The Vermont Catamounts duel the UAB Blazers at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama on opening night of the college basketball season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Vermont is the sure-fire favorite in the America East, and I power rate the Blazers higher than the AAC-favored Memphis Tigers. I expect both of these squads to win their respective conferences.
UAB is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a total sitting at 143.
Here are my Vermont vs UAB predictions and my college basketball picks for Monday.
Vermont vs UAB Prediction
My pick: UAB -6.5
My Vermont vs UAB best bet is on the Blazers spread, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Vermont vs UAB Odds
| Vermont Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 143 -110o / -110u | +235 |
| UAB Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 143 -110o / -110u | -290 |
- Vermont vs UAB spread: UAB -6.5
- Vermont vs UAB over/under: 143 points
- Vermont vs UAB moneyline: UAB -290, Vermont +235
- Vermont vs UAB best bet: UAB -6.5
Spread
I like the Blazers to cover.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My pick: UAB -6.5
Vermont vs UAB Betting Trends to Know
- 68% of the bets and 67% of the money is on UAB to cover the spread.
- 93% of the bets and 93% of the money is on the over.
Vermont vs UAB Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Bartow Arena, Birmingham, AL |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
Vermont vs UAB is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time, live from Bartow Arena in Birmingham, AL, on Monday. The game is live on ESPN+.
Vermont vs UAB College Basketball Betting Preview
If you want a more thorough analysis of these teams, I wrote the America East and American Athletic previews for the Action Network this season.
In theory, this is a phenomenal matchup for my Catamounts.
Shamir Bogues is a lights-out perimeter point-of-attack defender who can hang with UAB’s pro-style point guard, Tyren Moore. Ileri Ayo-Faleye is an athletic, versatile, mobile, uniquely talented low-major interior defender who can hang with AAC co-Player of the Year favorite Yaxel Lendeborg.
UAB’s offense is rim-reliant – the Blazers cut like crazy, play volleyball with the offensive glass and live at the charity stripe. But the Cats play stellar interior defense, shutting off the rim and the paint while rebounding everything and never fouling.
It can’t be overstated how good Vermont’s defense could be this season. Returning four starters and two of mid-majordum’s best bookend defenders to a team that finished 61st nationally in defensive efficiency last season brings lofty expectations.
The Catamounts are the far-superior defensive team in this matchup.
UAB’s defense is most vulnerable on the perimeter, where the Blazers ranked 268th nationally in Open 3 Rate allowed last year. That’s a brutal matchup against Vermont’s down-tempo, five-out offense that will spend 40 minutes hunting jumpers (top-40 nationally in 3-point rate last season).
But basketball isn’t played in theory, and the reality is that the Cats are banged up. Bogues, wing TJ Long, stretch four Nick Fiorillo and Howard transfer swingman Shy Odom have all been dealing with nagging injuries during the summer and fall.
Vermont’s shooting and spacing suffer tremendously when Long and Fiorilo aren’t on the court. Odom is supposed to be the interior back-to-the-basket and mid-post scorer who can collapse defenses when the Catamounts aren’t earning enough open shots.
The Cats went through some severe offensive droughts last year because they couldn’t adjust when the triples weren’t falling, and Becker needs Odom if he hopes to re-find the offensive magic of his past teams.
It’s also worth mentioning that UAB’s defense trended up as last season progressed, and the Blazers eventually finished first in the AAC in 3-point rate allowed – a good omen against Vermont’s often-one-dimensional spot-up-reliant offense.
Long and Bogues being limited would force more of the offense to run through TJ Hurley. I love Hurley, and I’ve heard he played exceptionally well in the preseason.
But I can’t say I’ve seen him put together much high-usage playmaking or scoring against D-I competition. Hopefully, the ever-steady second-unit point general Jace Roquemore will get some chances to handle the rock.
Long and Bogues' limited availability would also hurt the Cats defensively, as they’d struggle to match up with Moore and a good Blazers wing corps. Alejandro Vasquez can shoot it, Efrem Johnson is a double-digit scorer, Christian Coleman is a solid rim-runner and Iona transfer Greg Gordon can slash to the rim at will.
Fiorillo and Odom's limited minutes would force inexperienced forwards Seth Joba and Noah Barnett into more minutes, a nightmare scenario against the 6-foot-9 ludicrously good all-around scoring big man that is Lendeborg.
It’ll be challenging for Vermont to match UAB’s athleticism. That’s no knock on the Catamounts, who are more versatile and athletic than they’ve been in years. But it’s hard for any D-I team to match the Blazers in the talent department, much less one from the much-maligned America East Conference.
Admittedly, much of my handicap is speculative and rumor-based regarding Vermont’s health and availability. If the Catamounts are fully healthy on Monday, they have the horses and schematic advantage to stick with UAB for 40 minutes.
But I’m worried about availability, and Vermont needs all of it to keep it within 6.5 points against a super athletic collection of talent.
