Is the dynasty over?

Vermont, winner of the last three America East tournaments, will look to defend its crown this weekend, beginning with a quarterfinal matchup against Boston Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Superstars Taylor Coppenrath and TJ Sorrentine, along with legendary coach Tom Brennan, are all gone, but Vermont’s potential AE Rookie of the Year Mike Trimboli will be handful for Boston’s stingy defense. Trimboli has been the most impressive freshman this season, leading the conference in assists with 5.6 per game.

“Controlling Trimboli will be one of the keys to this basketball game,” said Boston head coach Dennis Wolff. “By shutting down Trimboli, we make it hard for his teammates to get involved.”

Boston is led by senior forward Kevin Gardner, who leads the team in points (13.5) and rebounds (7.5). But in two wins against Vermont this season, Boston’s best player has been freshman Corey Hassan. His runner with 3.6 seconds propelled the Terriers to a 43-41 win in their first meeting at Boston.

“Just because we beat them twice doesn’t mean anything,” Wolff said. “We could’ve easily lost both games.”

In their second matchup at Patrick Gymnasium, Boston topped Vermont 69-64 in overtime. After four players fouled out, the Terriers were able to survive, thanks to Gardner’s 17 points and 10 rebounds. Boston’s greatest weapon against Vermont however, has been its defense. Vermont’s 41 points at Boston was its lowest total since 1980.

Boston’s defense will be looking to force turnovers as Vermont ranks last in the conference in protecting the ball. The Catamounts have averaged 14.5 turnovers in the two games against Boston this season.

“We need to come out aggressive, not only on the defensive end but on the offensive end as well,” Wolff said. “If we don’t, our season will simply come to an end.”

Boston’s defense shouldn’t have any problems showing up. The Terriers are first in the conference in points against, allowing teams to score only 59.4 a game. Its offense is a different story, as Boston is second to last in scoring, averaging only 58.9. Preseason All-Conference selection Shaun Wynn will need to boost up his 7.6 scoring average for the Terriers to have a complete outside/inside offensive unit.

On the other side, Vermont will rely on Trimboli and 6-foot-8 junior Martin Klimes to provide much of the team’s offense. In 27 games, the duo has led the team in scoring 20 times.

Klimes only scored two points when the teams met for the first time, but was in foul trouble most of the game. In Vermont, Klimes was able to notch 14 points and seven rebounds.

Vermont will need another strong performance from Klimes in the quarterfinals, but the key to this game will be whether Boston’s defense can shut down Trimboli. All eyes will be on Sorrentine’s replacement to carry the defending champions on his shoulders.

Fun Facts:

Vermont is 3-11 away from Patrick Gymnasium this season. Freshman point guard Mike Trimboli leads the conference in assists with 5.6. The Catamounts are last in the conference in turnovers averaging 16.0 per game… Boston is first in the conference in scoring defense (59.4) but second to last in scoring offense (58.9). Senior forward Kevin Gardner was second in the conference in rebounding (7.5) trailing on only Hartford’s Kenny Adeleke. The Terriers are first in the conference in assists/turnover ratio with 1.02… Boston’s season sweep of Vermont was its first since 1996-97.