Belmont at Kennesaw State
Friday, Nov. 19 | 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
KSU Convocation Center | Kennesaw, Ga.
ESPN+ | Bruin Sports Network | Live Stats | Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Friday at Kennesaw State.
What's Bruin
- Belmont defeated Furman, 95-89, Monday.
- Grayson Murphy had 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and a career-high seven steals. The 6-3 guard went over 1,000 career points on a steal and score in the second half. Murphy is on pace to become the Ohio Valley Conference career leader in assists and steals.
- Nick Muszynski had 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots vs. Furman to post his 11th career double-double. The 6-11 center, named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lou Henson Award watch lists, is on pace to challenge Evan Bradds' NCAA Division I era career scoring record (1,921 points).
- Luke Smith scored a team-high 20 points vs. Furman. The 6-0 guard was named Preseason All-OVC after earning OVC All-Newcomer Team and DC Paradise Jam Most Valuable Player honors last season. Smith has 1,381 career points and 70 career double figure scoring games.
- JaCobi Wood scored a season-high 13 points vs. Furman. The 6-2 guard had 20 double figure scoring games last season, including a career-high 21 points in his debut vs. Howard.
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Ben Sheppard and
Will Richard are natives of the Atlanta area. Sheppard played at Greater Atlanta Christian, while Richard played at Woodward Academy.
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Belmont and Kennesaw State met 14 times as Atlantic Sun Conference foes from 2005-12.
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Belmont head coach
Casey Alexander faced Kennesaw State two times per season from 2012-19; six years as head coach at Lipscomb and two prior at Stetson.
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In 2015, Belmont claimed an 80-55 victory over Kennesaw State in the championship game of the 2015 Legends Classic Subregional. Two-time All-American Evan Bradds ('16) was named Tournament MVP. Bradds went 22-for-26 from the field in victories over South Alabama and Kennesaw State.
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Belmont assistant coach
Tyler Holloway was coached by Kennesaw State head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim as a senior at Murray State in 2009. Abdur-Rahim served as an assistant coach under Billy Kennedy.
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Former Belmont All-American and 2014 OVC Player of the Year J.J. Mann is a native of Smyrna, Georgia.
This marks the 19th meeting between Belmont and Kennesaw State. Belmont won, 64-53, last season at the Curb Event Center.
Muszynski scored a game-high 25 points.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The live play-by-play of Steve Layman 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 14 of the last 16 seasons, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 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 11 consecutive seasons (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont is one of only four NCAA Division I programs to win 19 or more games 16 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 18 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
