Belmont at Tennessee Tech
Saturday, Feb. 5 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Eblen Center | Cookeville, Tenn.
ESPN+ | Bruin Sports Network | Live Stats | Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Saturday at Tennessee Tech.
Nick Muszynski led three Bruins in double figures with 24 points and four assists Thursday.
What's Bruin
- Belmont defeated Tennessee State, 88-61, Thursday.
- Grayson Murphy ranks second in assists and eighth in steals among all active players in college basketball. He is one of only five active players to record multiple triple-doubles. The 6-3 guard went over 1,000 career points on a steal and score in the second half vs. Furman. Murphy became the Ohio Valley Conference all-time career leader in assists at Eastern Illinois, and is on pace to become the OVC all-time career leader in steals. Murphy recorded his 18th career double-double with 13 assists and 11 rebounds vs. UT Martin. Murphy had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists vs. Tennessee Tech last season. He also had a career-high seven steals in the meeting at Tennessee Tech.
- Luke Smith has 80 career double figure scoring games. 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 and 23 points at SIUE. He ranks among OVC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Nick Muszynski has 96 career double figure scoring games. 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 1,719 points, Muszynski is on pace to challenge Evan Bradds' NCAA Division I era career scoring record (1,921 points). He and Murphy were named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List. The Pickerington, Ohio native is the only active player in college basketball with at least 1,700 points, 600 rebounds, 200 assists and 200 blocked shots, and joins the likes of Tim Duncan (Wake Forest), David West (Xavier), Shane Battier (Duke) and Nick Collison (Kansas) over the last 30 years to reach the standard. Muszynski scored 19 points vs. Tennessee Tech last season (2/20/21).
- Ben Sheppard scored 15 points at Tennessee State. He had a career-high 25 points vs. Iona. Sheppard scored in double figures in each of Belmont's first 10 games and has a team-leading 22 double figure scoring games this season. The 6-6 guard has emerged as Belmont's top two-way player.
- Will Richard had six rebounds at Tennessee State. 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. Richard had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists vs. Tennessee Tech earlier this season.
- JaCobi Wood is averaging 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game in OVC play 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. Wood had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists vs. Tennessee Tech last season. Wood had 13 points vs. Tennessee Tech earlier this season.
- Former Belmont head coach Rick Byrd served as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech from 1980-83.
- 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 30th meeting between Belmont and Tennessee Tech, 20th in OVC play. Belmont won, 92-77, earlier this season 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 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.
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
