NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Belmont is a champion again. The Bruins captured the outright Missouri Valley Conference championship with an 87-70 win over Indiana State Saturday night at the Curb Event Center.
It is Belmont’s first conference championship since joining the Missouri Valley four years ago.
Belmont has a long history of success. It has recorded 16 straight 20-win seasons, a streak matched only by national powers Gonzaga and Kansas. Only the Bulldogs and Jayhawks have won more regular-season conference championships than the Bruins in recent years as well.
Belmont’s MVC title was its 13th regular-season championship in the last 21 years, and it has come across three different leagues. Rick Byrd led Belmont to five ASUN championships before the program transitioned into the Ohio Valley Conference in 2013. The Bruins continued their success there with Byrd leading them to at least a share of five more regular-season titles before he retired after the 2018-19 season.
Casey Alexander picked up where he left off with OVC titles in 2020 and 2021, but the move to the Missouri Valley was significant. The Valley is the second-oldest conference in America after the Big Ten and has routinely been ranked as one of the top 10 basketball conferences in America, whereas the ASUN and OVC generally rank in the mid-20’s. Belmont has performed well, matching Bradley for the most wins in the league over its four seasons as a member, but it took this season to get over the hump and finally win a crown.
Alexander’s team is now 25-4 overall and 17-3 in MVC play ahead of Wednesday’s final home game against Evansville. The Bruins lead the nation in effective field goal percentage on offense, ranking in the top 10 in both two-point and three-point percentage. They have also been much improved on the defensive end of the floor while winning 12 of the last 13 games.
Alexander joined Steve Layman in studio for Newschannel 5’s Sunday Sports Central to talk about winning the MVC title, this year’s team and postseason possibilities. You can watch the full interview in the video player above.
