Overview:
Belmont outlasted cross-town rival and regular
season champ Lipscomb in the Atlantic Sun final to
garner the league's automatic NCAA berth. Rick
Byrd's team isn't afraid to get into a slugfest, as
evidenced by the fact that Belmont has cleared the
90-point mark on nine different occasions this
season. This is the program's first NCAA tourney
appearance.
Potential Difference Maker: Junior Josh
Goodwin is a solid long-range marksman who can be a
real X-factor for his team. Coming into the
conference tournament, his 46% mark from behind the
three-point line ranked in the top ten nationally.
When he gets it going, look out. He nailed 11 threes
against East Tennessee State back in December.
On Offense: This is a very good shooting
team. They run a five-man motion and are extremely
patient with their Princeton-hybrid. They are
extremely well-coached, they play within themselves
and everybody on the floor can put the ball in the
basket.
On Defense: They play a lot of zone because
they are not a very athletic team. They do a nice
job with their ‘help-defense’ and will sag in and
dare you to shoot. You will get some looks, but that
is by design. They try to keep you from getting
second-chance opportunities.
Strength: All five spots can shoot and shoot
it well. They move the ball well and get good looks
at the basket.
Weakness: They are just not very athletic.
Key to Success: Justin Hare. When he was
playing AAU ball everybody saw what he couldn’t do
and lost sight of what he could do. He is an old
school player that does whatever is needed to win.
He does a great job of using picks. For the slipper
to fit, Hare will have to have a big game.
How to Beat Them: Pound them inside and
dictate the style of play. They have had problems
when teams have pushed the tempo. If you play at
their speed they will not go away.
