The women’s basketball team at the University of Vermont is set to commence the Gulf Coast Showcase with a match against the No. 18 ranked North Carolina team on Friday. This event, occurring from November 24th to November 26th, will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.
The games at the Gulf Coast Showcase will be broadcasted live on FloHoops, with Vermont’s game against North Carolina specifically being televised on FloHoops, featuring commentary by Max Tanzer and John Vittas. Those who prefer listening to the game can tune in 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 across the rest of the region. Alternatively, the radio broadcast is available via the Varsity Network App with commentary by Ryan Zimmerman.
This year’s Gulf Coast Showcase will include eight teams – 2023 national runner-up Iowa, North Carolina, Kansas State, Western Kentucky, Delaware, Florida Gulf Coast, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Vermont. Notably, Iowa, North Carolina, and Florida Gulf Coast all made it past the first weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, three teams ranked in the AP Top-25 will be competing, including No. 18 North Carolina, No. 5 Iowa, and No. 16 Kansas State.
Vermont’s record stands at 19-13 against members of the tournament field, with no previous encounters with North Carolina. The Catamounts have faced Kansas State twice before and have a 19-10 mark against Delaware, with whom they were in the North Atlantic/America East conference from 1991-2001.
North Carolina enters Friday’s matchup as a formidable opponent, outscoring their rivals 76-47.5 this season. The team boasts impressive shooting percentages of 41.2 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from three, and 70.6 percent from the free-throw line. With four players averaging double digits, senior Deja Kelly leads the team with 14.3 points per game alongside 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.
In the Mid-Major Top 25 rankings, the Catamounts currently hold the No. 11 position. Last season, Vermont reached the top-10 in the mid-major rankings, securing the second-longest winning streak (17) behind only South Dakota State (25). Meanwhile, Vermont has exhibited commendable defensive capabilities, allowing only five teams to score over 60 points in their last 27 regular season games. This season, the Catamounts are yet to concede 60 points to any team and are holding their opponents to a shooting percentage of 37.0 percent from the field and 26.6 percent from three.