LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The NCAA uses the catchy phrase "Don't bet on it" to reiterate its stance banning the practice for student-athletes and pretty much anyone else involved in college athletics.
 
However, as the Bellarmine men's basketball team heads to gambling mecca Las Vegas for games against No. 2 UCLA and Central Michigan, it's difficult not to consider the good and bad bets facing the Knights as they close an epic 6-game road stretch to open the season.
 
It's a good bet that no team in the country—much less a team in its second year of transitioning to Division I—has faced the challenges Bellarmine has taken on thus far in the season. 
 
The Knights (0-4) will have faced three of the nation's top six teams to start the season and done so all on the road.  Opening with the Purdue Boilermakers, Bellarmine squared off with a team that has already risen a spot in the rankings, moving from No. 7 in the preseason to No. 6 currently. 
 
From there, BU bussed it down to Murray State, to take on the Racers, who are always among the best the Ohio Valley Conference has to offer.
 
Next, the "road games" became "air games" as the Knights flew to California to meet the Saint Mary's Gaels, a team at has made either the NCAA or NIT in each of the last eight seasons.  This year, the Gaels are ranked No. 6 in College Insider's Mid-Major Top 25 and feature a roster that returns 100 percent of its minutes played from last year.
 
Then, it was another plane ride, this time to Spokane, Washington for a date with the No. 1-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, where the atmosphere in the McCarthey Athletic Center ("The Kennel") is perhaps unparalleled in college basketball.  The Zags had won 54 in a row prior the Knights' visit, but Bellarmine couldn't avoid being the 55th straight victim at The Kennel.
 
After yet another plane ride, the Knights are now preparing to finish off the trip at the Good Sam Empire Classic in Las Vegas where they'll face No. 2 UCLA on Monday at 5 p.m. PST and come back less than 24 hours later to tangle with the Chippewas of Central Michigan at 4 p.m. PST.
 
It's a bad bet to think that things are going to get easier for the Knights.  After facing No. 1 Gonzaga on Friday night, Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport indicated that this year's UCLA team is even better than the Bruin squad that made the NCAA Final Four last season. He said, "Watching UCLA play Long Beach, watching them play Villanova…they're every bit as good as Gonzaga.  They're different, but they're every bit as good."
 
The Bruins are off to a 4-0 start including a win over the No. 4 team in the country, Villanova.  The overwhelming favorites to win the Pac-12, UCLA features a talented and deep roster. Four Bruins are averaging in double digits, led by Johnny Juzang's 21.5 average. Jamie Jaquez, Jr. and Jules Bernard are both putting up 18 points a game while raking in 7.5 and 5.3 rebounds per game respectively.  The fourth double digit scorer is Tyger Campbell at 13 points per game.  He also is the chief distributor, handing out 4.8 assists per game.
 
On Tuesday, the Knights face a Chippewa team that features a lot of fresh faces.  In addition to six transfers and three freshmen, head coach Tony Barbee is in his first year at the helm. Barbee is a former head coach at Auburn and UTEP but spent the last seven years on John Calipari's staff at Kentucky.
 
Central Michigan has three games under its belt, dropping road games at Missouri and DePaul before notching a 62-61 win at Eastern Illinois. Graduate transfer Jermaine Jackson, Jr., is the leading CMU scorer so far this season, coming off the bench all three games to average 14.3 points. He also is leading the team in assists at four per game while 6-6 junior Brian Taylor is hauling in a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
Like the Chippewas, Bellarmine has just one player averaging in double digits as senior guard Dylan Penn has put up 14.8 points per game over the first four games. His breakout game came at Saint Mary's where he tied a career high with 27 points. 
 
Two other Knights also have attained career-high scoring games this season, with Garrett Tipton going for 15 at Murray State, and Juston Betz's 12-point effort at Gonzaga equaling his top scoring game.
 
Also like the Chippewas, Bellarmine's leading scorer also is its leading assist man as Penn is dishing out an average of 4.5 helpers per game.  Freshman Curt Hopf and Betz are chasing down four rebounds a game to lead the Knights.
 
After the Knights conclude play in Las Vegas, they'll get a brief rest to celebrate Thanksgiving before hosting their first home game of the year on Sunday, Nov. 28 when the Franklin Grizzlies visit Freedom Hall at 3 p.m.
 
Both games of Bellarmine's Empire Classic games will be streamed on ESPN+, and Bellarmine fans can also catch the game on the radio at 93.9 The Ville with Doug Ormay on play-by-play and Mark Bugg providing color commentary.
 
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