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By Joel Welser
jwelser@collegehoops.net
Belmont Bruins
Atlantic Sun (23-9, 14-4)
Seed: #15
East Region
RPI: 116
Big Wins:
11/14 vs Fordham (56-49), at East Tennessee State (75-74), vs East Tennessee
State (94-67)
Bad Losses:
11/13 vs UNC Wilmington (83-88), 1/12 Lipscomb (50-55), 1/18 at Campbell
(67-79)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to UCLA
Coach:
Rick Byrd (0-1 in 1 NCAA appearance)
Probable
Starters:
Andy Wicke,
Sophomore, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.8 apg
Josh Goodwin,
Senior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Henry Harris,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 2.1 apg
Matthew Dotson,
Sophomore, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Andrew Preston,
Senior, Center, 8.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Justin Hare,
Junior, Guard, 14.4 ppg, 2.5 apg
Shane Dansby,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Keaton Belcher,
Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Will Peeples,
Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Boomer Herndon,
Senior Center, 10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Belmont and
Coach Rick Byrd do a great job running a three-point oriented offense around
their big guy in the post. Andy Wicke and Justin Hare are the most capable
scorers. Wicke hit 75 long balls on the season and shot a solid 45.7% from
long range. The sophomore is not much of a threat to score in the paint and
usually finds one of his teammates instead of going hard to the basket.
Hare, who leads the team with 14.4 points per game, is a dynamic scorer who
will score in every possible way.
Josh Goodwin
and forward Matthew Dotson are capable shooters from behind the arc as well.
Goodwin has had an up and down season and only averages 6.2 points per game,
but he is capable of being a much bigger scorer than his season average.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
The Bruins
share the ball well, but they turn it over more. No one player has a massive
turnover problem, but everybody contributes to give Belmont 16.1 turnovers
per contest. Since the team will be outmatched physically, the Bruins will
not be able to carelessly give away that many possessions.
Who To
Watch:
What makes
Belmont’s long range shooting so dangerous is the presence of Boomer Herndon
and Andrew Preston in the post. Despite only playing 16.6 minutes per game,
Herndon averages 10.9 points and a team high 5.4 rebounds. Preston earns
most of the starts and is a decent scorer and rebounder himself. With both
players listed at 6-10, the offense does not need to adjust no matter who is
in the game. On the defensive end, Herndon and Preston are decent shot
blockers and have made going into the paint uncomfortable for the entire
Atlantic Sun Conference.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: First Round loss to Georgetown
▪
2007 NCAA Tournament Bracket
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