Bellarmine’s men’s and women’s basketball teams didn’t just move to a new division and conference this season—they moved to a new home court. The Knights now call iconic Freedom Hall home, following the elevation of Bellarmine’s entire athletics program to NCAA Division I in July 2020. Most teams, including the basketball programs, play in the ASUN Conference.  Bellarmine’s multiyear partnership with Kentucky Venues, which operates Freedom Hall, grew out of the university’s search for alternative venues when the pandemic limited seating capacity for the 2020-21 season. With 18,252 seats, Freedom Hall could accommodate 2,700 fans under the state’s recommended cap of 15 percent capacity. Attendance at Knights Hall would have been restricted to just over 300 fans.     “We then saw the obvious benefits of making Freedom Hall a more long-term home for our basketball programs,” said Bellarmine Athletic Director Scott Wiegandt. “Freedom Hall was a natural choice as it’s steeped in rich basketball tradition and is minutes from our campus.”   Watch crews installing the Bellarmine court at Freedom Hall in this 60-second time-lapse video: