In the days leading up to a first-round NCAA tournament game last March, Jon Rice found himself impersonating Duke point guard Greg Paulus in practice. Belmont, the No. 15 seed, nearly became one of those Cinderella stories. It pushed the hated Blue Devils for almost 40 minutes before losing 71-70.
Now, away from the spotlight, the Bruins' focus is wandering a bit, as Kyle Whelliston explains in this ESPN.com story. But a fourth-consecutive NCAA bid is still possible. And Rice, the 6-foot guard who finished his high school career at Waubonsie Valley, is making progress. Whelliston reports:
Jonny Rice is a redshirt freshman guard who is making the most of his seven minutes per contest, shooting 54 percent from the floor and making half of his 3-pointers in limited action. He sat on the sidelines last March as his future teammates battled Duke.
"I wanted to play so bad, just get in that game," said Rice. "But last year I got a lot done with school, and it gave me time to learn the plays. Every minute I get on the floor, I just want to make the most of it and get better. And hopefully we'll get another chance to play in the NCAA tournament."
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