Men's Basketball Visits Middle Tennessee Sunday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball returns to game action Sunday at Middle Tennessee.
 
The Bruins (8-1) fell to Richmond Wednesday after posting its first undefeated November since its 37-2 season of 1994-95.
 
Nic McClain led three Belmont players in double figures with 19 points. McClain leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks fourth nationally in assists.
 
Freshman Jack Smiley scored 10 second-half points Wednesday, adding three assists. The Indiana native had a career-high 17 points in 13 minutes vs. Saint Francis in the Coconut Hoops opening game.
 
Drew Scharnowski has seven blocked shots over his last two games, including a career-high five blocked shots at College of Charleston. Scharnowski scored a career-high 20 points at Murray State last season.
 
Belmont ranks Top 50 nationally in 10 statistical categories, including sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense, 14^th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, and 29^th in assists per game.
 
Belmont leads the MVC in nine statistical categories.
 
Middle Tennessee (5-3) defeated UAB Dec. 1. The Blue Raiders have played an impressive non-conference schedule, including at presumptive No. 1 Michigan, as well as Murray State, George Washington, and McNeese State in the Cayman Islands. Middle Tennessee will also play at National Runner-Up Houston Dec. 29.
 
Middle Tennessee has five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Kamari Lands and Jahvin Carter.
 
Torey Alston had 26 points and 16 rebounds vs. Murray State; the forward is shooting 55 percent from the field.
 
Middle Tennessee has played strong defense to open the season, ranking 20^th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 44^th nationally in blocked shots 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 148 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 460 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).
 
From 2010-19, Belmont and Middle Tennessee each had four seasons ranked in the final Top 50 by industry leader Ken Pomeroy.
 
Belmont legends Nick Muszynski and Kevin McClain were recruited by Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt when he was at UNC Asheville.
 
This marks the 45th meeting between Belmont and Middle Tennessee. Belmont has won 12 of the last 16 meetings. The Bruins won, 82-79, last season in Nashville. Carter Whitt had 14 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in the victory.
 
Belmont and Middle Tennessee have played in 19 of the last 21 seasons during non-conference.

Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. from the Murphy 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.