VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Lees-McRae Cinematic
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (1-2, 0-1 South Atlantic Conference) and No. 16/7 Queens (3-0, 1-0 SAC) match wits Saturday at 4 p.m. from Holt Fieldhouse in a rematch of last year's SAC title game and a matchup of the preseason one and two teams in the SAC coaches poll.
"We come off a really difficult road game," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "It was really physical and there was excitement and energy in the building. We got better and we go into this next mammoth-sized game knowing this is going to be a challenge."
Carson-Newman snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Royals with an 88-79 win in Curry Arena on March 7 to lay claim to its fourth SAC tournament title last year.
Carson-Newman is looking for its first win against Queens in Holt Fieldhouse since Dec. 18, 2012 - the first game in the series with the Royals. Carson-Newman has dropped the last eight games inside Holt Fieldhouse to the Royals. The Eagles' last win in Holt over Queens was by a final score of 90-55. Antoine Davis exploded for 36 points.
"Early in the year like this, we're still trying to find ourselves," Benson said. "They are trying to do the same despite the fact both teams have a lot of returners. What we know of them is based more off last year than this year."
Carson-Newman will be searching for its first win over a top-10 team since beating sixth-ranked Lincoln Memorial 111-109 in overtime on Nov. 16, 2016. Chuck Benson started his Carson-Newman career 5-4 against teams ranked in the top 10. However, the Eagles have dropped 14 straight to schools ranked in the top 10.
The Royals opened the new season with a dominant 133-80 victory over Young Harris. The milestone victory was head coach Bart Lundy's 400th career win and the most points scored in program history. The 133 points are the second-most scored in Division II this year. • Queens has the 10th-best scoring offense in the country. The Royals have scored more than 80 in all three games this season.
Kenny Dye has been elite at distributing for Queens. The All-SAC guard ranks 13th in the country in assists with 6.7 per game. Dye does it without turning the ball over either with a 2.50 assist-to-turnover ratio.
"He's got a career full of wins," Benson said. "He plays with an elite group of teammates and he really is the guy that values the roll and title of point guard. He's going to keep his teammates involved and set people up for success with his distribution. He's arguably one of the best in the country and the engine for this Queens team."
Dye's ball-handling is a part of a larger brag point for Queens. The Royals are eighth in the country with a 2.03 assist to turnover ratio. Queens is seventh with an 8.3 turnover margin. The Royals turn it over a SAC-best 10.0 times per game
Tripp Davis has returned to form as one of the SAC's top defender. Davis ranks 15th in the country with nine steals and 3.0 steals per game. Carson-Newman is second in the SAC with 8.7 steals per game.
Carson-Newman is looking to avoid a third-straight loss. The Eagles haven't dropped three consecutive since dropping three consecutive to Catawba, Tusculum and Queens from Feb. 15-22, 2020.
Carson-Newman has been elite at getting to the free-throw line. Carson-Newman has attempted the most free throws in the SAC and the 21st most nationally (75), meanwhile the Eagles have sank the second-most in the league and the 24th most in the country (52).
C-N has started off the year hot from beyond the arc, knocking down 46 percent of its threes - the top mark in the SAC and the 16th-best nationally. C-N is selective about its long-distance dedications. The Eagles make 7.7 threes per game, a figure that is ninth in the league.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Royals is set for 4 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
