Belmont Picked to Win the OVC

Editor: The following is part of a press release from ovcsports.com.

(Brentwood, TN) – In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men’s basketball coaches and communication directors, Belmont has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2021-22 season. It marks the fifth time in the past six seasons the Bruins have been tabbed preseason favorites.

Belmont picked up 17 of a possible 20 first-place votes to tally 161 total points in being picked first. Morehead State picked up the other three first-place votes and 141 points in being ranked second, just ahead of Murray State (136 points). Southeast Missouri was tabbed fourth (101) and followed by Tennessee State (84), Austin Peay (76), SIUE (65), Tennessee Tech (62), Eastern Illinois (43) and UT Martin (34).

Last year Belmont won 18 Conference games, setting a new OVC record on its way to its third-straight and seventh overall OVC regular season championship. Along the way the Belmont won 28-straight OVC regular season games (2019-20 and 2020-21) which broke the previous record of 25 set by Western Kentucky in the 1960s. This season third-year head coach Casey Alexanderhas all five starters returning from that team that won 26 overall games, including a NCAA-best 10 road games.

The 2021-22 season will see the first regular season games played on Tuesday, November 9. The 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament will be held March 2-5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, the fifth-straight year the event has been held at the venue.

2021-22 All-OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team

 

The 2021-22 OVC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team is headlined by Co-Players of the Year, Belmont senior point guard Grayson Murphy and Morehead State second-year forward Johni Broome.

Murphy is the fourth Belmont player to pick up the award (joining Craig Bradshaw, Evan Bradds and Dylan Windler) while Broome is the first Morehead State player to earn the honor since Kenneth Faried was tabbed with the honor in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Overall, five different schools were represented on the team with Belmont leading the way with three selections, Morehead State and Murray State having two picks apiece and Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech having one pick apiece. Six of the 10 picks earned All-OVC first or second-team honors last year.

Murphy earned his second-straight OVC Defensive Player of the Year honor a year ago in addition to being named to the 2021 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team by CollegeInsider.com. He averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game while leading the nation in rebounding from the point guard position for a second consecutive year.

Broome was named OVC Freshman of the Year in addition to being named a first-team All-OVC and earning MVP honors at the OVC Tournament after leading the Eagles to its first title since 2011. He was one of only three freshmen nationally leading their teams in each scoring (13.8 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocks (1.9 bpg).

Other returning first-team All-OVC selections from 2020-21 include Murray State redshirt junior guard Tevin Brown (14.7 points and 4.3 assists/game, 73 made 3-pointers) and redshirt junior forward KJ Williams (15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds/game, 56.7 FG%) and Belmont senior center Nick Muszynski (15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks game, 58.6 FG%) while Tennessee Tech redshirt junior guard Jr. Clay (17.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals/game, 58 made 3-pointers) was a returning second-team pick.  Additionally, Tennessee State senior guard Carlos Marshall Jr. (11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds/game, 51 made 3-pointers), earned second-team All-OVC honors in 2019-20, but missed all last year due to injury.

The team was rounded out by Southeast Missouri redshirt junior guard Chris Harris (12.3 points, 3.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds/game), Morehead State redshirt junior guard Skyelar Potter (12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds/game) and Belmont senior guard Luke Smith (12.6 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals/game and 78 made 3-pointers).