C-N Game Notes

Chuck Benson By The Slice – Tusculum Preview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (10-4, 7-3 South Atlantic Conference) and Tusculum (1-15, 0-10 SAC) meet for the 136th time Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena as the two teams resume their league rivalry game.

The Eagles lead the all-time series 91-44, winning the last four meetings. The four-game win streak against the Pioneers is Carson-Newman's longest in the series since winning seven straight against TC from 2000 to 2003.

The Pioneers have lost 13 consecutive games, but have the fourth best scoring offense in the SAC and a player in Addison Flynn who's second in the league in threes per game. 

"I have never seen a team go through what they're going through, it just makes no sense and they scare me half to death," C-N head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "When we saw them at our classic here, I thought they were the best Tusculum team that I had seen since I got here as an assistant in 2006.  They are going to win some games and it still would not surprise me if they reeled off five or six straight." 

The Eagles took the first meeting this season 77-70. To date, it's the second fewest points the Pioneers have allowed this year. TC gives up 90.3 points per game, second to last in the SAC and sixth worst nationally. Defense has been a struggle overall for the Pioneers this year, they also rank in the bottom 10 in field goal percentage defense (42.3).

"They are still playing hard. They're playing with a purpose and they haven't quit," Benson said.  "They've got good guards; they're big and physical inside.  They have everything you need to win a game." 

The Eagles are looking for a third consecutive victory this season. Carson-Newman is off to a silly start for 2014. In the Eagles' first five games of the new year, they're averaging 86.0 points per game, 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc. On top of that, both

Antoine Davis and Ish Sanders have scored 20 points or more in four out of the five games in 2014. Sanders is averaging 24.4 points per game and Davis 21.2 since the calendar turned over.

Sanders sits on the cusp of a couple milestones coming into the Tusculum game.  The senior guard is now 10th on the conference's all-time scoring list with his 1,640 career points. He passed Lenoir-Rhyne's Roman Davis (2001-05) with his 25-point effort in the win over Coker. Sanders needs four points to catch Helgi Magnusson of Catawba (1,644 points from 2003-06) and 15 to match Walt Baxley of Mars Hill for eighth (1,655 points from 2003-06). From there,

Sanders has aways to go before seventh place on the all-time list and Kyle Moore of Tusculum's 1,813 career points.

Sanders is the first C-N player in the SAC's top 10 all-time scorers. Sanders also needs six treys to match Moore as the SAC's all-time leader in made threes. Moore astoundingly reached his mark in three years.   Moore connected on 10 of his 25 three point attempts in his final two games against the Eagles.  Sanders has made six threes in a game twice this year. 

Ultimately, Benson isn't concerned about those individual accolades, but more making certain his squad doesn't overlook the Pioneers. 

"We have to play our best game to have a chance to win this game," Benson said. "In preparation for this game, I've watched a ton of film and each time they come out, they play exceptionally hard."

Tipoff from Greeneville is set for 8 p.m. Wednesday. Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:45 with the Countdown to Tipoff on 106.3 ESPN Radio The Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. 

-CN-