Basketball is ramping up with the anticipated release of the Belmont women’s basketball program regular season schedule.
The 2023-24 schedule will be a challenge for head coach Bart Brooks and his team.
The Bruins will face off against nine teams who made a national postseason appearance last year.
The Bruins will begin their non-conference slate on Nov. 6 against the University of Missouri on the road.
The first home game of the season will kick off against Georgia University on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. before hosting another Southeastern Conference opponent in Mississippi State University on Nov. 19.
The Bruins then travel to Henderson, Nevada to play in the 2023 Ball Dawgs Classic from Nov. 22-24, where they will play against PAC-12 opponent Stanford University.
The Cardinals went 29-6 last season, including a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament.
Another tournament team Belmont will face is Middle Tennessee State University, which was a No.11 seed in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament, on Dec. 3.
The heated Battle of the Boulevard between the Bruins and Lipscomb University will take place at the Curb Event Center on Dec. 9.
The Bruins’ MVC play then begins on Dec. 30 when they host the University of Illinois Chicago.
Beginning the new year, the Bruins face off with defending regular season co-champion Illinois State University on Jan. 4.
The Redbirds posted a 24-9 overall record last year and made a postseason appearance in the WNIT for the third-straight season.
The competition then becomes tougher as the Bruins will make their way to Drake University on Jan. 19.
The Bulldogs went 22-10 overall last year and took the win against the Bruins in the Hoops in the Heartland tournament, earning the Bulldogs the MVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Bruins will close their away game stretch against the University of Northern Iowa on Jan. 21.
The Panthers were ranked No. 1 on the MVC preseason poll and have Preseason Player of the Year Grace Boffeli.
Belmont will host conference rival Murray State University on Feb. 3, who went 15-16 overall and 7-13 in conference play last year.
The Bruins celebrate Senior Day against the University of Evansville on March 3, where they will honor senior guard Blair Schoenwald.
The annual Hoops in the Heartland tournament will then take place starting March 14-17 in Moline, Illinois at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK.
The Bruins will compete in the four-day tournament with 11 other teams in the Quad Cities, hoping to clinch a spot in March Madness.
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This article was written by Cat Da Rocha