Belmont (14-5, 5-1) vs. Murray State (13-5, 6-0)
CFSB Center, Murray, Kentucky; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Murray State looks for its 18th straight conference win against Belmont. Belmont's last OVC loss came against the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars 79-69 on Jan. 2. Murray State has won its last 17 games against conference opponents dating back to last season.
STEPPING UP: Tevin Brown has averaged 17.7 points and five rebounds to lead the way for the Racers. KJ Williams has paired with Brown and is putting up 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The Bruins have been led by Nick Muszynski, who is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.
TAKING IT UP A NOTCH: The Racers have scored 83.8 points per game against conference opponents thus far, an improvement from the 70.1 per game they recorded against non-conference competition.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Grayson Murphy has made or assisted on 41 percent of all Belmont field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has accounted for 14 field goals and 24 assists in those games.
TWO STREAKS: Belmont has won its last four road games, scoring 81 points and allowing 65.8 points during those contests. Murray State has won its last eight home games, scoring an average of 84 points while giving up 54.3.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Bruins have recently gotten baskets via assists more often than the Racers. Murray State has 54 assists on 90 field goals (60 percent) across its previous three matchups while Belmont has assists on 62 of 93 field goals (66.7 percent) during its past three games.
FREQUENTLY FOULED: Murray State has attempted the 17th-most free throws in the nation at 23.3 per game. Belmont has gotten to the line far less frequently and is averaging only 13.4 foul shots per game (ranked 277th).
