Vanderbilt Preview

Belmont at Vanderbilt
Postseason NIT
Tuesday, March 15 | 6 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium | Nashville, Tenn.
ESPN2 | Bruin Sports Network | Live Stats | Game Notes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Tuesday at Vanderbilt in the first round of the 2022 Postseason NIT.

Belmont (25-7) has won 20-plus games and earned postseason play 15 of the last 17 years. That includes NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019 & 2020.

Belmont and Gonzaga are the only two programs in America to place Top 2 in conference standings 17 consecutive seasons (Belmont: 12 regular season conference championships, 5 second-place finishes).

Belmont became the first program in America to secure 20 or more victories in 12 consecutive seasons; Gonzaga and Kansas have since achieved, while Oregon has the opportunity to reach the standard.

What's Bruin

• Grayson Murphy ranks third in assists and seventh in steals among all active players in college basketball. He is one of only six 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 tied the OVC all-time career steals standard vs. Tennessee State. Murphy recorded his 18th career double-double with 13 assists and 11 rebounds vs. UT Martin. He scored the game-winning basket with 5.0 seconds remaining vs. Morehead State. Murphy recorded his second career triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists at SIUE earlier this season. Murphy adds 3-time First Team All-OVC to his back-to-back OVC Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2020 and 2021.
• Luke Smith has 81 career double figure scoring games. He went over 1,600 career points vs. Tennessee State. 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. Smith was named CoSIDA Academic All-District Feb. 17 as he seeks back-to-back CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Nick Muszynski has 104 career double figure scoring games, second among all active frontcourt players (Grant Golden, Richmond). 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 1,873 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 1,800 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists and 200 blocked shots, and joins the likes of Tim Duncan (Wake Forest), David West (Xavier) and Nick Collison (Kansas) over the last 30 years to reach the standard. Muszynski scored a career-high 33 points at Tennessee Tech. Muszynski joins NBA Champion Ian Clark as the second Belmont player in the NCAA Division I era named all-conference four consecutive seasons.
• Ben Sheppard emerged Belmont's top two-way player and become one of the most dynamic and productive players in college basketball this season. Named All-OVC First Team, the 6-6 guard is averaging a team-leading 16.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Sheppard ranks among OVC leaders in 14 statistical categories, including first in 2-point field goal percentage in league games (.663), second in effective field goal percentage (.626), third in 3-point field goals (71) and fourth in points (525). Joining the likes of NBA Bruins Dylan Windler and Ian Clark with 500 or more points in a single season, Sheppard has posted a team-high 29 double figure scoring games, including 19 points and five steals in the OVC Tournament. He scored a career-high 41 points at Tennessee Tech (2/5/22) - the OVC single-game scoring high this season, becoming one of only 18 players to post a 40-point game in 2021-22. His 25-point performance vs. MAAC champion Iona led Belmont to the ESPN Events Invitational championship game.
• Will Richard burst on the scene during non-conference, making a profound impact on both ends of the floor. Richard is averaging 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The 6-5 guard ranks among OVC leaders in seven statistical categories. Richard's 377 points rank second in the OVC and Top 25 nationally among true freshmen. Only Muszynski, Clark and Wes Burtner scored more points during their Belmont freshmen campaigns. Speaking to his all-court game, Richard is the only true freshmen in America with over 350 points, 175 rebounds, 60 assists and 40 3-point field goals. The Fairburn, Ga. native has 22 double figure scoring games and with his 11-point, 14-rebound performance in victory over Drake Nov. 25 became one of the fastest Bruins to record a double-double in program history. Richard also scored a team-high 15 points in Belmont's victory at Atlantic 10 contender Saint Louis.
• JaCobi Wood scored a season-high 18 points with six steals vs. UT Martin.
• The Bruins made the 2014 Postseason NIT Elite 8, nearly earning a trip to famed Madison Square Garden before falling in the final seconds at Clemson.
• Belmont's four victories over Southeastern Conference opposition rank among the top moments in program history. Aside from the afore- mentioned home victory over Vanderbilt in 2018, Belmont defeated No. 22 Missouri (12/30/03), 71-67, for the Bruins' first-ever victory over a nationally-ranked opponent, in just its seventh season of NCAA Division I. The Bruins defeated Alabama (11/19/07), 85-83, as Justin Hare ('08) buried a pullup jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining. Belmont defeated Georgia, 78-69, in the 2017 Postseason NIT.
• Belmont associate head coach Brian Ayers served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt from 1996-98 under Jan van Breda Kolff.
• Former Belmont All-American Ian Clark ('13) won an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2016 with former Vanderbilt All-SEC big man Damian Jones as his teammate. Clark also played the 2015-16 season with former Commodore Festus Ezeli.
• 2012 Belmont graduate Drew Hanlen is a native of St. Louis. As CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball, Hanlen has become one of the most respected player development consultants and strategic skills coaches in the NBA. His clients include Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, RJ Barrett, Kelly Oubre, Jordan Clarkson and former teammate Ian Clark. Hanlen also trained former Vanderbilt players John Jenkins and Festus Ezeli.
• Vanderbilt radio play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Ingram served as Voice of the Bruins for 17 seasons before joining the Commodore program during the 2020-21 season. Ingram called all nine of Belmont's NCAA Tournament trips.
• Vanderbilt assistant coach James Strong was a member of the Belmont coaching staff from 2012-19. He coached five current Belmont players, including Muszynski and Murphy.
• Since Casey Alexander became head coach at the start of the 2019-20 season, only Gonzaga, Baylor and Houston have won more games than Belmont (77).
• 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. Graduate students 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 seventh meeting between Belmont and Vanderbilt. Belmont won, 69-60, Nov. 13, 2017.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 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 15 of the last 17 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 has won 20 or more games in 12 consecutive seasons (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