For most of the nation, they had their eyes glued on Duke-UNC Part 2 and a epic rematch and rivalry with Michigan-Michigan State. But another exciting contest that was unfolding was the OVC Championship game between 2 of the top 5 Mid-Major teams in the country.
A matchup that featured the best coaching job by a Mid-Major coach against a Top 5 projected pick and the biggest out of no where player in all of College Basketball. For Murray State, this is a must win as they would considered to be out of the tournament with a loss.
For Belmont, they would still have a fighting chance due to a high NET Rating (the newest college basketball ranking metric) and a tougher SOS and better wins.
First Half:
Belmont came out of the gates stifling Murray State as they were shooting just 3-11 from the field and Ja Morant was 0-4 from the field. Kevin McClain had the hot hand early as he had 9 of Belmont’s first 13 points as they jumped out to a early 13-6 lead.
Neither team was shooting well out the gates, but Belmont was able to get a couple of early 3’s from McClain. MSU was 35% and Belmont was just 25%. Out of a timeout, Murray State would jump out to a 8-0 lead and lead by 2 with Ja Morant catching fire down the stretch.
After going 4-17 from 3 in just 16 minutes of play, Belmont would rely on driving and passing to get there points as Belmont was able to get a 3 point lead before the final Media timeout of the half. Poor 3 point shooting and turnovers would be the downfall for the Racers as Belmont would hold a 5 point lead at half. Morant did lead all scores on 6-15 shooting, but did have 5 turnovers to 0 assists. Belmont 31, Murray State 26.
Second Half:
Both teams would start going back and forth as Murray State would start pulling away. They would go on a 7-0 run and Ja would hit a 3 to force Belmont to a timeout. MSU would be up 1. Murray State had the crowd advantage as they had an overwhelming amount of fans in attendance.
The projected NBA draft pick from Belmont, Dylan Winder, was kept quiet throughout the first half. But was able to hit a triple to cut the deficit to 3. Teams would start trading blows as Morant would block a shot and then make an and-1. Then Belmont would get back to back buckets from Derek Sabin and Dylan Windler.
Morant would continue his dominance and athleticism as he would sky up for a humongous slam.
But no matter what MSU could do, Belmont would stay in striking distance as they would keep it to 3 with around 6 minutes to go. Windler would lead the charge as he put up 13 points after putting up just 2 in the first half. Morant would do what he does best and get to the free throw line to put the Racers lead to 3 with under 2 minutes to go.
Murray State would hit it’s free throws and Belmont wasn’t able to hit enough shots to win as Murray State would be the first ticket punched to the NCAA Tournament and get back to back OVC Tournament Championships. Murray State 77, Belmont 65.
Notable Players:
Murray State:
Ja Morant: 36 Points (13-24), 6 Rebounds, 7 Turnovers.
KJ Williams: 9 Points (4-6), 11 Rebounds.
Darnell Cowart: 11 Points, 3 Assists.
Belmont:
Kevin McClain: 14 Points (5-15), 7 Rebounds, 4 Assists.
Dylan Windler: 17 Points (7-14), 11 Rebounds, 5 Assists.
What’s Next?:
Belmont:
With the injury from Nick Muszynski playing a factor, the committee could give the Bruins an at-large. But at the very least, Belmont would be a 1 seed in the NIT. Belmont had a great game and with Nick and Windler back in the lineup, Belmont is not a team anybody in postseason discussion should be sleeping on.
Murray State:
Murray State will be going dancing back to back seasons and might be just the most dangerous team heading into the NCAA Tournament with the most dangerous player in all of CBB.
Image Credit: https://goracers.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-msus-brown-named-ovc-freshman-of-the-week.aspx
