HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The long wait is finally over as the 23rd-ranked Railsplitters open the 2014-15 campaign this weekend by hosting the SAC vs. Conference Carolinas Challenge at Tex Turner Arena in Harrogate, Tenn. Lincoln Memorial squares off against the Lees-McRae Bobcats in the season lid lifter on Friday at 8 p.m. before taking on the King Tornado at 4 p.m. Saturday.
 
The Railsplitters enter the season in a familiar position: bearing the weight of high expectations as the defending South Atlantic Conference champions. Lincoln Memorial captured their second straight SAC regular season title, and third in the last four years, while also earning their second SAC Tournament title in 2013-14. The Railsplitters made their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Southeast Regional and advanced to the semifinals of that event for the third straight year. Along the way, the men in Blue and Gray broke the SAC single-season record for wins and winning percentage with a 28-3 overall mark.
 
Despite losing nearly 40 points per game with the graduation of consensus Daktronics All-America first team selection Vincent Bailey and All-SAC second team honoree Chance Jones, the Railsplitters were picked to win their third consecutive SAC title in the league's preseason coaches' poll. 
 
The Railsplitters are led into the 2014-15 season by senior point guard Lorenza Ross (Savannah, Ga.), who was selected preseason All-SAC first team after pouring in 10 points and 4.4 assists per game in 31 appearances last season. Sophomore shooting guard Luquon Choice (Laurens, S.C.) earned the nod for the preseason All-SAC second team, as he pitched in nine points per game while knocking down a team-leading 61 three-pointers last season. Junior Tim Pierce (Albany, Ga.) looks to build upon a strong finish to his sophomore season as he scored double-figures in eight of his last 14 games.
 
On the block, senior Keenan Peterson (College Park, Ga.), junior Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) and sophomore Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) are tasked with filling the void in production left by the departure of the previously mentioned Bailey. Peterson accounted for 5.9 points and 7.8 boards per game in his 30 appearances last season, while McMillion averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds over that same stretch. Woodson was a productive fourth fiddle in the post during last year's championship run as he contributed 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in only 11.4 minutes per game.
 
Friday's season opener pits the Railsplitters against a rebuilding, but resurgent Lees-McRae squad. The Bobcats struggled to a 7-20 mark in 2013-14, but they nearly toppled Division I Appalachian State in an exhibition on November 6. LMC led for much of that contest before App State gained a two-point cushion on a layup with four ticks remaining in regulation. The Bobcats' desperation, game-winning three-point attempt fell short in the heartbreaking 71-69 loss. 
 
The Bobcats feature an up-tempo offense that averaged 81.3 points and 18 three-point attempts per game last season. That productivity was unable to mask their problems on the defensive end of the floor as Lees-McRae allowed opponents to net 88.7 points per game on a cumulative 46.9 percent shooting clip. The Bobcats were also outrebounded by an average of 4.4 boards per contest in Conference Carolinas play. 
 
Senior guard Jacquise Moore is the Bobcats' leading returning scorer as he tallied 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in 26 appearances last season. Senior forward Raul Tutton pitched in 10.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 24 starts last season, while newcomer Sean Deniton is also expected to make an immediate impact. The Guilford Tech Community College transfer led LMC against Appalachian State with 16 points.
 
In their four total head-to-head encounters against Lees-McRae, the Railsplitters are 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 29.5. Lincoln Memorial throttled the Bobcats 86-54 in the most recent meeting on November 19, 2011.
 
Saturday afternoon's tilt sees the Railsplitters clash with King for the sixth consecutive season. The Tornado finished with a disappointing 16-13 mark in 2013-14, but they return their top four scorers in Logan Lyle, Hunter LeVeau, C.J. Good and Drew Standifer.
 
Lyle led the Tornado with 14.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while he drilled a team-leading 95 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, LeVeau racked up 81 trifectas while accounting for 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Good posted 9.7 points per game with 75 total three-pointers, while Standifer contributed 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per appearances. The return of Shamarae Watts adds another experienced guy to the Tornado's rotation as he tallied 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per in 29 appearances last season.  
 
King, who scored 79.8 points per outing, rained in an absurd 13.3 three-pointers per game last season
 
The Railsplitters enter the weekend without a loss to King since the initial meeting between the two programs during the 2009-10 campaign, building a 9-0 mark in the all-time series. Only two of those nine games have been decided by more than seven points. Last season, the Railsplitters narrowly avoided an early season slip-up in an 86-80 win over the Tornado in Bristol, Tenn.
 
The Tusculum Pioneers are the fourth and final team that will be participating in the SAC vs. Conference Carolinas Challenge as they play King at 6 p.m. on Friday and Lees-McRae at 2 p.m. on Saturday.  
 
The Railsplitters kick off the 2014-15 campaign against Lees-McRae on Friday, November 14. Tip-off in that contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. Lincoln Memorial caps the season-opening weekend against King at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats and a free, video broadcast will be available for both of those games at www.LMURailsplitters.com.

SAC vs. Conference Carolinas schedule
Friday, November 14
Tusculum vs. King (6pm)
LMU vs. Lees-McRae (8pm)
    Live Stats
    Video
Saturday, November 15
Tusculum vs. Lees-McRae (2pm)
LMU vs. King (4pm)
    Live Stats
    Video