VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview

VIDEO: Small College Basketball Classic Promo

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – After narrowly missing out on the NCAA tournament last season with a weak strength of schedule, Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson has beefed up the Eagles' degree of difficulty for 2024-25. 

"We wanted to try to beef up the schedule," head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "Not that we necessarily are looking not to do that ever, really. But there's no question, this schedule is going to be a challenge. But we want that challenge. Our guys, I know they are, are excited to compete against some of the best teams in, in the region and in the country."

Carson-Newman will have nine games with teams that made last year's NCAA tournament, including a pair that advanced to the Sweet 16 or deeper. 

Among the strength of schedule comes with an invite to participate in the prestigious Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic to start the 2024-25 season. 

The Eagles will head to Lakeland, Fla. for the event Nov. 2-3 to open the 2024-25 season. C-N will open the campaign against Lake Superior State on Saturday, Nov. 2 before taking on Fort Lewis Sunday. 

Lake Superior State went 23-9 last season and advanced to the Midwest Regional Final before bowing out to Ferris State 86-81just shy of the Elite Eight. Fort Lewis was 29-4 last season. The Skyhawks fell in the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament to sixth-ranked Colorado Mesa 85-80. 

"We just were fortunate that we got the opportunity," Benson said. "We were hopeful but surprised that we actually got the opportunity. I think only two of the teams from our conference have ever been invited to compete in that event to sort of kick off the season, and so we want to make the most of that. The two opponents we've drawn, Lake Superior and Fort Lewis, were both teams that made deep NCAA tournament runs. So we know it's going to be really challenging. But again, we want that kind of challenge prior to jumping into SAC play." 

This will be the fifth season a South Atlantic Conference team has been invited to the SCBHOFC.  Queens went in 2018, while Lincoln Memorial has played three times – 2016, 2019 and 2022. 

The event is hosted by Florida Southern College and is sponsored by Polk County Tourism & Sports Marketing and Visit Central Florida.

Carson-Newman continues non-conference play Nov. 8-9 with a pair of opponents it has a ton of familiarity with. For a fifth-straight season, the Eagles will play King and Lees-McRae in a SAC/Conference Carolinas challenge. Banner Elk, N.C, is the scheduled site for this year's event. However, an alternate location may be sought pending Hurricane Helene cleanup on Lees-McRae's campus.  With the current configuration of C-N, UVA Wise, Lees-McRae and King, Carson-Newman has only gone 2-0 in the classic once. 

"It's hard to go 2-0 in that conference challenge," Benson said. "Both those teams have a lot coming back and it'll take our best in both of those games to have a chance to."

Carson-Newman has one game against an NAIA foe on Nov. 12 with Johnson & Wales making the journey over from Charlotte for the first-ever meeting between the two teams. 

C-N then plays nine straight league games before hopping back out of conference play on Dec. 21 to take on North Georgia, who won the Southeast Regional championship last year. 

"North Georgia - they were in the Elite Eight last year," Benson said. "They have got a lot of pieces back and we know that'll be challenging. With the SAC double round robin format back so we don't have a lot of wiggle room. With 24 conference games and the other six are non-conference. So we tried to make it what we thought would give us the best chance to be tested and to be in a good position come late February."

Carson-Newman begins South Atlantic Conference play on Nov. 16, playing host to Lenoir-Rhyne.  The Eagles will have played Catawba and Limestone twice before hitting the Christmas break. 

C-N has a three-game home stand to begin league play before Thanksgiving with L-R, Tusculum and Catawba all visiting Holt Fieldhouse.  C-N then hits the road for three straight league games, going to Emory & Henry, Anderson and UVA Wise. 

All Carson-Newman basketball games will be broadcast on the