NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Saturday at Murray State.
The Bruins defeated Austin Peay, 81-76, Thursday. Junior
Caleb Hollander (Nashville, Tenn.) scored a career-high 24 points.
Junior
Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) had 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots at Austin Peay. The 6-11 center has 68 career double figure scoring games and is a two-time First Team All-OVC selection. Muszynski scored a season-high 26 points vs. Southeast Missouri, and is on pace to challenge Evan Bradds' NCAA Division I era career scoring record (1,921 points). He was named to the Lute Olson Award and Lou Henson Award midseason watch lists earlier this week.
Junior
Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) had 19 points and 10 rebounds at Austin Peay. The reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year ranks fifth in the OVC in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and is on pace to threaten OVC career records in assists and steals. Since the start of 2019-20, Murphy is the only player in America with at least 300 rebounds, 250 assists and 100 steals. He ranks 11th among active NCAA career leaders in assists and 14th in steals. Murphy had 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals vs. Murray State Dec. 30.
Sophomore
Ben Sheppard (Atlanta, Ga.) had six points and three assists at Austin Peay. Sheppard scored a career-high 22 points at Jacksonville State and earned his second OVC Player of the Week honor Jan. 18. The 6-6 guard made 32 game appearances last season, emerging as a valuable two-way player for Belmont. He scored 21 points vs. Murray State Dec. 30.
Junior
Luke Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 18 points, five assists and two steals vs. SIU Edwardsville. 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 six statistical categories, and ranks 11th in the league in scoring (14.4 ppg).
He ranks sixth nationally in steals and 11th in 3-point field goals.
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.
Freshman
JaCobi Wood (Cleveland, Tenn.) had eight points at Austin Peay. He scored a career-high tying 21 points in 22 minutes vs. UT Martin. The dynamic playmaker has been named OVC Freshman of the Week twice, has posted 14 double figure scoring games and ranks second in the OVC in scoring among freshmen (12.8 ppg). Wood ranks sixth nationally in freshman scoring.
The Belmont bench has been highly productive of late, scoring 340 points in OVC play. Wood, freshman
Even Brauns (Iowa City, Iowa), sophomore
EJ Bellinger (St. Peters, Mo.), sophomore
Derek Sabin (Slinger, Wis.) and freshman
Michael Shanks (Bentonville, Ark.) have each tallied new career highs in scoring during the stretch.
The game features four returning First Team All-OVC players (Belmont: Muszynski, Murphy; Murray State: KJ Williams, Tevin Brown).
The Belmont-Murray State series has quickly become one of the most compelling in college basketball, with the programs combining on 15 conference championships and eight OVC players of the year since Belmont joined the OVC in 2013.
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 21st meeting between Belmont and Murray State. Belmont has won 10 of the 15 meetings in OVC play. Belmont won, 68-55, Dec. 30 at the Curb Event Center.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 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 Murray State 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
