Yale vs Vermont Odds, Pick for Saturday

Editor's Note: Yale's Matt Knowling (groin) is a game-time decision.

Among a long list of competitive games expected in college hoops this Saturday, the matchup between Yale and Vermont has a chance to be one of the best.

The winner of this date between the Bulldogs and Catamounts won't boast the kind of victory that could be a part of an at-large case come March, yet both are expected to be among the title contenders in their respective East Coast mid-major conferences.

A win here would be a spark for either as they dive into their conference slates later this month.

Yale entered the season as the favorite to win the Ivy League, but it's been quickly overshadowed by an undefeated Princeton team that boasts a top-25 offense and three wins over top-100 competition.

The Tigers' hot start is worth noting, but doesn't diminish this Yale team's chances to make noise in March.

The biggest thing to note through November for Yale is the development of sophomore 7-footer Danny Wolf. The Bulldog big man scored just 54 points all of last season, but now averages 12.3 points per game this year. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a win over a solid Gardner-Webb club.

Wolf is cleaning the glass to the tune of 8.1 rebounds per game, while shooting better than 56.1% from outside the arc.

You don't see a 7-footer with inside-out offensive capabilities often in the Ivy League, especially for a sophomore.

As he continues to grow, Wolf will serve as a perfect complement to the veterans on the perimeter for Yale.

So far, however, one of those key veterans has had trouble staying on the floor. All-Ivy performer Matt Knowling has missed two straight games with a nagging groin injury. His status for Saturday is up in the air.

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John Becker has built one of the premier mid-major programs in college basketball, winning or sharing each of the last seven America East regular season championships.

In a conference that awards conference tournament hosting privileges to higher seeds, it's become almost a foregone conclusion that the America East title game will be played in Burlington. A Catamount has won the conference's Player of the Year honors for seven straight seasons.

This season's edition of the Catamounts might not be Becker's most talented or his best chance at the NCAA tournament Round of 64 win that has eluded the program during this great run, but Vermont is the heavy favorite to win the conference.

The Cats confirmed as much so far this season with wins over Charleston and Saint Louis.

Vermont is led by Matt Veretto, a graduate student who spent three years away from basketball earning his degree as a non-student-athlete. Despite that gap in his playing days, his game remained sharp. He contributed as a role player last season and leads the Cats in scoring this season as sweet-shooting big man.

His ability to work in tandem with the four guards surrounding him — each averaging between nine and 13 points per night — has made for a crisp Catamount offense that can attack any style of defense.

I'm more excited to watch this game than I am to bet on it. These are two really good mid-major teams, with real chances to make the Big Dance and be considered as possible Cinderellas next spring.

Seeing them square off should make for some beautiful basketball.

Picking a winner is tricky. Yale is the better team, and I struggle to see an answer for Wolf in the Vermont frontcourt. Yale, however, may be without Knowling, once again, as he battles the injury bug. Plus, teams rarely waltz into Burlington and out with a win. The Catamounts have won 34 of their last 35 home games.

My gut says to trust Becker in his home building, though I'd feel a lot better about doing so if I knew if Knowling will suit up for Yale.

Pick: Lean Vermont -1

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