What makes the Battle of the Boulevard so special, and why it is a rivalry you should care about

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NASHVILLE, TN - The last time that Belmont and Lipscomb played at Memorial Gymnasium -- the home of the Vanderbilt Commodores, a fellow Nashvillian institution of higher learning -- they not only packed the house with 16,000 fans, they had to lock out ticket-holders in order to prevent the fire marshall from shutting down the game.

That was all the way back in 1990.
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Belmont's struggling, but still has the pieces to win a tournament game

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You can find the rest of the features from the #BIAHRoadTrip here.

NASHVILLE, TN - Belmont's chances of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament died a long time ago. If it wasn't when the Bruins came up short in their upset bids at Duke and at Memphis, then it was when they had a stretch of three losses in four games against the likes of Marshall, Miami OH and Middle Tennessee State.

When you play in a conference like the Atlantic Sun, you can't lose three games to teams that have no shot of getting an at-large bid and still expect the committee to call your name come Selection Sunday without your league's auto-bid. You just can't.
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: No. 20 Belmont Bruins

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.

Last Season: 30-5, 19-1 (1st Atlantic Sun), lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Wisconsin

Head Coach: Rick Byrd

Key Losses: John House, Jordan Campbell

Newcomers: Seth Cavera, Spencer Turner, Chad Lang, Holden Mobley, Reece Chamberlain

Projected Lineup:

- G: Drew Hanlen, Sr.
- G: Ian Clark, Jr.
- F: JJ Mann, So.
- F: Trevor Noack, Sr.
- C: Mick Hedgepeth, Sr.
- Bench: Scott Saunders, Sr.; Kerron Johnson, Jr.; Brandon Baker, Jr.; Blake Jenkins, So.


Outlook: The fact that Belmont lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament too Wisconsin -- pretty handily as well, losing by 14 points -- put a bit of a damper on the 2010-2011 season, but it certainly didn't diminish what the Bruins were able to accomplish last year. Using a roster that had 11 players average between 10.3 and 24.6 mpg, nine of whom played all 35 games and averaged between 5.2 and 12.2 ppg, Belmont put together a 30 win season. Their four losses before Wisconsin? They lost at Tennessee by nine, at Vanderbilt by nine, another game at Tennessee by one, and the Battle of the Boulevard -- one of the most underrated rivalries in the country -- at cross-town rival Lipscomb.

Belmont rolled through the Atlantic Sun this season, going 19-1 and winning the league by three games while posting an average scoring margin of 17.5 ppg in what was one of the most dominating seasons in recent memory. The scariest part? This season was supposed to be Belmont's peak. They return four starters and nine of the 11 rotational players, blending talented youngsters with experienced leaders.

The leading scorer for this Belmont team is Ian Clark, a 6'3" shooting guard with a deadly stroke that also led the team in minutes played last season. Clark struggled against Wisconsin in the tournament, however, as he shot just 1-8 from the floor. At the point guard spot, the Bruins have a formidable duo that compliment each other perfectly. Drew Hanlan is the senior and the starter. He's a possession point guard, the kind of player that doesn't turn the ball over, although he has mastered the art of getting into the lane and finding one of Belmont's litany of jumpshooters. Kerron Johnson is the change-of-pace point guard. A terrific defender -- he led the team with 2.0 spg despite playing just 18.3 mpg -- Johnson's strength is his quickness and ability to get to the rim.


The other strength for Belmont is going to be the center position, where they have another formidable duo. Mick Hedgepeth is the starter while Scott Saunders comes off the bench. Hedgepeth is the more skilled of the two, with range out to the three point line and a solid array of post moves. Saunders, on the other hand, is a high-energy guy that produces instantly. He had the highest usage rate of anyone on the roster last season, he drew fouls at a terrific rate, and he really got to the glass. Combined, the two average 20.7 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 1.7 bpg.

The rest of Belmont's rotation will be filled out by Trevor Noack, JJ Mann, Blake Jenkins, and Brandon Baker. Noack, a junior, started the last 23 games a season ago, playing the role of the blue-collar glue-guy. I expect Mann, a sophomore, to slide into the starting spot at the three. Mann was a well-regarded recruit but he had some issues finding a consistent jump shot. Jenkins and Baker both were energy guys last season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see their roles expanded this season. Belmont has five freshmen on the roster this year, but with the depth and the experience returning, they won't be playing huge roles. Don't be surprised to see Chad Lang, the son of former NBA center Andrew, may see some minutes inside while Spencer Turner could end up providing some depth in the back court.

Its important to note that what made Belmont successful last season wasn't the skills of the individual players but how well those players mesh in Byrd's system. Defensively, Belmont likes to press. They are terrific at forcing turnovers -- second in the country in turnover percentage at 27.5% -- and love to push the ball in transition. The fact that they go 10 or 11 deep allows them to consistently and continually put defensive pressure, and to do so with fresh legs for 40 minutes. Offensively, Belmont does two things -- they push the pace in transition and they thrive on the three-ball. With the exception of Hedgepeth and Saunders, every player on the Bruin roster is three-point shooter. When they are going down, Belmont is going to be a very tough team to beat.
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Is Belmont to the OVC really a good thing?

The Ohio Valley Conference is no longer a secret on a national stage.

In 2010, No. 13 seed Murray State knocked off Vanderbilt in the first round on the NCAA Tounrament thanks to a buzzer-beating jumper from Danero Thomas. This year, it was No. 13 seed Morehead State knocking off Louisville in the first round of the the tournament thanks to a late three from Demonte Harper and a great defensive play from Kenneth Faried, a potential first round pick this summer.

What may have been more telling, however, is that despite being heavy favorites to run away with the league race coming into the season, both Morehead State and Murray State had to battle and make a late-season comeback to finished first and second in the OVC standings in 2011.

Austin Peay started out league play 6-0 and finished tied with Morehead State at 13-5 in the conference. The Governors return the majority of their roster -- including leading scorer TyShawn Edmundson -- and should be one of the favorites to win the league next season.

The other favorite? Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles lose just two players from their rotation and return leading scorer Kevin Murphy as well as Zac Swansey, who averaged 6.5 apg and hit as many game-winning shots as anyone in the country.

Over the weekend, the conference got even better as the news became official that Belmont would be joining in 2012.


Belmont is a low-major powerhouse. They've been to four NCAA tournaments in the past six seasons and in 2010 -- one of the years that the Bruins did not make the NCAA Tournament -- they won the Atlantic Sun's regular season title. They return basically everyone from a team that won 30 games a year ago and may even sneak into some preseason top 25 ballots.

Belmont has thrived in the Atlantic Sun from a basketball perspective, but their decision to move to the OVC was dictated by -- you guessed it -- money. You see, the A-Sun is a sprawling conference, stretching from Nashville, TN, (where Belmont is located) to Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and all the way to Fort Myers, where Florida-Gulf Coast is located. Traveling on road trips required plane flights and overnight stays. That costs money.

The OVC, on the other hand, has the majority of their schools in Kentucky and Tennessee. Many of the road trips can be made by bus and won't require hotel stays. As a result, the school can save upwards of $250,000 a year, according to the Tennessean, in travel costs, which more than covers the $200,000 buyout fee that Belmont will have to pay.

(One thing you have to hope for is that the "Battle of the Boulevard", the games between Belmont and crosstown rival Lipscomb, will continue to happen if the two schools aren't in the same conference. There are some rumblings, however, that Lipscomb will get an invite to the OVC, which is currently at 12 teams. If that happens, will Lipscomb make the jump to 14 teams, or will someone -- like Jacksonville State, which is located in Alabama -- get the boot?)

The question that must be asked, however, is whether this is a good thing for the Belmont basketball team.

Rick Byrd's team was able to dominate in the A-Sun. As I mentioned, they've gone to four of the last six NCAA Tournaments and have won eight conference championships (regular season or tournament) in that span. 2009 was the only season Belmont didn't win the regular season or tournament title in the league.

The OVC, however, will provide better competition, but not enough to make it a multi-bid league along the lines of the WCC or the MVC. Belmont may continue to win games, but if they aren't making the NCAA Tournament as often, will Byrd still be able to have the same success on the court and the recruiting trail?

One of the reasons that Memphis is such an ideal job is that their facilities and budget is comparable to that of a school in a power conference. They have a terrific fan base that continually packs FedEx Forum. But they also play in Conference USA, which means that the Tigers can consistently win league championships and make NCAA Tournaments.

Belmont's move to the OVC will make the conference stronger and will allow the Bruins to play a tougher schedule.

But it will also come at the expense of trips to the NCAA Tournament, which is pretty much it in terms of national exposure for the Bruins.

Is that really a good thing?
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Dancing with the Stars: Belmont Bruins

Conference: Atlantic Sun

Record: 30-4, 19-1

Rankings: 20 (Kenpom), 33 (Sagarin), 50 (RPI)

Potential Seed: 13/14

Best Players: Ian Clark (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Mick Hedgepeth (10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Scott Saunders (10.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg)


Big Wins, Bad Losses: Belmont has just four losses on the season. They lost at Tennessee twice (by nine and by one), they lost at Vanderbilt by nine, and they lost at Lipscomb in the rematch of the Battle of the Boulevard. Unfortunately, those are the only quality opponents Belmont has faced. They have just two top 100 wins -- both East Tennessee State, who is 96th in the RPI.

Tendencies: Belmont reminds me quite a bit of last year's Murray State team that knocked off Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament's first round. They are incredibly balanced -- 11 players averaged between 10.4 and 24.6 mpg and no one scores more than 12.4 ppg -- and are one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers. Offensively, they execute very well and have a number of players that can shoot from distance, but they also grab 37.9% of the available offensive rebounds.

How They Got There: Belmont cruised this season. The Bruins went into the start of conference play 8-3 and rolled through their Atlantic Sun opponents. If you include the tournament games, Belmont went 22-1 in league play. All but four of those wins were by double figures, including an 87-46 win over North Florida in the title game.

Outlook: Belmont has the make-up of a team that teams in the 3-5 range need to worry about. They are experienced, they force turnovers, they can rebound the ball, and they have a number of excellent shooters that shoot a lot of threes. With potential matchups against teams like St. John's, Georgetown, Florida, Louisville, Arizona, and UConn, and potential round of 32 matchups against another team of similar caliber, the Bruins are a legitimate Sweet 16 sleeper.
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Friday's Madness

Seeing as championship week has officially started, we are going to be doing a new daily madness segment. Here, you can find the daily scores and schedules for every conference tournament game that day as Trizzle will once again be taking over BIAH. For a full schedule of the conference tournaments and a listing of the automatic bids, click here.


GAME OF THE DAY: Belmont 65, Mercer 64

Belmont's seniors have been to the NCAA tournament each of their three seasons in school, but it was freshman Mitch Hedgepeth who kept alive their chances of playing in four straight. The Bruins held a 59-48 lead with just 10:43 left, but Mercer was able to come back, eventually taking the lead 62-60 on a dunk by Daniel Emerson with 2:30 left. After a Belmont free throw cut the lead to 62-61, the Bruins Alex Renfroe drove and scored, putting Belmont back ahead with 32 seconds left. James Florence would respond by hitting a jumper to get the lead back with 9 seconds left. After a timeout, Belmont's Andy Wicke drove the lane, but was blocked by Mark Hall. The ball landed right in Hedgeweth's hands, and he went back up with it and scored with 0.2 on the clock for the win. Hedgeweth finished with five for Belmont, who was led by 15 from Renfroe and Wicke. Florence had 24 to lead Mercer. Belmont will advance to play East Tennessee State in the semis on Friday.

Belmont's Andy Wicke (left) and Mark Hedgeweth celebrate the win.
(photo credit: Jae S. Lee/The Tennessean)

TEAM OF THE DAY: Quinnipiac Braves

In a day without much in the way of upsets, Quinnipiac may have had the most impressive win. The five seed in the NEC tournament, Quinnipiac was forced to travel to Brooklyn to play Long Island (LI in BK? I don't get it either). The Braves were able to open up a 16 point second half lead, before the Blackbirds, who were led by freshman Julian Boyd, stormed back to tie the game at the buzzer (on a Boyd three pointer) and force OT. QU took control in overtime as they scored the first four points and never were really threatened. Quinnipiac, who was led by 22 points from James Feldeine, will face #1 seed Robert Morris on Sunday.


PLAYER OF THE DAY: Kenny Thomas, Radford

Thomas went off in Radford's first game in the Big South tourney, going for 35 points on 10-18 shooting in a 94-86 win over UNC-Asheville. He was 5-8 from deep and also had five boards and two steals. He had 24 of his 35 in the second half. It was more than just the numbers, however. He made a lot of big plays as well. With Radford up just 51-44 miday through the second half, Thomas went on an 8-0 by himself to open up a 15 point lead. When Asheville cut the lead to 78-76 with around five minutes left, it was Thomas who scored to end the run. Thomas came into the Big South Tournament on fire. For the season, he averaged 14.8 ppg, but in his last four games coming in, he had been scoring 22.5 per.

Thursday's Results

Atlantic Sun First Round:
- #3 Belmont 65, #6 Mercer 64
- #4 Lipscomb 82, #5 Campbell 52

Big South Semis:
- #2 VMI 78, #3 Liberty 58
- #1 Radford 94, #4 UNC Asheville 86

Missouri Valley First Round:
- #7 Wichita State 59, #10 Missouri State 46
- #9 Indiana State 62, #8 Drake 55

Northeast Conference Quarters:
- #1 Robert Morris 83, #8 St. Francis NY 70
- #5 Quinnipiac 86, #4 Long Island 78 OT
- #2 Mt. St. Mary's 72, #7 Wagner 62
- #3 Sacred Heart 76, #6 Central Connecticut State 64


Friday's Games

Atlantic Sun Semis (at Lipscomb's Allen Arena):
- 7:30 PM: #2 East Tennessee State vs. #3 Belmont
- 9:30 PM: #1 Jacksonville @ #4 Lipscomb

America East First Round (Albany):
- 7:00 PM: #8 Maine vs. #9 Hartford

Colonial Athletic First Round (Richmond):
- 12:00 PM: #8 Georgia Southern vs. #9 Delaware
- 2:30 PM: #5 Hofstra vs. #12 UNC Wilmington
- 6:00 PM: #7 James Madison vs. #10 William & Mary
- 8:30 PM: #6 Drexel vs. #11 Towson

Horizon Second Round (Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis):
- 6:00 PM: #4 Wright State vs. #5 UW-Milwaukee
- 8:00 PM: #3 Cleveland State vs. #7 Illinois-Chicago

MAAC First Round (Albany):
- 7:30 PM: #8 Loyola MD vs. #9 Canisius
- 9:30 PM: #7 Iona vs. #10 Marist

Missouri Valley Quarters (St. Louis):
- 1:00 PM: #1 Northern Iowa vs. #8 Indiana State
- 3:35 PM: #4 Bradley vs. #5 Southern Illinois
- 7:05 PM: #2 Creighton vs. #7 Wichita State
- 9:35 PM: #3 Illinois State vs. #6 Evansville

Ohio Valley Semis (Nashville):
- 7:00 PM: #1 Tennessee-Martin vs. #4 Morehead State
- 9:00 PM: #2 Austin Peay vs. #3 Murray State

Southern Tournament (Chattanooga):
- 2:00 PM: #4N Appalachian State vs. #5S Georgia Southern
- 4:30 PM: #3S College of Charleston vs. #6N UNC Greensboro
- 7:00 PM: #4S Western Carolina vs. #5N Elon
- 9:30 PM: #3N Samford vs. #6S Furman

West Coast Tournament (Vegas):
- 9:00 PM: #5 San Diego vs. #5 Loyola Marymount
- 11:30 PM: #6 Pepperdine vs. #7 San Francisco Continue reading...