The Byrd Cage

Posts Tagged ‘Tournament’

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Speaking With The Enemy

In Game Posts on March 15, 2012 at 8:32 am

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Georgetown: In Brief

In Game Posts on March 12, 2012 at 4:21 pm

The Hoyas.  You might be wondering just what a Hoya is… and well, that is what the Byrd Cage is here for… I think.

Direct from GuHoyas.com:

“Many years ago, when all Georgetown students were required to study Greek and Latin, the University’s teams were nicknamed “The Stonewalls.” It is suggested that a student, using Greek and Latin terms, started the cheer “Hoya Saxa!”, which translates into “What Rocks!” The name proved popular and the term “Hoyas” was eventually adopted for all Georgetown teams.”

Great.  Well now we know what a Hoya is… I think.  Maybe we can get some more information about the Hoyas at our interview with the guys from the Casual Hoya, but until then we will have to go with that explanation.

Georgetown:  The Schedule

Georgetown has a nearly blemish free RPI of 15.  They have a (7-5) record against teams in Top 50 RPI rankings.  Here is a brief overview of their schedule.

Nice Wins:  Memphis, Louisville, Marquette (the first time)

The Bad Losses:  There aren’t really many bad losses for this team (when comparing to higher seeds).  The team only lost 8 games.  There are as follows; Kansas, West Virginia, Cincinatti, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Marquette, Cincinatti.  Six out of their eight losses come to teams that have an average of a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.  This is all together frightening.  However, let’s take a look at Georgetown’s “bad” losses.

Pittsburgh-  Playing barely over .500 basketball at the end of the year, the Panthers’ preseason expectations were thoroughly squandered when an out of nowhere Long Beach State team handled the Panthers in their own gym.  While good enough to be a 12 seed, Long Beach State should have been a wake-up call. Pitt responded with a nine game winning streak, followed by an eight game losing streak, followed by a four game winning streak, and then losing 7 out of their last 9 games.  It is off to the CBI tournament for the Panthers, but it is up to you to judge the streakiness of a Panther team gone wrong in 2012 and how tough of a loss this really was to the Hoyas.

Seton Hall- Part of the large “Big East Bubble”, the Pirates lost 12 games this season but managed to shoot 61% from both the floor and behind the arch against the Hoyas this year in what was a serious handling of G-town.  It was a final score of 73-55, a drubbing that gives this Belmont Bruins’ fan a little hope.  Stay tuned tomorrow for more info on this game, and we’ll explore if the Pirates exposed a certain weakness the Hoyas may have been hiding.

Players to Watch

Jason Clark, 6-2 senior, scores 14 points a game and has 50 steals on the season.  

Hollis Thompson, 6-8 junior, shoots .458 from the 3.

Stay tuned for more in-depth previews tomorrow, and we get to ask some of our burning questions to the Casual Hoya about the match-up!

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What If? Previewing Belmont As 15 Seed

In Game Posts on March 5, 2012 at 7:29 am
While currently projected a 14 seed by most experts, the Byrd Cage explores every potential option this week for the Belmont Bruins in our exclusive pre-March Madness content.

First, it is imperative that we understand something at this point: a 15 seed would suck. A lot.

Why? In the 15 v 2 game, the 15 seed has only won four times. None of those four teams won a second game. In other words, a 15 seed is a one and done consolation prize for low major conference teams who happened to win their conference tournament.

That’s the primary reason why I personally don’t expect Belmont to be a 15 seed. Even though Belmont earned a 15 seed in their first three tournament appearances, the Bruins have become a well known mid-major staple among those who are “in the know” in college basketball. How ever, in the interest of being thorough, let’s take a brief look at the potential two seeds.

For the purposes of this post, we’ll look at the four projected two seeds according to CBSSports.com: Missouri, Ohio State, Michigan State and Duke.
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Missouri

Missouri is a prolific offensive team. According to StatSheet.com, the Tigers lead the country in points per posession at 1.19. The team is lead by Senior Guard Marcus Denmon who scores 18 points per game on 47% shooting. The Tigers’ Achilles heel is two-fold; first, although the team is 27-4 many of those wins came against far inferior talent and second, Kansas State.

Missouri’s non-conference strength of schedule was 287th – compare that with Belmont’s 66th ranked non-conference strength of schedule. There’s a caveat here: Missouri split the series with Kansas and beat Baylor twice so they can win against superior talent, but the Tigers lost both contests against 21-9 Kansas State. On Feb 21st, the Wildcats went in to Columbia, MO and beat the Tigers on their home court by ten. Aside from these two shortfalls, Missouri could be a one seed and with a Big 12 tournament win, may still earn a one seed. Missouri will go far in the tournament no matter where they are seeded.

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Ohio State

Don’t be fooled by Ohio State’s #10 AP ranking, Jared Sullinger and his band of Nuts are good enough to win a national championship – Ken Pomeroy has them at #2. What the Buckeyes lack in flashy stats they make up for in defensive efficiency. They’re one of the best in the nation at limiting their opponents’ chances. Ohio State ranks second in the nation in defensive rebound percentage and first in the nation in opponents’ points per possession.

With a win in yesterday East Lansing over Big Ten front-runner Michigan State, the Buckeyes may have snuck into a one seed for the Big Ten Tournament, but the two teams remain in a three way tie with Michigan. Ohio State does not lack strength of schedule – they’ve played the 14th toughest schedule this year. The Buckeyes’ sole “bad” loss came to Illinois. If Belmont draws Ohio State, we’ll need Scott Saunders, Mick Hedgepeth, Boomer Herndon and Adam Mark on the floor to cover Jared Sullinger.

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Michigan State

Who had the toughest schedule in college basketball this season? Michigan State. It’s not only because the Big 10 has been good this year, the Spartans’ non-conference strength of schedule ranks 15th in the country. Michigan State is led by Draymond Green, a Senior Forward who averages 16 points and 10 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories.

Michigan State ranks in the Top 10 nationally in only one statistical category: rebound percentage. However, the Spartans are ranked third in the country according to Ken Pomeroy and third in the Massey College Basketball Ranking Comparison. Draymond Green is the heart and soul of this team. For my money, they are the most susceptible to upset of the potential two seeds. If a team develops a scheme to keep the ball out of Green’s hands and force the Spartans to win another way they can be defeated. That, however, will not be an easy task in any round of the tournament. This is another Tom Izzo team that isn’t flashy but manages to win games.

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Duke

If you think it’s a coincidence that I saved the Blue Devils for last, you’re wrong. I would pay money for Belmont to draw Duke again. Unfortunately, I bet Coach K would pay ten times my wager to avoid Belmont. The Bruins and Blue Devils have faced each other only twice. Duke has claimed both contests but only by a combined two points.

Duke is a big question mark this year for many in the college basketball world. Duke suffered through the 2nd most difficult schedule this year and dropped only five games – only one of those to a sub-50 RPI team (Miami’s RPI was 51). Yet, even with wins over Kansas, UNC, Michigan State, and Michigan the onlookers want more.

Duke always has a chance to win the ACC and that’s what it will take to move the Blue Devils from a two seed to a one seed. This Duke team is like all Duke teams. They’re balanced on offense and they play defense when they feel like it. Duke ranks 62nd nationally in rebounds per game – an area of their game I’m sure Coach Krzyzewski will be working on in the wake of 18 point blowout at home at the hands of Tobacco Road rival UNC; a game in which Duke was out-rebounded 42 to 22.

I’d give anything to watch Belmont take on Duke again. At the same time I hope they don’t. Duke will be a one or a two seed and I do not want Belmont to be a 15 seed.

At the end of the day I don’t want Belmont to play any of these teams. Not because I don’t think Belmont could win, but because these are all teams who believe they have a chance at a national championship and with that in mind, won’t overlook a team like Belmont early in the tournament.

No matter what team lines up against the Bruins in a few weeks, they’ll be wise to prepare heavily. Already comparisons are being drawn to last year’s Belmont team, but the two could not be more different.

I can’t wait for Selection Sunday which, in my opinion, is the single greatest day in all of collegiate sport.

-Matt Sherrill

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Belmont Gets To Semi-Finals; 76-62 Win Over Jacksonville

In Game Posts on February 29, 2012 at 4:21 pm

As Ian Clark iced his ankle at the end of the bench, Adam Barnes took the floor with the rest of the usual starters; Johnson, Hedgepeth, Hanlen, and Jenkins.

With Kerron’s back spasms worrying Bruin fans and Jenkins’ sitting out last game as well, a very unsettling feeling made its way over me before the game started.

But it seemed to be business as usual for the Bruins.  Up by 15 at one point, the lead felt like it would get away from Jacksonville, but the Dolphins kept battling the Ian Clark-less Bruins.   Shooting 35% from the 3, the Bruins delivered a nail-biting game in the last 10 minutes.  Cutting the lead to just 7 with five minutes left, the Dolphins proved they would not go away, but Kerron’s clutch three-point basket at 4:21 started to squelch the momentum.  Johnson ultimately showered 19 points against the tricky Jacksonville defense as Belmont got its win, 76-62.  

But the game just looked sloppy overall to the avid Bruin fan.  The score simply did not equal the true feel of the game.  While only 10 turnovers were committed by Belmont, the sloppiness came in the stat-line of 23-58 from the field.  Thankfully, our consistency came from the foul line.  The Bruins got there 31 times and made 24.  Scott Saunders scored 8 of his 18 points from that line and we doubled their offensive rebounds.


After the game, Associate Head Coach Brian Ayers spoke with Kevin Ingram from the Bruin Sports Network, “We did enough to win.  The bad turnovers and decision making is something we have to correct if we want to win on Saturday.”  He also spoke about the multiple defenses Johnson faced throughout the game.  ”You have got to give Jacksonville a lot of credit.  They mixed their defenses up.  Triangle 2, zone, man- but with a guy like Kerron who can beat his man, it was good to get him back in there.  But it was tough without Ian. “

Kerron also talked about his clutch three-pointer at the end of the game.  ”Alot of my shots had been going in and out, but teamates kept saying keep trying… and I stepped up and made  a shot when I had to.”  He also spoke about Ian Clark’s absence.  ”Everybody knew we had to step up our game… it was a big loss for us.  We are hoping he gets better.”

Belmont will play University of North Florida or East Tennessee State University on Friday.  Tip-off will be at 6 ET.

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The Blake Jenkins Effect

In Features on February 9, 2012 at 5:41 pm

Monday night Bruins fans were treated to another magical Belmont performance, led by our usual combination of 3 point shooting (10-25) and strong Center play by the Hedgepeth/Saunders duo (combined for 31 points).  The thought I had leaving the Curb Event Center was, ‘they’re baaaaack.’

As I have mentioned in a previous article, the 2012 Bruins are not the 2011 Bruins.  Granted, this team is still a solid mid-major team, but, we shouldn’t expect last year’s 30-win magic from this squad.  However, I may stand corrected. The Bruins looked the best I have seen them all year and not just because they were playing one of the worst Austin Peay teams in recent memory.

There have been many games this year where the Bruins have had double digit wins, where we at the Byrd Cage have felt uneasy about team chemistry.  The fast paced run and shoot team of Bruins past have been replaced by a team that has shown a lack of confidence with bad passing, poor shot selection, and an overall lack of fire in the belly. So what has changed? Brandon “The Bakery” Baker has been almost non-existent during this five-game win streak, playing an average of 6.8 minutes per game (as compared to his usual 15.2 minutes).

We have mentioned in earlier articles that one of the biggest differences in this squad from last year’s was the inadequate replacement of Jon House and Jordan Campbell.  For most of the season Byrd has tried to make Baker that replacement but his 34% shooting and 3 rebounds per game are hardly the makings of a true starting Power Forward. Enter Blake Jenkins, whose “boomshockalocka” dunk Monday night set the building on fire, has been the x-factor during this win-streak.  He is averaging 21.8 minutes a game (13.9 for the season), 12.6 points per game (compared to his usual 4.7 points per game), and 5 rebounds per game (doubling his season average), during this streak.  Oh ya, he’s also shooting a whopping 64% from the field. If the Bruins are going to win it’s final A-Sun tournament it’s going to be done properly utilizing Blake Jenkins.

Granted, there have been other factors to this win-streak as well, namely Kerron Johnson finally getting his leadership role and shooting percentage under control, but Blake Jenkins has certainly been the unexpected gem that has put Belmont back in the NCAA tournament discussion.

-Steven Lefebvre

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The Deep Cut

Okay, so we have seen Blake Jenkins’ affect on the floor.  We see the intensity, we see the hustle, the dunks, the scoop-ins, the rebounds, the overall defense, and finally, we have seen his impact on the team in wins, (5-0) when he is a starter.  But what does this look like on paper, you ask?  Well, you’ve come to the right place.

What you will see when you look at our Field Goal Percentage (FG%) pre-Blake Jenkins is a team ranked around 220th in the NCAA.  Our 3-Point Percentage is around the 160th mark in the NCAA.

What about when Blake Jenkins starts?

Our FG% jumps to 53.2 and our 3P% jumps to 42.3.

This, by all accounts is huge.

Now, you can say the sampling size is smaller, and the opponents are easier, but a five game sampling with averages of that nature is still very impressive.  It is the reason Belmont is now ranked 20th overall in the NCAA in Field Goal Percentage.  

Blake has proven to be the X-Factor, as Drew Hanlen mentioned in our exclusive interview.  His range of abilities has made opponents rethink the attack, has made them delve deeper into their reserves, and has left us more open on the perimeter.

And, we all know, an open Belmont perimeter is a good thing.

In Blake Jenkins we trust.

-bMm

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The Third Third: Analyzing The Rest Of The Season

In Features on February 8, 2012 at 5:52 pm

I read a quote from Ian Clark once, and I’ll paraphrase it liberally, that basketball is a game of runs. One team will do well for a time then the other will do well for a time. The trick to being successful is in understanding how to capitalize fully on the times your team is doing well, and how to manage effectively when your team is not.

The same strategy can be used in evaluating a season. With six games left in Belmont’s regular season, it appears that the Bruins have righted the ship from some mid-season struggles and are poised to finish the season on a winning streak heading into the conference tournament. However, not every run in Belmont’s season has been so rosy.

Let’s look back at the season, breaking it down into thirds. Belmont has 31 games on its regular season schedule so I’ll break it down to 10-10-11.

The first third included Belmont’s three toughest opponents (Duke, Memphis & MTSU) as well as the current ASun front-runner Mercer. From November 11th through December 15th Belmont was 7-3, splitting a series with MTSU (both on the road) and losing to then-#6 ranked Duke and then-#10 ranked Memphis in the first two games of the season. In my opinion, Belmont played its best basketball in the first ten games highlighted by wins over Middle and Mercer and an average margin of victory of 16 points in the season’s first seven wins.

 The second third of the season is where things began to break down. From a December 17th loss to Miami (OH) to an inexplicable loss to South Carolina Upstate on January 21st, Belmont managed a 6-4 record. On the surface, this doesn’t seem that bad as compared to the record in the first third of the season, however, the four losses, including Marshall and Lipscomb, came at the hands of much worse teams.  But during this stretch, Belmont played 6 games away. It’s also important to note that both Christmas and New Year’s occurred during the second third. The highlights of this portion of the season would be a win at Austin Peay, a soon-to-be OVC rival, and a win at home against Marshall, setting the series back to 1-1.

Ultimately, the middle-10 games have served to dictate the overall opinion of Belmont’s season so far. But five games into the final eleven game stretch, the Bruins may well be on the way to righting the ship. With five straight victories over ETSU (Belmont’s favorite road venue), Jacksonville, UNF, Lipscomb and Austin Peay Belmont goes into its second to last road trip of the season with an aim of reminding the Atlantic Sun why its crew has won four of the last six conference championships and why it deserves to jump to the OVC next season. I look at the six games, in order of importance as follows:

  1. Mercer (Feb 25) – The final game of the season in the same venue as the ASun tournament against the current conference leader. If Belmont and Mercer are still tied for the lead at this point, it could go a long way in determining how Belmont’s ASun tenure will be remembered.
  2. ETSU (Feb 18) – The Bucs always play tough in Nashville and a loss to ETSU would set Belmont way back.
  3. Upstate (Feb 20) – Another must win. Belmont can’t lose twice to any ASun opponent and expect to win the tournament.
  4. Stetson (Feb 13) – We already noted that Stetson is Belmont 2.0. The Bruins handled the Hatters once this season but still can’t sleep on the rematch.
  5. FGCU (Feb 11) – Should be a walk-thru game, but then again, Upstate should have been as well.
  6. Kennesaw (Feb 23) – The poor owls of Kennesaw. I expected this team to be better this year. Belmont should win easily.

Let’s also quickly look at Mercer’s remaining five games in order to try and ascertain where they might be on Feb 25. Mercer beat 1Kennesaw in Macon by 30, beat 2Jacksonville and 3UNF by 10 and 11, respectively, beat 4Lipscomb in Nashville by 7 and lost to 5Belmont in the Curb by 4.

If past performance indicates future performance, Mercer should wrap up 4-1. But this is the ASun we’re talking about. Mercer will have to be ready for Lipscomb – the Bison(s?) may decide to play well that day. The Bears should also watch out for Jacksonville and UNF. Both of those teams are improving greatly and judging from Belmont’s past, it’s tough to win in Florida late in the season.

-Matt Sherrill

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Agree?  Disagree?  Leave it in the comments for a good old-fashioned, Oxford-style debate.

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Byrd Cage Exclusive: 104.5 The Zone’s Kevin Ingram Talks Lipscomb Rivalry

In Interviews on February 1, 2012 at 6:50 pm

Nashville Sports Talk Station 104.5 The Zone’s Kevin Ingram spoke with the Byrd Cage about the Lipscomb rivalry, expectations of this Belmont team, and his favorite memory of the Belmont squad.

Kevin Ingram joins the Bruin Sports Network for his 10th year as The Voice of the Bruins, and is co-host of 104.5 The Zone’s Wake Up Zone.  He also does sideline reporting for Vanderbilt football and has play-by-play duties for the football radio broadcasts.

The Byrd Cage is grateful for the chance to interview Ingram as his experience with Belmont basketball is unparalleled in the profession.

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Brett McReynolds:  Thanks for agreeing to answer some of the Byrd Cage’s questions, Kevin.  If you wouldn’t mind, tell us a little bit about your experience in the Belmont/Lipscomb rivalry.

Kevin Ingram:  I think Friday will be my 17th game to call in the series, including the 2006 A-Sun final.  It’s really an honor to be a part of, always a great atmosphere and a fun matchup.  One of those games where it’s cool just to see the two teams on the same floor.  Intense and hard-fought games, but typically cleanly played and with good sportsmanship.  It is interesting to me how in many of the games Lipscomb’s won, the formula has been similiar…. Bruins open a first half lead, Bisons claw back and get within single figures by halftime… then Lipscomb locks things down defensively in the second half.  The 2011 blowout by Belmont was stunning to watch, never thought I would see a Boulevard Battle that lopsided.

BM:   What did you see specifically in our last match-up that really stood out?

KI:  The first 2012 meeting at the Curb Center was especially disappointing for Belmont.   It looked like the Bruins were in control with 8 or 9 minutes to play, but Lipscomb played great defense, made all the plays and hit everything down the stretch.  I have a feeling Belmont is going to play well the second time around, especially with the emergence of Blake Jenkins.  Allen Arena is a tough place to win… the crowd is right on top of the floor, and I would imagine the lighting can be a challenge for shooting if you’re not used to it.

BM:  Do you think Belmont’s move to OVC will hurt the rivalry? Do you see Lipscomb taking the jump to the OVC soon?

KI:  From my conversations with the coaches and others, it sounds like the rivalry will continue even with Belmont going to the OVC next season.  Scheduling non-conference games is so difficult, a home-and-home would make a lot of sense.  It will lose something with the teams no longer being in the same conference… that dynamic has certainly made it interesting.  I do hope they will schedule the games when students are in, as the atmosphere loses something otherwise.  Not sure about Lipscomb going to the OVC.  I also hope Belmont can keep playing ETSU, they’ve been a good rival in the A-Sun.

BM:  At the beginning of the season, some bracket experts had Belmont projected as high as an 11 seed in the tournament.  The latest brackets project Mercer in the NCAA tournament. How do you see Belmont now versus your preseason expectations? What do you think has been Belmont’s greatest weakness?

KI:  Belmont has lost more games this season than we might have expected, although last season spoiled us and raised expectations to ridiculous levels.  Those one-point games are the ones that keep coaches up at night.  If Belmont wins the conference tournament, they’ll likely have in the mid-20′s in wins…  probably looking at about a 14.  At least that would be my guess…. they’re better than a 15, but who knows when it comes to seeding.

BM:  Give us one memory from the Belmont/Lipscomb rivalry that really stands out to you.

KI:  As for a favorite memory in the Belmont-Lipscomb games I’ve been a part of… it’s hard to come up with anything better than the 2006 conference championship game.  Every part of that day was intense… from the silence of breakfast with the team, to the hard-fought first 40 minutes and overtime… so many plays by different guys… Justin Hare’s 3-point play might have been the biggest in the program’s history, certainly in the NCAA era.  In the end, everyone on the Belmont side was thrilled to win and make the Dance for the first time, but knew that it could have just as easily gone the other way, and the Bisons would be celebrating.

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Belmont plays Lipscomb at Allen Arena on Friday.  Kevin Ingram will be calling the game.  Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

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