NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Belmont is headed back to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins punched their ticket with a 76-75 win over rival Murray State in the OVC Tournament final Saturday.
Tyler Scanlon scored the game-winning basket on a backdoor layup on a perfect feed from Adam Kunkel with :02.0 left. The Racers failed to get off a tying shot before the buzzer as the Bruins held on for their first OVC tournament crown since 2015, and their first since the event moved to Evansville.
Nick Muszynski was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player after scoring 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the championship game. It was a sweet moment for Muszynski, who had to watch Belmont go down against Murray State in the title game each of the past two years, first as a redshirt freshman and then last year when he suffered a high ankle sprain in the team’s semifinal win.
It was Belmont’s eighth conference tournament title in the last 15 seasons, its third since joining the OVC eight years ago. It will also be the Bruins’ ninth NCAA Tournament appearance, including last year when they were selected as an at-large team.
Scanlon and Muszynski joined Steve Layman on the Electric Power Companies Sunday Sports Central on Newschannel 5. You can watch the interview on the video player above.
