NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont Basketball opens regular season play Tuesday at Southeastern Conference mainstay and Nashville neighbor, Vanderbilt.
The Bruins return 11 letterwinners to a squad that went 20-12 last season, winning the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and earning a bid to the Postseason NIT.
Senior Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) leads an efficient, high scoring Bruin attack. Bradds led the nation in field goal percentage each of the last two seasons and was an AP All-America Honorable Mention and OVC Player of the Year honoree. Leading into the season, Bradds was named to the Lute Olson, Lou Henson and Julius Erving Player of the Year Award Watch Lists. Bradds played an instrumental role in last season's opening victory at Marquette, scoring 24 points and drawing a game-saving charge on Henry Ellenson with 14 seconds remaining.
Belmont will adjust to life after Craig Bradshaw, as the dynamic guard and emotional leader graduated in 2016. Bradshaw scored 1,698 career points and led Belmont to 94 victories and four consecutive postseason appearances (2 NCAA, 2NIT). His 42-point outburst at Ohio stands as Belmont's NCAA Division I era single-game scoring record.
But despite the loss of Bradshaw, Belmont returns 80 percent of its offensive production from 2015-16, including 251 of its 338 made 3-point field goals from a year ago.
Belmont associate head coach Brian Ayers served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt from 1996-98 under Jan van Breda Kolff.
Belmont assistant coach James Strong was a four-year letterwinner at guard for Vanderbilt from 1996-2000. Strong scored 827 career points and led the SEC in steals as a junior (77). Ayers coached Strong at Vandy during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd and former Vanderbilt and current Pittsburgh head coach Kevin Stallings have been close friends since Stallings' arrival in Nashville two decades ago.
This marks the third time in the last two seasons that Belmont will face a Bryce Drew-coached team. Belmont played a home-and-home series with Valparaiso last season, with each team winning hard-fought, four-point decisions on their respective home floors.
Former Belmont All-American Ian Clark ('13) is inexorably linked to the Commodore program. Clark was teammates with former Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli last season on the Golden State Warriors. In 2016-17, Clark is teammates with former Vanderbilt All-SEC center Damian Jones.
Belmont's two victories over Southeastern Conference opposition rank among the top moments in program history. Belmont defeated No. 22 Missouri (12/30/03), 71-67, for the Bruins' first-ever victory over a nationally-ranked team, in just its seventh season of NCAA Division I. The Bruins defeated Alabama (11/19/07), 85-83, as Justin Hare buried a pullup jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining. Afterwards, former Alabama and current North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfried said,"Belmont doesn't have shot takers, it has shot makers."
Vanderbilt played the first-ever game at Belmont University's Curb Event Center (11/21/03). Matt Freije scored a game-high 24 points as Vanderbilt won, 74-59.
This marks the fifth meeting between Belmont and Vanderbilt, and first since the 2010-11 season.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT from Memorial Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network and WatchESPN. The live play-by-play can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network and Bruin Gameday Mobile App.
Belmont at Vanderbilt Game Notes
