EVANSVILLE, Ind. - - Belmont University men's basketball plays Murray State Saturday in the OVC Championship game.
Belmont (25-7) defeated Eastern Kentucky, 60-50, Friday to advance to the program's 11th conference championship game in the last 15 years.
Belmont also claimed its 11th regular season conference championship in 15 years, sixth in eight years of OVC membership. Belmont went 27-6 last season, earning the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament at-large bid and tournament victory.
This marks the fifth time in the last eight years that Belmont and Murray State will play in the OVC Championship; Belmont won in 2013 and 2015, while Murray State won in 2018 and 2019.
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.
Sophomores Adam Kunkel (Hebron, Ky.), Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.), and Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) were named All-OVC First Team Tuesday.
Kunkel scored a team-high 15 points vs. Eastern Kentucky. Kunkel has been one of the feel-good stories in college basketball this season. After seeing limited playing time as a freshman behind Belmont greats Dylan Windler and Kevin McClain, Kunkel emerged as a consistent perimeter scoring threat. The 6-3 guard recorded a team-high 28 double figure scoring games, including eight games of 20 or more points. Kunkel ranks among OVC leaders in five statistical categories, including seventh in points per game (16.6), second in free throw percentage (.832) and fourth in 3-point field goals per game (2.6). Twice named OVC Player of the Week, Kunkel scored a career-high 35 points in Belmont's victory at Boston College. He has seen the second-biggest year-to-year scoring increase in the nation this season, increasing his scoring output by 14.3 points per game.
Murphy, who was also named OVC Defensive Player of the Year, has been one of the most impactful players in the OVC this season. Murphy has nine career double-doubles, including 16 points and 10 rebounds at Morehead State Feb. 20. The 6-2 guard leads the nation in rebounding from the point guard position (7.5) and is second in assist-turnover ratio (3.79). Murphy also ranks top 10 nationally in total steals (85), steals per game (2.66) and total assists (197). He has multiple steals in 14 of his last 16 games, and with a career-high tying seven steals at Eastern Kentucky Feb. 22 set the Belmont NCAA Division I era single-season record for steals.
Muszynski scored 19 points in the regular season finale, and is 50 points shy of 1,000 for his career. The 6-11 center has 26 double figure scoring games this season and ranks among OVC leaders in five statistical categories, including points per game (15.0), rebounds per game (6.3) and blocked shots per game (1.56). He was named to the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List and became the first Belmont player of the program's NCAA Division I era to earn first team all-conference honors as a freshman and sophomore.
Graduate student Tyler Scanlon (Centreville, Va.) had 20 points at Tennessee State Feb. 29. The 6-7 forward ranks among OVC leaders in scoring (12.4), field goal percentage (.493), 3-point field goal percentage (.390) and 3-point field goals per game (1.9).
Senior Michael Benkert (Greenwood, Ind.) scored a career-high 15 points at Western Kentucky and had 11 points at Tennessee Tech. One of the top perimeter defenders in the OVC, Benkert has made 36 consecutive starts for the Bruins.
Senior Seth Adelsperger (Peru, Ind.) has made 122 career game appearances, and is averaging 2.8 blocked shots per 40 minutes this season. The 6-11 center was named CoSIDA Academic All-District Feb. 20.
Freshman Ben Sheppard (Atlanta, Ga.) had a career-high three steals vs. Murray State Feb. 6. The 6-6 guard has made 31 game appearances, including 10 points and three rebounds at Eastern Kentucky.
Sophomore Tate Pierson (Brentwood, Tenn.) has provided a steady production off the bench in recent weeks. The 6-6 guard features a 63 percent effective field goal percentage and has made at least one 3-point field goal in eight of his last 10 games.
Junior Nick Hopkins (Fayetteville, Tenn.) scored 47 points over his last seven games. The 6-0 guard ranks among OVC active leaders in career 3-point field goals (150).
Belmont and Murray State boast four of the greatest players in recent OVC history, each of whom went on to the NBA; Belmont: Ian Clark, Dylan Windler; Murray State: Isaiah Canaan, Ja Morant. In 2019, Windler and Morant became the 10th and 11th NBA first-round draft choices in OVC history.
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.
This marks the 19th meeting between Belmont and Murray State. Belmont has won eight of the 13 meetings in OVC play.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and the ESPN app, as well as Westwood One Radio and SiriusXM 202. 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 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 18 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 eight NCAA Division I programs to win 19 or more games 15 consecutive seasons (BYU, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, 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.
