Date Posted: 11/15/2007

In the week following a historic week of upsets for the Atlantic Sun in men's basketball, the conference received plenty of attention from the national level.

From Marlen Garcia's article in the USA Today:

Gardner-Webb's win against Kentucky last week was the biggest among the jaw-dropping upsets that opened the men's college basketball season.

Who knew it was only the start for the Atlantic Sun Conference? The little-known league is stunningly and happily at the center of early surprise wins by Gardner-Webb, Mercer and Belmont, schools more likely mistaken for street names than Division I teams challenging tradition-rich schools.

By beating Kentucky, Gardner-Webb (based in Boiling Springs, N.C.) advanced to Thursday's 2K Sports College Hoops Classic semifinals against Connecticut at New York's Madison Square Garden. "We hope this isn't the last you all hear from us," Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs says.

Two days after Gardner-Webb embarrassed then-No. 22 Kentucky 84-68 in Lexington, Ky., Belmont (based in Nashville) upstaged host Cincinnati 86-75. Afterward, Belmont coach Rick Byrd got a congratulatory message from Mercer coach Mark Slonaker. "He said, 'Maybe we can make it a trifecta,' "

Byrd says: "Sure enough, they did."

Kyle Whelliston of ESPN.com: Let it forever be remembered that for one extended holiday weekend in November 2007, the Atlantic Sun Conference -- a 29-year-old league with nary an NCAA win among its current 12-school membership -- was perfect against half of the NCAA's big six. When the real Atlantic sun broke over the seaboard on Tuesday morning, the conference was a combined 3-0 against the Big East, the SEC and the Pac-10.

"We don't have a frame of reference for any of this," said league commissioner Ted Gumbart, still basking in the glow of his league's recent nonconference wins. "The conference is simply doing things it's never done before. We've had big wins in the past, but the biggest thing about this is how they've been layered on top of each other in such a short time."

The first layer was laid down Nov. 7 by the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs with a stunning 84-68 win on Kentucky's home floor, denying the No. 20 Wildcats a trip to New York in the Coaches vs. Cancer tourney. Over the weekend, the dominoes kept falling. Mercer toppled No. 18 USC in a 91-86 shocker, and the two-time league champion Belmont Bruins got in on the A-Sun fun, ruining Cincinnati's home opener at the Peggy Cronin Classic with an 86-75 upset.

"This is the best week in the conference's history, I'd imagine," said 21-year Bruins coach Rick Byrd, whose team defeated a school with nearly five times the athletic budget as Belmont's. "I know I haven't seen anything like it in my time here."

Unfamiliarity with the national spotlight hasn't stopped the A-Sun's road warriors from handling their newfound success with aplomb, acting almost as if they've been there and done that. After dousing Kentucky's comeback attempts, Gardner-Webb players had a little trouble containing themselves after the buzzer sounded, but the celebration was considerably muted and classy considering the accomplishment. No mass jersey-popping or dancing on the "UK" center-court logo.

From the AP:

The music channel VH1 pokes fun at the celebrity scene with its show "Best Week Ever." It might want to branch into sports this week to give a nod to the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Seriously.

The little-known league spread over five Southeastern states surely had its best week ever, knocking off three major schools in an amazing four-day period.

Gardner-Webb got the ball rolling, so to speak, with its shocking 16-point win at then-No. 20 Kentucky last Wednesday. Belmont followed up two nights later with an 11-point win at Cincinnati. Then came Saturday's stunner: Mercer bumped off then-No. 18 Southern Cal and its heralded freshman, O.J. Mayo, by 15 points.

Gardner-Webb? Belmont? Mercer?

Who are these guys anyway?

"Most of the time, all the efforts of our folks, all the stuff they are working on, don't get the spotlight they may necessarily deserve," said Ted Gumbart, the A-Sun's commissioner. "When we do get a chance to grab it, it's very satisfying."

ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach: The scene was set for another Atlantic Sun stunner.

Mercer was sky-high after an improbable 96-81 victory at then-No. 18 Southern California on Saturday. The biggest win in the program's long history created headlines nationally and produced excitement at home.

With Alabama coming to town on Tuesday night, more than 3,200 fans packed University Center, the first sellout at the four-year-old arena. Students and fans tailgated on campus and lined up outside the doors to the arena, which opened an hour before tip-off.

The school's string symphony performed the national anthem, and the Little League World Series champions from nearby Warner Robins, Ga., were honored at halftime. NBA scouts occupied several seats at the scorer's table and media row was packed.

Fans anticipated another upset for the once-woebegone conference that already has produced upsets of Kentucky, Cincinnati and USC during the first week of the season.

Andy Katz offered praise to the conference, Gardner-Webb and several individuals:

Team of the week: Gardner-Webb

College basketball got more pop from Gardner-Webb's upset of Kentucky last week than it would have if the Wildcats opened the season with two wins and a trip to New York. G-Webb coach Rick Scruggs was on every ESPN outlet on Thursday. College basketball, on Nov. 8, was being talked about in a mainstream way. So, forget about what the ratings may be for Thursday night's Connecticut-Gardner-Webb game in Madison Square Garden. The Runnin' Bulldogs' win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena was the story of the first week of the season. The Bulldogs dominated Kentucky. This was one of the most impressive nonconference upsets I've seen in years.

Conference of the week: Atlantic Sun

G-Webb won at Kentucky, Belmont won at Cincinnati and Mercer beat USC. The bottom of the A-Sun is going to be bringing down the power rating with Lipscomb, USC Upstate, North Florida, Kennesaw State and Florida Gulf Coast. Still, the wins by Gardner-Webb and Mercer are so outstanding that it's hard to put anyone ahead of the A-Sun, even though there was serious politicking by the Horizon League on Sunday. The Horizon went a perfect 7-0 through Sunday. Cleveland State's win at South Florida (without the Bulls' best player Kentrell Gransberry, who was sitting with a one-game suspension for playing in an unsanctioned summer league) is akin to the Belmont win over Cincinnati since the Bulls will likely scrap with the Bearcats at the bottom of the Big East.

New names to know

Grayson Flittner, Gardner-Webb: Flittner scorched Kentucky for 22 points.

Justin Hare, Belmont: He scored 23 in the win at Cincinnati. Belmont is a two-time defending A-Sun champ, so this team is no slouch. And Hare and Flittner could be in for some interesting shootouts this season.

James Florence, Mercer: All he did was match O.J. Mayo with 30 points in the stunner at the Galen Center.

What intrigues me this week

Can Gardner-Webb pull a Butler from a year ago (see: NIT Season Tip-Off) and continue this run toward a matchup with Memphis by taking out UConn Thursday night at MSG?

Will Alabama regret scheduling a road game at Mercer on Tuesday night?

What will Mercer's record be after the week of playing home to Alabama and then traveling to Harvard and Boston College?

From the Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy:

Weekly rundown: Greensboro, Gardner-Webb ruffle some feathers

Let's all take our first steps as we hustle along the road to March ...

Team of the week: UNC Greensboro. OK, so I could have said Gardner-Webb, but the Runnin' Bulldogs got more than a smidgen of publicity for their victory at Kentucky. UNCG was all but ignored following its Friday night demolition of Georgia Tech. The Spartans came from behind at the half to blow past Tech with 44 points in the final 20 minutes. Forward Kyle Hines beat up the Jackets with 25 points and nine rebounds. Tech no doubt missed rugged post veteran Ra'Sean Dickey, who is ineligible for the fall semester.

Two steps farther away: Nobody at Cincinnati really thought a trip was likely this season, but everybody begins the year with hope. The Bearcats, though, also started without their point guard, Jamual Warren, who was injured in a car accident. That showed up in the team's negative assist/turnover ratio, lackluster defense (opponents in the first three games shot 46.0 percent) -- and losses to Belmont and Bowling Green.

Say hello to: Gardner-Webb junior guard Aaron Linn, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring after two games but got far less publicity last week than teammate Grayson Flittner because Flittner had the good sense to have his big game against Kentucky. Linn is averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists after two games in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. He'll be back for more when G-W plays Thursday against Connecticut at Madison Square Garden.

Send a search party for: The Southern California defense. Coach Tim Floyd was hampered during the preseason by a string of injuries that limited the number of students available on any given day for his defensive lectures. That showed up when Mercer put 96 points on the Trojans and nearly shot 60 percent from the floor.

My top 10, based on achievement: 1) Gardner-Webb; 2) UNC Greensboro; 3) Mercer; 4) Northern Iowa; 5) Tulane; 6) Florida; 7) Kansas; 8) Pittsburgh; 9) San Diego State; 10) Stanford.

Bob McClellan from Rivals.com:

Three freshmen led their conferences in scoring last season.

One, Kevin Durant, already is in the NBA.

Another, Stephen Curry, led the Southern Conference at 21.5 points per game. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry garnered national attention when his Davidson Wildcats threw a scare into Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament behind his 30-point effort.

The other, James Florence, largely flew under the radar at Mercer. The three-star prospect averaged 19.3 points in the Atlantic Sun.

Florence, and the Atlantic Sun, showed up on everybody's radar last week. Florence, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard from the Atlanta area, scored 30 points as the Bears went on the road and stunned USC 96-81, spoiling the debut of five-star freshman O.J. Mayo.

It was part of a grand week for the A-Sun, with Gardner-Webb knocking off Kentucky in Lexington and Belmont winning at Cincinnati.

For his efforts, Florence is Rivals.com's Mid-Major Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 5-11.

"We thought about Gardner-Webb and Belmont, and we said if they did it why can't we?" Florence told Rivals.com. "I think the league is definitely rising. There's a lot of young talent. It's improving every game."

The Bears raced out to a 47-30 halftime lead over the Trojans. They knew the home team would make a run, but they talked about keeping their heads about them.

Dick Vitale, ESPN College Basketball Analyst:

Team of the week: Mercer
The Bears spoiled the debut of talented diaper dandy O. J. Mayo, winning at USC, 96-81. James Florence scored 30 points as Mercer dominated early, building a 47-30 halftime lead.

Coach of the week: Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb
He helped devise a game plan that exposed some weaknesses at Kentucky. Now he heads to Madison Square Garden for the semifinals of the 2K Sports event benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Shock of the week: Gardner-Webb over Kentucky
What a week for the Atlantic Sun conference. The Runnin' Bulldogs won in Lexington. Mercer stunned USC and Belmont won at Cincinnati. Gardner-Webb was 9-21 last season and picked eighth in the conference preseason poll.

Related Links:
 • USA Today Article
 • AP Article
 • ESPN.com's Kyle Whelliston
 • ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach
 • ESPN's Andy Katz
 • The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy
 • Rivals.com's Bob McClellan
 • ESPN Analyst DickVitale