VIDEO: Chuck Benson previews Queens
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the first time since the tail end of the 2001-02 season, Carson-Newman (11-8, 7-6 South Atlantic Conference) will face off with consecutive ranked opponents.
The Eagles challenge No. 15 Queens (16-2, 10-2 SAC) Saturday at 4 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse three days after falling to No. 7 Lincoln Memorial 100-89 on Wednesday night.
"This is the way we like it, going against the toughest teams in the country," head coach Chuck Benson said. "Queens is as good as it gets. They defend well and are efficient offensively with talented players inside and out."
The last time Carson-Newman faced consecutive ranked foes, it played three straight teams in the NABC top 25 in route to a SAC tournament championship and a Sweet 16 appearance.
Carson-Newman topped then No. 23 Wingate 76-62 in the SAC title game before downing No. 19 Johnson C. Smith in the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing in the Sweet 16 to No. 15 Shaw 69-68 inside Holt Fieldhouse.
This marks the first time in school history that Carson-Newman has faced back-to-back ranked foes in the regular season.
This will be Carson-Newman's fifth game against a ranked foe in 2015-16. The Eagles are 1-3 against ranked competition thus far and 1-1 against it at home. The fifth game against ranked competition is the most for C-N in a single season since 2000.
In the 2005-06 campaign, C-N played 10 games against teams that were ranked in the top 25, but never when any of them were ranked. C-N faced Shaw, Johnson C. Smith and Wingate twice when they were ranked in 2001-02. Ranked matchups were more common in the 70s, in fact, the Eagles played top-ranked teams five times during the 1971-72 season.
This matchup features the two most efficient offenses in the country. The Eagles lead the country in field goal percentage (52.3 percent) while Queens is second (52.2 percent). C-N has shot 55 percent or better in eight games this year and better than 60 percent three times. Queens has also eclipsed the 55 percent mark on eight occasions and has gone for better than 60 percent from the field twice.
"It's crazy," Benson said. "Thinking of us, Queens, and LMU being in the top three nationally. It certainly makes things fun for the fans. This goes back to the players though. We're more inside oriented, same as Queens, with an ability to make the three."
Queens' Sean Morgan is second in the nation in field goal percentage. He has hit shots at a 71.0 percent clip. Morgan has made 50 percent of his field goals in every game this season, except one. Morgan was 4-of-9 from the field in the Eagles' 22-point loss in Charlotte earlier this season.
"We performed poorly in the meeting at their place," Benson said. "It was early, and we were still turning the ball over at a high rate. We'll have to limit Morgan's touches and then make him take tough shots when he does get. But it's tough because they have such balance around him."
Morgan, along with Rob Lewis, represent an elite one-two scoring punch. Averaging a combined 38.5 points per game, the pair is the top scoring duo in the South Atlantic Conference and the Southeast Region. Queens is one of eight schools with two scorers in the NCAA top 100.
Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) has put together back-to-back 30-point games for Carson-Newman. He is the only player to accomplish this for C-N going back to the 2000-01 season. Clark had 30 against Newberry before resetting his career high with 36 against LMU.
Carson-Newman and Queens have split every season series since they began play in 2012-13.
Tipoff between C-N and Queens is set for 4 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
