JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – On a torrid scoring pace the likes of which has never been seen to start a season, Carson-Newman (2-2) welcomes in Southern Wesleyan (2-2) to Holt Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. tip Wednesday.
Carson-Newman has scored 100 points in three of its first four games to start the season. No other Carson-Newman team has accomplished that feat.
"We've spent a great deal of time going into this year to formulate an offensive strategy that would give us a chance to compete," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We knew making that kind of commitment might set us back in other areas. There's a lot of moving parts, but we've started to focus more time and attention on our defense. I think our defense after game four is better than it was after game one."
Bolstered by a break-neck pace of play, Carson-Newman is averaging 97.8 points per game three contests into the season. That figure is seventh in the country. The 2007-08 team is the only one in school history to average more than 90 points a night over the course of the season.
The Eagles have scored triple digits in back-to-back game and will be aiming at three straight 100-point efforts for the first time since 2007. Granted those were three straight losses for the Eagles as C-N fell to LMU 120-118, Catawba 112-107 and Wingate 122-116.
Carson-Newman has six three-game streaks all-time with at least 100 points scored. The school-record is four, set by the 86-87 and 83-84 teams.
Reece Anderson (Douglasville, Ga.) has made a concerted effort to get to the rim and get fouled. Anderson has shot 34 free throws and made 22. He ranks 13th nationally in free throw attempts and 32nd nationally in free throws made.
In part a by-product of up-tempo pace, Carson-Newman has been hitting the glass. The Eagles rank 10th nationally with 47.00 rebounds per game. That figure leads the South Atlantic Conference. The Eagles are also the top defensive rebounding team in the league, collecting 33.5 defensive boards per game.
Carson-Newman has won every meeting in the four-game series history with Southern Wesleyan by double digits. The closest margin of victory was an 83-69 win for C-N in the first meeting between the two programs in 2015.
The Warriors are much improved from a year ago. Southern Wesleyan has already matched its wins total from each of the last two seasons. The Warriors knocked previously unbeaten North Georgia from the ranks of the unbeaten with an 87-81 OT win in their last game.
"Everything starts with that roster," Benson said. "Nick Pasqua knows that. Going into year two, he really upgraded the roster. He has multiple high-end transfers and those guys are leading the charge. They've got quality wins early. We know going into this contest, it'll be an incredibly difficult challenge."
SWU was projected to finish 10th out of 11 teams in the Conference Carolinas preseason coaches poll.
The Warriors love the long ball. They attempt 34 threes per game and make 11 to rank in the top 30 nationally and second in Conference Carolinas in both threes made and attempted.
Ta'Jay Dunlap leads SWU with 14.5 points per game. He comes into the C-N game off a 21-point outing over North Georgia in which he shot 62 percent from the field.
"This guy has shown up from day one and been delivering," Benson said. "He's tough, physical, can shoot it and get to the rim. He's a legit first semester threat as a freshman. He's the engine for their car."
Tipoff between the Eagles and Warriors is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 6:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
