Men's Basketball Returns to Conference Play Monday at Indiana State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball returns to game action Monday at Indiana State.
 
The Bruins (12-1, 2-0 MVC) defeated UC Irvine, 84-58, Dec. 19 to become the nation's first 12-win team this season.
 
Belmont outrebounded UC Irvine by 14 and was plus-10 in points in the paint.
 
Drew Scharnowski led five Belmont players in double figures with 14 points and nine rebounds. The Burlington, Illinois native had a career-high five blocked shots at College of Charleston. Scharnowski has seven double figure scoring games this season. He ranks among MVC leaders in blocked shots, rebounds, and fouls drawn per 40 minutes.
 
Brigham Rogers continues to provide consistent production for the Bruins. The 6-9 forward has six double figure scoring games this season. His basket with 1:07 left helped Belmont defeat UIC. The Woodstock, Georgia native has 62 career blocked shots and 65 career steals.
 
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.
 
Bez Jenkins has been an impactful two-way player for Belmont this season. The Covington, Georgia native has six double figure scoring games this season. He had 14 points and seven rebounds at College of Charleston. Jenkins has 17 steals and seven blocked shots this season.
 
Graduate student Tyler Lundblade has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games, including the first 13 games of this season. Lundblade scored a season-high 22 points vs. Toledo Nov. 26 en route to Coconut Hoops Most Valuable Player honors. The Dallas, Texas native scored a game-high 21 points at Evansville.
 
Nic McClain had 12 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and two steals at UC Irvine. The Jennings, Florida native, who went over 1,000 career points earlier this season, leads the MVC and ranks 10^th nationally in assists. He had 12 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists at College of Charleston.
 
Sam Orme posted his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds at UC Irvine. The Carmel, Indiana native ranks among MVC leaders in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.
 
Belmont ranks Top 50 nationally in 10 statistical categories, including fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense, seventh nationally in effective field goal percentage, seventh nationally in defensive rebounds per game, and 24^th nationally in assists per game.
 
Belmont leads the MVC in 11 statistical categories.
 
Indiana State (7-6) last played Dec. 21, falling at Illinois State.
 
Indiana State leads the MVC and ranks 20^th nationally in defensive foul rate.
 
The Sycamores are led by forward Ian Scott. The Grace College transfer has posted four double-doubles and leads Indiana State averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
Annually among the most efficient offensive teams in the country, Indiana State ranks third in the MVC in assists per game.
 
Belmont went 22-11 last season. The Bruins' 42 conference wins over the last three-plus seasons rank third in the MVC.
 
With 20 conference championships and 363 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 152 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 464 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).
 
Carter Whitt had 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists in Belmont's two victories over Indiana State last season.
 
Belmont has two roster members from the state of Indiana: Sam Orme and Jack Smiley. Past Bruin players from Indiana include 2019 NBA first-round draft choice Dylan Windler and two-time NCAA field goal percentage champion Adam Mark.
 
This marks the 12th meeting between Belmont and Indiana State. Belmont has won three of the five previous meetings in MVC play. Four of the five previous meetings in MVC play have been decided by two possessions or fewer. This includes both meetings last season; Belmont won 84-79 in Terre Haute and 77-75 in Nashville.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT from the Hulman 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.