Belmont

Quick Evening Recap: Belmont Comes Close, Mayo Fizzles Out

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:55:02 -0700

A quick review of the evening action on Day One of the NCAA Tournament: (2) Duke 71 - (15) Belmont 70 One last basket away from being one of the biggest (if not the biggest) upset in NCAA Tournament history. The Blue Devils were outplayed and Coach K was outcoached the entire game. With the exception of Belmont's unfortunately horrible in-bounds play with 5 seconds left, the Bruins never looked out of place physically or mentally. Duke was saved by Gerald Henderson, who finished with 21 points, 8 boards, and the game-winning layup with 2 seconds left. Henderson was the only Blue Devil who seemed to have the mindset that he was better than his opponent. What's especially troubling if you're a Duke fan is not just the score.. but that Belmont didn't play above their heads to hang in there. They didn't shoot exceptionally well from the floor or from three, but just played their usual game. (11) Kansas State 80 - (6) USC 67 This was supposed to be the epic matchup of the evening session, but Kansas State only trailed for 26 seconds after the first basket. With Michael Beasley in foul trouble early, Bill Walker and sub Ron Anderson carried the scoring load in the first half. With USC down at half, OJ Mayo finally showed some big-time spark, leading the Trojans on a 21-10 run to take the lead. A big three by Clent Stewart opened up the game once again with 10:06 left and K-State never looked back. It was a somewhat blah ending for Mayo's brief college career. The heralded freshmen was supposed to carry USC to glory, but though his team had an okay year, they rarely showed signs of even approaching very good status. (9) Texas A&M 67 - (8) BYU 62 Give BYU credit for coming back from an 11-0 deficit.. but that poor start proved too be to much to overcome. The teams played to a standstill for the final 35 minutes, and A&M was able to hold off the comeback effort thanks to Josh Carter's career game. Carter came into the game having hit only 4 of 20 threes, but he blew threw his season high by hitting 6 threes and scoring 26 points. Carter had barely been hitting double-digits in the last month, so his 26 point outburst was perhaps more shocking than Belmont's good play. (4) Washington State 71 - (13) Winthrop 40 A neck and neck first half in which neither team led by more than 3 points gave way to an absolute beatdown in the second stanza. Locked at 29 after 20 minutes, there was little reason to think either team would win by more than 10 points. But the Cougars came out on a ridiculous 25-4 run and held Winthrop to 11 second half points.. one of the worst totals in Tournament history. Overall: After terribly mundane morning and afternoon sessions, at least the night got off to a good a start. Kansas State was the first real "upset" of the tournament, though its nothing that will generate much pub in the media. Belmont gave it a good run.. but the real underdog wake up call is yet to come.

Get to Know Belmont: Player & Coach Q&A

Jon Teitel — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:56:41 -0700

Live from Washington DC, CHN's Jon Teitel is covering the NCAA Tournament pod featuring Xavier/Georgia, Baylor/Purdue, West Virginia/Arizona, and Belmont/Duke. He'll be checking in periodically with player & coach interviews as well as news updates from the Verizon Center.

Tonight, Jon brings us an interview with two Belmont players and their head coach Rick Byrd:

Interview with Coach Byrd

Q: What was the significance of moving to Division 1 in 1997?

A: It was important to make the move for recruiting purposes, as well as getting the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Q: Have you felt that you contributed to the renaissance of college basketball in the state of Tennessee this year?

A: I have been asked about that a lot this month, and I am not sure if there has been a “renaissance”, as the state has a history of storied NCAA Tournament victories. It is fair to say that the rise of Memphis and Tennessee has been great. Some of the local programs do not have a lot of in-state players, but it has still been a great year, with residual effects trickling down to the smaller schools.

Q: Is Justin Hare the smartest/most clutch player you have ever coached?

A: He is by far the most clutch player in my decades of coaching, if not at any other school. He is as smart as anyone I have coached, which makes me proud because we have a bunch of real college students here.

Interview with Henry Harris and Jordan Campbell

Q: It seems like you have a veteran team compared to a lot of other schools in the Tournament: how much of an advantage is it?

A: We have 5-6 guys who are 3-time conference champs and playing in their 3^rd straight Tournament, so the experience is a big help.

Q: You were leading Georgetown in the tourney last year before losing: what did you learn from that?

A: It seems like each year we hang around throughout the 1^st half, and then have a 2^nd half let down and end up losing the game. One thing we learned last year is to keep our composure and not get into a panic mode.

Q: What are your thoughts on teammate Justin Hare?

A: Justin is very clutch, and a leader for us on and off the court. He is our go-to guy, and he often keeps us in the game. He is a very smart guy.

Q: What is Coach Byrd like?

A: He is a great guy, very knowledgeable, and has coached for a very long time. He does a great job of preparing us to do good things.

Q: What do you know about Duke?

A: Duke is a great team with a lot of history, so we will have to stick to our game plan.

Q: Have you felt that you contributed to the resurgence of college basketball in the state of Tennessee this year?

A: Harris: We are proud to play for the state of Tennessee. We played Austin Peay twice this season, and they beat us twice.

A: Campbell: I had not heard a lot about Belmont before they recruited me to come here. It is a great academic school, and it shows the type of people they recruit as well as the type of people they are.

Q: Jordan, You played with Indiana freshman star Eric Gordon in high school, what is he like?

A: Eric is a great friend and teammate, and I wish him well in the tourney. I have known him since 3^rd grade, and he has always been a good player. Some players who are good at a young age “grow out of it”, but he has obviously not, so the sky is the limit.

- Coaches Q&A: Huggins, Painter, Miller

- Interview w/ Purdue's Scott Martin

- Interview w/ Duke's Greg Paulus

- Interview w/ Xavier's Derrick Brown

- Interview w/ Georgia's Troy Brewer

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- Sign up for the free CHN Tournament Challenge and win great prizes!

- Check out various printable & downloadable NCAA Brackets

Bracket Tactics: Sunday's Tip of the Day

Jon Teitel — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:23:39 -0700

Leading up to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, we'll be presenting daily tips to help you fill in your bracket.

Today's Bracket Tactic

FACT: While #15 seeds are 4-88 in the 1^st round of the NCAA Tournament since 1985, and 0-4 in the 2^nd round, the 4 Cinderellas who did win a game each entered the tourney having gone 9-1 in their last 10 games, and had an overall winning percentage of 80% or less.

BRACKET TIP: American, Austin Peay, and UMBC each fit these criteria, while Belmont exceeds it by virtue of winning each of their last 13 games.

So, if you are feeling lucky, feel free to pick 1 of these 4 teams to wear the glass slipper in round 1, but under no circumstances should you pick any of them to advance to the Sweet 16.

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2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Belmont

Joel Welser — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:52:04 -0800

Belmont

Atlantic Sun (25-8, 14-2)

Big Wins: 11/9 at Cincinnati (86-75), 11/19 at Alabama (85-83), 11/26 Middle Tennessee State (85-62)

Bad Losses: 11/10 vs Bowling Green (67-78), 1/5 at Campbell (75-83), 1/24 at Kennesaw State (79-81)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2007, First Round loss to Georgetown

Coach: Rick Byrd (0-2 in 2 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Andy Wicke, Junior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 3.0 apg

Justin Hare, Senior, Guard, 14.9 ppg, 2.9 apg

Henry Harris, Junior, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Matthew Dotson, Junior, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Will Peeples, Junior, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Shane Dansby, Junior, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg

Alex Renfore, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 4.0 rpg

Jon House, Freshman, Guard, 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg

Jordan Campbell, Freshman, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Keaton Belcher, Sophomore, Forward, 6.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Belmont and Coach Rick Byrd do a great job running a three-point oriented offense. Five players, including a couple forwards, are very dangerous from long range. Part-time point guard Andy Wicke is not the most efficient three-point shooter on the team, but he will knock down over two per game. Justin Hare is not a one-dimensional scorer. Not only will he hit the long ball, but the lone senior on the team will also get to the basket very effectively.

However, the most dangerous shooters on the team might just be 6-8 forward Matthew Dotson and 6-9 forward Keaton Belcher. Dotson hits more long balls per game than anybody else on the team and he shoots a solid 42.4 percent. Belcher will not take as many shots as Dotson, but he does hit any outside shot he takes pretty consistently.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The Bruins share the ball well, but they turn it over a little too much. No one player has a massive turnover problem, but everybody contributes to give Belmont 14.8 turnovers per contest. Since the team will be outmatched physically, the Bruins will not be able to carelessly give away that many possessions. They also tend to give up too many easy buckets on the defensive end. There is not much of an interior presence for this year’s Belmont squad and that allows the opposition to shoot almost 47 percent from the floor.

Who To Watch:

Despite all the weapons on this team including the shifty Alex Renfroe and the versatile Jordan Campbell, Shane Dansby is the most dynamic of them all. The 6-4 wing will do a little bit of some things and a lot of everything else. He is a great scorer from anywhere on the floor and a monster on the glass and actually leads the team with 6.1 boards per contest. With a guard who sometimes comes off the bench as the leading rebounder, it would be logical to think that the Bruins have trouble on the glass. However, the team outrebounds its opponents by nearly three per game on average. For a team that has forwards who usually hang around the perimeter and a group that will miss more shots than their opponents, their overall ability to hit the boards is quite impressive.

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Live at the Dr Pepper Classic: Wright State Beats Belmont in OT

Bill Kintner — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

CHATTANOOGA – Close games are nothing unusual for this year’s Wright State Raiders. A one point win over Butler, a one point win over Miami, a four point win over Cal State Fullerton and tonight a win over Belmont in overtime 78-74.

With 20 seconds left in regulation play Wright State (7-3) led 60-58. The more experienced Belmont called time out to set up a final play with 13 seconds left.

Belmont’s Mathew Dotson came from behind a screen to shoot a 3-pointer that missed, but his teammate Jordan Campbell was in position under the basket to get the rebound and put it back in to tie the game 60-60.

The Raiders called timeout to set up a final play with 2.3 seconds left, but nothing came of it as Scottie Wilson heaved up a desperation shot from 25 feet that missed as time ran out.

In overtime, the Raiders scored first when Scottie Wilson hit a jumper to make it 62-60.

After a bunch of missed free throws by both teams the score was tied 63-63 at the 2:57 mark.

Just 30 seconds later Wilson slammed home a dunk to give the Raiders the lead at 65-63, a lead they would hold until the end of overtime.

Two free throws by Wright State’s Vaughn Duggins pushed the lead to eight points at 71-63, but Belmont (7-6) still had plenty of fight in them.

With 24 seconds left Justin Hare hit a 3-pointer to get the lead back down to two points at 73-71. But Duggins and Wilson each hit two foul shots to get the lead back to six. A layup by Campbell just before the buzzer sounded got the score back down to four points at 78-74.

“We played it hard , we had a good game plan and we won,” explained Wright State’s Tood Brown. “People hit their shots and they stepped up.”
Brown who led all scorers with 26 points thought that having to go the extra five minutes was tough on the Raiders and he planned to head to his hotel room to rest.

“I wish we had won it in regulation. Mentally I am glad we won but for our bodies the extra five minutes takes a lot out of us.”

The difference in this game?

According to Belmont’s coach Rick Byrd the Raiders got too many second chances under their basket.

“They got too many second chance points,“ said Byrd. “It is hard to name a single play, they just got too high a percentage of their missed shots.”

Led by Wilson’s 17 rebounds, Wright State out-rebounded Belmont 45-36 which led to 12 second chance points.

Wright State’s coach Brad Brownell couldn’t really put his finger on a single thing that made the difference in this game. He did point out that when they geared their defense to guard Duggins it opened up some other opportunities.

“They really keyed in on Vaughn initially. When they pressed us it opened the court up and Vaughn made some plays both passing and shooting.”

Wright State shot a respectable 49.1 percent (26-53) compared to 39.7 percent (25-63) for the Bruins.

Belmont’s 3-point shooting kept them in the game. The Bruins 34.4 percent (11-32) compared to just 25 percent (3-12) for the Raiders.

Byrd thought the Raiders were a very good team and that concerned him coming into this game, but was proud his team hung with Wright State most of the game.

“If we are good enough to play Wright State even in regulation play it must mean we are pretty good.”

Notes:
-Wright State leads the all-time series 2-1.
-Belmont’s coach Rick Byrd is one of just 17 active NCAA head coaches with 500 or more career victories. Byrd stands at 523 victories.
-Former Raider DaShaun Wood holds the scoring record at Belmont’s Curb Event Center with 29.
-Belmont is 4-13 all-time against the Horizon League teams.
-Wright State had about 100 or so noisy fans in attendance.
-Belmont had several hundred fans at the game.

Daily Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic Sun?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:31:40 -0700

Atlantic Sun Conference Preview

CHN — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:24:58 -0800

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

America Sun Preview

Conference Rank: 26th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Boomer Herndon, Belmont, C

Golden Ingle, Kennesaw St, G

Justin Hare, Belmont, G

Eddie Ard, Lipscomb, F

Rashad Williams, North Florida, F

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
131	Belmont	1	NCAA
148	Lipscomb	2
179	Kennesaw St	3
201	East Tennessee	4
242	Gardner-Webb	5
274	Campbell	6
312	Stetson	7
296	North Florida	8
328	Jacksonville	9
332	Mercer	10

Preseason Head Coach Interviews:

Murray Bartow - ETSU