Monmouth Beats Georgetown 83-68, Team Proves They Are More Than Just a Circus Bench

The Monmouth University men's basketball team is known for one thing, wild bench celebrations. Actually, they have perhaps the most famous bench in all of basketball. Ever walked into a surprise birthday party? The Monmouth bench is a little like that, except that it lasts for 40-minutes. But for as much as they are known for their off the court shenanigans, they deserve just as much recognition for what they do on the court. They've already beat a number of schools in power conferences, most recently knocking off Georgetown, 83-68, and are proving they are more than just their circus bench.

Actually, Tuesday night's victory over the Hoyas wasn't even all that close. They lead almost the entirety of the game, and never trailed in the second half. It's not as if Georgetown is having an awful year, either. They are contenders in the Big East -- a far cry from the MAAC, the conference Monmouth plies their trade in. It's just a testament to how good this Monmouth team is.

At 7-3, the Hawks have already beaten four teams ranked inside the KenPom Top 40. The only other team in the nation to equal such a feat is tenth-ranked Xavier, that according to Yahoo! Sports.

"We're just at a place now where our team is older, we have older kids in the program," Monmouth head coach King Rice said, via the Asbury Park Press. "I'm just proud that these guys are with me. We're gonna keep our heads low and continue to work. Beating four high-major programs, you can't walk into a season and think that's gonna happen, but each individual game, we think we have a chance and we've been very fortunate."

While the season is still relatively young, Monmouth could be well on their way to earning an automatic NCAA tournament bid. They have little margin for error, but barring a handful of losses in conference play and the Hawks would boat an impressive resume worthy of tourney inclusion.

As it turns out, Monmouth is more than just a circus bench. Who knew?