Centre College vs Belmont prediction: Belmont starts the Evan Bradds era hunting for its lost shooters
Division III Centre gives the new-look Bruins a low-stakes first test of whether last season's nation-leading shooting survived the departure of Tyler Lundblade.
- Belmont should control a D-III visitor; the real question is which shooters and lineups Bradds trusts before Lipscomb.
- Jack Smiley's jumper: he shot 43.6% from three off the bench last season and is expected to be a major rotation piece.
- No spread or total is posted yet. Last season Belmont scored 83.9 points per game, 22nd nationally, with a largely different rotation.
The shooting has to be rebuilt
Last season Belmont was the best shooting team in the country. It led Division I in both effective field goal percentage (threes count 1.5 times) at 60.7% and 3-point percentage at 40.3%, on the way to a 26-6 record and an MVC regular-season title.
The men who made those shots are mostly gone. Tyler Lundblade left for Tennessee after hitting 115 threes. Sam Orme went to Nebraska and Drew Scharnowski to Duke. The returners played 61.5% of last season's minutes, so last season's team numbers are only a loose guide. The obvious heir is Jack Smiley, who hit 44 threes as a reserve. Jabez Jenkins started all 32 games but shot 28.1% from deep, and Brigham Rogers did his work inside, at 72.5% from the floor.
The only public look so far went badly: a 102-62 exhibition loss at No. 2 Duke on Oct. 8. Eoin Dillon, expected to be a rotation piece, is a player to watch after the exhibition. Nothing newer on Belmont's availability has surfaced.
A new coach on both benches
Evan Bradds takes over after Casey Alexander left for Kansas State, and this is his first regular-season game on the Belmont bench.
Centre, a Division III program in the SAA, has some continuity. Gavin Root was named permanent head coach in March after serving as interim, and nine of the Colonels' top 10 scorers return. Their high point last season was a home win over No. 25 Rhodes, their first win over a ranked team since 2019.
What to watch
- Smiley's role: whether he starts or keeps the sixth-man role he held last season.
- Dillon's role: how much Eoin Dillon, one of the expected rotation pieces, plays.
- Rotation clues: Lipscomb in the Battle of the Boulevard comes next, so expect Bradds to test lineups here.
Key players
- Jack Smiley (Belmont): He shot 43.6% from three and posted a 24 usage rate off the bench last season.
- Jabez Jenkins (Belmont): He started all 32 games last season and averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.
- Brigham Rogers (Belmont): He made 72.5% of his shots last season with a 130.7 offensive rating.
Numbers that matter
| Returning minutes | 61.5% | Share of last season's minutes played by players on Belmont's current roster. |
|---|---|---|
| Last season's 3-point % | 40.3% | It ranked 1st in Division I, but its top shooter has since left. |
| Lundblade's threes | 115 | The made threes Belmont must replace after he transferred to Tennessee. |
| Duke exhibition | 102-62 | Belmont's lopsided Oct. 8 loss at No. 2 Duke, its only game action so far. |
Centre College vs Belmont: quick answers
When is Centre College vs Belmont?
Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET.