Lipscomb at Belmont 8:00 PM Eastern, ovcdigitalnetwork.com
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The Battle of the Boulevard. Two schools separated by only abut two miles in Nashville, Tennessee, with a basketball rivalry that dates all the way back to 1953. The Bisons of Lipscomb enter tonight’s game at Belmont with a 73-65 all-time lead in the series. However, since both teams made the move up to Division I, Belmont has an 18-9 edge, including having won a series-record tieing nine consecutive games against their rivals. Lipscomb head coach Casey Alexander is currently 0-8 in this rivalry, a record he wants to fix tonight. Of course, one of the key underlying stories in this rivalry is the head coaches as Alexander both played for Belmont and served as an assistant coach under Belmont head man Rick Byrd for 16 years.
Lipscomb enters play tonight with a record of 2-5 on the season, but a disappointing 0-5 against Division I foes. Sophomore Garrison Mathews has been the team’s top player so far, including a 16 point, 6 rebound and 7 assist effort in a loss to St. Peter’s. Belmont is only 1-3 on the season, but the three losses were all respectable (Vanderbilt, Florida and Rhode Island). Senior star Evan Bradds missed the team’s last game dealing with an injury but, assuming he is able to go tonight, figures to be a major factor in this game. He had a very impressive 26 point, 14 rebound effort in his team’s win over Western Kentucky and averaged a double-double in the team’s two wins over Lipscomb last season. Regardless of which players are on the court, however, or what their records are, this is a rivalry and all the stats can be thrown out when these two teams play. And if you are like us and love this rivalry, don’t worry because you will get to see them play again this season, on December 6 at Lipscomb.