Women's Basketball Picked Fourth in MVC Preseason Poll

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Belmont University women's basketball team has been chosen fourth in the 2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll as voted upon by the Valley's head coaches, athletic communicators and media members. Announced by the conference office Tuesday morning ahead of the MVC Women's Basketball Tipoff in Moline, Illinois, the Bruins are the defending MVC regular season champions.
 
After seeing her true junior season cut short due to injury, guard Tuti Jones has been selected to the 2023-24 Preseason All-MVC Second Team. She was the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an All-OVC First Team performer as a sophomore in 2021-22.
 
In its first season in the Valley last year, Belmont went 17-3 in league play en route to winning its sixth regular season conference championship in seven seasons. The Bruins finished 23-12 overall, reached their third-straight conference tournament title game and made their 10th national postseason tournament in 11 seasons with an at-large bid to the WNIT.
 
Returning seven letter winners from its 2022-23 campaign, Belmont brings back junior starters Kilyn McGuff (guard) and Tessa Miller (forward), in addition to Jones who has started 62 of 63 games played over the last three seasons.
 
The Bruins welcome six newcomers this season, including talented freshmen guards Jailyn Banks and Kensley Feltner. Georgia Tech transfer forward Carmyn Harrison, junior college All-American guard Claire Hyde and Marquett transfer guard Emily La Chapell, along with junior guard Liz Suder, have joined Belmont since mid-May.
 
This past March's MVC regular season championship was the Bruins' ninth regular season conference title in Belmont's NCAA era. The Bruins have won 16 combined conference championships, including the regular season and league tournament, in three different Division I conferences (MVC, OVC and Atlantic Sun Conference).
 
Few others had a more impactful second year than Jones did at Belmont in 2021-22. She was the only player in the nation to average over 10 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. Becoming only the second Bruin to be named OVC Defensive Player of the Year, Jones averaged 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.8 steals per outing. Her 2.0 assist to turnover ratio was 42nd-best in the country and she became a breakout star of March Madness.
 
Leading Belmont to a second-straight first-round upset as a No. 12 seed, Jones averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists in the 2022 NCAA Tournament versus fifth-seeded Oregon and 18th-ranked Tennessee. In the two NCAA Tournament games, Jones shot 61 percent (14-of-23) from the floor and 75 percent (6-of-8) from deep.
 
In the first eight games last season, Jones averaged 11 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists. In 2020-21, Jones was the only freshman in Division I basketball to average at least 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per contest. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native is averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.5 assists for her career. She needs only 30 more steals to reach 200 career steals and is just 327 points away from becoming the Bruins' 35th 1,000-point scorer.
 
Northern Iowa was picked to win the MVC's regular season crown and garnered 33 first-place votes. Reigning Hoops in the Heartland champion Drake earned 12 first-place nods and was voted second in the MVC Preseason Poll. Illinois State, who shared the 2022-23 regular season title with Belmont, was selected third with a pair of first-place votes. The Bruins earned one first-place tally and 401 total voting points.
 
Missouri State fifth, the University of Illinois Chicago sixth, Murray State seventh, Southern Illinois eighth, Indiana State ninth, Valparaiso 10th, Evansville 11th and Bradley 12th round out the Valley's preseason predicted order of finish.
 
Under the leadership of seventh-year head coach Bart Brooks, Belmont annually puts together one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. Including their MVC slate, the Bruins will face no fewer than 14 teams who had a winning record in 2022-23 this season, including 10 who won 20 games or more. At least six of Belmont's opponents this year competed in last season's NCAA Tournament and the Bruins will take on no less than 12 programs who made a national postseason tournament last March.
 
Belmont will see at least eight teams who ended 2022-23 ranked in the top 75 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including five who finished within the top 35.
 
Belmont is the only school in the nation to win 20 or more games for eight consecutive seasons in both women's and men's basketball.
 
The Bruins tip off against the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, on Monday, Nov. 6 at 11:30 a.m. Belmont's home opener is Friday, Nov. 10 when receiving-votes Georgia visits the Curb Event Center.
 
Ticket Information
Both single game and season tickets are on sale now. Season tickets are only $199 per seat and include all women's and men's basketball home games.
 
View available seating and purchase your seats.
 
Flex pack plans for the 2023-24 season area also on sale and can be purchased here.
 
For more information, call 615-460-BALL or visit BelmontBruins.com/Tickets.
 
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.