Men's Basketball Hosts Air Force Monday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball hosts Air Force Monday to open regular season play.
 
The Bruins defeated Tennessee Tech Oct. 27 in exhibition play. Nic McClain had nine points, 14 rebounds, and six assists.
 
Belmont went 22-11 last season. The Bruins' 40 conference wins over the last three seasons rank third in the MVC.
 
With 20 conference championships and 361 conference wins – second only to Gonzaga – over the past two decades, Belmont is poised for another strong season.
 
The Bruins have 11 returning players, including guard Tyler Lundblade and forwards Sam Orme and Brigham Rogers who were named to the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Watch List.
 

What's Bruin

• Belmont is the only NCAA Division I institution in the nation to win 20 or more games 10 consecutive seasons in men's and women's basketball.
• Belmont has 140 victories since the start of the 2020 season, ranking T-19 nationally.
• 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 452 victories since 2007 leads the state of Tennessee - including Tennessee, Memphis, and Vanderbilt.
• Belmont finished Top 3 in the Missouri Valley Conference in 12 statistical categories in 2024-25 and ranked among national leaders in assists per game, 3-point field goal percentage, and 3-point field goals per game.
• Belmont head coach Casey Alexander is one of six NCAA Division I head coaches to win 20 or more games in nine consecutive seasons, joining Dana Altman (Oregon), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Greg McDermott (Creighton), and Kelvin Sampson (Houston), and Bill Self (Kansas).
• Matt Norlander of CBS Sports picked Belmont to win the Missouri Valley Conference and had the Bruins ranked No. 84 nationally in his preseason rankings. Belmont was picked fifth in the MVC Preseason Poll and third by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
• Missouri Valley Conference teams are 13-4 in their first game in the NCAA tourney dating back to 2012. The league has combined for 21 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past 12 NCAA championships and has had multiple bids 16 times since 1994.

 
Tyler Lundblade is the only player in college basketball to walk-on and earn a scholarship at three different schools (SMU, TCU, Belmont).
 
Belmont's victory over Air Force in Nashville, Nov. 30, 2003 one was of the program's most significant wins of its early NCAA Division I era, as Air Force was nationally-ranked at the end of the season. Belmont would later defeat No. 22 Missouri, finish the season 21-9, and earn a Postseason NIT invitation.
 
Former Belmont cross country and track & field star and Belmont hall of famer Jacob Buckman graduated then began active-duty service in the United States Air Force. During his 13 years, he flew both the C-21 and KC-10 aircraft all over the globe in instructor and evaluator capacities. He participated in several large-scale operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, both in flying and non-flying roles. Jacob separated from his Air Force service at the rank of Major in the summer of 2022.
 
This marks the fourth meeting between Belmont and Air Force. Belmont holds a 2-1 series lead, winning, 79-71, last season in Colorado Springs.
 
Belmont is 20-1 in its last 21 home openers.
 
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Steve Layman can be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio. In-game updates will be available via Twitter @BelmontMBB.

Belmont season tickets – which include the entire men's and women's basketball home schedule – are on sale now at belmontbruins.com/tickets. 
 
To become a Bruin Club member, contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu.
 
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 15 consecutive seasons (alongside Gonzaga, Kansas, and Oregon) and 19 or more games in 20 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 six 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 10 consecutive seasons.
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont men's basketball on social media - @BelmontMBB on X, formerly Twitter and @belmont_mbb on Instagram - 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.