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Belmont vs. Murray State: 3 key storylines for first 2020-21 duel

By Benjamin Zacher

Belmont's Nick Muszynski (33) is forced to pass as the Belmont Bruins play the Murray State Racers during the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game at Ford Center Saturday evening, March 7, 2020.Ovc Championship 03
Belmont's Nick Muszynski (33) is forced to pass as the Belmont Bruins play the Murray State Racers during the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game at Ford Center Saturday evening, March 7, 2020.Ovc Championship 03 /
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Murray State KJ Williams Ovc Championship 01
Murray State KJ Williams Ovc Championship 01 /

In their first meeting since the OVC Championship game in March, the Belmont Bruins and Murray State Racers will duke it out in a late December mid-major showdown.

In what has become one of the most intense rivalries across all of college basketball, the Belmont Bruins will host the Murray State Racers in a marquee Ohio Valley Conference match-up on Wednesday night for the first time since last March’s thrilling OVC title game.

The Bruins (8-1) enter the tilt having not suffered a misstep despite returning just 47.7% of the scoring from last year’s conference championship squad – instead, Belmont is coming off its fifth-straight win of the season, taking down Evansville on Dec. 21.  Despite their losses from last season, second-year head coach Casey Alexander‘s squad was picked to finish third in the preseason OVC poll.

Belmont – the highest-rated OVC team in KenPom at 107th – have not yet picked up a season-defining win, but they have also won seven of their eight games by double-digits, with the odd one out being their nine-point win over Evansville.  Their lone loss came at home in early December, a stunning 13-point upset to Samford.

The Matt McMahon-led Racers (4-3), meanwhile, have struggled to consistently string together success, but have some just a few buckets away from being 6-1.  Picked to win the OVC – in a tie with the Austin Peay Governors – the Racers returned 69.5% of their production from last year’s runner-ups, and have, at times, looked the part of a dominant conference contender.

Two of their four wins include wins over non-Div. I competition in Greenville and Transylvania, but Murray State also owns double-digit victories against Illinois State and Austin Peay – the latter a 30-point beatdown.  And, despite dropping three, just one of Murray State’s losses was by more than four-points, an early December loss at Middle Tennessee.  Their other two losses – road games at Southern Illinois and Austin Peay – came by four points each.

These two programs have amassed a rich history in just the past decade, which includes the conclusion of the career of the legendary Rick Byrd of Belmont, as well as the tenures of NBA Draft picks Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, and reigning Rookie of the Year Ja Morant – all hailing from Murray State.  In all, the Racers and Bruins have combined for six of the past 10 Ohio Valley championships.

With both squads picked among the best in the OVC – and both currently the highest-ranked OVC teams in KenPom – this showdown should be yet another thrilling entry in one of basketball’s fiercest and most competitive rivalries.  Since Belmont joined the OVC in 2012, the two have faced each other 14 times – and 10 of those have been decided by single-digits.  Do not be shocked to see another repeat in this match-up – especially when keeping these intriguing storylines in mind.