JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – High-scoring Carson-Newman (4-5, 1-2 South Atlantic Conference) will have to contend with one of four league teams holding foes under 75 points a night when Coker (2-5, 1-2 SAC) comes to Holt Fieldhouse for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday.
The Cobras allow 73.1 points per game, the fourth best scoring defense in the SAC. Meanwhile, Carson-Newman is putting up 91 a contest. The Eagles boast of the nation's 11th best scoring team.
Coker will be without first-year head coach Jarred Merrill, who was hospitalized prior to an exhibition game with the College of Charleston and hasn't yet returned to the team.
"Our prayers go out to the Coker community and wish Coach Merrill a speedy recovery," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "He's done a nice job. Their record isn't an indicator of the progress they've made here in year one for him as a head coach. We expect this to be a challenge because their style is one of control and slower pace. That's compared to our open, uptempo deal. It'll be an interesting competition."
Carson-Newman will be trying to extend a nine-game winning streak in the series. Coker won five of the first six meetings all-time, but the Eagles haven't dropped a contest to the Cobras since the 2014-15 season. Carson-Newman's nine-game win streak is its longest active win streak against a SAC foe.
Carson-Newman has put up 100 points in three of the last five games with the Cobras. Coker did snap a string of four-straight double digit losses in a 75-73 defeat to the Eagles in the last game. Mason Bates made a bucket in the final seconds to give the Eagles the two-point win last time the teams played in Holt Fieldhouse.
Coker has been much better away from home (2-1) than they have at the Deloach Center (0-4). The Cobras last win came Nov. 26 in a 49-45 war of attrition against Wingate. Somewhat shockingly, the Cobras average 15 fewer points in their wins than in their losses. The Cobras are averaging 56.7 in wins, but 69.3 ppg in losses.
"Each possession feels like it's a great value," Benson said. "They do an exceptional job of pressuring the ball while protecting the paint, and forcing teams to take shots over the top. They back all that up with solid transition and rebounding. They're going to do the job defensively. We have to be intent on creating more possessions with our offensive rebounding and pace."
Carson-Newman is among the nation's elite in rebounding this season. The Eagles have seized at least 40 boards in all but one game this year. and have outrebounded their last six foes by 12.8 boards per game. C-N is second nationally in rebounds per game, averaging 47.2 per contest. The Eagles also pull down 16 offensive rebounds per contest, a total that is third in the nation.
EJ Bush has been a double-double machine for the Eagles in their first nine games. Bush leads the South Atlantic Conference with four double-doubles on the year. He is 25th in the nation in that regard.
Royce Hunter is the only Cobras player averaging double figures. The junior tallies 16.7 points per game. Hunter is also the lone Cobra to have started all seven of the Cobras games.
"He's a solid proven scorer," Benson said. "It's always tough because these guys have found ways to score. Royce has continually scored on other teams. We have to make sure that his opportunities aren't easy opportunities."
He has scored in double figures in every game for Coker, including back-to-back 20-point efforts in losses to Limestone and Lander. Coker is the only team in the SAC that only has one double-digit scorer on the roster.
Coker has struggled with the long ball this year. The Cobras shoot 25.7 percent from long distance, which is 302 out of 303 Division II teams. Coker's best shooting night from long range game in a 85-63 loss on Nov. 23 at Lander, the Cobras were 9-for-22 that night for a 40.9 percent effort. The Cobras haven't been above 30 percent from long range in a game since that contest.
Tipoff between Carson-Newman and Coker is set for 4 p.m. Saturday. 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.
