Record: 22-10

Region – Seed: East – No. 15

RPI: 105

BPI: 54

Conference: Ohio Valley Conference

How They Qualified: OVC Tournament Champion

The Belmont Bruins have had success in the past, but this trip to the NCAA Tournament is a bit unexpected. Yes, Belmont won a share of the Ohio Valley Conference East Division title, but Rick Byrd has had better teams during his 29-year tenure in Nashville.

Byrd is an outstanding coach and he got his team playing well at the right time. Belmont has won seven in a row, including an 88-87 upset win over OVC regular season champion Murray State in the tournament championship game.

What You Need to Know:

Leading Scorer: Craig Bradshaw, 17.9 ppg

Leading Rebounder: Evan Bradds, 7.1 rpg

Leading Passer: Reece Chamberlain, 5.9 apg

Bad Losses: at Wright State, at Jacksonville State

Good Wins: Murray State

Byrd will have his team ready to play in the big dance. He has been there before, even though many of his best players haven’t. Junior guard Craig Bradshaw is an excellent shooter, while Evan Bradds is the main interior player for the Bruins.

Taylor Barnette is another outstanding shooter for Belmont, and he hit the game-winning shot in the OVC Tournament championship. Reece Chamberlain is an outstanding distributor at the point for the Bruins.

The OVC has had some success in the NCAA Tournament recently, but Belmont is probably a long shot to win a game. However, with Byrd’s experience on the bench, they will be a tough out.

Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.