Women's Hoops Receiving Votes in Preseason AP Top 25

NEW YORK – The Belmont University women's basketball team, who was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference regular season in its inaugural year in the league, will enter its highly-anticipated 2022-23 campaign receiving 14 votes in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25. Released midday Tuesday, the Bruins are the only MVC program represented in the preseason national media poll.
 
Belmont's 14 votes are the most the Bruins have received in the preseason AP Top 25. Last October, Belmont received five votes in the AP poll heading into its 2021-22 season. The Bruins also received votes in the preseason media poll prior their 2018-19 and 2016-17 campaigns.
 
Belmont has spent five weeks in the AP Top 25, appearing in five polls during the Bruins' historic 31-4 season in 2017-18. On Feb. 26, 2018, Belmont reached a program-best No. 22 national ranking in the AP poll.
 
A pair of top-10 opponents are on the Bruins' non-conference schedule with Belmont hosting preseason No. 7 Louisville on Sunday, Nov. 13 to close out the opening week of the season. The Bruins travel to preseason No. 4 Iowa the following Sunday (Nov. 20) before possibly facing No. 18 Baylor and No. 25 Michigan in the 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase Friday-Sunday, Nov. 25-27 in Estero, Florida.
 
Additionally, both Villanova (25) and Georgia (17) are receiving votes in the preseason AP Top 25. The Bruins take on the Wildcats in the Sunshine State to begin the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 25 and Belmont travels to Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, Dec. 17.
 
With one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, the Bruins face no fewer than 11 20-win programs from a year ago and at least 12 teams who made a national postseason tournament last March. Belmont is slated to play seven 2022 NCAA Tournament squads and hosts ACC mainstay Georgia Tech (Dec. 4), in addition to reigning Final Four participant Louisville.
 
The Bruins received 32 of 44 possible first-place votes in the MVC preseason poll and return three first-team all-conference selections in juniors Madison Bartley, Tuti Jones and Destinee Wells. With seven of its top nine scorers in 2021-22 back, Belmont features five newcomers, including transfers Kendal Cheesman (Vanderbilt) and Sydni Harvey (South Florida).
 
Point guard Wells was chosen as the 2022-23 MVC Preseason Player of the Year and is a member of the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List.
 
Making their second consecutive NCAA Tournament Round of 32, the Bruins went 23-8 overall a season ago and posted a 16-2 league record en route to Belmont's fifth Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship in six years. Winning its sixth OVC Tournament title in seven seasons, Belmont closed out its 2021-22 campaign by becoming just the second program in Division I women's basketball history to win NCAA Tournament games in back-to-back seasons as a No. 12 seed or lower.
 
The Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for seven consecutive seasons. Belmont finished last season ranked 45th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET).
 
The only non-power conference team to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each of the last two seasons, the Bruins have earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 years. Belmont is one of just 12 programs in the nation and one of only three non-power conference teams (Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota State) to win 20 or more games for seven-straight seasons.
 
Both single game and season tickets are on sale now. Season tickets are only $199 per seat and include all men's and women's basketball home games. Click here to view available seating and purchase your seats.
 
Flex pack plans for the 2022-23 season are also on sale and can be purchased here. For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com.
 
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on Twitter, @belmontwbb on Instagram and Belmont Women's Basketball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.