JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (13-14, 7-10 SAC) will honor three seniors and look to keep its SAC tournament hopes alive when Coker (12-15, 6-11 SAC) comes to Holt Fieldhouse for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday.
Carson-Newman will pay homage to three seniors Saturday in Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.), Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) and Ivan Hadzic (Sabac, Serbia).
Carson-Newman still has a path to making the South Atlantic Conference tournament, but the Eagles are far from in control of their own destiny. First and foremost, Carson-Newman must win against Coker. Secondly, the Eagles need Wingate, who has dropped four of its last five, to find its footing and beat Limestone.
The Saints hold the tiebreaker over Carson-Newman by virtue of a win over Tusculum, who swept C-N. The Eagles and Saints are deadlocked heading into the final game of the season for the final spot in the Mountain Division for the league tournament.
Coker is also playing for its SAC tournament fate. The Cobras haven't made the league tournament since the 2020-21 season when every league team made the event due to CoVID. In an eight-team format, Coker hasn't been a part of the postseason event since the 2017-18 season.
Coker can guarantee its spot as the final Piedmont Division team with a win over Carson-Newman. Coker can also make the event with a loss as long as Lenoir-Rhyne also loses at UVA Wise Saturday.
Bryant Thomas is the ultimate shot-stopper. Carson-Newman's single-game, single-season and career record-holder for blocks now sits on 189. He has the fourth most blocked shots among active players in NCAA Division II. Thomas leads the league this season with 2.22 rejections per game and is top 10 in the country in blocks per game in that regard.
Thomas is in sole possession of ninth place on the league's all-time blocks list with 189. He needs three more to catch Eric Burrow, Presbyterian (1995-99) and his 192 sitting in eighth on the all-time list.
With 1,100 career points, senior guard Luke Brenegan will look to begin moving up the program's all-time scoring list. Brenegan is currently 34th all-time in Carson-Newman history in scoring. Next up on the list are No. 33 Mason Bates (1,106 points - six away) and No. 32 Skip Wyatt (1,118 points - 18 away).
Brenegan is square in fourth all-time for threes made over the course of a career with 221. He would need a bonkers close to his career, including a deep run in the NCAA tournament to catch Charles Clark and Malik Abraham in second with their 259 career threes.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Cobras 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 Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
