Murray State at Belmont
Saturday, Jan. 15 | 4 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. Murray State.
Ben Sheppard and Will Richard each scored 18 points Thursday.
What's Bruin
- Belmont defeated Tennessee Tech, 92-77, Thursday.
- Grayson Murphy ranks third in assists and 10th in steals among all active players in college basketball. Murphy had nine rebounds and eight assists vs. Tennessee Tech. 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. Murphy has 35 assists and 16 steals in seven career games vs. Murray State.
- Luke Smith has 75 career double figure scoring games, including 11 points vs. Tennessee Tech. 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 team-high 20 points vs. Furman. He ranks among OVC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Nick Muszynski has 14 double figure scoring games this season. The 6-11 center, named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List, 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. With 1,629 points, Muszynski is on pace to challenge Evan Bradds' NCAA Division I era career scoring record (1,921 points). Muszynski is averaging 16.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 blocked shots per game on 63 percent shooting in six career games vs. Murray State. Muszynski had the game-saving blocked shot in the final seconds of last season's victory at Murray State. He and Murphy were named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List.
- Ben Sheppard added three rebounds and three assists to his team-high scoring vs. Tennessee Tech. He scored a career-high 25 points vs. Iona. Sheppard scored in double figures in each of Belmont's first 10 games. The 6-6 guard has emerged as Belmont's top two-way player.
- Will Richard had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists vs. Tennessee Tech. He recorded 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. Drake, becoming one of the fastest Belmont players to post a double-double. Richard ranks among OVC freshmen leaders in scoring and rebounding.
- JaCobi Wood had 13 points and three assists vs. Tennessee Tech and had nine points in a 90-second span vs. Iona. The 6-2 guard had 20 double figure scoring games last season, including a career-high 21 points vs. UT Martin.
- Even Brauns has 36 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots over his last four games.
- The Belmont-Murray State series has quickly become one of the most compelling in college basketball, with the programs combining on 16 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.
- The game features four returning First Team All-OVC players (Belmont: Nick Muszynski, Grayson Murphy; Murray State: Tevin Brown, KJ Williams).
- Belmont assistant coach 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.
- 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.
- Belmont will join the Missouri Valley Conference July 1, 2022.
This marks the 22nd meeting between Belmont and Murray State. Belmont has won 11 of the 16 meetings in OVC play. Belmont won, 68-55 and 72-71, last season.
Tip-off is set for 4 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 season tickets, which include the entire men's and women's basketball home schedule, are on sale now at
BelmontBruins.com/Tickets, in addition to flex packs, single-game tickets and group experiences. Fans can also call or text 615.460.BALL (2255).
To become a Bruin Club member, contact
Russell Grimm at (615) 460-5668 or
russell.grimm@belmont.edu.
Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the
official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Saturday's men's and women's basketball doubleheader is presented by SATCO.
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
