NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Wednesday at Lipscomb.
Belmont defeated High Point, 90-51, Monday. Sophomore Adam Kunkel (Hebron, Ky.) scored 14 points for the Bruins after earning OVC Player of the Week honors earlier in the day.
Sophomore Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) recorded six points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals in the victory. The 6-2 guard ranks among national leaders in steals (13) and rebounds (34) from the guard position.
Sophomore Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) had 14 points Monday for his 29th career double figure scoring game. The 6-11 center was named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List.
Junior Nick Hopkins (Fayetteville, Tenn.) followed up his 15-point performance at Boston College with 13 points and two steals Monday. Hopkins has 39 points in 64 minutes this season.
Belmont head coach Casey Alexander spent the last six seasons as head coach at Lipscomb. Alexander led the Bisons to the best three-year stretch of their NCAA Division I era and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Lipscomb won 113 games during Alexander's tenure, including 72 over the final three campaigns. Last season, Lipscomb won 29 games and reached the Postseason NIT Championship game.
Belmont associate head coach Brian Ayers played for Don Meyer at Lipscomb from 1989-93. Ayers coached with Alexander at Belmont from 1998-2011 and Lipscomb assistant Roger Idstrom from 2000-11.
Belmont assistant coach Sean Rutigliano spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Lipscomb on Alexander's staff. Rutigliano also spent two seasons as an assistant coach for Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff at UAH.
Belmont and Lipscomb combined to place four players on the NABC All-District teams in 2018-19 (Belmont: Dylan Windler, Kevin McClain; Lipscomb: Rob Marberry, Garrison Mathews).
This marks the first time since 1975 that a Belmont-Lipscomb game will be played without hall of fame coaches Rick Byrd or Don Meyer on the sidelines.
This marks the 145th meeting between Belmont and Lipscomb. The Battle of the Boulevard series dates back to 1953, with Lipscomb holding a 75-69 series lead. Belmont holds a 22-11 series lead in the NCAA Division I era of the rivalry (2004-present). Belmont won, 87-83, at Lipscomb and, 76-74, at Belmont last season.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The live play-by-play of Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network. In-game updates will be available via Twitter @BelmontMBB.
Belmont at Lipscomb Game Notes
Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 13 of the last 14 seasons, including eight berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 17 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont is one of only six NCAA Division I programs outside the Power 5 to post Top 100 RPIs nine consecutive seasons (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont is one of only nine NCAA Division I programs to win 19 or more games 14 consecutive seasons (BYU, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, San Diego State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 17 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of existence.
