1) To begin with, what was this overall season like? There were certainly a lot of highs, but the disappointment of being upset in the conference tournament finals has to sting.
Overall, the season far exceeded expectations of the common Bruin fan. Losing Ian Clark and Kerron Johnson, one of the best guard combos in the country, was going to be difficult. The narrative of the season changed quickly with a victory in Chapel Hill. One of the biggest wins in program history was easily the most unexpected and everyone thought it was business as usual. December did not treat this team kindly however. It started with a loss to VCU at home and ended with four straight road losses and effectively kicked us out of any irritating national bubble talk. Then the trek through the OVC began. This was our second season in this coach-challenged conference and we didn't miss a beat. We matched our 14-2 record from a season ago and were poised to win our fourth straight conference tournament and reach our 7th tourney in 9 years. Alas it was not be, and yes, it does sting. However, if you told Bruin fans at the beginning of the season that they would beat North Carolina, with the regular season OVC title, and host an NIT game, most of them would take that without hesitation.
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| Belmont picked up a win at UNC early in the season. |
2) Belmont is one of, if not the, most efficient offensive team in the country. What do they do so well? How are they so effective?
The Bruins shoot the ball with great efficiency. Over the last three seasons, the Bruins have ranked top 5 in effective field goal percentage. Belmont relies heavily on the three ball (41% of all FG attempts come from 3 point land) and converts about 40% of those attempts. Belmont, with the exception of the JJ Mann typically ignores the mid-range jumper. If they are not getting to the rim they are shooting threes. If you are a good three point shooting team, this strategy is quite effective. But what cannot be lost in evaluating the Bruin offense is their ability to finish around the rim. This team leads the country in 2P%. Forwards Blake Jenkins and Evan Bradds are great at the rim and Craig Bradshaw can finish with the best of them. Belmont is known for being able to shoot the three, but don't underestimate them inside.
3) Belmont is also perceived as a team that isn't very strong on the boards and defensively. Are these perceptions true?
Perception is worthless, except in this case. This is one of the weaker defensive teams we have had in some time. Opponents are shooting an effective 52% against us this year. Those are numbers we are not used to seeing. With the exception of Craig Bradshaw our guards are not the quickest you've ever seen. Dribble penetration has been an issue and caused hectic rotations. Our big man, Drew Windler, is more of a perimeter oriented player who has been forced to guard the block. He is a savvy defender but often times his lack of strength is a problem. Our best interior defender, Blake Jenkins, has been battling a myriad of injures and hasn't been 100% all season. As far as the glass is concerned, they have been better lately than the overall numbers would suggest. In the last three games, opponents have average 24% of available offensive rebounds. A slight improvement especially when you consider one of those teams was the 12th best offensive rebounding team in the country. I wish I could annihilate your lazy perception, but dammit, I’ll give you that one.
4) Robert Morris is going to play a 2-3 zone, something they've done for exactly 25 games this year (with mostly positive results). How many times has Belmont faced a team primarily playing a zone? What were the results? Do you think Belmont is a more effective team offensively versus a zone or man-to-man defense?
This is a great question. We typically do not see a whole of zone defenses. And when we do, teams typically do not stick with them long. Belmont's offensive strength is ball rotation (usually with the skip pass), effective shooting, and a genius coach. It does not take Rick long to breakdown a zone. He has a variety of set plays that will open up shooters and make the opposition wish they weren’t so foolish. It will be fun to see this team adjust to a full 40 minutes of zone defense. We rarely face teams that specialize in playing zone, so it is hard to project. The limited results have been positive, let’s hope that continues.
5) Who are some players Robert Morris fans should know?
Craig Bradshaw, Sophomore: Craig is a crazy athletic, slashing guard who can get to the rim and shoot from deep. He is an extremely efficient scorer as well (eFG 60.1%). He requires a great deal of attention from the defense creating open looks. You can take advantage of this kid off the ball on defense. He tends to get stuck watching the ball, botches rotations, and will occasionally lose his man. He is the guy opposing fans love to hate.
JJ Mann, OVC POY: Don't let this guy confuse you. At first glance, you think you are watching a pick-up game at the local YMCA. However, this crafty senior will shot fake you to death, sneak to the rim, shoot over you, and you will be in a state of confusion because athletically you should dominate this guy. But you won't. So keep dreaming. He will very rarely leave the floor and has deceiving quick hands on defense. He is not your typical conference player of the year but you will enjoy watching him, if you find craftiness to your liking.
Spencer Turner, Sharp Shooter: You won’t see this kid play many minutes (or perhaps at all), but when (if) he does understand you are watching greatness. #freespencer
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