Men's Basketball Hosts UIC Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball returns to game action Saturday vs. UIC.
 
The Bruins (9-1) defeated Middle Tennessee, 83-62, Dec. 7. Nic McClain continued his fine play with a game-high 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
 
The Jennings, Florida native leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks 12^th nationally in assists.
 
Brigham Rogers continues to provide consistent production for the Bruins. The 6-9 forward has six double figure scoring games this season. He had 10 points and seven rebounds vs. Middle Tennessee. Rogers had a season-high 10 rebounds in last season's meeting vs. UIC.
 
Freshman Jack Smiley has keyed outstanding bench contributions this season. The Indiana native had a career-high 17 points in 13 minutes vs. Saint Francis in the Coconut Hoops opening game.
 
Drew Scharnowski has eight blocked shots over his last two games, including a career-high five blocked shots at College of Charleston. Scharnowski had 12 points at Middle Tennessee.
 
Graduate student Tyler Lundblade has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 games, including the first 10 games of this season. Lundblade scored a season-high 22 points vs. Toledo Nov. 26 en route to Coconut Hoops Most Valuable Player honors.
 
Belmont ranks Top 50 nationally in 11 statistical categories, including fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense, 11^th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, and 21^st in assists per game.
 
Belmont leads the MVC in nine statistical categories.
 
UIC (4-5) dropped an 80-66 decision to defending Ivy League champion Yale Dec. 7. The Flames have played a strong non-conference schedule, including Yale, defending Big South champion High Point, defending Horizon League champion Robert Morris, and Oregon State.
 
UIC is led by guard Ahmad Henderson. The preseason All-MVC selection leads UIC in scoring at 15.7 points per game. Henderson ranks among MVC leaders in usage rate and free throw rate.
 
Jayce Nathaniel is one of the top offensive rebounders in the nation, with 29 offensive rebounds through nine games.
 
UIC ranks seventh nationally in offensive free throw reliance, 17^th nationally in offensive rebounding and 19^th nationally in defensive blocked shot rate.
 
The Flames also lead the MVC in fast break points 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 149 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 461 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).
 
This marks the sixth meeting between Belmont and UIC. Belmont won each of the previous five meetings. That includes a 92-87 victory last season at the Curb Event Center.
 
Graduates Carter Whitt, Jonathan Pierre, and Isaiah Walker scored 60 of Belmont's 92 points in last season's victory.
 
Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski is from Burlington, Illinois, one hour west of the UIC campus.

Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. 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.