Men's Basketball Visits Lipscomb Tuesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball visits Lipscomb Tuesday in the 151^st installment of the Battle of the Boulevard.
 
Belmont dropped a 76-74 decision Nov. 8 to Furman, as PJay Smith's 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining proved decisive.
 
It was just the second time in 111 games under Coach Alexander that Belmont lost when leading with one minute remaining.
 
Brody Peebles scored a career-high 26 points Nov. 8 vs. Furman. The Hartselle, Alabama native also set a career-high in field goals made, and had the most two-point field goals in the Curb Event Center since Belmont legend and Utah Jazz assistant coach Evan Bradds' 36-point performance vs. Tennessee State Jan. 24, 2016.
 
The Bruins enter the season alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and Oregon as one of four programs to win 20 or more games 14 consecutive seasons.
 
This marks the first time since its inaugural NCAA Division I season of 1996-97 that Belmont enters a campaign having to replace all five starters.
 
Belmont went 20-13 last season, finishing fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.

What's Bruin

• Belmont is the only NCAA Division I institution in the nation to win 20 or more games nine consecutive seasons in men's and women's basketball.
• Belmont has 119 victories since the start of the 2020 season, ranking T-13 nationally to open the season.
• Belmont has won 20 conference championships (eight tournament, 12 regular season) since 2006. Only Gonzaga and Kansas have won more conference championships over that span.
• Belmont's 431 victories since 2007 leads the state of Tennessee - including Tennessee, Memphis and Vanderbilt.
• This marks the first time since the 2013-14 season that Belmont enters a campaign without a returning all-conference player. That season, led by OVC Player of the Year and AP All-America Honorable Mention selection JJ Mann, Belmont won the OVC, won 26 games and reached the Postseason NIT Elite 8.
• Belmont finished Top 3 in the Missouri Valley Conference in 10 statistical categories in 2023-24, and ranked among national leaders in 3-point field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage, assists and scoring offense.
• Belmont head coach Casey Alexander is one of six NCAA Division I head coaches to win 20 or more games in eight consecutive seasons, joining Dana Altman (Oregon), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Greg McDermott (Creighton), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), and Bill Self (Kansas).

 
Belmont head coach Casey Alexander spent six seasons (2013-19) as head coach at Lipscomb. Alexander led the Bisons to the best three-year stretch of their NCAA Division I era and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Lipscomb won 113 games during Alexander's tenure, including 72 over the final three campaigns. In his last season, Lipscomb won 29 games and reached the Postseason NIT Championship game.
 
Belmont associate head coach Brian Ayers played for Don Meyer at Lipscomb from 1989-93. Ayers coached with Alexander at Belmont from 1998-2011 and Lipscomb assistant Roger Idstrom from 2000-11.
 
Belmont assistant coach Sean Rutigliano spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Lipscomb on Alexander's staff. Rutigliano also spent two seasons as an assistant coach for Lennie Acuff at UAH.
 
Belmont has won 18 of the last 21 meetings and leads the NCAA Division I era, 27-12.
 
10 of the last 13 meetings have been decided by nine points or fewer, with six games decided on the final possession. That includes last season's game at Belmont where Ja'Kobi Gillespie had the go-ahead three-point play and Brigham Rogers recorded a blocked shot at the buzzer.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from Allen Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The live play-by-play of Steve Layman can be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio. In-game updates will be available via Twitter @BelmontMBB.

Belmont season tickets are on sale now at BelmontBruins.com/Tickets, in addition to Puckett's flex packs, single-game tickets and group experiences. Fans can also call or text 615.460.BALL (2255).

To become a Bruin Club member, contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu.

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.
 
Belmont University men's basketball has been a postseason fixture for the last two decades, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (behind Gonzaga and Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 14 consecutive seasons (alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and Oregon) and 19 or more games in 19 consecutive seasons (alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and San Diego State). Belmont is among select programs with two or more first-round selections in the NBA Draft over the last five years (Ben Sheppard, Dylan Windler). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19 Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of its existence. Belmont is the only NCAA Division I institution in America whose men's and women's basketball programs have won 20 or more games in nine consecutive seasons.