1. I arrived about 10 minutes of game time late from the Vanderbilt-Texas A&M game just in time to watch Belmont hit 11 threes in the first half. 36 of the Bruins 43 points in the half came from beyond the arc. That’s an absurd percentage and quintessential Belmont Bruins basketball.
2. TSU trailed 40-21 with 2:18 left in the first half. The Tigers used a 7-0 run to cut the Bruins lead to 12, 40-28, and looked to have positive momentum heading into the half. That was the case until Austin Luke hit a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer to cap off a 12 for 21 three-point shooting performance for Belmont. The frustration was clear for Dana Ford and TSU as Delano Spencer, who led the Tigers with 14 points at the half, exasperated, slapped the floor.
3. For comparison, TSU shot 3 for 7 from behind the arc and 37 percent for the half, while Belmont shot 56 percent. The Tigers outscored the Bruins in the paint 14 to 6 and only turned the ball over four times but it’s hard to overcome a three-point onslaught like they faced.
4. Belmont hit another seven three-pointers in the second half to reach a new Curb Events Center record 20 threes. Fun stat: The Bruins connected on more threes (20) than TSU attempted (19).
5. Both teams will now focus on the Ohio Valley Conference tournament at the Ford Center in Evansville. TSU, now having lost three straight, will await the result of Jacksonville State-Tennessee Tech. If JSU wins, TSU will earn the sixth and face seventh seed Eastern Illinois Wednesday night at approximately 8:30 PM. If Tech win, TSU would rise to the fifth seed, due to a season sweep of the Gamecocks, and face the eight seed SIU Edwardsville at 6:30 PM that same night. The Tigers will need to win four games in four days to earn the conferences automatic bid the Big Dance, which would be the schools first ever appearance.
6. For Belmont, the Bruins will be looking for help from their neighbors in Clarksville as Austin Peay hosts first-place Murray State. Currently, the Racers hold a one-game lead over the Bruins. We’re Murray to lose, Belmont would own the tiebreaker having defeated the Racers 79-72 back in January at Curb Events Center. Either way, Belmont gets a bye into the semifinals, needing only two wins to clinch the schools eight NCAA Tournament appearance.
