Men's Basketball Plays at Middle Tennessee Saturday

Belmont at Middle Tennessee
Saturday, Dec. 9 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Murphy Center | Murfreesboro, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball returns to game action Saturday at Middle Tennessee.
 
Belmont defeated Lipscomb Wednesday as Ja'Kobi Gillespie provided the game-winning 3-point play in the final seconds. Gillespie ranks among league leaders in scoring, assists and leads the MVC in steals. He tied the Curb Event Center record with seven steals vs. Berry.
 
Gillespie had 14 points vs. Lipscomb.
 
Cade Tyson had 14 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots vs. Lipscomb. Tyson ranks among league leaders in five statistical categories.
 
The Monroe, North Carolina native scored a career-high 29 points vs. Georgia State.
 
Malik Dia had a team-high 15 points vs. Lipscomb.
 
The forward recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Valparaiso. Dia has 94 points and 28 rebounds over his last five games.
 
Keishawn Davidson had a season-high 14 points at Northern Iowa.
 
He ranks 11th in career assists (535) among active players NCAA Division I players.
 
Isaiah Walker had eight points and seven rebounds vs. Lipscomb. The Wyoming, Ohio native has provided consistent production, with six or more rebounds in six games this season.

Belmont turns the page after graduating program standout and Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard and sharpshooting forward Drew Friberg, among others. Sheppard and Friberg combined to make 177 3-point field goals last season, ranking among national leaders.

What's Bruin

 
Belmont senior Keishawn Davidson is a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee and originally committed to play for Middle Tennessee out of high school.
 
Belmont sophomore Malik Dia is a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was a Tennessee All-State player at Ensworth High School.
 
Belmont legends Nick Muszynski and Kevin McClain were recruited by Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt when he was at UNC Asheville.
 
From 2010-19, Belmont and Middle Tennessee each had four seasons ranked in the final Top 50 by industry leader Ken Pomeroy.
 
This marks the 43rd meeting between Belmont and Middle Tennessee. Belmont has won 10 of the last 14 meetings.
 
Belmont won the last meeting in Murfreesboro, 71-59, Nov. 30, 2019 – Coach Alexander's first season as head coach at Belmont.

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and online via fuboTV. The live play-by-play of Steve Layman can be heard on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeartRadio. 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 Puckett's 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 been a postseason fixture the last two decades, 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 13 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon) and 19 or game games in 18 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State). Belmont is among select programs with two or more first-round selections in the NBA Draft over the last five years (Ben Sheppard, Dylan Windler). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19 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