Belmont received one vote in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Poll, the first time since it joined the NCAA in 1996-97 that the men's program received a vote in either the coaches or Associated Press polls.

Bruins coach Rick Byrd votes in the poll but did not vote for his own team.

"For many programs, getting a vote for the top 25 in the country would not be newsworthy, for some it would even be disappointing,” Byrd said. “When it is your first-ever vote, however, it is a milestone to be noted, and I am happy for our players and for Belmont to just be considered in the same company as some of the top basketball programs in the country. It is a statement about what we have achieved thus far, but there is a lot of basketball left to be played, and we should be mindful of the task at hand this weekend at USC Upstate and ETSU first and foremost."