Austin Peay at Belmont
Monday, Feb. 7 | 6:30 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 game action Monday vs. Austin Peay.
Ben Sheppard scored a career-high 41 points Saturday.
With the victory, Belmont joined Gonzaga and Kansas as the only programs in America to win 19 or more games 17 consecutive seasons (San Diego State has the opportunity to join the group).
What's Bruin
- Belmont defeated Tennessee Tech, 100-92, in overtime Saturday.
- 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 has 47 assists in his last six meetings vs. Austin Peay. He had 19 points, 10 rebounds and the go-ahead basket at Austin Peay last season.
- 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 97 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 1,752 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 a career-high 33 points at Tennessee Tech.
- Ben Sheppard scored 28 points in the second half and overtime at Tennessee Tech. He had 25 points vs. Iona. Sheppard scored in double figures in each of Belmont's first 10 games and has a team-leading 23 double figure scoring games this season. The 6-6 guard has emerged as Belmont's top two-way player.
- Will Richard had 14 points and 10 rebounds at Tennessee Tech for his second career double-double. 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 is averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 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.
- Belmont associate head coach Brian Ayers is a Clarksville, Tennessee native, who served on the Governors' coaching staff during the 1995-96 season while earning his master's degree.
- 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 55th meeting between Belmont and Austin Peay, 28th of the Bruins' NCAA era, and 15th in OVC play. Belmont is 12-2 vs. Austin Peay since joining the OVC in 2012-13, including a 75-67 victory at Austin Peay earlier this season.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 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 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 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
