Bethel (Ind.) at Belmont
Saturday, Dec. 18 | 2 p.m. CT
Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tenn.
ESPN+ | Bruin Sports Network | Live Stats | Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to action Saturday vs. Bethel (Ind.).
Ben Sheppard led three Bruins in double figures with 23 points Wednesday.
What's Bruin
- Belmont defeated Chattanooga, 76-68, Wednesday.
- Grayson Murphy ranks second in assists and ninth in steals among all active players in college basketball. Murphy had 14 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals at Saint Louis. The 6-3 guard went over 1,000 career points on a steal and score in the second half vs. Furman. Murphy is on pace to become the Ohio Valley Conference career leader in assists and steals.
- Luke Smith had 16 points vs. Chattanooga. 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 had a season-high 20 points vs. Furman.
- Nick Muszynski had 14 points and seven rebounds vs. Chattanooga. The 6-11 center, named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lou Henson Award watch lists, averaged 24.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game in the ESPN Events Invitational in earning All-Tournament Team honors.
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Ben Sheppard scored a career-high 25 points vs. Iona. Sheppard has scored in double figures in 11 of Belmont's 12 games, including three games of 20 or more points. The 6-6 guard has emerged as Belmont's top two-way player.
- Will Richard recorded 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. Drake, becoming one of the fastest Belmont players to post a double-double. He had 23 points and nine rebounds at Samford and ranks among OVC freshmen leaders in scoring and rebounding.
- JaCobi Wood scored nine points in a 90-second span vs. Iona and handed out four assists vs. Chattanooga. 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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Bethel (Ind.) head coach Steve Drabyn is a 2004 Belmont graduate and Belmont Athletic Hall of Famer. Drabyn played for Coach Byrd during Belmont's transition into the Atlantic Sun Conference and helped lead the Bruins rise in NCAA Division I. Drabyn scored 1,237 points and led the nation in free throw shooting in 2003 (.951). He was part of Belmont's 2004 team that went 21-9, defeated nationally-ranked Missouri and earned an invitation to the Postseason NIT. Drabyn also served as an assistant coach for Belmont head coach
Casey Alexander at Stetson (2011-13) and Lipscomb (2013-19).
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Bethel (Ind.) guard Garrett Suedekum plated two seasons at Belmont before transferring to play for Drabyn. Suedekum was a team manager who earned a role as a walk-on player. He appeared in 25 games, was part of Belmont's OVC Championship teams in 2019 and 2020 and was on the floor for Belmont's final defensive stop in the victory at UCLA. Suedekum was a high school teammate of
Tate Pierson at Brentwood Academy.
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The state of Indiana has been an essential part of the Bruin program. 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).
- Belmont went 26-4 last season, claiming its 12th regular season conference championship in 16 years, seventh in nine years of OVC membership. The Bruins entered Selection Sunday with the most wins in America (with Gonzaga).
- Belmont returns 97 percent of its offensive production and minutes from last season. All-OVC performers Nick Muszynski and Grayson Murphy stand among the most accomplished players at their respective positions in college basketball.
- Belmont, Gonzaga and Buffalo are the only three programs outside the power conferences to win NCAA Tournament games in men's and women's basketball since 2019.
- Belmont and BYU were the only two programs outside the power conferences to receive Preseason AP Top 25 poll votes in men's and women's basketball.
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Belmont will join the Missouri Valley Conference July 1, 2022.
This marks the first meeting between Belmont and Bethel (Ind.).
Belmont was a longtime NAIA rival of Bethel (Tenn.) (located in McKenzie, Tennessee) when both were members of the Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1985-95.
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT from the Curb Event Center. 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
