NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Thursday at Murray State.
Belmont defeated SIU Edwardsville, 92-69, Monday. Senior Evan Bradds (Jamestown, Ohio) had a game-high 24 points for the Bruins.
Bradds was named one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award Wednesday.
Bradds is averaging 20.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over his last three games vs. Murray State. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in last season's meeting.
The 2013 OVC co-Players of the Year - Ian Clark of Belmont and Isaiah Canaan of Murray State - have gone onto solid young careers in the NBA. Clark currently plays for the Golden State Warriors and Canaan for the Chicago Bulls.
Belmont Director of Basketball Operations Tyler Holloway was a four-year letterwinner at Murray State from 2006-09. Holloway scored 1,083 career points, and played three seasons for former Murray State head coach Steve Prohm when Prohm served as an assistant coach to Billy Kennedy.
Former Belmont Director of Athletics Mike Strickland held the same position at Murray State from 1987-96. Strickland retired following the 2015-16 academic year.
Belmont and Murray State have played six times since the Bruins joined the OVC in 2012-13, including two of the most compelling conference championship games in recent memory.
In the 2013 OVC Championship, Kerron Johnson ('13) sank the game-tying and game-winning shots to send Belmont to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Johnson currently plays for MKS Dabrowa Gornicza in Poland.
In the 2015 OVC Championship, Taylor Barnette sank a three-pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining to lift Belmont to a dramatic 88-87 victory over [25/24] Murray State to secure the Bruins' seventh NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years. Barnette's shot was named ESPN/Capital One Impact Performance of ChampionshipWeek and was an ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 play for March.
This marks the 12th meeting between Belmont and Murray State.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app. The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network and 104.5 The Zone. In-game updates will be available via Twitter @BelmontMBB.
Belmont at Murray State Game Notes
