Battle of the Boulevard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caption1

Caption2

The Battle of the Boulevard is the nickname given to the basketball game between Lipscomb University and Belmont University. Both universities are located in Nashville, Tennessee and are adjacent to Belmont Boulevard, just three miles from each other. These traditional basketball powerhouses meet a handful of times during a season. The game, first played in 1953, at one point had outgrown the small gyms formerly on the two schools' campuses; a game contested at Vanderbilt University's Memorial Gymnasium in 1990 attracted a crowd of 15,399 and is still the most highly-attended game in the history of the NAIA. Games are now played twice annually, once in Lipscomb's Allen Arena and once in Belmont's Curb Event Center. Since both schools are now in the Atlantic Sun Conference, a third meeting is possible in the conference's postseason tournament (which happened in 2006; see below). As of Jan. 16, 2006, Lipscomb holds a 67-43 advantage over Belmont in the series.

The rivalry briefly stopped in 1996 when Belmont University moved into NCAA Division I and Lipscomb stayed in the NAIA, but was renewed in 2002 when Lipscomb University moved into the NCAA as well.

In 2006, the rivalry reached a new level when Belmont and Lipscomb advanced to the finals of the Atlantic Sun tournament at the Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, with the winner earning its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. Belmont won 74-69 in overtime.