Men's Basketball Plays UC Irvine Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball plays defending Big West Conference champion UC Irvine Thursday.

Belmont defeated defending Atlantic 10 Conference champion Richmond, 93-86, Dec. 14. Jonathan Pierre had a career-high 28 points, seven rebounds, nine assists en route to Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Week honors.
 
Belmont has posted seven double figure scorers in seven of its first 11 games.
 
Six Bruins are averaging between 9.3 and 13.6 points per game, paced by Pierre.

Tyler Lundblade had 13 points at Richmond. The Dallas, Texas native has seven double figure scoring games this season. He had a career-high 25 points vs. Oral Roberts Nov. 19.
 
Isaiah Walker posted a career-high 24 points vs. Illinois State. The Wyoming, Ohio native ranks among team leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Walker had 13 points and six rebounds at Richmond.
 
Carter Whitt had 10 points and four assists at Richmond. The Raleigh, North Carolina native was named MVC Player of the Week Dec. 9 after flirting with two triple-doubles in leading Belmont to victories over Illinois State and Middle Tennessee. The 6-3 guard ranks among MVC leaders in assists and steals.
 
Brigham Rogers had a season-high 12 points, a career-high five assists and two steals vs. Middle Tennessee. The 6-9 forward made his first 3-pointer of the season at Richmond. The Woodstock, Georgia native scored a career-high 15 points vs. Valparaiso last season.
 
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 127 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 439 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 and UC Irvine both won games in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

UC Irvine is the highest ranked non-conference opponent to play in the Curb Event Center since the adoption of the NET rankings in 2018-19.
 
This marks the second meeting between Belmont and UC Irvine.
 
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. from the Curb Event Center. 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 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.