Belmont University’s men’s basketball team is set to face Indiana State on Saturday at the Curb Event Center in Nashville. The Bruins, currently holding a 24-4 overall record and a 14-3 mark in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play, recently secured an 87-70 win over Murray State on February 15. This victory earned Belmont a share of the MVC regular season championship, marking the program’s 13th regular season conference title in the past 21 seasons across three different leagues.
During their game against Murray State, Belmont outscored their opponent 63-31 in the second half and shot 69 percent from the field while limiting Murray State to just 33 percent. The Bruins have established themselves among national leaders in several categories, including Q1/Q2 winning percentage and total victories, ranking tied for fifth nationally behind teams such as Gonzaga and Michigan. They also lead the nation in true road victories with 11 and road/neutral wins with 13, maintaining an average margin of victory away from home of nearly 16 points.
Since Casey Alexander took over as head coach before the 2019-20 season, Belmont has recorded 164 wins—ranking them ahead of programs like Tennessee and Baylor during that span despite transitioning into the MVC. Alexander is one of only three NCAA Division I head coaches to achieve at least 20 wins in ten consecutive seasons.
The team features eight players who have made double-digit three-point field goals this season. Fifth-year wing Aidan Noyes has contributed significantly since returning to action on January 24, making sixteen three-pointers over his last six games.
Belmont’s offensive performance has been notable; they became the first MVC program since Wichita State in 1988 to score more than one hundred points in back-to-back games following victories over Murray State and Drake. According to Ken Pomeroy’s analytics, Belmont is believed to be just the third team this season nationwide to post consecutive offensive efficiency ratings above 145 against NCAA Division I opponents.
In terms of consistency, Belmont joins Gonzaga and Kansas as one of only three programs nationally with at least twenty wins for sixteen straight seasons—a feat Oregon could soon match. Additionally, they are among eleven programs with twenty or more victories achieved between November and January this year.
Individually, Tyler Lundblade leads the MVC in five statistical categories including three-point field goals made and minutes per game. He was named Coconut Hoops Most Valuable Player earlier this season and appears on both the Lou Henson Award early watch list and E*TRADE Men’s Three-Point Championship watch list. Other key contributors include Drew Scharnowski (noted for his rebounding and defensive presence), Brigham Rogers (who ranks highly nationally for two-point field goal percentage), Sam Orme (recognized for versatility), Nic McClain (an important two-way player), Bez Jenkins (impactful on both ends), Isaiah West (a mainstay guard), Jack Smiley (key bench scorer), Eoin Dillon (three-time MVC Freshman of the Week), and Win Miller.
Belmont stands out statistically: they rank top fifty nationally in ten categories—including first overall in effective field goal percentage—and lead their conference in assists per game while ranking thirteenth nationally with an average of eighteen assists per contest.
Indiana State enters Saturday’s matchup with a record of ten wins and eighteen losses overall, holding a conference record of three wins against fourteen defeats. Despite their standing, Indiana State ranks second within the MVC for effective field goal percentage, two-point shooting percentage, assists per game, and third for defensive foul rate. Many of their conference losses have been close contests decided by two possessions or less or overtime.
Indiana State’s roster is led by graduate student forward Ian Scott who ranks among league leaders across ten statistical categories including scoring and rebounding; he has recorded five double-doubles this season after transferring from Grace College.
This will be the thirteenth meeting between Belmont and Indiana State; each team has won three times during MVC play so far. Five out of those six games were decided by two possessions or fewer—including last year’s close contest which ended with a scoreline of seventy-seven to seventy-five in Nashville.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central Time on Saturday. The game will be broadcast live via ESPN+ as well as through radio coverage provided by Steve Layman on Belmont Bruins Radio. Updates will also be available through social media channels such as Twitter (@BelmontMBB).
Season tickets covering all men’s and women’s basketball home games remain available at belmontbruins.com/tickets.
For those interested in supporting Belmont athletics further by joining Bruin Club membership or seeking additional information about ticketing options can contact Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or russell.grimm@belmont.edu.
