Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves will open 2026 with a road contest against the Belmont Bruins

Game Information 
Bradley Braves 10-4 (3-0 MVC) at Belmont Bruins 12-2 (2-1 MVC)
Date & Time: Thursday, January 1st | 6:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Watch | Listen 
Location: Curb Event Center in Nashville, TN
All-Time Series: Belmont leads 3-2

The Valley
Two of the Missouri Valley Conference's top teams will meet Thursday night when Bradley and Belmont collide. As the calendar flips over to the new year, four teams remain unbeaten in MVC play, with Bradley, Illinois State, Murray State, and UNI occupying the top four spots in the standings. The league has been defined by parity and close contests so far this season. Last Monday's slate featured four of the five league games being decided by 10 points or fewer. Thursday's matchup between Bradley and Belmont will feature the only two teams that rank in the top five of the MVC in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

The Bradley Braves
Bradley will look to maintain its groove headed to the "Music City". The Braves are currently riding a seven-game winning streak and have won nine of their last 10 games, highlighted by an undefeated month of December. During the seven-game streak, Bradley has allowed more than 69 points just once, which came in a triple-overtime win over Indiana State. Jaquan Johnson has put the MVC on notice, ranking as the only player in the conference to sit in the top five in scoring, assists, and steals. Johnson also recorded his third 20+ point game in a row following BU's win over Evansville, making him the first Brave to accomplish that feat since Darrell Brown Jr in 2019. Freshman Montana Wheeler has been among the league's best newcomers and has carried that success into conference play, averaging 12.7 points and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field against league opponents. Wheeler also ranks second in the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.2. Defensively, Bradley continues to frustrate opposing offenses, ranking sixth nationally in turnover margin and 17th in forced turnovers per game.

The Belmont Bruins
Belmont has opened the season with a strong 12-2 record but will be looking to rebound after an overtime loss at Indiana State in its most recent outing. The Bruins are coached by Casey Alexander, who is in his seventh season at the helm of his alma mater. Alexander owns a career record of 289-176, with previous coaching stops at Stetson and Lipscomb. On the court, Belmont is led by four double-digit scorers, with Tyler Lundblade leading the way. Lundblade is averaging 16.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this season. The Bruins currently rank 1st in the MVC in field goal percentage at 51 percent, 2nd in field goal percentage defense at 37 percent, and 1st in rebounding at 40 RPG.

History Says
The brief history between Bradley and Belmont has produced results at opposite extremes. In just five all-time meetings, Belmont holds a 3-2 series advantage and is 1-1 in games played in Nashville. Three of those five matchups have been decided by three points or fewer, all Belmont victories. The other two meetings were double-digit wins by Bradley, coming in Nashville in 2025 and in Peoria in 2024. When the Braves take the floor Thursday night it will mark the the 123th anniversary of Bradley basketball, with Bradley's first ever official game being played on 01/01/1903 against the "Invincibles" where Bradley won 12-8.

The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with Scott Warmann and Dan Muller on the call and is set for a 6:00 p.m. tipoff from the Curb Events Center. Fans can also tune into 1470 WMBD to listen to Dave Snell and Chad Kliene for the Bradley radio broadcast.