NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Thursday at Murray State.
The Bruins defeated Morehead State, 77-59, Jan. 18. Sophomore Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) had 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in the victory. The 6-11 center ranks among OVC leaders in five statistical categories and is 25th nationally in effective field goal percentage (.649) per Ken Pomeroy. Muszynski, a Lou Henson Award candidate, had 20 points on 10-for-13 shooting, a career-high six assists and four rebounds in Belmont's 79-66 victory at Murray State last season. He did not play in the 2019 OVC Championship vs. Murray State after sustaining an ankle injury in the semifinal victory over Austin Peay.
Sophomore Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) had 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists vs. Morehead State. The 6-2 floor general has seven double-doubles and leads the nation in rebounding from the point guard position (8.3).
Sophomore Adam Kunkel (Hebron, Ky.) has 16 double figure scoring games this season, including a career-high 35 points in Belmont's victory at Boston College. The 6-3 guard has been OVC Player of the Week twice this season, and ranks among OVC leaders in five statistical categories. He had 16 points vs. Morehead State.
Graduate student Tyler Scanlon (Centreville, Va.) has provided quality, consistent production for Belmont this season. The 6-7 forward has 11 double figure scoring games and is among select forwards nationally averaging double figure scoring and three-plus assists per game. Scanlon was named OVC Newcomer of the Week Dec. 30.
Senior Michael Benkert (Greenwood, Ind.) scored a career-high 15 points at Western Kentucky Dec. 28. One of the top perimeter defenders in the OVC, Benkert has made 23 consecutive starts for the Bruins.
The Belmont-Murray State series has quickly emerged as one of the most compelling and entertaining rivalries in college basketball. Eight of the 11 meetings have been decided by nine points or fewer or had conference championship implications.
In the 2013 OVC Championship at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Kerron Johnson ('13) sank the game-tying and game-winning shots to lift Belmont over Murray State and into the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Johnson currently plays for Cluj Napoca in Romania.
In the 2015 OVC Championship at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, 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 Championship Week and was an ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 play for March.
Last year, Belmont's Dylan Windler and Murray State's Ja Morant became the first OVC duo of the modern era selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Windler and Morant were two of only 11 NBA first round draft selections outside the traditional multi-bid leagues in the decade of 2010-19, including the likes of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Pascal Siakam.
2019 All-OVC guard Kevin McClain scored 39 points in two games vs. Murray State last season.
Belmont assistant coach 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.
This marks the 17th meeting between Belmont and Murray State. Belmont has won seven of the 11 meetings in OVC play.
Murray State has won 21 of its last 24 conference home games, but Belmont has won each of the last two meetings at the CFSB Center, including 79-66 last season.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 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 Murray State 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.
