JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Thanks to a 17-3 non-conference record and six wins against regionally-ranked foes, Carson-Newman sits in sixth in the initial region rankings.
The ranking means that if the season were to end today, Carson-Newman would be bound for its 16th NCAA tournament in program history.
The conference tournament champions from the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt and Conference Carolinas combined with the top five teams from the region rankings go on to make up the Southeast Regional.
The Eagles have wins over Mississippi College, King, Lander, Wingate (2) and Limestone – teams all regionally ranked, and could improve their standing with wins over Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne, who are ranked first and second in the Southeast, to close this week.
The South Atlantic Conference is well-represented in the Southeast. Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne sit atop the rankings in first and second. The Trojans, who are 16-2 against teams with a .500 record or better and a .615 RPI are a virtual lock to host a regional.
Lincoln Memorial sits in fourth, while Wingate and Limestone are behind C-N in seventh and 10th, respectively. The Peachbelt is represented by two schools, North Georgia in third and Lander in eighth. Conference Carolinas has two teams represented in King in fifth and Francis Marion in ninth.
Selections for the regional tournaments are announced on Monday, May 9, with the tournaments played from May 12-14. Each region has two, four-team sub-regional tournaments that are double-elimination and hosted on campus sites by the top two seeds in the region.
