JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the second time ever, third-seeded Carson-Newman (14-5) and second-seeded Tusculum (13-4) will collide in the semifinals of the Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena.
"They are really good and playing great basketball," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We have to have our defense dialed in. They are tough because they have multiple three-point shooters. This is a chance for us to redeem ourselves from a 10-point loss at their place in early January. I've really been happy with our defense since we played that first half at Tusculum."
Carson-Newman hasn't played Tusculum in the SAC tournament since scoring a seven-two upset over the Pioneers in the 2010 quarterfinals in Pioneer Arena 76-60. The Eagles are 2-1 all-time in the tournament against Tusculum. Tusculum held serve as the four seed in the 2005 quarterfinals en route to a tournament title that year. Carson-Newman has the only semifinal win between the two teams, an 88-51 thumping en route to the 2002 SAC tournament title.
The Eagles are 3-3 all-time in the tournament as a three seed. The last time the Eagles were a three seed in the SAC tournament, they ended up with an at-large NCAA tournament bid (2018).
The Eagles drilled Newberry 102-82 in the quarters before bowing out to Queens in the semifinals 92-73. Carson-Newman has never made a SAC title game as a three seed. The Eagles have gotten there as a one, two, four and five seed. C-N won the title as a one in 2002, a two in 2014 and a five in 1994. The Eagles lost in the SAC title game as a four in 1999. Tusculum is looking for its second ever title and title game appearance. The Pioneers made it and won it in 2005.
The Eagles' offense was stupefyingly good for the month of February. Carson-Newman is averaging 88.9 points per game for the month while shooting 54.6 percent from the field, 48.65 percent from three and 76.7 percent at the free throw line.
However, Carson-Newman fell off offensively after halftime in the quarterfinals against Wingate – shooting 33 percent from the field after halftime in the 64-57 win. The Eagles were just 1-for-10 from three.
Carson-Newman has the league's top scoring defense - averaging 64.9 points allowed per game, a figure that ranks 12th nationally.
Carson-Newman boasts the league's best field goal percentage defense - opponents shoot 38.8 percent from the field, a figure that also is third nationally. The Eagles have the country's top field goal percent- age defense among teams that have played double-digit games.
Carson-Newman has held nine of its last 14 foes to below 40 percent shooting. Tusculum and Catawba are the only teams to shoot better than 45 percent from the field on the Eagles.
Part of the Eagles defensive standing comes from shot blocking. Carson-Newman leads the SAC and ranks eighth nationally with 4.6 blocks per game. If the season were to end today, Carson-Newman would set a new school record for average shots blocked per contest. Bryant Thomas has swatted 41 shots this year to rank second in the country.
Carson-Newman takes aim at an 10th straight win. Carson-Newman has produced just one other 10-game win streak as a member of Division II, the other came during the run to the Sweet 16 in the 2001-02 season when C-N rolled to 19 straight Ws.
Carson-Newman has 10, double-digit win streaks all-time. Six of those streaks came in the 1960s. The Eagles produced one such streak during the 1972-73 season and an 18-game win streak during the 1982-83 season.
Tusculum has won seven straight games and rides the SAC and Southeast Region's second longest win streak into the semifinals.
Tusculum is a flawless 8-0 at home this season. The Pioneers. Tusculum averages 10 more points per game at home while turing it over 4.3 fewer times per game.
The Pioneers are looking to win three straight against Carson-Newman for the second time in series history.
Tusculum is helmed by the league's player of the year Trenton Gibson. Gibson, a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is the only player in the league ranked in the top-five in scoring, rebounding and assists.
He is third in the SAC in scoring averaging 18.9 points per game and is also third in on the boards pulling down 8.1 per contest. His 5.1 assists per game average is third in the conference and 30th in NCAA Division II.
Carson-Newman's EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) sits 21 points away from 1,500 for his career. He has 584 in two years at Carson-Newman and 895 from his two seasons at Bryan College.
Tipoff between Carson-Newman and Tusculum is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
