HARROGATE, Tenn. -- There are only 18 unbeaten teams remaining in all of the NCAA Division II men's basketball ranks, and two of them will collide at Tex Turner Arena on Monday evening as the No.8 Railsplitters (9-0, 4-0 SAC) welcome the No.21 Newberry Wolves (10-0, 4-0 SAC) to Harrogate for a South Atlantic Conference showdown.
 
The end of Lincoln Memorial's five game homestand, which has seen the Railsplitters go 4-0 with a 34 point average margin of victory, culminates with the South Atlantic Conference's runner-up in the preseason coaches' poll. Newberry has more than exceeded those lofty expectations, opening the season with 10 consecutive wins while outscoring its opponents by nearly 20 points per game, breaking into the NABC/Division II top 25 poll for the first time in program history this past week. The Railsplitters, meanwhile, are vying for their 10th consecutive win, which would be the fifth double-digit winning streak in the Josh Schertz era.
 
Monday marks LMU's first battle in Tex Turner Arena against a nationally-ranked opponent since hosting the No.11 Catawba Indians during the 2008-09 campaign, an 85-70 win on January 21. It is the first time in the Division II era that two nationally-ranked teams will go head-to-head in Harrogate.
 
Newberry implements an up-tempo, frenetic style that relies on unsettling its opponents' offensive game plan with a pressure defense that works to create easy scoring opportunities. While that system has provided mixed results in the first few seasons under head coach Dave Davis, it has come full circle in 2014-15. The Wolves are among the highest scoring offenses at the DII level, as they are pouring in the fourth-most points in the nation with 95.8 per game. A huge portion of that offense is accounted for from long distance, where Newberry ranks second in the nation in both three-point attempts (331) and three-pointers made per game (14.3). The Wolves' defense is forcing 11.8 steals per game, the seventh-most in the nation. Unselfish play has also characterized this team, as they rank third in all of DII in assists per game with 21.8.
 
No single player on Newberry's roster is averaging more than 20 minutes per game, as the Wolves substitute in droves to fortify the high-energy defense with a steady flow of fresh bodies. Seniors Demarkus Smith and Dondray Walker pace the Wolves with 12.9 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. Junior Mitch Riggs is contributing 11.8 points per game, while Brandon Taylor (9.4) and James Ashby (9) are factoring in more than nine points per appearance.
 
Newberry has looked especially dominant in its last three games, crushing Southern Wesleyan 99-80 on Saturday in nonconference action. Before that, the Wolves throttled College of Faith 118-79 and dismantled Anderson 74-59.
 
The strength of Newberry's system, in many ways, creates two glaring weaknesses: defensive field-goal percentage and rebounding. When the defense is not forcing turnovers, it opens up space for easy shots in transition while creating confusion and miscommunications on rebounding responsibilities. The Wolves are allowing their opponents to shoot 44.7 percent per contest while they are logging a minimal advantage over their opponents on the glass with a plus 2.5 clip. The Railsplitters are among the most efficient offensive teams in the nation with a 50.7 percent shooting mark, while they lead DII with a plus 16 rebounding margin.
 
Aside from the normally increased intensity of South Atlantic Conference play, the LMU-Newberry game will be exponentially imbued with intensity after the Railsplitters defeated the Wolves three times during the 2013-14 campaign, including a 97-76 win in the semifinals of the SAC Championship, which ended Newberry's season. Newberry is, however, responsible for one of only 10 losses for the Railsplitters in Tex Turner since the 2008-09 campaign. The Wolves rained down 16 three-pointers and went 29-for-35 from the free throw line in a 113-98 win on February 9, 2013.
 
The Railsplitters enter Monday's contest following a 109-38 demolition of VU-Lynchburg on Wednesday night. The Railsplitters shot 54.5 percent in the game while limiting the visiting Dragons to just 24 percent shooting. Newberry - who has not hit less than 12 three-pointers in a game this season - might find it a little more difficult to find open space against Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters claim the fifth-best three-point field goal percentage defense in the nation, as opponents are shooting just 26.1 percent from long range. No opponent has hit more than nine threes in a game against LMU this season.
 
Tip-off between Lincoln Memorial and Newberry is scheduled for 8 p.m. inside of Tex Turner Arena. Live stats and an HD video broadcast, compliments of the LMU Sports Network, will be available at www.LMURailsplitters.com. Fans are also encouraged to listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 the Gap.

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