Men's Basketball Hosts Southern Illinois Sunday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball returns to game action Sunday vs. Southern Illinois.
 
The Bruins (13-2, 3-1 MVC) defeated Bradley, 88-78, New Year's Day. Belmont forced Bradley into a season-high 16 turnovers and the Bruins outscored the Braves, 36-22, in points in the paint.
 
Tyler Lundblade scored a game-high 25 points vs. Bradley. The Dallas, Texas native has scored in double figures in 18 of his last 19 games, including the first 15 games of this season. Lundblade scored 22 points vs. Toledo Nov. 26 en route to Coconut Hoops Most Valuable Player honors. He ranks among MVC and NCAA leaders in 3-point field goals per game and free throw percentage. Lundblade is 28-for-53 (.528) from 3-point distance over the last six games.

Drew Scharnowski had 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, and two steals vs. Bradley. The Burlington, Illinois native has 13 double figure scoring games and two double-doubles. The 6-9 forward ranks second in the MVC in defensive blocked shot rate and ranks third in total shooting percentage per Ken Pomeroy.
 
Brigham Rogers continues to provide consistent production for the Bruins. The 6-9 forward has seven double figure scoring games this season. His basket with 1:07 left helped Belmont defeat UIC. Rogers ranked among MVC leaders in offensive rebounding and blocked shots last season. The Woodstock, Georgia native had a career-high 17 points and nine rebounds vs. Southern Illinois last season.
 
Sam Orme ranks among the most versatile and consistent players in the MVC. The Carmel, Indiana native has 11 double figures scoring games this season, including a career-high 21 points vs. Air Force. The forward had 12 points and 12 rebounds at UC Irvine.
 
Bez Jenkins has been an impactful two-way player for Belmont this season. The Covington, Georgia native has seven double figure scoring games this season. He had a career-high 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals vs. Bradley. Jenkins had 14 points and seven rebounds at College of Charleston. The dynamic guard has 19 steals and eight blocked shots this season.
 
Isaiah West had three points and outstanding defense vs. Bradley. The Springfield, Tennessee native has 71 career game appearances. The 6-2 guard had a career-high six rebounds at Oral Roberts.
 
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. He scored 11 second-half points vs. UIC en route to MVC Freshman of the Week honors. Smiley had a clutch basket with 24 seconds left to help secure the victory at Evansville. The 6-2 guard had a career-high seven assists vs. Bradley.
 
Eoin Dillon had a career-high 12 points at UC Irvine. The 6-9 forward is averaging 6.4 points per game over the last seven games.
 
Nic McClain has been an important two-way player for Belmont this season. The Jennings, Florida native has eight double figure scoring games, and leads the MVC and ranks among national leaders in assists. McClain had 12 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists at College of Charleston. He scored a season-high 20 points at Middle Tennessee.
 
Win Miller has provided quality bench contributions for the Bruins. The Vestavia Hills, Alabama native scored nine points in 14 minutes vs. Bradley. He has posted two double figure scoring games this season.

Belmont ranks Top 50 nationally in nine statistical categories, including 10^th in effective field goal percentage, 12^th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, 12^th nationally in field goal percentage defense, and 26^th nationally in assists per game.
 
Belmont leads the MVC in 10 statistical categories.
 
Southern Illinois (7-8, 1-3 MVC) ranks fifth in team ranking per Ken Pomeory, defeating Valparaiso, 75-70, in its last outing. Like Belmont, Southern Illinois ranks among NCAA leaders in defensive rebounds per game. The Salukis lead the MVC in fast break points per game
 
The Braves are led by guard Quel'Ron House. The Louisville, Kentucky native has scored in double figures in six straight games. He is averaging 14.6 points per game over his last six games. House ranks among MVC leaders in usage rate.
 
Southern Illinois lead nation in offensive 2-point field goal reliance – with nearly 64 percent of its total offensive production coming from 2-point field goals.
 
Belmont went 22-11 last season. The Bruins' 43 conference wins over the last three-plus seasons rank third in the MVC.
 
With 20 conference championships and 364 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 153 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 465 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 senior Aidan Noyes had 13 points and two steals in last season's victory over Southern Illinois in Nashville.

This marks the seventh meeting between Belmont and Southern Illinois. The series is tied 3-3. Belmont has won three consecutive games in the series, including 90-86 in Nashville and 73-68 in Carbondale last season.

Tip-off is set for 4 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.