JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Ahead of this weekend's NCAA regionals, Carson-Newman has leapt into the NABC Top 25 poll after winning the South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship over No. 17 Queens 88-79.
The Eagles are tapped 23rd in the penultimate poll of the year for the NABC. The Eagles are also receiving votes in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
This marks the Eagles' first appearance in the NABC poll since Nov. 28, 2017. The Eagles were ranked 23rd that week before a loss to Newberry knocked Carson-Newman from the next iteration of the poll.
This marks the latest Carson-Newman has been ranked in a season since the 2001-02 year. The Eagles were ranked 23rd on Feb. 18 that season before climbing to 18th following a run to the Sweet 16.
Carson-Newman finds itself in the NABC top 25 for a third week under head coach Chuck Benson and a 12th week overall.
The Eagles are one of three South Atlantic Conference schools featured in the rankings. Lincoln Memorial, the host site for the Southeast Region starting Saturday, is ranked 13th. Queens dropped from 17th to the spot below C-N and No. 22.
One other team in the field of six in the Southeast Regional is ranked – the top seed Belmont Abbey, who vaulted into the NABC Top 25 in 19th.
The Eagles will take on Tusculum in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn. Coverage of the contest will be available on the Eagle Sports Network at cneagles.com/live and over the air on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) starting with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff 15 minutes prior to gametime.
