INDIANAPOLIS – In the second edition of the NCAA's region rankings, Carson-Newman stayed steady in of the Southeast Region announced by the organization Wednesday to start the final week of the 2021-22 regular season
The selection committee uses these rankings as a guideline to make up the NCAA Tournament field. The top eight teams in the region make the NCAA Tournament with three automatic bids going to the winners of the conference tournaments from the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and the Peach Belt Conference.
For the No. 1 team in the region, that school gets to host the Southeast Region tournament over the second weekend of March with three wins needed to advance to the National Quarterfinals in Birmingham, Ala. at the Birmingham Crossplex from March 21-25.
Three of the team's five losses have come against two of the top four clubs in the region with a fourth coming against No. 6. Based on the ratings percentage index that factors in strength of schedule and team performance, the Lady Eagles sit in fifth.
All of the movement came below the Lady Eagles with the top three teams representing the Peach Belt as North Georgia would be the host site if the season ended today. In fourth Wingate starts a string of three straight schools from the SAC with Catawba sliding up a slot into sixth passing a one-loss Barton unit.
Mount Olive and Belmont Abbey dropped out of the rankings as Columbus State would be the final team in the field if the standings were to hold. Clayton State, ninth, and Anderson, 10th, are sitting on the doorstep.
The Orange and Blue have won three games in a row by an average of 39 points per game posting a pair of triple-digit evenings during the stretch. In the 2022 calendar year, the program holds a 12-2 record.
The Lady Eagles aim for a fourth straight win on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in their final home regular-season game of the year. Broadcast coverage can be found on 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and cneagles.com/live starting at 5:15.
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