Vermont basketball’s Gus Yalden on Catamounts’ rout of Bryant
Gus Yalden talks to local media after Vermont basketball’s home win over Bryant on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
For Vermont basketball, it’s win or go home from here on out.
The Catamounts fended off Albany on senior night during the regular-season finale, posting a 69-56 America East Conference victory in front of 2,309 at Patrick Gym on Tuesday, March 3.
Gus Yalden put up 19 points with four 3-pointers, TJ Long tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds and Sean Blake tossed in 9 points and had 5 assists for the Catamounts, who reached 20 wins for the 17th straight campaign in a full season. TJ Long and Noah Barnett each added nine points.
Vermont (20-11, 12-4), winner of three straight, secured the No. 2 seed for the league playoffs and will host a quarterfinal game vs. No. 7 Bryant on Tom Brennan Court on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off on ESPN+ is set for 2 p.m.
Hurley, a senior, provided the dagger on senior night with a corner 3-pointer to give Vermont a 62-52 with 2:10 left in regulation.
“It’s a good confidence boost. We’ve had a couple weeks in a row and it feels like we are really coming together,” said Hurley on Vermont’s recent play. “You always want to peak at this time of the year, so it’s a good feeling coming into playoffs this way.”
The 2026 America East men’s basketball tournament bracket
Vermont has been the No. 1 or 2 seed every year since 2017. But UMBC (21-8, 14-2) garnered the regular-season crown and top position this winter. The Retrievers have won nine straight games and reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2019.
The America East playoff matchups/schedule:
Quarterfinals (Saturday, March 7)
No. 8 New Hampshire (9-20, 5-11) at No. 1 UMBC (21-8, 14-2), 1 p.m.
No. 5 Albany (11-20, 7-9) at No. 4 UMass Lowell (14-17, 9-7), 1 p.m.
No. 7 Bryant (9-21, 5-11) at No. 2 Vermont (20-11, 12-4), 2 p.m.
No. 6 Maine (8-23, 6-10) at No. 3 NJIT (15-16, 10-6), 4 p.m.
Note: Bracket is reseeded after quarterfinals. Semifinals are slated for Tuesday, March 10. The championship game will be Saturday, March 14. All games will be streamed on ESPN+, with the title game televised on ESPN2.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5
