JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (0-2) will see Holt Fieldhouse turned into an aviary when the Shorter Hawks (1-1) come to Holt Fieldhouse for the teams' first meeting in a half a century.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Hawks is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
Carson-Newman won the first and only meeting with Shorter all the way back in the 1969-70 season 82-73.
The Eagles are looking to avoid an 0-3 start to the year. Carson-Newman hasn't started 0-3 to a season since 2010-11, Chuck Benson's first year as head coach at C-N. The Eagles started 0-3 that year with losses to Belmont Abbey, Georgia College and Hillsdale before grabbing a 95-75 win over Hiwassee in game four. Carson-Newman avoided an 0-3 start in 2014-15, the last time it started 0-2, with a 73-68 win in game three at Tusculum.
Carson-Newman has won four straight home openers. The Eagles' last loss to open the doors to Holt Fieldhouse came against Coker on Nov. 22, 2014, 69-60. The Eagles are 7-2 all-time in home openers with Chuck Benson as head coach. C-N lost to Belmont Abbey in Benson's first year 86-81 as C-N's only other home-opening loss.
"Several things came to light after this first weekend," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "First, we have to tighten up several loose ends with our defense. King and Lees-McRae both shot the ball well, but I think our offense is ahead of our defense, and we need to get that defense right."
EJ Bush's 27-point, 13-rebound double-double against Lees-McRae was the 12th for the Bryan transfer over the last two seasons. He came up two rebounds shy of a double-double against King the next night. Bush leads the South Atlantic Conference with 10.5 rebounds per game. He is 18th nationally with 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.
"Some guys first action in an Eagle uniform made a positive impression," Benson said. "EJ Bush obviously showed what he's about. Richard Henderson maximized his opportunities. Bryant Thomas did what we thought he was capable of. There were others, but last weekend is a weekend that will benefit us moving forward."
Carson-Newman is one of the better rebounding teams in the country after opening weekend. The Eagles are averaging 45 boards per game, 19th nationally and second best in the conference.
Carson-Newman is taking on a team from the Gulf South for the first time since Nov. 25, 2017. The Eagles downed Lee that day 79-56. This is just the second time in the Chuck Benson-era that Carson-Newman has taken on a team from the Gulf South (when the Eagles played Montevallo in the 2014-15 NCAA tournament, they were still members of the Peach Belt).
Matchups with the GSC are a bit of a rarity. The Eagles are 7-11 all-time against active schools in the league. The bulk of those matchups are with Alabama-Huntsville, who is 10-6 all-time against C-N. North Alabama, now a D-1 institution is the only other GSC team C-N has played outside of Lee.
Jay Shropshire and Bryan Polanco form a two-headed monster for Shorter. The pair is combining to average 38.5 points per game, half of the Hawks 76.0 ppg scoring output on the year. • While early, Shropshire is 25th nationally with 4.0 threes made per game. He knocked down 7-of-12 in an 87-86 win over Spring Hill. He is one of 21 players in all NCAA Division II to have knocked down seven threes in one game after the opening weekend of the year.
"Those guys are very much like us," Benson said. "They're figuring themselves out. Polanco and Shropshire are tough. Shropshire really went off this weekend from beyond the arc. Polanco is a really capable rim-attack guy who puts you in the mind of a Mason Bates. We'll have our hands full, but we're so thankful to be at home."
Shorter was picked last in the preseason GSC poll. The Hawks are already halfway to their win total from last year. They finished 2-26 with Ws over Spring Hill & Pensacola Christian.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Hawks is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins 15 minutes prior to tip with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
