Vermont opens the America East–Metro Challenge at Fairfield on Thursday, Nov. 5, looking to rebound from a one-point loss to Iona. The Catamounts enter as the America East preseason favorite; Fairfield was picked first in the Metro preseason poll.

By the Numbers
  • Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET at Leo D. Mahoney Arena; streaming on ESPN+.
  • Vermont lost to Iona, 56-55, on Monday.
  • Vermont leads the series? No: Fairfield holds a 9-2 all-time edge in 11 meetings.
  • Gus Yalden scored 17 points against Iona; John Broom grabbed 11 rebounds.
  • Fairfield averaged 13.9 offensive rebounds per game last season, ranking seventh nationally.
Yes, But

Vermont is the preseason favorite in its conference, but Fairfield has home-court advantage and leads the all-time series. The Stags are also coming off a 21-win season and were picked first in the Metro.

State of Play
  • Vermont is 0-1 after its narrow loss to Iona; Momo Nkugwa had a career-high 12 points.
  • Fairfield has yet to play a regular-season game; it lost its Oct. 24 exhibition to Fordham, 79-62.
  • Yalden, a preseason All-Conference selection, averaged 16.1 points per game last season.
What's Next

The teams meet Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, with live coverage on ESPN+ and radio available through the Varsity Network app.

Bottom Line

Vermont’s first challenge is to turn its preseason expectations into an early win against a Fairfield team built to create second chances.