Belmont's first season under Bradds, who replacedCasey Alexanderin the offseason, won't begin until November. Still, the Bruins are preparing for this exhibition game at Cameron Indoor Stadium (6 p.m. CT,ACC Network Extra) against the preseasonNo. 2-ranked Blue Devilslike it's a real game.
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"We're going to treat it just like we would a regular-season game," Bradds said. "These three exhibitions, or secret scrimmages, that we're playing are really important for guys to get into our normal routine preparing for games."
Feb 4, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) warms up with assistant coach Evan Bradds before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
(Chris Nicoll, Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports)
Mar 19, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Belmont Bruins guard Evan Bradds (35) shoots the ball during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
(Celtics Wire)
Reece Chamberlain (22) and Evan Bradds (35) celebrate as Belmont University beats Murray State University to win the OVC men's tournament championship 88-87 at Municipal Auditorium Mar. 7, 2015.
(Samuel M. Simpkins / The Tennessean)
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) shoots over Murray State forward Gee McGhee (12) during the second half at Curb Event Center Thursday Jan. 14, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) shoots past Murray State forward Brion Sanchious (4) in the first half on Jan. 14, 2016. Bradds led the Bruins with 23 points.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) and Tennessee State guard Xavier Richards (3) fight for a loose ball on Jan. 24, 2016 at the Curb Event Center.
(Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) slips past the TSU defense for a shot on Jan. 24, 2016. Bradds finished with a career-high 36.
(Larry McCormack / The Tennessean.com)
Tennessee Tech forward Ryan Martin (13) blocks a shot by Belmont forward Evan Bradds on Feb. 20, 2016.
(Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean)
Belmont guard Jeff Laidig (5) congratulates teammate Evan Bradds (35) in front of Tennessee Tech guard Torrance Rowe (12) after the Bruins won 95-86 on Feb. 20, 2016. At right is Tennessee Tech guard Aleksa Jugovic (4).
(Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean)
Belmont's Evan Bradds (35) dunks against Austin Peay in the OVC Tournament semifinals in Municipal Auditorium on March 4, 2016.
(Alan Poizner, For The Tennessean)
Lipscomb guard Michael Buckland (3) drives the baseline past Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) during the first half at Curb Event Center Tuesday Nov. 29, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) flies to the basket over Lipscomb guard Michael Buckland (3) during the second half at Curb Event Center Tuesday Nov. 29, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) shoots past Lipscomb center Rob Marberry (0) during the second half at Allen Arena Tuesday Dec. 6, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
Belmont's Evan Bradds, left, and Tennessee State's Christian Mekowlulu will play key roles in Saturday's game at Gentry Center.
(Shelley Mays/The Tennessean)
Belmont’s Evan Bradds attempts a shot while being guarded by MTSU’s Reggie Upshaw during their game at Belmont Wednesday December 14, 2016.
(Alan Poizner/The Tennessean)
1/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Feb 4, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) warms up with assistant coach Evan Bradds before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
(Chris Nicoll, Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports)
1/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Feb 4, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) warms up with assistant coach Evan Bradds before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
(Chris Nicoll, Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports)
2/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Mar 19, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Belmont Bruins guard Evan Bradds (35) shoots the ball during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
(Celtics Wire)
3/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Reece Chamberlain (22) and Evan Bradds (35) celebrate as Belmont University beats Murray State University to win the OVC men's tournament championship 88-87 at Municipal Auditorium Mar. 7, 2015.
(Samuel M. Simpkins / The Tennessean)
4/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) shoots over Murray State forward Gee McGhee (12) during the second half at Curb Event Center Thursday Jan. 14, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
5/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) shoots past Murray State forward Brion Sanchious (4) in the first half on Jan. 14, 2016. Bradds led the Bruins with 23 points.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
6/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) and Tennessee State guard Xavier Richards (3) fight for a loose ball on Jan. 24, 2016 at the Curb Event Center.
(Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)
7/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) slips past the TSU defense for a shot on Jan. 24, 2016. Bradds finished with a career-high 36.
(Larry McCormack / The Tennessean.com)
8/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Tennessee Tech forward Ryan Martin (13) blocks a shot by Belmont forward Evan Bradds on Feb. 20, 2016.
(Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean)
9/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont guard Jeff Laidig (5) congratulates teammate Evan Bradds (35) in front of Tennessee Tech guard Torrance Rowe (12) after the Bruins won 95-86 on Feb. 20, 2016. At right is Tennessee Tech guard Aleksa Jugovic (4).
(Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean)
10/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont's Evan Bradds (35) dunks against Austin Peay in the OVC Tournament semifinals in Municipal Auditorium on March 4, 2016.
(Alan Poizner, For The Tennessean)
11/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Lipscomb guard Michael Buckland (3) drives the baseline past Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) during the first half at Curb Event Center Tuesday Nov. 29, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
12/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) flies to the basket over Lipscomb guard Michael Buckland (3) during the second half at Curb Event Center Tuesday Nov. 29, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
13/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont forward Evan Bradds (35) shoots past Lipscomb center Rob Marberry (0) during the second half at Allen Arena Tuesday Dec. 6, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
(George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
14/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont's Evan Bradds, left, and Tennessee State's Christian Mekowlulu will play key roles in Saturday's game at Gentry Center.
(Shelley Mays/The Tennessean)
15/15
Evan Bradds, Belmont basketball coach replacing Casey Alexander in 2026-27 season
Belmont’s Evan Bradds attempts a shot while being guarded by MTSU’s Reggie Upshaw during their game at Belmont Wednesday December 14, 2016.
Bradds was an assistant at Duke during the 2025-26 seaso. Even after he was hired at Belmont, he remained on Blue Devils' coach Jon Scheyer's staff through the NCAA Tournament, which ended with a 73-72 loss to Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
Evan Bradds was joking when he suggested Duke-Belmont exhibition
After arriving at Belmont, Bradds casually suggested to Scheyer that the Bruins should play the Blue Devils.
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"It started as a joke, like, 'Hey Jon, you want to come to Nashville and play a game?'" Bradds said. "And then it was like (Scheyer said), 'Maybe we'll do a scrimmage here.' A couple of weeks later it just kind of took actual life, and we got it done. They told us to hold a couple of dates; we held a couple of dates and now here we are."
Bradds, who played at Belmont (2013-17), is the program's all-time leading scorer (1,921 points), inherited several key returners from the 2025-26 team. The Bruins (26-6) won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship, and earned top-25 votes through the season. Alexander left after the season when he was named the Kansas State men's basketball coach.
Belmont's players treating Duke like a national championship game
The exhibition doesn't count, but that's not how Jabez Jenkins, the Bruins' leading returning scorer, sees it.
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"To us, we're going to play it like it's the national championship game," said Jenkins, who averaged 9.0 points in 32 starts in 2025-26. "We're going to play it like they're Duke and we're Belmont; we are the team that we've been working on all summer, and we're going to go in there ready to play."
Can Belmont add Duke to regular-season schedule?
Before he leaves Durham, North Carolina, Bradds will likely make another suggestion to Scheyer. He wants to schedule Duke for a regular-season game.
If Scheyer says no, Bradds won't give up.
"I will ask him every single year if he wants to play," Bradds said. "We'll see if we can get a real game out of it sometime. No question I want to play them. I have such high respect for Jon and Duke's program, so I will be annoying every single year and ask him."
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Belmont and Duke have played twice before, with the Blue Devils winning each game by one point. Duke beat Belmont 71-70 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and 77-76 in the 2011-12 regular season.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
