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Mid-major Basketball: Early 2020-21 preview for Belmont Basketball

By Drew Schmelzer

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Adam Kunkel #5 of the Belmont Bruins reacts on the bench in the second half of play against the Maryland Terrapins during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MARCH 21: Adam Kunkel #5 of the Belmont Bruins reacts on the bench in the second half of play against the Maryland Terrapins during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: The Belmont Bruins huddle (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: The Belmont Bruins huddle (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

2020-21 outlook for Belmont Basketball

The Ohio Valley is going to again be one of the premier mid major conferences in the country and it’s not all about Belmont. Tevin Brown (17.9 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 3.7 Ast) returns for Murray State who tied Belmont atop the conference regular season standings a season ago as does OVC Player of the Year Terry Taylor (21.8 Pts, 11.0 Reb, 1.4 Ast) of Austin Peay.

Both the Racers and Governors will challenge Belmont for a league title along with a dark horse candidate in Tennessee Tech. John Pelphrey returns seven players who scored more than 5 points per game led by Jr Clay (13.4 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 3.9 Ast) and will be hungry to improve off of last season’s 6-12 league record.

The OVC is going to make a push to be a multi bid conference in 2020-21 and if that all plays out, I see no scenario where Belmont is not in the NCAA Tournament this season. The Bruins are going to have the opportunity to be a top 25 team as well as they are set to play in the Orlando Invitational in November, a field that includes Auburn, Gonzaga and Michigan State among others.

You beat one of those teams and don’t slip up otherwise during the non-conference slate, you’re going to have a chance to be ranked early on and potentially for the entire season which could position Belmont for a better seed than its become accustomed to in March. This squad is capable of it, too.

When all is said and done, I will be surprised if Belmont does not win it’s first “non play in” NCAA Tournament game in 2020-21. While Coach Byrd didn’t experience the tournament runs that he deserved for what he built in Nashville, he certainly set the stage for what could be a few special seasons for Alexander and this bunch.

Next. Early mid-major power rankings for 2020-21. dark

One thing is for sure, Belmont is the best basketball team in Nashville and arguably the best true mid major (no, Gonzaga does not count) in the country, but they have bigger fish to fry. The Bruins are ready for a national stage.