Men's Basketball Hosts Bradley New Year's Day

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont men's basketball returns to game action Thursday vs. Bradley.
 
The Bruins (12-2, 2-1 MVC) dropped an 81-80 overtime decision at Indiana State Monday. Belmont had won its previous seven road/neutral games, which was the nation's second-longest streak (Houston).
 
Tyler Lundblade scored a season-high 26 points at Indiana State. The Dallas, Texas native has scored in double figures in 17 of his last 18 games, including the first 14 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 scored 25 points at Bradley last season.

Drew Scharnowski had 14 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high five blocked shots at Indiana State. The Burlington, Illinois native has 12 double figure scoring games and two double-doubles. The 6-9 forward leads the MVC in defensive blocked shot rate and ranks fifth 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.
 
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 six double figure scoring games this season. He had 14 points and seven rebounds at College of Charleston. Jenkins has 17 steals and eight blocked shots this season.
 
Isaiah West had three assists, three steals, and two blocked shots at Indiana State. The Springfield, Tennessee native has 70 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.
 
Eoin Dillon had 11 points and a career-high seven rebounds at Indiana State. The 6-9 forward scored a career-high 12 points at UC Irvine. A native of Peoria, Illinois, Dillon is the brother of former Bradley guard Connor Dillon.
 
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 hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds left at Indiana State. The Vestavia Hills, Alabama native scored seven points in eight minutes. He has posted two double figure scoring games this season.

Belmont ranks Top 50 nationally in nine statistical categories, including seventh nationally in defensive rebounds per game, ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense, 10^th nationally in effective field goal percentage, and 26^th nationally in assists per game.
 
Belmont leads the MVC in nine statistical categories.
 
Bradley (10-4, 3-0 MVC) has won seven consecutive games, including 76-68 victory over Evansville in its last outing. Bradley ranks among NCAA leaders in turnover margin.
 
The Braves are led by all-conference guard Jaquan Johnson. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native has scored in double figures in 15 straight games dating back to last season. He is averaging 20.2 points per game over his last five games. Johnson also is tied for the NCAA lead in steals (48).
 
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).
 
Belmont swept the series in its inaugural MVC season in 2022-23. The Bruins won, 63-60, at the Curb Event Center. Three weeks later, Belmont won in Peoria, 78-76, on Ben Sheppard's acrobatic game-winning layin with under three seconds left. 

This marks the sixth meeting between Belmont and Bradley. Belmont leads the series, 3-2. The teams split two meetings last season. Bradley won, 89-77, Jan. 21 in Nashville. Belmont won, 80-77, Feb. 5 in Peoria. Jonathan Pierre converted a conventional 3-point play with 2.1 seconds remaining.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. from the Curb Event Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The game will also air on select Gray Media local affiliate stations (check your local listings; Comcast Nashville Ch. 230 & 1171). 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.