Vermont at a glance

Record: 25-6

When: Saturday, 3 p.m. (ABC) Where: Gampel Pavilion How they got here:

Vermont beat Bryant, UMBC and narrowly escaped against Albany for a 38-36 victory to capture the American East Tournament championship, earning an automatic bid to the

NCAA Tournament. The Catamounts led Bryant for the majority of the game and out-rebounded the Bulldogs 47-27. After beating Bryant 56-49, Vermont took on UMBC in the semifinal, earning a 75-63 victory. The title game was a defensive battle as it was 4-4 heading into the second quarter and 17-10 Vermont at halftime. Vermont nearly lost it in the fourth, when it was outscored by Albany 19-8.

About the season:

Vermont began the season on the wrong foot, losing three of their first four, although one of those losses was to nationally-ranked Indiana. Then the Catamounts went on a six-game win streak and it looked like Vermont had found itself before losing three of its next four. But Jan. 1 loss to UMBC proved to be Vermon’s last loss as the Catamounts went on a 17-game win streak the rest of the way.

Player to watch: Emma Utterback leads the team at 14 points per game. The 5-foot-8 senior guard was very active in the

American East Tournament with 21 points and six assists against UMBC and 18 points with six rebounds in the Catamount’s tournament championship game. Utterback, a first-team all NEC selection, is Vermont’s first option on offense and the Catamounts will look to her for production.

Up next: A win over Vermont means UConn would face the winner of the No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 10 Alabama match-up. The Nicki Collen-led Bears are the favorite to win and will most likely face the Huskies in the second round. The Crimson Tide ended their season on a four-game losing streak. Collen, by the way, knows the state as a former Connecticut Sun assistant under Curt Miller.