Vermont plays on Stony Brook's nerves

As Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell said, playing for a conference championship against Vermont tonight at Pritchard Gymnasium will be a new experience for his team but old hat for the Catamounts (21-8, 11-3 America East). Vermont coach Mike Lonergan told his players to use that experience to their advantage against the Seawolves (20-7, 12-2).

"Our guys are used to playing in important games and we are usually fighting for a championship every year," Lonergan told the Burlington Free Press in remarks published today. "It’s a little different for Stony Brook. When you’re in last place a lot and now you’re in first and fighting for a regular-season championship, it’s got to be exciting on their campus."

By "exciting," it sounded as if Lonergan really meant "nerve-wracking." Nice psychological ploy. If someone is afraid of heights, it never hurts to tell them to look down if you want to spook them.

Referring to the Catamounts' 12-5 record in road games, Lonergan added, "We have the best road record in the country, so I think we will be ready to play."

Apparently, Lonergan meant his team has the most road wins. Syracuse is 11-0 away from home, which would be the best record on a percentage basis. In America East play, Stony Brook and Vermont actually are tied for best road record at 5-2, including the Seawolves' win in Burlington, but there's no denying the Catamounts are plenty tough in this situation.

The critical factor tonight is that a Vermont win would give the Catamounts the upper hand in the conference race even though they would be tied for first with Stony Brook at 12-3. Vermont finishes at home against Binghamton (12-17, 7-7) on Sunday while the Seawolves would have to travel to New Hampshire (11-15, 5-9), which is 8-3 on its home floor.

If Vermont and Stony Brook finish tied for first, the tiebreaker would go to the Catamounts because they swept third-place Maine while the Seawolves split with the Black Bears. Not only would Vermont be seeded first in the conference tournament and have a shot at playing the championship game at home, but it also would earn the automatic NIT bid that goes to the regular season champion if it fails to qualify for the NCAA tournament by winning the America East tourney.

"It’s always good to be in control of your own destiny," UVM captain Maurice Joseph said to the Free Press. "When you know that all you have to do is win games and you don’t have to rely on other teams losing."

That's a statement the Seawolves would do well to take to heart. If they're the victor tonight, they can claim all the postseason spoils because the regular-season finales won't matter.