INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Carson-Newman is sitting pretty for making a 17th NCAA tournament appearance in school history.
The Eagles check in in fifth in the final iteration of the Southeast region rankings ahead of Monday's NCAA tournament selection show.
The conference tournament champions from the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt and Conference Carolinas combined with the top five teams from the region rankings go on to make up the Southeast Regional.
With Francis Marion clinching an at-large berth by winning the Conference Carolinas tournament, and the SAC and PeachBelt Championship Series both featuring exclusively regionally-ranked teams, it would seem improbable for Carson-Newman to drop four spots from Wednesday to Monday and be on the outside looking in.
Carson-Newman is one of five South Atlantic Conference schools listed. Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne sit in second and third, respectively, while Lincoln Memorial and Catawba occupy the seventh and ninth spots. The Indians are presently on the outside looking in for the event.
The PBC has the top-ranked team in North Georgia and the fourth-ranked team in Columbus State. Those two schools are battling for the PBC tournament title.
Conference Carolinas has three teams representing it. Francis Marion is the highest-ranked team in sixth. King occupies the final spot among teams who are in position to qualify for the postseason in eighth. Lees-McRae is on the outside looking in in 10th.
Carson-Newman is in the position it is in in large part due to its strength of schedule. The Eagles' .560 mark is second in the region only to Lincoln Memorial's .571. C-N also has the second-most wins over regionally-ranked foes with 12, only behind Wingate's 14.
C-N has the fourth-highest RPI in the region.
Based on the final region rankings, Carson-Newman would be opening the region tournament in Dahlonegah, Ga. against Columbus State, a team it beat 2-1 earlier this season. The Eagles will find out their postseason fate Monday morning at 10 a.m. during the NCAA's selection show.
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SOUTHEAST |
|||
|
1 |
North Georgia |
52-6 |
52-6 |
|
2 |
Wingate |
43-12 |
42-11 |
|
3 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
36-12 |
36-12 |
|
4 |
Columbus St. |
44-12 |
42-12 |
|
5 |
Carson-Newman |
31-16 |
30-16 |
|
6 |
Francis Marion |
40-11 |
37-10 |
|
7 |
Lincoln Memorial |
34-22 |
34-20 |
|
8 |
King (TN) |
35-21 |
35-21 |
|
9 |
Catawba |
26-19 |
26-19 |
|
10 |
Lees-McRae |
32-18 |
30-18 |
