NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Monday at Evansville.
The Bruins defeated Tennessee State, 88-63, Friday. Freshman
JaCobi Wood (Cleveland, Tenn.) scored a game-high 19 points as Belmont delivered one of its most complete performances of the season. The dynamic playmaker has six double figure scoring games and leads the OVC in scoring among freshmen (12.8 ppg).
Junior
Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) recorded his 60th career double figure scoring game vs. Tennessee State. The 6-11 center is a two-time First Team All-OVC selection, and the last time he played at the Ford Center he earned OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors behind his 25-point performance vs. Murray State in the championship.
Junior
Luke Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 10 points and four steals at Tennessee State. Smith became the first player in Belmont's NCAA Division I era to score 100 or more points in his first five games.
The 6-0 guard leads the OVC in eight statistical categories, and ranks third in the league in scoring (18.0 ppg).
He ranks second nationally in 3-point field goals and fourth in steals.
Smith was named DC Paradise Jam Most Valuable Player and Dec. 14 became the first player in nearly three years to earn OVC Player of the Week and OVC Newcomer of the Week honors the same week.
Sophomore
Ben Sheppard (Atlanta, Ga.) had eight points, five rebounds and a career-high five assists vs. Kennesaw State. The 6-6 guard made 32 game appearances last season, emerging as a valuable two-way player for Belmont.
Junior
Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) has continued his astounding rebounding rate from last season, adding a game-high nine rebounds vs. Tennessee State. After leading the nation in rebounding from the point guard position, Murphy has already recorded three double figure rebounding games this season, including two of his 11 career double-doubles. The reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year ranks second in the OVC in rebounding (9.5 rpg) and is on pace to threaten OVC career records in assists and steals.
The state of Indiana has been an essential part of the Bruin program. Sophomore
Rilee Epley hails from Newburgh, Indiana, where he was a standout at Harrison High School. Other recent Bruins from the Hoosier state include Cleveland Cavalier guard Dylan Windler (Indianapolis), Seth Adelsperger (Peru), Michael Benkert (Greenwood), Mack Mercer (Plymouth), Jeff Laidig (Mishawaka), Adam Mark (Bremen), Steve Drabyn (LaPorte) and Jordan Campbell (Indianapolis).
Evansville Technical Director of Purple Aces Productions Jacob Lutz spent the last two years as a Belmont graduate assistant contributing to the program's ESPN+ productions.
This marks the fourth meeting between Belmont and Evansville.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The live play-by-play can be heard on the Bruin Sports Network. In-game updates will be available via Twitter @BelmontMBB.
Belmont at Evansville Game Notes
Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 14 of the last 15 seasons, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 19 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 rankings 10 consecutive seasons (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont is one of only six NCAA Division I programs to win 19 or more games 15 consecutive seasons (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, 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.
