JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson's phrase "The style makes the fight" will flow through Wednesday's rivalry matchup between the Eagles (5-9, 2-6 South Atlantic Conference) and Tusculum Pioneers (10-6, 5-3 SAC) when the teams tip at 7:30 p.m. inside Holt Fieldhouse.
The contest features the league's third highest scoring offense in the Eagles (89.4 ppg) and the SAC's second lowest scoring defense in the Pioneers (68.9 ppg).
Carson-Newman is looking to put a halt to back-to-back losses to the Pioneers after Tusculum swept last year's season series.
"It's got to be one of those deals where our guys take care of the small things for a 40-minute game," head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "I've said it, I've seen it. Others have said it and seen it, but we are close. Once we can take that final step, it'll generate confidence and hopefully snowball."
The contest features the South Atlantic Conference's top two rebounding teams. The Eagles are fourth nationally with 44.4 boards per game. Carson-Newman has only been outrebounded three times this year and is +6.6 on the glass, second in the league and 28th nationally. However, Tusculum is the nation's leader in rebounding margin. The Pioneers are +12.0 on the boards. The Pioneers have only been outrebounded once, by a 35-29 margin in an 87-75 loss to Lees-McRae.
Carson-Newman had made at least 50 percent of its shots against Tusculum five of last six times the teams have played prior to last year's meetings (a Pioneer sweep). Tusculum limited to less than 45 percent shooting both times last year. The Eagles produced an offensively moribund second half against TU in the meeting in Greeneville. Carson-Newman shot 24 percent from the field in the second half against the Pioneers, its worst shooting effort since 2010.
"We have to be able to fight some different styles," Benson said. "I think we have the chance to evolve and utilize other elements that will allow us to speed teams up. However, we aren't there yet. We have to learn to fight other fights and Tusculum will be a good test to that."
The Pioneers are the nation's best offensive rebounding team, averaging 17.5 offensive boards per game. As a result, the Pioneers have tallied more second chance points than all but one team they've played this year, a 10-8 advantage for Lees-McRae in an 87-75 win for the Bobcats. All told, Tusculum has outscored its opponents 252-136, or 15.75-8.5 second chance points per game
Carson-Newman will have to contend with the South Atlantic Conference's top rim protector. Brandon Mitchell leads the SAC and is 21st nationally with 2.06 blocks per game.
"He is an elite shot blocker," Benson said. "He is able to play not only the shot, but also the man. He's really talented at what he does in the paint, not just with his shot blocking ability, but also with his ability to score and rebound."
Mitchell has registered multiple blocks in five straight games. He has a pair of six-rejection contests (USC Aiken and Anderson) and another with five (Queens).
Tusculum is one of the top defensive teams in the South Atlantic Conference. The Pioneers give up 69.6 points per game, the second lowest in the league. The Pioneers have only allowed 80 points or more on four occasions this year. Meanwhile, the Eagles, the SAC's second highest scoring team has been held below 80 just three times this season.
Carson-Newman is trying to avoid its first five-game losing streak in more than a decade. C-N lost to King, Mars Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne, Tusculum and Brevard in succession from Feb. 3-17, 2010. All but the MHU game in that string, C-N lost by double-digits. Carson-Newman's current four-game losing streak has been a tougher pill to swallow. The Eagles have lost by 10+ once and have been within a possession with under five minutes to play.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Pioneers is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
