The University of Kansas men’s basketball team is set for its home opener after downing Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
KU (1-0) led by as many 17 before claiming a 92-87 victory over MSU. Meanwhile, Vermont (1-0) trailed by 10 points in the second half before surging back to notch a 78-72 win over Boston University.
“They gave Kentucky all they wanted last year. It was a four-point game in Rupp (Arena),” KU coach Bill Self said. “They’ve got a good team and obviously they are very well coached. They’ll run a lot of set plays, similar to what Michigan State did.”
The home opener between Kansas and Vermont is slated to start at 8 p.m.
**Fun fact:** Ernie Duncan and his brothers Everett and Robin are all playing for the Catamounts. The Duncans are the fifth trio of brothers to play on the same Division 1 men’s basketball team in the same season.
**Series history:** Kansas won the only series meeting with Vermont, 68-61, on Nov. 19, 2004, in Allen Fieldhouse. The game opened the 2004-05 season for Kansas, which was ranked No. 1 at the time.
**BREAKING DOWN VERMONT**
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**TOP PLAYER**
*No. 3 — F Anthony Lamb | 6-6, 227, jr.*
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In the season opener, Lamb demonstrated his ability to perform as the team’s go-to option.
Lamb led the Catamounts with 19 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Boston University. It was an important showing, as Vermont lost three seniors from last year’s squad, including a two-time league player of the year.
Last season, Lamb averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during an injury-plagued sophomore season. Lamb, who is considered an NBA prospect, should figure to be a focal point of this offensive attack all year.
#ICYMI Anthony Lamb channeled his inner @KingJames with a trailer block last weekend & #VCats convert easy layup on other end #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/fche3eXsiV
— UVM Men's Basketball (@UVMmbb) December 14, 2016
**SUPPORTING CAST**
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*No. 20 — G Ernie Duncan | 6-3, 190, r-sr.*
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Duncan is coming off a 19-point outing, in which he shot 6 of 13 from the floor for the Catamounts.
As a junior, Duncan averaged 10.8 points per game to go along with 2.2 assists per contest. Duncan is expected to embrace a larger role this year, which led to his selection on the America East preseason all-conference team.
Duncan is the program’s all-time leader in career 3-pointer percentage with a clip of 41.3 percent from deep. He netted a trio of three points in 11 different contests last season, leading Vermont with 66 triples a year ago. In fitting fashion, Duncan’s first basket for Vermont was a 3-pointer.
Ernie Duncan with his first points, a 3-pointer. pic.twitter.com/D5eNeFxLX8
— Alex Abrami (@aabrami5) December 17, 2015
*No. 21 — G Everett Duncan | 6-6, 192 r-jr.*
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In the opener, Duncan was one of two starters to not finish with double figures.
Duncan was one of three Vermont players to play in all 35 games last year, as he notched 34 starts. He finished second all-time in single-season 3-point percentage last season with a rate of 47.2 from long range. He netted 51 3-pointers last year, which was second behind his older brother.
In high school, Everett passed his older brother Ernie as Evansville Harrison’s all-time leading scorer.
*No. 0 — G Stef Smith | 6-1, 170, sr.*
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Smith poured in a career-high 22 points to lead the way for the Catamounts, who play their first two games on the road.
During Friday’s win, Smith finished 7 of 15 from the floor and helped lead the way for a late comeback. As a freshman, Smith was named to the America East all-rookie team after playing in 34 games. Smith is second among returning players in assists per game.
*No. 15 — F Ra Kpedi | 6-9, 220, sr.*
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The team’s tallest starter is Kpedi, who only played 17 minutes in the first game of the regular season due to foul trouble.
Kpedi will have a tough time matching Kansas’ post preseason in Allen Fieldhouse. Against Boston University, Kpedi claimed six rebounds and netted one basket on 1-for-2 shooting from the floor.
**ONE THING VERMONT DOES WELL**
Vermont can thrive in its half-court sets, hitting 61.3 percent of its 2-point shots in the season opener. Last year, the Catamounts ranked 13th in the nation in 2-point percentage by hitting 55.5 percent of such shots.
**ONE AREA VERMONT STRUGGLES**
The Catamounts do not have the size to slow down someone like Udoka Azubuike. The team’s tallest player that received minutes in the season opener was 6-foot-9. Kansas can exploit this mismatch early and often to get the crowd into it.
**MEET THE COACH**
John Becker, who is in eighth season at the helm, is the first coach in program history to lead Vermont to seven consecutive 20-win seasons in the first seven years. Becker is third in the all-time winningest coaches in school history with a 167-77 record for the Catamounts.
**VEGAS SAYS…**
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Still haven’t got over KU failing to cover -5.5 down the stretch against Michigan State, but hopefully I rebound with my pick today. According to OddsShark, Kansas is a 19.5-point favorite as of Monday morning. That seems like a lot of points, but the Jayhawks should win this game by as much as they want to. Vermont, which is ranked No. 123 on KenPom, is the second-worst team KU will face this season.
**My prediction:** Kansas 90, Vermont 67.
Record against spread: 0-1
