NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Saturday at Morehead State.
The Bruins' quest to become the first program since 2008 Davidson to go 20-0 in conference play ended Thursday in an 81-67 setback at Eastern Kentucky. The result snapped Belmont's 21-game win streak, stretch of 30 consecutive conference victories (including tournament) and 11 consecutive series wins vs. Eastern Kentucky.
Sophomore
Ben Sheppard (Atlanta, Ga.) had 14 points and eight rebounds at Eastern Kentucky. Sheppard recorded a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds vs. Eastern Kentucky Feb. 11. Sheppard scored 22 points at Jacksonville State Jan. 16 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.
Junior
Nick Muszynski (Pickerington, Ohio) did not play Thursday at Eastern Kentucky due to injury. The 6-11 center has 75 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 season.
Junior
Grayson Murphy (Franklin, Tenn.) had the first triple-double of Belmont's NCAA Division I era with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists vs. Morehead State (2/13/21). Murphy was named Lute Olson National Player of the Week Feb. 15. The reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year ranks fifth in the OVC in rebounding (7.9 rpg), leads the league in defensive rebounding, 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 10th among active NCAA career leaders in assists and 14th in steals. Murphy had 26 points, 20 rebounds, 15 assists and five steals in two games vs. Morehead State last season.
Junior
Luke Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 10 points earlier this season vs. Morehead 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 four statistical categories, including steals (56) and assist turnover ratio (2.93).
He ranks sixth nationally in steals and 15th 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 a game-high 19 points vs. Morehead State earlier this season. 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 19 double figure scoring games and ranks third in the OVC in scoring among freshmen (12.0 ppg). Wood ranks 11th nationally in freshman scoring.
Junior
Caleb Hollander (Nashville, Tenn.) had a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds vs. Jacksonville State. He scored a career-high 24 points at Austin Peay Jan. 28. The 6-8 forward is averaging 11.6 points per game over his last 10 games. He scored a freshman season-high 22 points vs. Morehead State (1/10/19).
The Belmont bench has been highly productive of late, scoring 565 points in OVC play, including 27 at Eastern Kentucky. Wood, freshman
Even Brauns (Iowa City, Iowa), sophomore
Mitch Listau (Waunakee, Wis.), sophomore
EJ Bellinger (St. Peters, Mo.), sophomore
Derek Sabin (Slinger, Wis.), freshman
Frank Jakubicek (Cary, Ill.) and freshman
Michael Shanks (Bentonville, Ark.) have each tallied new career highs in scoring during the stretch, while junior
Tate Pierson (Brentwood, Tenn.) scored a season-high 11 points Thursday.
2019 graduate and Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Dylan Windler had two of the greatest individual performances in program history, both vs. Morehead State. In 2018, Windler recorded 36 points and 20 rebounds in a home victory over Morehead State. It was one of only three 30-20 games in all of NCAA Division I men's basketball that season (Marvin Bagley, Jo-Lual Acuil). Then in 2019, Windler went for a career-high 41 points and 12 rebounds in victory at Morehead State, one shy of Belmont's NCAA Division I era single-game scoring mark of 42, held by Craig Bradshaw (at Ohio, 11/29/14).
Belmont great Ian Clark and Morehead State standout Kenneth Faried were teammates on the Denver Nuggets for two months at the end of the 2014-15 season.
This marks the 19th meeting between Belmont and Morehead State. The Bruins won, 73-58, Feb. 11.
Tip-off is set for 3 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 Morehead 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
