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Belmont puts unblemished OVC mark on the line at Murray State

Belmont v Kansas

LAWRENCE, KS - DECEMBER 15: Head coach Rick Byrd of the Belmont Bruins coaches from the bench during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 15, 2012 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Belmont and Murray State have met just five times in the history of both programs, with the Racers holding a 4-1 lead in the series and a 3-0 record in games played at the CFSB Center.

But even with that history it’s Belmont, the “new kid on the block” in the Ohio Valley Conference, that enters Thursday night’s game atop the conference standings with a 10-0 league record (Murray State leads the West Division with a 7-2 mark). And two big reasons for Belmont’s success are guards Ian Clark and Kerron Johnson.

Clark and Johnson currently average 32.6 points per game, with Clark accounting for 18.9 points per game while shooting 57.5% from the field and 51.4% from beyond the arc. Johnson runs the show for the Bruins, averaging 4.7 assists in addition to his 13.7 points per contest. These two will pose quite the challenge for Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan, widely regarded as one of the best point guards in the nation.

Canaan’s averaging 21.0 points and 4.0 assists per game while Ed Daniel (14.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg) leads the way inside, and how efficient the Racers are offensively will go a long way in deciding the outcome of this showdown.

Belmont may not go ten players deep as last year’s NCAA tournament team did but they’re still productive when it comes to forcing turnovers. On the season opponents have turned the ball over an average of 17.6 times per game, handing the ball back over to Belmont on nearly 26% of their possessions. Murray State averages 12.2 assists and 14.0 turnovers per game, and an assist-to-turnover ratio any worse than this won’t get the job done against Belmont.

One thing that works in Murray State’s favor is their success at home, where they’ve gone 32-5 over the last three seasons (7-2 in 2012-13). But don’t expect Belmont to be intimidated as they’ve taken trips to Stanford, VCU and Kansas this season.

Essentially what could be the first of two meetings between these two programs this season (the second would have to come in the OVC tournament) will boil down to turnovers. If Murray State takes care of the basketball they’re more than capable of handing Belmont its first OVC defeat.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.