Men's Basketball Plays Toledo Wednesday in Coconut Hoops

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball returns to game action Wednesday vs. Toledo in GEICO Coconut Hoops.
 
The Bruins (6-0) defeated Saint Francis Nov. 24. Tyler Lundblade led four Belmont players in double figures with 18 points.
 
Jack Smiley scored a career-high 17 points in 13 minutes, while Sam Orme recorded a career-high four blocked shots. Nic McClain had nine assists and three steals.
 
Belmont handed out 26 assists on 34 made field goals.
 
Belmont ranks eighth nationally in defensive rebounds per game, 10^th nationally in field goal percentage defense and 40^th nationally in turnovers forced per game.
 
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 146 victories since the start of the 2020 season, ranking Top 20 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 458 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 last played a program from the state of Ohio during the 2022-23 season, winning vs. Ohio, 70-69, Nov. 7, 2022.
 
Belmont played Florida Gulf Coast from 2007-12 when they were in the ASUN Conference. Belmont's final game as the member of the ASUN Conference was the 2012 ASUN Championship vs. Florida Gulf Coast in Macon, Georgia. Belmont won, 83-69. Belmont assistant coach Kerron Johnson was named Tournament MVP.
 
Belmont head coach Casey Alexander won the 2018 ASUN Championship in Alico Arena. Alexander led Lipscomb to victory over Florida Gulf Coast, 108-96, en route to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Belmont is 14-6 in MTE under Coach Alexander.
 
Toledo senior guard Kyler Vanderjagt played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Belmont.
 
This marks the first meeting between Belmont and Toledo.
 
Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT from Alico Arena in Ft. Myers, Florida. The game will be broadcast on FloCollege (subscription). The live play-by-play 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.