JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (9-3, 2-2 South Atlantic Conference) will look to put its lowest scoring output of the season in the rearview mirror when it returns to Holt Fieldhouse for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday with Newberry (2-8, 1-4 SAC).
Carson-Newman was held to a season-low 64 points in an 83-64 loss to No. 22 Lincoln Memorial Wednesday evening. Newberry boasts the league's third-best scoring defense, but has lost five of its last six.
"We have to be able to attack both their man and zone defenses," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "They do as good a job as anybody at switching between their defensive packages. That can keep you off balance, but our guys are confident, especially coming back home. We have to be shot ready."
Carson-Newman has been on another level offensively at home. C-N has topped triple digits in four of its six home games. The Eagles average 101.5 points at home, while shooting 55 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from three.
Made shots have been hard to come by against Newberry this decade. In three meetings in the 2020s, Carson-Newman hasn't scored more than 55 points against the Wolves this decade (the Eagles are 1-2 over the last three meetings). It has come with a struggle from beyond the arc. Carson-Newman is shooting 21.53 percent from three-point land against Newberry over its last three games, making just 14-of-65 triples. Last year, normally sharp marksmen Luke Brenegan and John Zhao were a combined 1-for-17 from distance against the Wolves.
Newberry is the lowest scoring team in the South Atlantic Conference, averaging 65.8 points per game. The Wolves shoot a league-low 39.9 percent from the field. The Wolves have topped 70 points twice this season, in their two wins over Francis Marion and Tusculum. Newberry has shot worse than 38 percent from the field in five of their ten games.
Nick Brenegan's 4.25 made triples per game are the most in the country. He has buried 51 this season. also first nationally by pure volume. If he were to maintain this pace, he would break Ish Sanders' single-season record of 99 and become the first Eagle with triple-digit threes in a seaosn. There have been 11 triple-digit three-point seasons in SAC history. He also ranks 11th nationally and tops in the SAC in percentage at 49.0 percent for the season.
Brenegan has buried multiple threes in every game this season, but the Lincoln Memorial contest. He's made a three in 18 straight games dating back to last season. He has made at least three threes in seven of the last eight games.
Brenegan, John Zhao, Jack Browder and Trey Hubbard account for a third of the top 12 in the SAC in scoring. The quartet combines to average 68.6 points per game. They average more points per game than Mars Hill and Newberry do as a team.
Carson-Newman is one of the top rebounding teams in the country. The Eagles have outrebounded every team they have faced with the exception of Tusculum. Carson-Newman is 12th nationally and number one in the league in total rebounds, averaging 41.58 per game. C-N's 10.2 rebounding margin ranks fourth nationally and is the best mark in the SAC.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Wolves is set for 4 p.m. 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. A video stream is available at cneagles.com/FloMBB.
