GAME NOTES | FRIDAY VIDEO (ESPN 3) | LIVE STATS | RYAN ODOM BASKETBALL REPORT
BALTIMORE-- UMBC men's basketball returns from their week hiatus to take on rival Vermont with first place in the conference on the line. The pair of games will be the first at the UMBC Event Center since January 17 when the Retrievers defeated Hartford. Both UMBC and Vermont are tied at 9-3 in the league, with their Thursday tilt airing nationally on ESPN U.
Vermont Series Info:
What: UMBC Retrievers (13-4, 9-3 AE) vs. Vermont Catamounts (9-3, 9-3 AE)
Where: UMBC Event Center - Baltimore, Md.
When: Thursday-Friday, February 18-19 - Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 5 p.m.
How to Watch: Thursday will air on ESPN U with Friday on ESPN 3, live stats at UMBCRetrievers.com
Social Media: @UMBC_MBB, #RetrieverNation, #AEHoops
Scouting the Retrievers:
-UMBC men's basketball comes into the series at 13-4, 9-3 AE on the year in a tie for first place with Vermont. The Retrievers have won their last three including a sweep of Stony Brook two weeks ago. UMBC used strong defensive efforts in both games, holding the Seawolves to 65 and 48 points over the two games.
-Brandon Horvath (West River, Md./Southern) leads the team averaging 14.3 points per game and a team and league-best 8.8 rebounds per game. R.J. Eytle-Rock (London, England) is the only other Retriever in double figures at 13.5 ppg. Starting guards Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) and L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) are just below 10.0 ppg at 9.8 and 8.9 ppg respectively with Rogers leading the team with 42 assists.
Scouting the Catamounts:
-Vermont heads to Charm City at 9-3, 9-3 AE, winners of their last seven games. Most recently the Catamounts swept Stony Brook on Saturday and Sunday in Burlington by a combined 12 points. The Catamounts are 6-2 at home and 3-1 on the road this season.
-Center Ryan Davis leads the team in both scoring and rebounding at 18.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg. He is shooting 59.5 percent from the floor in just over 26 minutes per game. Stef Smith and Ben Shungu are the other Catamounts in double figures at 13.6 and 10.0 ppg.
All-Time Series:
-The Retrievers and Catamounts have met 43 times prior to Thursday with Vermont holding a commanding lead in the series, 35-8. The Catamounts had won every meeting from 2009-2018 before the Retrievers snapped the skid to win the America East title in 2018. Since then, the Retrievers have gone 3-3, including a win last year on the road in late February.
Rivalry Renewed:
-UMBC and Vermont have accounted for the last three conference championships and the two have met in the title game twice over that span in 2018 and 2019. The two have split the last six contests, and UMBC has accounted for three of their seven conference losses since the 2018-19 season.
-The two have met in the playoffs each of the last three seasons with Vermont winning two of three with the lone UMBC win coming in the 2018 America East Championship.
Odom Climbing the Ranks:
-Head coach Ryan Odom is back for his fifth season at the helm of the Retrievers. Odom led the Dawgs to their third-straight America East Semifinal appearance, finishing fourth in the league at 8-8. He will be looking for his fourth 20-win season in five years and is the third-winningest coach in program history with 96 wins.
-He is now behind Tom Sullivan in second (106 wins) and Billy Jones (145 wins) in first. Sullivan hit his mark in nine seasons and Jones was on the sidelines for 12 years.
Horvath Chasing 1K:
-Senior Brandon Horvath played in his 100th career contest against Coppin State on December 13. He is also fast approaching 1,000 career points, just 33 points away from reaching the milestone, and will be the 24th Retriever all-time to hit the mark.
-Horvath is also currently 12th in career rebounds (558) and is approaching the top ten in career games played.
Facts and Figures:
-R.J. Eytle-Rock is currently on a nine-game double-digit scoring streak that dates back to the second game against Binghamton on December 28. Over that span, Eytle-Rock is averaging 16.2 ppg with a 27 point performance against New Hampshire.
-Since the 2016-17 season, UMBC has made three or fewer three-pointers 12 times in a game with four of those games coming this season, in which the Retrievers won all four.
-UMBC has the best field goal defense in the America East, holding opponents to 38.6 percent from the floor. Brandon Horvath is in the top five in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage with Darnell Rogers ranking fourth in steals.
-Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) is seventh in the nation in free throw percentage at 93.3 percent while the team is 10th nationally in field goal defense and 39th in scoring defense.
Up Next:
-The Retrievers will host UMass Lowell next weekend on Saturday and Sunday, February 27-28. Both games will start at 1 p.m. on Watch ESPN.
