There's no substitute for effort -- in life, in basketball, in college athletics. The more effort you put in, the more you can narrow the gap between yourself and those that might be more talented than you. That's a pretty simple thing to say, but it's amazing what happens when it's put into practice. Effort is what epitomizes the play of the Denver Nuggets (featuring Morehead grad Kenneth Faried, above), a team without a true superstar or clutch scorer, but who is athletic and disciplined enough to just out-hustle you out of the building on any given night. Watch 10 minutes of any Nuggets game (especially against an older, slower team like the Lakers) and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about -- anytime there's a missed shot, guys are running their correct lanes, making the right outlet passes, and just flat out beating the other team down the court for an easy fast break dunk.
The same goes for college athletic administrations, and even conferences as a whole. The Ohio Valley Conference has been at the bottom of the NCAA barrel for many years, never winning NCAA Tournament games, never beating big-boy opponents, never even getting higher than a 14- or 15-seed with their conference champion. OVC champions went 21 straight NCAA tournaments without winning a game in the round of 64, dating back to Murray's upset of NC State in 1988, until 2010 with Murray State (yes, this is twice in one week I've had the opportunity to mention a Vanderbilt heartbreak). Morehead, with Faried, followed suit the next year, taking down Louisville, before Murray's magical run in 2012 culminated in another first-round win. This year's OVC champion has a chance to win a round of 64 game for the fourth straight year -- an unprecedented feat for this conference. The next major hurdle is getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, which many thought might happen this year but isn't realistically that far away.
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| CFSB Center |
How have they done it?
- Commitment to winning by the individual institutions. Murray State, whom many consider the flagship basketball program in this conference, built the sparkling 8,600-seat CFSB Center in 1998 (and promptly won their third straight OVC title that season), and they regularly sell it out. You want to talk about a Level 3 crowd? Go to a Murray game when they're up against a big-time opponent. The nation was put on notice of that place's deafening noise in last year's BracketBuster win over St. Mary's. Belmont, the OVC's newest member, built the smaller but beautiful Curb Event Center in 2003.
- Commitment to expansion by the conference. Adding Belmont from the A-Sun has turned out to be a home run for the OVC -- what other conference can claim its newest member as its regular season champion? Belmont gives the OVC two schools in Nashville (its signature city) as well as a potential cross-town rivalry with longtime member Tennessee State. Having a pretty damn good basketball team year after year is more than icing on the cake.
- Commitment to creativity in recruiting and player development. Let's be honest -- blue chip recruits, the one-and-dones, don't come to the OVC. For many schools, the players that come to their programs out of high school will not play for at least a year or two (not many freshman play at all in the OVC, much less start), so the onus is on the coaches to develop these kids into quality basketball players. The OVC is also often a haven for transfers. SEMO's Tyler Stone, their best player and possible front-runner for conference POY next year, came to the program from Missouri. Kellen Thornton and Jordan Cyphers, two of TSU's best players, transferred in from Illinois State and Utah, respectively. Whether it's lack of playing time or disciplinary issues that have caused these transfers, these coaches have found some hidden gems in unlikely places and developed the talent into winning basketball programs.
The OVC may be deeper than ever -- the top 6 in the conference could go toe-to-toe with the best teams from most mid-major conferences in the country. Don't be surprised to see the OVC champion win a game in the NCAA tournament this year and continue that trend into the foreseeable future.
Onto the Day 2 Recaps:
Game 1: Tennessee State Tigers 88, Morehead State Eagles 75
I expected to be up and down the entire time (the teams combined for 201 points in regulation last time they met), and for the most part, it was. Morehead State needed to take care of the ball and shoot the lights out to stay in the game, and it wasn't happening for most of the first half. The Eagles tried to run up and down with TSU, often forcing the transition offense and turning it over. When they did get open looks, they weren't falling; Morehead shot 34.5% from the field in the first half and just 2-8 from 3.
TSU, meanwhile, got production up and down the lineup. You figured Robert Covington would get his points, but it was 6'5" Jordan Cyphers who paced the Tigers with 23 points, including 10-11 from the free throw line. Guard Jay Harris came through when it mattered most, hitting a big 3 and then turning a steal into a layup after Morehead cut a 55-41 deficit down to 3 with 10 minutes left. Knowing that a win meant another game just 24 hours later, TSU also went 11 players deep, compared to just 8 for Morehead (who regularly plays all 12 guys). Covington finally got his, chipping in 21 points including 3 threes, and OVC first-teamer Patrick Miller finished with 15 points. Both Miller and Kellen Thornton played 37 of a possible 40 minutes, a key stat considering the quick turnaround.
What TSU might have more than any team left in this tournament is athleticism, especially on defense -- their on-ball coverage forced Morehead to take many outside shots (which they couldn't hit, for the most part) or try to throw it over the top inside (often leading to a turnover or a contested post shot). What TSU definitely has more than any team left in this tournament is fan swag -- their fans regularly got up and started dancing with the band during timeouts, including one group of, um, filled out women in white t-shirts reading "Coach Will's Wackies." The Tiger faithful filled up their section of floor seats and spilled over into much of their side of the lower bowl at Municipal Auditorium -- if they show up in greater numbers today, they could be a big factor against Belmont.
Game 2: Eastern Kentucky Colonels 84, Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 69
EKU is one of the smallest teams in the country, and one of the worst on the boards statistically (345th out of 347 teams in the country). They have the look of an unathletic, plodding team -- several undersized guards (5'11" Mike DiNunno and 6'0" Glenn Cosey) and a tall, lanky big man (6'8", 225 pound Eric Stutz). Sure, they can shoot from the outside, but the threes weren't falling at an alarming rate in this one (5-24 for the game). So how did the Colonels cruise past the quicker, bigger Redhawks.
One word: effort. Eric Stutz gives up more in the talent department to Tyler Stone than Renee Zellweger on the set of a Jennifer Lawrence movie, but he worked his ass off inside. Stutz puts in just over 7 points a game, but he led the Colonels with 22 in this one, alongside 10 rebounds and two hits to the face. Stone, meanwhile, didn't score in the first half and finished the game just 5-12 from the field (14 points). The Colonels also got to the line at an alarming rate, shooting a whopping 45 free throws on 28 SEMO fouls, hitting 37 (more than double SEMO's 18 free throw attempts). And oh yeah, a team that gets outrebounded every game still managed to win the battle of the boards, 40-34.
SEMO's strength is 3-point shooting. Nick "Heat Czyk" Niemczyk was on fire early, hitting 3 from distance in the first half, but the Redhawks cooled off in the second half and finished an abysmal 3-22 from beyond the arc. A game that could have been a back-and-forth shootout failed to live up to its full potential, but the scrappy Colonels showed everything they're made of in anticipation of a semifinal matchup against the more talented yet less motivated Murray State Racers.
Day 3 Preview
6:00 -- #1 Belmont Bruins vs. #4 Tennessee State Tigers (ESPNU)
This is the matchup that the OVC wanted in this semifinal: the clash of playing styles, fan bases, and recent history that makes for a fantastic rivalry. Belmont plays very disciplined, efficient offensive basketball, ranking second in the country in shooting efficiency and boasting four players averaging double figures in scoring. They can run the floor, but they don't have to, because their half-court offense is one of the best in the country. TSU will miss shots, but they don't care, because they can use their athleticism to beat you in transition. That athleticism translates to defense, too -- Belmont shot an uncharacteristically poor 44.6% from the field, including a staggering 5-26 from 3, in a Valentine's Day loss at the Gentry Center. Belmont's fans and students are quintessential "Nashville hipsters" and predominantly white; TSU is a historically black college. Belmont has won big recently, going to the NCAAs 5 of the last 7 years and now the new darling of the OVC; TSU hasn't been to the tournament since 1994. This should be one of the better basketball rivalries in the South, and an early Friday night tip might just bring out the best that both fan bases have to offer.
On the court, look for both teams to space the floor with four electric scorers. Belmont's Ian Clark drops 18 points a game and shoots 46% from beyond the arc; fellow guard Kerron Johnson is 2nd on the team with 13.5 points per game. TSU will match that with Patrick Miller and Jordan Cyphers, who both average double figures in scoring and can carry the load on a given night (Miller will distribute the ball too -- 15 points and 10 assists against Morehead). Down low, TSU has the edge with Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton, who can both shoot from distance and clean up on the offensive glass. Belmont's Trevor Noack, J.J. Mann, and Blake Jenkins will have their hands full defensively, but Noack's 45.7% three-point stroke gives Belmont a tall outside threat to match Covington.
Belmont can blow teams out of the gym if you give them too many easy looks. TSU, like Morehead on Thursday, needs to be careful not to push too hard in transition when the looks aren't there. If Belmont gets down, Ian Clark is capable of taking over the game, but he's got enough help that he won't have to carry the full load. While TSU may win the battles on the boards, Belmont may not miss enough shots to make it really matter. I picked Belmont to win the tournament, and there's no reason to go back on it now.
8:00 -- #2 Murray State Racers vs. #3 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (ESPN3)
Effort. It's the word of the day, it should be the word of your life, and it's absolutely the key to this matchup. Murray State will have the three most talented players on the court tonight -- Isaiah Canaan, Ed Daniel, and Stacy Wilson. All average more than 13 points per game, and all are capable of carrying the load on any given night. When Murray is on, and when they play with effort, they are dangerous -- they beat #1 Belmont in the teams' only meeting on February 7 and won all the effort stats (edge in offensive rebounds, turnovers, and free throw attempts). When they're off, they can be impossible to watch -- they lost four of their last six games, all to teams #6 and below in the OVC (SIUE, EIU, UT-Martin, and SEMO). Will Isaiah Canaan be a distributor and facilitator, kicking it inside to Ed Daniel and making the extra pass for a wide-open shot? Or will he and Daniel play heroball, trying to force deep shots without crashing the boards and moping instead of getting back on defense?
On paper, Murray should crush EKU. But as we saw on Thursday, the Colonels are the hardest working team in the OVC. Stutz won't crack 22 points again, but if he can out-hustle Daniel and 6'9" Brandon Garrett down low and grab a few offensive rebounds to kick out to DiNunno, Cosey, and Corey Walden for open shots, EKU will stay in this game for 40 minutes. Their guards are quick enough defensively to stay with Canaan, Wilson and Dexter Fields. Down low may be a problem for EKU defensively, as Stutz will likely have to guard Garrett, leaving either Tarius Johnson (6'5") or else reserve forward Jeff Johnson (6'7") on the 6'7" Daniel.
The matchups are not favorable for the Colonels. But the effort will be there, and EKU knows that they're just two wins away from fairly uncharted territory (just 2 NCAA appearances since 1979 and none since 2007). Murray has struggled all year with the mentality that "well, this isn't last year's [31-2] team." If the Racers finally realize that they have the talent to get back to the NCAAs and win a game (or two) this time around, they'll win this game and the final tomorrow. But switches don't just get flipped overnight. I hope Murray proves me wrong, because they're damn exciting to watch when they're on. But I'm sticking with the pick I made in my tournament preview because this EKU team really impressed me last night with their effort -- give me the Colonels to advance to the final.
Follow me on Twitter for live updates from today's semifinals, and don't forget to tune back in tomorrow for a Friday recap and Saturday final preview.
--The Road to 592 is a pipe dream started by a diehard Atlanta fan with a sparse history of truly great sports atmospheres (being Atlanta and all). Read up on my unending pursuit here and check out the full list of venues here. For those sick of conference realignment, you can also relish in another pipe dream of mine -- the 28-team SEC. Follow me on Twitter @andrewhard592.
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