JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (5-8, 2-5 South Atlantic Conference) will play host to its second top-25 team this year when No. 24 Queens (10-3, 5-2 SAC) enters Holt Fieldhouse Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip.
"We're thrilled to play in Holt again and against an elite opponent," Carson-Newman head coach Chuck Benson said. "The guys should be motivated to play a nationally ranked team to start off the home slate for 2020."
The Eagles will be looking to pump the breaks on a trio of streaks in the process. Carson-Newman hasn't beaten Queens in 10 attempts, C-N's longest active losing streak to a conference foe. In that span, the Royals have rolled up a pair of 22-point wins (the largest in the series' 15-game history) and four double-digit triumphs in the last six meetings. The Eagles have also been within a possession of Queens in three of the losses.
Furthermore, Carson-Newman is looking to snap a 14-game losing streak to ranked opposition. LMU registers as C-N's last ranked win. The Eagles downed the Railsplitters, then ranked sixth in the country 111-109 on Nov. 12, 2016. Carson-Newman has four wins all-time against top-10 teams with Chuck Benson as head coach.
Finally, Carson-Newman is trying to avoid four straight losses for the first time since Chuck Benson's first year with the program in 2010-11. The Eagles dropped four straight games to close that year, to Newberry, Anderson and Lincoln Memorial twice.
It would seem that Tennessee State transfer Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) will instrumental to stopping those skids.
Davis has produced back-to-back-back 20-point games following up a career-high 27 points against Mars Hill with a 22-point effort at Catawba and a 20-point contest at L-R. He is the first player with three straight 20-point games since Charles Clark. Bird went for 20+ in three consecutive games on three different occasions during his senior season during the 2017-18 year.
"Everytime we get a chance to play, it's another chance for Tripp to get comfortable and gain confidence," Benson said. "We let guys playing for Carson-Newman be a stage to perform differently than they did at other schools. Tripp being a transfer, we've given him freedom and flexibility. I like what he's doing and I think there are only better days ahead for him."
Queens is ranked No. 24 nationally in the latest edition of the D2SIDA Media Poll, released on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Despite dropping out of the national coaches' poll for the first time since Nov. 2015, the Royals remain ranked in at least one of the two major national polls every week since Nov. 2016, a streak that spans more than three full seasons. The Royals' streak of 65 consecutive weeks in the national coaches' poll came to an end on New Year's Eve. The streak, which began on Nov. 24, 2015, the first poll of the 2015-2016 season, lasted 1,498 days (4 years, 1 month and 7 days).
With two Elite Eight's under his belt, Queens guard Daniel Carr is one of the most decorated and experienced guards in the South Atlantic Conference. He leads the Royals with 17.4 points per game.
"Carr is a proven performer," Benson said. "But they also have their top three guards back from an Elite Eight team. Carr is definitely the head of the snake though. I've been so impressed with what he's done over the years. I know Coach Lundy and his staff are pleased with what he's doing for them. This is great for our guards because we need to face these kind of challenges."
Carr has scored in double-digits in every game this season with the exception of a four-point win at Anderson when he went 0-4 from the field and was limited to seven points, all on free throws. Carr averaged 13 points per game across three meetings last season with Carson-Newman. He had a double-double in the team's regular season meeting in Curry Arena with 15 points and 11 boards.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Royals is set for 4:00 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts a 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
