Belmont basketball fans are less than three months away from packing the Curb Event Center to see the Bruins run rampant on opposing teams.
And with the announcement of the 2024-25 women’s basketball non-conference schedule, there are plenty of tantalizing matchups for fans to anticipate.
Following a 26-9 season, the Bruins’ schedule features games against five teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
There’s also a chance Belmont faces another team with tournament experience if it faces Virginia Tech in the second round of the Fort Myers Tip-Off over Thanksgiving week.
For head coach Bart Brooks, this difficult schedule is a way for the team to prepare itself for the grind of Missouri Valley Conference play.
“I'm extremely excited about the challenge and opportunity of this season's non-conference schedule. We get to compete against a variety of styles, players and coaches who will push us to get better as a program,” Brooks said. “We have a lot of work to do in preparation for this year's schedule and I'm loving how our team is approaching the opportunity and challenge of the upcoming season.”
The Bruins host the Big Ten Conference regular season champion Ohio State University on Nov. 17, which finished top 10 in the 2023-24 NCAA Evaluation Tool.
Middle Tennessee State also travels to Nashville on Dec. 7 following a season where the Blue Raiders captured the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships and upset Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
On the road, the Bruins travel to Kansas State to kick off the season against a Wildcats team looking to build off a 26-8 season, Duke to face a team that made the Sweet 16 last season and Kentucky to play the Wildcats, which are gaining attention after adding a new head coach and flashy transfers.
The Bruins also have a pair of games against teams that competed in the postseason at neutral sites, playing Michigan in the first round of the Fort Myers Tip-Off and Mississippi State in Tupelo, Mississippi.
But the game that will mean the most to Belmont fans takes place on Dec. 4 when the Bruins travel to rival Lipscomb University for the Battle of the Boulevard.
Last season, the Bruins pulled away in the fourth quarter for their 14th-straight win over the Bison.
This season, can it be 15?
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This article was written by Ty Wellemeyer
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