| Belmont Bruins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Belmont University | ||
| Head coach | Casey Alexander (2nd season) | ||
| Conference | Ohio Valley | ||
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
| Arena | Curb Event Center (Capacity: 5,085) | ||
| Nickname | Bruins | ||
| Colors | Navy, White, and Red[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |||
| 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019 | |||
| NIT Quarterfinals | |||
| 2014 | |||
| NIT Second Round | |||
| 2014, 2017 | |||
| NIT Tournament Appearances | |||
| 2004, 2014, 2016, 2017 | |||
| Conference Tournament Champions | |||
| 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020 | |||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||
| 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 | |||
| Conference Division Season Champions | |||
| 2003, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | |||
The Belmont Bruins men's basketball team represents Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Belmont joined the Ohio Valley Conference in July 2012, having previously competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They play their home games at the Curb Event Center under head coach Casey Alexander. The Bruins made their eighth appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2019.
Coaching staff
- Casey Alexander – Head Coach
- Brian Ayers – Associate Head Coach
- Tyler Holloway – Assistant Coach
- Sean Rutigliano – Assistant Coach
- Mick Hedgepeth – Director of Basketball Operations
Rivalry
The Battle of the Boulevard, also referred to as the Belmont–Lipscomb basketball rivalry is a college basketball rivalry between the Belmont University Bruins and the Lipscomb University Bisons. Its nickname was established because of both school's close placement in Nashville, Tennessee– about three miles apart on the same road.
Awards
All-Americans[2]
- Robert Barnes – 1956*
- Adam Sonn – 2003*
- Alex Renfroe – 2009*
- Ian Clark – 2013*
- J.J. Mann – 2014*
- Evan Bradds – 2016*, 2017*
(*) Denotes Honorable Mention
Record by year
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Rebels[6] (VSAC) (1953–1986) | |||||||||
| 1953–56 | Larry Striplin | 58–42 (.580) | 1955 NAIA Playoff | ||||||
| 1957–62 | George Kelley | 58–71 (.450) | 1960 NAIA District 24 Tournament | ||||||
| 1962–64 | Ken Sidwell | 14–23 (.378) | |||||||
| 1964–66 | Wayne Dobbs | 35–19 (.648) | 4–4 | ||||||
| 1966–67 | Jack Young | 9–16 (.360) | 3–5 | ||||||
| 1967–72 | Dewey Jones | 69–76 (.476) | 17–25 | ||||||
| 1972–74 | Ken Sidwell | 22–30 (.423) | 5–12 | ||||||
| 1974–78 | Dick Campbell | 48–68 (.414) | 14–28 | ||||||
| 1978–86 | Don Purdy | 116–138 (.457) | 54–62 | 1982 & '83 NAIA District 24 Tournaments | |||||
| First 8 Coaches: | 429–483 (.478) | 97–136 | |||||||
| Belmont Rebels/Bruins[6] (Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference)(NAIA) (1986–1996) | |||||||||
| 1986–87 | Rick Byrd | 15–15 | 7–9 | ||||||
| 1987–88 | Rick Byrd | 22–9 | 15–1 | NAIA District 24 Playoff | |||||
| 1988–89 | Rick Byrd | 25–10 | 12–4 | NAIA National Championships 1st Round | |||||
| 1989–90 | Rick Byrd | 27–7 | 14–2 | NAIA District 24 Playoffs | |||||
| 1990–91 | Rick Byrd | 23–9 | 11–5 | NAIA District 24 Playoffs | |||||
| 1991–92 | Rick Byrd | 22–10 | 12–4 | NAIA District 24 Playoffs | |||||
| 1992–93 | Rick Byrd | 30–6 | 12–4 | NAIA Sweet Sixteen | |||||
| 1993–94 | Rick Byrd | 30–7 | 14–2 | 1st | NAIA Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1994–95 | Rick Byrd | 37–2 | 18–0 | 1st | NAIA Semifinals | ||||
| 1995–96 | Rick Byrd | 29–11 | 13–5 | NAIA Semifinals | |||||
| Belmont Bruins[6] (NCAA Independent) (1996–2001) | |||||||||
| 1996–97 | Rick Byrd | 15–11 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Rick Byrd | 9–18 | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Rick Byrd | 14–13 | |||||||
| 1999–2000 | Rick Byrd | 7–21 | |||||||
| 2000–01 | Rick Byrd | 13–15 | |||||||
| Belmont Bruins (Atlantic Sun Conference) (2001–2012) | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | Rick Byrd | 11–17 | 8–12 | T–7th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Rick Byrd | 17–12 | 12–4 | 1st (North) | |||||
| 2003–04 | Rick Byrd | 21–9 | 15–5 | 3rd | NIT Opening Round | ||||
| 2004–05 | Rick Byrd | 14–16 | 12–8 | 3rd | |||||
| 2005–06 | Rick Byrd | 20–11 | 15–5 | T–1st | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Rick Byrd | 23–10 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Rick Byrd | 25–9 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Rick Byrd | 20–13 | 14–6 | T–2nd | CIT Quarterfinals | ||||
| 2009–10 | Rick Byrd | 19–12 | 14–6 | T–1st | |||||
| 2010–11 | Rick Byrd | 30–5 | 19–1 | 1st | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| 2011–12 | Rick Byrd | 27–8 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| Belmont Bruins (Ohio Valley Conference) (2012–present) | |||||||||
| 2012–13 | Rick Byrd | 26–7 | 14–2 | 1st (East) | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| 2013–14 | Rick Byrd | 26–10 | 14–2 | 1st (East) | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
| 2014–15 | Rick Byrd | 22–11 | 11–5 | T–1st (East) | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Rick Byrd | 20–12 | 12–4 | 1st (East) | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2016–17 | Rick Byrd | 23–7 | 15–1 | 1st (East) | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2017–18 | Rick Byrd | 24–9 | 15–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 2018–19 | Rick Byrd | 27–6 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA Round of 64 | ||||
| Rick Byrd: | 713–346 (.673) | 378–110 (.790) | |||||||
| Casey Alexander (Ohio Valley Conference) (2019–present) | |||||||||
| 2019–20 | Casey Alexander | 26–7 | 15–3 | T-1st | Postseason not held | ||||
| 2020–21 | Casey Alexander | ||||||||
| Casey Alexander: | 26–7 | 15–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 1185–838 (.586) | ||||||||
| National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
Postseason results
They have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–8. They qualified for the 2020 NCAA Tournament before it was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times with a combined record of 3–4. They have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) once with a record of 1–1. Prior to joining NCAA Division I, they participated in five NAIA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 9–5.
NCAA Tournament Results
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | #15 | First Round | UCLA | L 44–78 |
| 2007 | #15 | First Round | Georgetown | L 55–80 |
| 2008 | #15 | First Round | Duke | L 70–71 |
| 2011 | #13 | First Round | Wisconsin | L 58–72 |
| 2012 | #14 | First Round | Georgetown | L 59–74 |
| 2013 | #11 | First Round | Arizona | L 64–81 |
| 2015 | #15 | First Round | Villanova | L 67–79 |
| 2019 | #11 | First Four First Round | Temple Maryland | W 81–70 L 77–79 |
In the 2008 tournament, the #15 seeded Bruins, playing in the West Region, played an exciting, hard-fought first-round game with a perennial powerhouse, the #2 seeded Duke Blue Devils. The Bruins came up one point short of the upset, losing the game 70–71 after Justin Hare's desperation three point attempt barely went wide left of the net. The Bruins rallied from 9 point and 7 point deficits in the second half to take a 70–69 lead late in the game, before Duke scored what proved to be the game's final basket with under a minute left to play.
In 2011 Belmont University won the Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship and the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. The Bruins finished 30–4 overall (marking their first 30 win season in the NCAA era) and 19–1 in conference play. By doing this they received their highest seed in their history, a #13. They faced the perennial powerhouse the #4 seed Wisconsin Badgers in the second round of the Southeast Region, where they lost 58–72.