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tOSU vs. Belmont (Unofficial Game Preview)

vrbryant

Ever thus to ____ers
Staff member
The Ohio State Buckeyes
vs.
The Belmont Bruins
Wednesday, December 14 - 8:00 p.m.

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BELMONT - Official Site of Belmont Athletics - Belmont, as it has been described to me, is not cupcake program. Thusly, we should not expect a cupcake performance. They've been compared favorably to Butler, and while such a comparison does not necessarily strike fear into the hearts of the wicked, those Bulldogs gave us a hell of a test. Members of the Atlantic Sun, the Belmont Bruins will face us for the first time tonight, and (like every other scrappy, small conference team) will probably throw their best game at us. I'm not saying you should expect another overtime nail-biter, but this team is a significant step up from the Chicago and Norfolk States of the world. Their record (3-3) is not stellar, and they got manhandled by #5 Oklahoma in Norman, 59-81. Nevertheless, don't expect them to be intimidated. This team had a good core of senior leadership, they can shoot, and they have plenty of size. We'll need to be sharp (as always) and play all forty minutes, as they're not likely to roll over.

There's no one player that defines Belmont, so let's just run through the starting five. First up, we have #10, senior guard Brian Collins (6-4, 175). Named to the pre-season All-Atlantic Sun first team and the ASun All-Tournament team a year ago, Collins ran the point effectively for the Bruins and finished with 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He won't torch anybody, but he's dependable and reasonably efficient, and seems to do a good job setting up the shooters of the team. This year, he's averaging five boards and 3.5 assists to go along with 8.7 points, and he leads the team with 13 steals in six games.

Like Butler, Belmont has long been regarded as a dangerous three-point shooting team, and this year's squad is no exception. The two primary culprits are #4, junior guard Josh Goodwin (6-2, 200), and #24, sophomore guard Justin Hare (6-3, 185). Goodwin leads the team in several categories, including minutes played, three-point percentage, three-pointers made and attempted, and free throw percentage. He's an impressive 23 of 41 from the outskirts - an average of almost four made per game. The former McDonald's All-American nominee will be on the floor most of the night, ranging around the arc. Now, the Sooners' half-court defense did a great job of shutting him down, holding him to five points on 1 of 5 shooting--well below his season averages of 15.8 ppg and 54% from the field. We'll want to do the same, like we did early versus Butler, if we want to keep him under wraps. Goodwin's wingman, Justin Hare (pictured below), was the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year in '04-'05, and is leading the Bruins so far in scoring (16.3 ppg), while chipping in 3.5 boards and three assists per game.

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#24 - Justin Hare​
Containing Goodwin and Hare will be key, just as it was with Butler's sharpshooters. We let them do their thing, and any lead we build can disappear in a heartbeat. Look for Butler, Foster and Sully to take charge here and shut these guys down. Coming off the bench as an additional shooting threat will be #20, freshman guard Andy Wicke (6-3, 185). Wicke is actually second only to Goodwin in three-pointers made, and is averaging a solid 7.8 points in 22.7 minutes per game.

Starting at forward, we have #11, senior Dan Oliver (6-6, 215). He's a bit like a poor man's Matt Sylvester. Not asked to do the bulk of the scoring, he's free to do the little things that help teams win ballgames. Per Belmont's media guide, Oliver is described by head coach Rick Byrd as having a "versatility [that] makes him extremely valuable to the team." He's a strong post defender and one of the team's three seniors. Gameplanning for him offensively will be important to create scoring opportunities for J.J. and Syl. Backing up Oliver will be #30, freshman Matthew Dotson (6-8, 215).

This is where this team gets interesting. #45, junior center Andrew Preston (6-10, 210) started the first five games, and performed admirably, though had a tendency to get in foul trouble. He played well in their last game, putting up 16 points, but will probably come off the bench tonight. The real threat in the post is going to be #5, junior center Boomer Herndon (pictured below).

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#5 - Boomer Herndon​
Boomer transferred from the University of Tennessee after the '03-'04 season, and sat out last year. His version of 'sat out', I imagine, consisted of eating meat and lifting heavy objects. Boomer is large, standing 6'11" and weighing in at 260 pounds. Boomer can score, averaging 15.7 ppg this year and shooting 53.4% on 73 shots. Boomer can rebound, leading the team with 9.5 per game, nearly half of which are offensive boards, and Boomer can swat, posting 12 blocks in six contests. He started Belmont's last game - a tough 87-75 loss to Mid Tennessee State. Though he and the rest of the Bruins had an off night shooting, he still posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. All bias aside, I'm looking forward to seeing this kid play. He averaged 7.7 and 7.0 blocks per game in his final two years in high school, finishing with 511 on his career. Watching him post up (and be posted up by) Dials should be very fun to watch. Keeping Dials out of foul trouble will be crucial tonight, and Twigs needs to keep up the tough, energetic play he flashed on Monday against Norfolk State.

That pretty much covers the regulars. #35, center Michael Modlin is a senior, but has been averaging just 3.5 minutes per game, and probably won't do much unless Herndon or Preston get into foul trouble. This is a tough game to evaluate for me. These guys are not the cream of the Atlantic Sun - that distinction goes to Gardner-Webb, a team we'll be facing in a couple weeks - but they should not be underestimated. I think, as I did with Butler, that this game could just as easily come down to the wire as it could be over with eight minutes to play. Fortunately, the game plan is simple. Keep playing hard, and get better every day. I'd like to see Syl break out of his shooting funk, but other than that, I think we're basically firing on all cylinders.

Projected starters:

Ohio State

F - Matt Sylvester
C - Terence Dials
G - J.J Sullinger
G - Foster, Je'Kel
G - Jamar Butler

Belmont

F - Dan Oliver
C - Boomer Herndon
G - Justin Hare
G - Josh Goodwin
G - Brian Collins


My prediction: OSU 88 - BU 78

Up next, Iowa State...
 
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