With the start to the 2021 NCAA tournament and the bracket being released to the public on March 14, college basketball fans noticed that the Belmont Bruins failed to receive an invitation to the tournament. There is controversy as to whether the team deserved a spot in the bracket.
The Ohio Valley conference team had a successful regular season with an 18-2 record and secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The Bruins even made it to the championship game but suffered a loss to Morehead State with a final score of 86-71. The team is also tied this year with the Division I team Gonzaga for highest winning percentage in college basketball.
Although much of the public is lamenting the end of the Bruins’ season, Belmont head coach Casey Alexander discussed how maybe the lack of the NCAA tournament invitation was for the best:
“I don’t feel like (we deserve a spot in the NCAA tournament) at the moment. We can put our case together, but honestly, I don’t think anything cares what we think.”
Alexander continued, “I hope we have some basketball left to play somewhere. If we do, we’ll be ready to go.”
