Editor’s Note: We like to laugh here at the Byrd Cage and we hope you do too. That’s why we’re happy to announce the return of Mort & Hugs. Our two in-house professional gripers/comedians who’ve never met a D1 athlete they weren’t scurd to anonymously mock on the internet.
Editor’s Note: We like to laugh here at the Byrd Cage and we hope you do too. That’s why we’re happy to announce the return of Mort & Hugs. Our two in-house professional gripers/comedians who’ve never met a D1 athlete they weren’t scurd to anonymously mock on the internet.
MORT: We’re almost halfway through the OVC schedule and it is time to dust off the obligatory weekly lampoon. Hugs and I enjoyed our column last year, but have yet to muster enough inspiration this season to spend the necessary fifteen minutes to put 350 words to word processor due to the fact that our initial excitement for entering this new conference was whittled away by the drubbing of our first 5 conference opponents by a combined 120 pts. If this conference was a movie, it would have the plot twist of a yawn and the critical acclaim of “Jack and Jill”, which sucked, but was the inspiration for the greatest movie review headline of all time: 0 out of 5 stars, laughingly unfunny. What incredible headline does this conference inspire? “Nobody watched, but no one threw up.”
For the love of Marty Dickens can someone PLEASE turn up the damn speakers in the event center? There are THREE guys sitting at the sound booth. ONE of you needs to find the volume knob and turn it up to awesome. Lipscomb’s system makes my ears bleed, and it is amazing. We are losing to Lipscomb, an inferior school with an inferior team in a barely inferior conference. Then someone needs to tell God or whoever is in charge of the karaoke selection that a.) please no karaoke, and b.) please never play that Turtles song ever again. I get it. It’s a Belmont institution. But it shouldn’t be. I think “neat fact” is as far as that haunting carol should have ever gotten, but someone somewhere in the quality assurance department fell asleep when Karaoke Turtles Song in the Third Quarter Every Game was proposed before the season began.
Also, ByrdCage column DEMAND: Spreadin’ The News with Nick. Every Belmont game, Nick tells us which team he took against the spread and why, complete with his descriptions of his disgust with our opponents’ lack of quality coaching.
HUGS: Listen everyone, I don’t have time for this nonsense; I’m not in grad school anymore. Just kidding. But not really.
In all seriousness though, I do feel a DEEP sense of shame for my lack of commitment to our Bruins in their inaugural year in the OVC. But it looks like they’ve been doing fine without me. Seriously, conference opponents. Get your crap together. The one game I’ve managed to make it to this year was the least compelling sporting contest I’ve ever witnessed, and I’m a Cubs fan. If we are just going to run roughshod over the conference, then I have little motivation to pay close attention. I’ll have to come up with more exciting ways to fill my time, like becoming a hockey fan or watching my 26 year old roommates rediscover Tony Hawk Pro Skater for Playstation.
I am happy for our boys though. It’s not their fault they’re playing the Globetrotters to the OVC’s Generals. Or maybe it is. Maybe they should start shaving some points to make these contests more engaging. It will definitely make Nick’s gambling addiction more exciting.
What does excite me is that if we continue the current pattern, it WILL make for a very interesting Selection Sunday. Until then, wake me up when we go to Murray State. However, I won’t be awake for very long because IMMEDIATELY after the game I will be heading to the Murray fixture and culinary GOLD MINE that is Mary’s to eat an A-Train (steak sandwich between two grilled cheese sandwiches), which will send my organs into the most pleasant meat and cheese-related shutdown imaginable. Stay tuned to Ian Clark being amazing.
Sweet Bruin Baller Tweets:
@2sicksideburns: I made a wish at 11:11 and it came true!! Juwanna Mann is on Comedy Central!!!
I would like to note that this tweet was composed during the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, which also happened to be on Martin Luther King Day. This future schoolteacher chose instead to watch Juwanna Mann. There’s a joke here somewhere.
This confirms all my suspicions. Baker is a 14 year old schoolboy in a schoolteacher’s body.
@DrewHanlen: Just watched Shawshank Redemption w/ my mom. Love that movie! Buddy tunneled his way out of jail w/ a small hammer. Persistence pays off!
Drew, your twitter account is the one of the most consistently inspirational things I regularly read. I admire your upbeat attitude and your ceaseless encouragement. That said, take it down. Just. take it. down. a notch. This is a movie of vicious beatings, corruption, and crawling through poop. It is not an after school special.
When did Hoopin’ become the single greatest person of all time? Seriously, the dude watches Shawshank (the most inspirational movie of all time save Mighty Ducks, D2, and Bridesmaids) WITH HIS MOM. He hangs out with NBA All-Stars and counts “persistence” as a hobby. Rumor is he’s both a knight and a saint. Compared to Drew, Tim Tebow is a drunk-driving prostitute. If you wouldn’t trade lives with this guy, then put me down for an eighth of whatever you are smoking.
…yeah me too.
@Itsburgtime: Drank so much coffee I’d fail a drug test. #BurgyProbz
Remember that one time… ? Roasted.
This guy shaved his head and then Belmont beat him last night 70-62.
It was a fantastic night to be one of the handful of Belmont Bruins fans at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA on Sunday. As the Cardinal players, coaches, and fans grew subsequently confused, frustrated, and angry when the Bruins refused to relinquish their double-digit advantage through much of middle section of the contest, there was a growing sense among the red and blue faithful that we weren’t just playing the better game—we were the better team. Read the rest of this entry »
Going just 6-23 from the three-point line tonight, Belmont beat Stanford with a gutsy mix of defense and a definite lack of shooting accuracy from The Cardinal.
The Byrd Cage had someone there tonight, and we’ll be posting that exclusive article tomorrow, but here are some clips from the post game interview with Coach Byrd.
Coach Byrd stating the obvious: “We are not nearly as good without Kerron in the game.”
Coach Byrd on Stanford’s run: ”They had momentum and the crowd there towards the end, and we were in foul trouble. To come from that and take control of the game again says a lot about the character, guts, heart- whatever word you want to use. “
And finally, Coach Byrd on this year’s team: “So far they love to play the game. They are there before I get there working and are there when I leave. This team enjoys what they are doing more than any team we’ve had. And that goes a long way.”
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Stay tuned for more on a huge win from Belmont…
After a slow first half, Belmont turned on the gears and put it to the travel weary Maryville Saints. Ian Clark and Kerron Johnson did their job combining for 34 points, and Trevor Noack showed a quiet confidence under the basket going 4-7 in the paint and sinking a three.
But the story of the match was freshman Craig Bradshaw, scoring 11 points off the bench while going 4-4 in the paint and 2-2 from the 3, only missing one free throw. With four steals, Bradshaw’s intensity single-handedly changed the feeling of the game. His relentless pursuit of the ball, and constant nagging of the opposing ball-handler gave Belmont the spark it needed after a slow start.
In the post game interview with the Bruin Sports Network’s Kevin Ingram, Coach Byrd mentioned the difficulty of covering Maryville’s Princeton offense at the start of the game. He also was quick to point out that the score was very different than the game plan execution, and that showed on the floor. Coach Byrd praised both Bradshaw and Noack, complimenting Noack’s growing confidence at the 5 spot and control on the floor.
All in all, the 88 points Belmont put up against Maryville was a good effort, but I think Coach Byrd might say that his team will need to put more concentration on executing the game plan at Stanford on Sunday to get another “W”.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET.
Belmont won in a pretty sizeable blowout last night. It seems that the hype of the Battle of the Boulevard rivalry will be going into indefinite hibernation until Lipscomb’s very young team does some growing up.
I’ve already heard the nay saying, that this, being an out of conference game, is meaningless. And now that the Bruins are in the OVC, the Lipscomb game will no longer matter, because they will forever remain inferior being in our recently departed Atlantic Sun. I beg to differ. To be honest, if you take Murray State and Belmont out of the OVC it actually drops significantly against the A-Sun to the point that the A-Sun might actually be a far superior conference (read this article from ESPN). Lipscomb might actually be more indicative of the teams we will play throughout the season, than say, the highly touted Murray State.
For the next two months, the Byrd Cage will be previewing Belmont’s new OVC opponents. We’ll introduce you to the mascots, the history, the players- pretty much anything you need to know to get ready for the upcoming season.
With Belmont facing reigning All-American Isaiah Canaan of Murray State this year, it prompted thought on who were the best individual players Belmont faced in the Atlantic Sun era.
This list may surprise some, especially considering that talented, accomplished players like Jonathan Rodriguez (Campbell), Courtney Pigram (ETSU), and Torrey Craig (USC Upstate) did not crack the Top 10. The list was defined as ‘The Top 10 Toughest Opposing Players’ during the Belmont A-Sun era (2002-2012).
The Byrd Cage welcomes Greg Sage for a special collaboration. Sage has been with Belmont University for the past eight years as the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. He also teams with the Voice of the Bruins, Kevin Ingram, as color analyst for the Bruin Sports Network.
Top 10 Toughest Opposing Players during Belmont’s Atlantic Sun Era (2002-2012)
“About Last Night” is a weekly feature where no good tweet goes unpunished. Mort and Hugs serve up their weekly opinions on all tweets, links, and viral blunders relating to Belmont basketball… loosely.
The theme of this week’s About Last Night with Mort AND Hugs is “If you need to ask what the theme of this week’s ‘About Last Night with Mort and Hugs’ is then you are a mouth-breathing idiot who clearly accidentally stumbled across this page while looking for World of Warcraft forums or for sexy dudes (like Mort and Hugs) to pin to your ‘Hottiez w/ Bodiez’ board on Pinterest.”
It’s March Madness and this is a basketball blog, you dummy. Thus, this week’s column is devoted (almost) entirely to all things tourney. I need to give a shoutout to our D.C. Doppelgangers, @CasualHoya. They are classy guys with a great blog who are willing to engage in some good-natured, competitive repartee during the week leading up to our matchup. That said, Mort and Hugs would like to go on record as saying that Casual Hoya and all of their brood can go die. Anyone who is not a Bruin or Bruin supporter is in our eyes, for at least the next 48 hours, a festering pile of human garbage. But more on that later.
FIRST, allow me to explain why I’m fairly certain that Nashville will be one of the first cities to perish in burning sulfur under God’s righteous judgment (that’s what the movie 2012 was about, right?). I would like to direct your attention to the screenshot below:
This was taken at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night, mere hours after the selection show. TWO Nashville teams are in the tournament, and there was not a single reference to Belmont, Vanderbilt, Bruins, Commodores, NCAA, or March Madness (unless that’s what The Announcement refers to. The world may never know). The only overtly basketball-related topics were Magic Johnson andThe NIT, which of course stands forNobodygivestwocrapsaboutyourInsignificant Tournament. I just about lit my own house on fire out of bewildered anger tinged with the sadness that comes from acknowledging societal decline. Topics that were somehow MORE relevant than the biggest Nashville sports news since Matt Hasselbeck (not a high bar, I know) include:
(More after the jump)
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We’ve got everything covered here at the Byrd Cage for you leading up to the big game tomorrow. We even took some time to get some answers from the enemy. Below are our questions to Georgetown’s blog, The Casual Hoya.
Let’s cut to the chase, what in the world is a Hoya? Really?
CasualHoya: Yes.
BelmontByrdCage: What?
CH: That’s correct.
BBC: What’s correct?
CH: What is.
BBC: A Hoya is a what?
CH: Exactly.
BBC: What’s exactly?
CH: What is.
BBC: I don’t know what is.
CH: I don’t know is third base. A Hoya is what.
BBC: What?
CH: Exactly.
BBC: Look, let’s say I want to start a blog about a Hoya. I go down
to my mother’s basement, start up my computer, get on the internet and
start a blog about what?
CH: Exactly.
BBC: I start a blog about exactly?
CH: No, you start a blog about what.
BBC: THAT IS WHAT I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT.
A 13 seed- again. How wonderful would it be?
I have made it to every Selection Sunday celebration at Belmont University. The Beaman Student Life Center is packed, shoulder-to-shoulder, camera-to-camera, Sodexho hot dog-to-Sodexho hot dog. Sodexho brings out their semi-best catered food, and news crews crawl around the campus. It is like a second, less sniper-rifled version of the Presidential Town Hall Debates. In fact, CBS will be here according to Belmont’s official basketball website. So, come one, come all Sunday. Festivities start at 4 p.m.
But what would it really mean for Belmont to draw a 13 seed in the NCAA tournament this year? Last year we drew the 13 seed and were up against a Wisconsin team that many eyed to be out in a first-round upset. If my memory serves me correct, Dick Vitale even chose the Bruins in his bracket upset. But it was not in the cards. And as you will read below, Wisconsin and Belmont are in a similar position as last year. Below are the 4-seed possibilities.
The Four Seeds
Indiana
Maybe teams should be ranked by two of the following stipulations this year: have you played Kentucky? Did you beat Kentucky? Tom Crean’s Hoosiers did actually play Kentucky this year (satisfying the first stipulation), and not only did they play them- they beat them (the second stipulation). No other resume in college basketball boasts this quality win, and Indiana proudly stands at 11 on the RPI. But in their first Big Ten tournament win in years, Hoosiers’ Senior Guard Verdell Jones III crumpled to the floor on an awkward jump stop. The knee injury wasn’t good according to Crean, and the 25 minute, 7.5 points a game senior won’t see the Hoosiers through the tournament because of a torn ACL. But while Jones’ injury is a tough one, freshman Cody Zeller is the story of the year for the Hoosiers. This 6-11 forward posts over 15 a game with 6 boards and ranks 15th in the NCAA in FG% at .629. The freshman is a beast and causes problems for any opponent inside. The third most efficient offensive team in the nation, the Hoosiers combination of size and offense will guarantee a tough matchup for anyone.
Wisconsin
With an adjusted tempo of with 58.9, Wisconsin ranks 344th in the NCAA according to Ken Pom in overall pace of the game. Belmont averages 68.4, showing one of the key reasons that Belmont got lost last year when they played Bo Ryan’s Badgers. Wisconsin slows the game tremendously, and for the run and gun type offense of the Bruins, game plans must be changed accordingly. Senior Guard Jordan Taylor averages 14.6 points this year, down from 18 last year. And thankfully Jon Leuer (that guy who put up 22 points against us last year in the tournament) is now with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, getting this Wisconsin team this year will still not be considerably easier. The Badgers are hot, coming off a win against Ohio State and taking down Indiana on Friday, waiting for Michigan State today to prove they are ready for a deep tournament run.
Florida State
What can you say about the Seminoles? They are 12-4 in the ACC with a record that shows big wins against North Carolina and Duke but some Ivy League losses to Harvard and Princeton. This seems to be the best way to really sum up this team- ”Big wins, strange losses”. Junior guard Michael Snaer puts up a respectable 14 points a game, but the Seminoles turn over the ball a shocking 1 out of every 4 possessions. They rank almost last in this category in the NCAA at 330th. But that is the BAD. The GOOD is their defense. Ranked in the top 20 in nearly every defensive ranking (efficiency, block percentage, etc…), the Seminoles are a team that can go deep or be beat based on the amount of turnovers their offense gives up. The Seminoles face off against the Blue Devils at 2 p.m. in the ACC semifinals.
Wichita State
The Shockers. Wichita State is called the Shockers [insert witty March Madness quote here]. And it is, indeed, shocking to watch Wichita State’s Garrett Stutz go 4-4 from the 3. Yes, from the 3 point line. This doesn’t seem like a crazy stat at first until you realize Stutz is 7 feet tall. He is a mobile 7 footer that made 6 three-pointers in a row between two games. The Shockers out of conference schedule included UNLV, Temple and Alabama and came out of it 1-2 with a 19 point win against UNLV. So what is it about this team that makes them a 4? They rank in the top 10 in offensive efficiency and in the top 20 in defense efficiency. But the Shockers have some shocking (sorry) losses this year, namely Drake and Illinois State. Granted, the Drake loss was in 3 overtimes and Illinois State almost beat Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game. The Shockers are good all around and Senior Guard Joe Ragland leads the team with 13 points per game. Ranked 5th in the nation in overall experience (2.51 years), the Shockers have the depth, teamwork, and maturity to make a legitimate run in the Madness.
The Dark Horse: Murray State
In what could make an instant rivalry, Belmont could potentially draw future Ohio Valley Conference foe Murray State. This one loss Racer team is lead by one of the best point guards in the country, Isaiah Canaan. The Junior put up nearly 20 points a game this season and currently ranks in the top 20 in the nation in 3P%. He is a beast. But when you start to look deeply at this team, some people don’t think they could hang as a favorable seed. In fact, Ken Pomeroy has the Racers ranked 44th. For some perspective, Belmont is ranked 24th overall in the Ken Pom rankings. The Murray State Racers are the wild card in all the Madness. With three top-50 RPI wins over Southern Mississippi, @ Memphis, and St. Mary’s, you can argue this team either way. In trying to find a weakness for this team, I attempted to simplify things. ”I’ll just crunch some numbers in their loss against TSU,” methinks. ”Limit Canaan. That’s all you have to do.” But it is not that easy. Canaan dropped 31 points against Tennessee State in their only loss of the season.
First year head coach Steve Prohm leads a disciplined team that has done serious damage in their schedule, but has it been enough? While it would infuriate me as a fan to see my team only lose one game and even be questioned as a top seeded team, the national conversation about Murray State has placed them from a 3 seed to a 6 seed. The loss to Tennessee State showed a Racer team that practically gave up in the last two minutes. If you saw the loss, you noticed a frantic, mistake-prone Murray State team that lost its cool under pressure. Who could upset this team?
Belmont. The guard heavy, three-point efficient, experienced, ready-to-win-its-first-NCAA-tournament-game team comes in hungry. What would be better than an instant OVC showdown for the Bruins in the national spotlight? I can’t think of anything.
What do you think?
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