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils are led by All-American Kyle Filipowski, who has recorded team-highs in scoring (17.1 ppg), rebounds (8.2 rpg), and blocks (1.6 bpg). Duke’s entire starting five averages double figures, including senior guard Jeremy Roach (14.0 ppg). Five-star recruit Jared McCain averages 13.4 points per game in his rookie season. Mark Mitchell (12.3 ppg) and Tyrese Proctor (10.5 ppg) round out the starting five. Duke is 119-40 (.748) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played. Duke’s 119 wins are also third-most in the event’s history.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and Duke will meet for the fourth time in series history and first time since a closely fought battle at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2013. Hector Harold scored a career-high 24 points as UVM fell 91-90. The Catamounts outscored the Blue Devils 47-40 in the second half, and were tied 90-90 when Candon Rusin completed a four-point play with 10.4 seconds remaining. A free throw by Rodney Hood with 0:05 left was the deciding marker as Duke escaped the upset bid.

WINNING PCT.
UVM has recorded the fourth-highest winning percentage (.780) in the country over the last eight seasons. The Catamounts trail Gonzaga (.889), Houston (.822), and Kansas (.789). Duke is one spot behind Vermont with a .766 winning percentage since the start of the 2016-17 season.

CATS VS TOURNEY TEAMS
The Catamounts are 2-1 against members of the 2024 NCAA Tournament field, earning wins over College of Charleston (W, 73-64) and Yale (W, 66-65). UVM’s loss came to Colgate (L, 77-71) on Dec. 9.

BECKER AWARDS
John Becker was named NABC All-District I Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career earlier this week. The UVM bench boss was also named a finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year award, which is awarded to the top mid-major coach in the country.

28 WINS
Vermont’s 28 wins are tied for the second-highest single-season total in program history with the 2021-22 team. A win against Duke will match the program record (29) set by the 2016-17 Catamounts.

McGee Automotive Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men’s basketball

COURTESY VERMONT ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

DUKE GAME NOTES

https://goduke.com/documents/2024/3/20/NCAAT_FirstRound__03-22-24_.pdf

VERMONT GAME NOTES

https://goduke.com/documents/2024/3/20/0322_UVM_vs_Duke_Notes.pdf

The Opening Tip

• The fourth-seeded Duke Blue Devils (24-8) take on the No. 13-seed Vermont Catamounts (28-6) on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS.
• Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson will call the action on CBS. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network..
• The Blue Devils are making their 46th appearance in the NCAA Tournament – fifth most in NCAA history.
• Head coach Jon Scheyer leads Duke into the tournament for the second straight season and has steered the Blue Devils to a top-five seed in each of his first two campaigns.
• Duke has been ranked inside the top-25 for the entirety of the 2023-24 season and enters the tournament with a 24-8 record after finishing second in the ACC standings with a 15-5 league mark.
• Duke is 119-40 (.748) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played.
• The Blue Devils lead the ACC in scoring margin (+12.4), field goal percentage (.482), 3-point field goal percentage (.377), assists (15.4 per game) and defensive rebounds (31.5 rpg).
• Among ACC leaders, Kyle Filipowski ranks seventh in scoring (17.1 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.2 rpg), third in blocked shots (1.6 bpg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.511).
• Tyrese Proctor, who has played all 40 minutes in each of the last three games, ranks second in ACC in assist/turnover ratio (2.84), and has 32 assists with just nine turnovers in his last seven outings.
• Vermont (28-6) enters the tournament on a 10-game winning streak, fourth-longest in the country, and boasts the 23rd-ranked field-goal percentage defense in the country, holding its opponents to just 40.6 percent from the field.
• The Catamounts are coming off their third consecutive America East Tournament title and are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they hold a 2-9 all-time record.
• After making their first March Madness trip in 2003, the 13-seeded Catamounts upset No. 4-seed Syracuse in overtime, 60-57, in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

On This Date – March 22

• Duke is 8-3 all-time when playing on March 22 and has won three in-a-row since 2013.
• Duke last played on this date in 2019 — an 85-62 win over North Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• The Blue Devils’ first contest on this date was in the 1963 Final Four, a 94-75 setback in the national semifinal to Loyola Chicago.
• Duke is 7-3 in NCAA Tournament games played on March 22.

Flip’s Sophomore Season Elevation

• Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski has improved in nearly all statistical categories from his rookie campaign, most notably in blocks and assists.
• Filipowski has tallied 89 assists (56 in 2022-23) and blocked 50 shots, after swatting a total of 26 attempts during his freshman year.
• The 7-footer has tallied nine double-doubles this season, moving his career total to 25 double-doubles in 68 games played.
• “Flip” has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season, including a career-high 30 points versus Georgia Tech (Jan. 30), after reaching 20 points six times as a freshman.
• He has distributed three-plus assists 21 times during his career, with 16 of those coming during his sophomore campaign.
• Filipowski scored 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field at Pittsburgh (Jan. 9), marking the best shooting performance by a Blue Devil with at least 10 attempts since Zion Williamson finished 13-of-13 against Syracuse on March 14, 2019.
• He amassed a career-high 30 points with 13 boards, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals without committing a turnover versus Georgia Tech (Jan. 13), becoming the first Duke player with a 30-point double-double and no turnovers in the past 40 seasons.
• The sophomore center was just two assists shy of triple-double with 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight helpers versus Hofstra (Dec. 12).
• Filipowski is the 69th Blue Devil all-time to reach 1,000 points, having landed on the exact number following his 17-point outing at Wake Forest on Feb. 24, and only the seventh Blue Devil in the past 50 years to score 1,000 career points in their first two seasons.

Emergence of McCain

• After averaging 7.6 points per outing in the first eight games of the season, Jared McCain has reached the 20-point mark seven times, averaging 15.4 points per game as the team’s second-leading scorer during that stretch.
• The freshman guard scored a career-high 35 points in a road win at Florida State (Feb. 17), matching the Duke freshman scoring record set by Zion Williamson versus Syracuse on Jan. 14, 2019, and the sixth most points scored by a freshman in ACC history.
• McCain nailed 8-of-11 triples against the Seminoles to break Duke’s freshman record for 3-pointers made.
• McCain netted 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-of-9 from long distance, in a home victory over Queens (Dec. 30).
• In a top-10 rivalry matchup at North Carolina (Feb. 3), McCain recorded a double-double with team highs of 23 points and 11 caroms.
• McCain has made two 3-pointers or more in 21 games this season. The Blue Devils are 17-4 in those contests.
• The 6-3 guard has secured double-digit rebounds six times this season, including a career-high of 11 boards twice.
• McCain was named ACC Rookie of the Week twice in 2024 (Jan. 29, Feb. 19) and was voted to the ACC All-Rookie Team and All-ACC Honorable Mention.

Mitchell Makes His Mark

• Since the calendar turned to 2024, sophomore forward Mark Mitchell is averaging 13.0 points per game with three double-doubles, and is shooting 60.3% from the field (85-of-141) and 50.0% from 3-point range (10-of-20).
• On Jan. 6 at Notre Dame, Mitchell amassed 23 points and 14 rebounds – both career highs.
• Mitchell returned to the starting lineup at Louisville (Jan. 23) with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double.
• Mitchell matched his career-high of 23 points against Wake Forest (Feb. 12), marking his fifth 20-point effort of the season – all Duke wins.
• The sophomore has finished in double-digits in 17 of his last 23 contests.
• During his two seasons as a Blue Devil, Duke is 32-4 when Mitchell reaches double figures in the scoring column.

Blue Devils Top ACC in Shooting, Sharing, Scoring Margin

• Duke has outscored its opponents by an average of 12.4 points per contest, which tops the ACC and ranks 14th nationally.
• The Blue Devils have tickled the twine to the tune of 37.7% on 3-pointers as the top-shooting ACC team from long distance, ranking 15th nationally.
• Duke has converted on 48.2% overall to lead the ACC in field goal percentage and rank 24th in the nation.
• The Blue Devils also are the best in the league at sharing the rock, averaging an ACC-high 15.4 assists per outing.

Roach and Filipowski Reach 1K

• Senior guard Jeremy Roach became the 68th Blue Devil all-time to eclipse 1,000 career points in his Duke career, scoring 17 points against Arizona on Nov. 10.
• Kyle Filipowski also accomplished the feat this season, scoring 17 points at Wake Forest on Feb. 24 — the sophomore is just the 12th Blue Devil all-time and seventh in the past 50 years to score 1,000 points in their first two seasons.
• The Blue Devils are tied for second in NCAA Division I for most 1,000-point scorers in program history, tied with Louisville and ahead of Notre Dame and Villanova.
• Roach reached other career milestones — his 100th game in a Duke jersey against La Salle on Nov. 21, 2023, and his 100th career start versus Louisville on Feb. 28.

75th Anniversary of Associated Press Top 25 – Duke Dominates Past Three Decades

• To celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Top 25, the Associated Press compiled its weekly polls to determine the best programs of each decade. Duke was crowned the top program for the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
• In the 1990s, Duke won back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992, and started a run of 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996.
• In the 2000s, the Blue Devils won two more national titles in 2001 and 2010, and went on to spend nearly 60% of the time inside the top five of the AP Top 25 — including 40 weeks at No. 1.
• In the 2010s, Duke captured its fifth national championship in 2015, and tallied 33 weeks at No. 1 and 86% of the AP polls (167 of 194) inside the top 10 from 2010-20.

All-Access with Coach Jon Scheyer

• The 16th episode of Duke All-Access with head coach Jon Scheyer is available on the Duke Athletics YouTube channel. The show also airs weekly on Friday’s at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Bally Sports South), Saturday’s on MASN (8:30 a.m.), Bally Sports South (9:30 a.m.), ABC11.com (10 a.m.) and Sunday’s on WTVD ABC-11 (noon).
• Produced by Blue Devil Sports Properties from LEARFIELD, Duke All-Access with Coach Scheyer is in its second season as an 18-episode series that provides a look at the Duke men’s basketball program through interviews, game highlights, breakdowns, analysis and features.
• In Episode 16, Scheyer recaps the regular season, Senior Night and Jeremy Roach‘s historic four years at Duke. Mark Mitchell is also featured in another addition of the “Film Room” and Scheyer goes through his favorite ACC Tournament memories.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeMBB”.

#GoDuke

COURTESY DUKE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS