March Madness 2011: Everything You Need To Know About Morehead State

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

March Madness 2011 Could Give Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper a Chance To Lead The Eagles to a Tournament Win

Record: 24-9, 13-5

Morehead State achieved their second NCAA tournament bid in the last three years with a win over Tennessee Tech to clinch the automatic bid from the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Eagles driving force this year has been All-American candidate Kenneth Faried. He is not only one of the best rebounders in the NCAA but he also has a decent offensive game and has helped Morehead State win the Ohio Valley Conference title this year.

Despite the attention that Faried has been getting, his teammate Demonte’ Harper has been one of the best players in the history of Morehead State.

Yahoo! Sports had some nice things to say about the guard who won the OVC Tournament MVP.

“1,407 – The number of points in the career of senior G Demonte’ Harper, who’s 16th in school history. Harper’s 27 points in the OVC title game moved him past Kyle Umberger (1998-01). Harper has three double-doubles in the last six games, an indication he’s playing with the urgency of someone without much time left in his college career.”

The real hero in the Morehead State story is head coach Donnie Tyndall. He has taken one of the all-time bad NCAA basketball teams and turned them into a legitimate tournament team. Previously he led the Eagles to the tournament on a surprising tournament win, this time it was a little more expected.

However he knows that the horse that brought him here is Faried. He recently broke Tim Duncan's college rebounding record and he has been considered a legitimate NBA prospect. However, according to Sports Illustrated, his career was nearly over before it even began

"(Faried) nearly quit during his freshman season, storming off the floor one day as coach Donnie Tyndall put the Eagles through another grueling conditioning drill. Faried called his mother, Waudda, asking to come home. She told him to grow up and get back on the floor."

You have to be weary of teams that have NBA-level players in the tournament. Faried is going to be a tough guy to keep in check because of his size and various skills but the real question is going to be Harper. If he can find his shot when the tournament starts it could spell trouble for a higher seed.

I know the seedings are out yet, but Morehead State is definitely a team that I will be looking at with bated breath.

For More March Madness Coverage Head to our March Madness Hub on Bleacher Report.

Looking for a bracket to print out? Head over here to our Printable Bracket.

Most recent updates:

Flag

Props (2)