Belmont Bruins Book NCAA Tournament Bid
The Belmont University Bruins booked a return ticket to the NCAA Tournament following a thrilling 88-87 upset win over #25 Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game on Saturday, and in doing so also became the first team to earn a Tournament bid.
Sophomore guard Taylor Barnette took a pass with his back turned almost completely to the basket and launched a desperation heave with 3.2 seconds left that found the bottom of the net, bringing Murray State’s 25-game win streak to an end and jeopardizing the Racers’ hopes of a Tournament bid of their own.
As a team with double-digit losses that would not likely have made the Tournament without the conference championship, Belmont will likely be looking at a double-digit seed. This is a position they will be used to, with their highest seed being just an 11 seed in their last appearance in 2013. Guard play is the strength of this team, and head coach Rick Byrd will be relying on sophomore Evan Bradds (14.3 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game) and junior Craig Bradshaw (18.1 ppg) as the keys to success.
This will mark the Bruins’ 7th trip to the Tournament since making their debut in 2006.
(Feature Image: USA Today/Jim Brown)