Men's Basketball Among Top Teams in MVC Predicted Order of Finish

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball has been picked to finish fifth as the Missouri Valley Conference released its preseason favorites as part of MVC Digital Media Day presented by Field of 68 Monday.
 
Belmont head coach Casey Alexander – one of only six active NCAA Division I head coaches to post nine consecutive 20-win seasons – shared his thoughts on the Bruins with national college basketball reporters Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster. Their interview segment is available on YouTube and Twitter/X.

Joined NOW by @BelmontMBB coach Casey Alexander! ??@MVCsports Media Day is LIVE ??https://t.co/UEY29aHK1ghttps://t.co/YdGvCM6GNO

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) September 29, 2025

 
Belmont – third in the MVC in conference victories since joining the league in the 2022-23 season – won 22 games last season in reaching the MVC tournament semifinals.
 
Illinois State was picked first, receiving 34 of 46 first-place votes. Northern Iowa, Murray State, Bradley, and Belmont rounded out the Top 5.
 
A MVC preseason player watch list will be announced in October.
 
The complete 2025-26 schedule - including Missouri Valley Conference opponents, dates, times and broadcast information - will be released in the coming days.

The play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Steve Layman can be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio and ESPN+.
 
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.