CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the second time in five games, the Railsplitters will face the No. 1 team in the country when they travel to Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday to face top-ranked Queens in a top-five showdown and a rematch of last season's Southeast Regional championship game. No. 5 Lincoln Memorial (14-1, 8-0 SAC) and the No. 1 Royals (16-0, 8-0 SAC) are the last remaining teams without a loss in South Atlantic Conference play. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. inside of the Levine Center.
 
The Lincoln Memorial/Queens series has become one of the fiercest rivalries in the region – one that has been filled with high-stakes drama over the past couple of seasons. It reached a crescendo during the 2016-17 campaign when the two teams played four times.
 
The Royals topped the Railsplitters in a 103-101 overtime thriller in last season's first meeting in Charlotte, but Lincoln Memorial returned the favor with a come-from-behind 81-79 victory capped by Trevon Shaw's game-winner in Queens' trip to Harrogate. The two teams met again in the championship game of the South Atlantic Conference tournament, and the Royals came out on top and earned hosting duties for the Southeast Regional with a 75-72 nail-biting win. However, Lincoln Memorial got the last laugh by pulling out an 82-68 win over the Royals in the regional title game to earn its second straight berth to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 
Both Lincoln Memorial and Queens have picked up right where they left off last season.
 
At 14-1 and with their only loss coming at the hands of the previous No. 1 team and defending national champions Northwest Missouri State, the Railsplitters are winning by an average of nearly 30 points per game and leading the SAC in points per game, field-goal percentage, three-point field-goal percentage, rebounding margin, assists per game and field-goal percentage defense. Lincoln Memorial has won 22 straight SAC games, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak of its kind in SAC history.
 
Bolstered by the return of four starters from last season's Sweet 16 squad, Queens is one of only four teams left in the NCAA Division II without a loss this season. The Royals allow the fewest points per game in the SAC, are shooting 51 percent from the field, winning by an average of 16 points per game and outrebounding their opponents by 10. Queens has won 23 of its last 24 games dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
 
The Railsplitters head into Saturday's matchup playing some of their best basketball of the season. Since a forgettable performance at Lenoir-Rhyne right after the winter break, Lincoln Memorial has put together a 33-point win over Anderson and a 46-point bludgeoning of Coker. The Railsplitters combined for 25 three-pointers and a nearly 58 percent clip from the field in those two game. Lincoln Memorial should also be well rested after having the week off following Saturday's home win over Coker.
 
LMU will be led by the quartet of Shaw, Emanuel Terry, Cornelius Taylor and Dorian Pinson. Shaw leads the team with 18.4 points per game, 71 three-pointers and a 49 percent mark from three, while Terry is putting up 18.3 points and 10.6 points per game, ranking in the top four in the SAC in both of those categories. Taylor is chipping in 14.1 points per game and is just two games removed from a career-high 31-point performance against Anderson. Pinson became the newest member of LMU's 1,000-point club in the win over Coker, and is accounting for 13.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 63 percent from the field.
 
Queens kept its unblemished record intact on Wednesday with a hard-fought 81-75 win at Newberry. The Royals led that contest by 15 points early in the second half, but the Wolves fought back to take a five-point lead with less than five minutes to play. However, Queens rallied late to avoid any letdown.
 
The Royals are led by a potent and veteran quartet as well in seniors Todd Withers, Mike Davis, Jalin Alexander and Ike Agusi. Withers is leading the charge with 14.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game on 55 percent shooting, while Davis is contributing 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 37 percent shooting. Alexander is averaging 11 points and 2.5 assists per game, while Agusi is accounting for 10.7 points and a team-leading 4.3 assists per game.
 
Junior Lewis Diankulu has also made an impact for the Royals with 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting an absurd 67.3 percent from the field.
 
Queens has won 10 consecutive regular-season home games dating back to January 28, 2017. The Royals are 6-0 at the Levine Center this season, where they are averaging 83 points per game and shooting 52 percent from the field.
 
The winner of Saturday's game will likely assume pole position for hosting the 2018 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. Lincoln Memorial hosted the regional in both 2015 and 2016, while Queens served as the host in 2017. Both LMU and Queens have been ranked either one or two in the D2SIDA regional rankings for the entire season so far.
 
Tip-off between the Railsplitters and Royals is set for approximately 4 p.m. Live stats and video links are available at www.lmurailsplitters.com, while fans can also listen along with Voice of the Railsplitters Rusty Peace at WLMU 91.3 The Gap.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Royals have proven vulnerable in a couple of areas. Queens is committing over 15 turnovers per game as well as drawing over 19 fouls per game, both among the bottom half of the SAC statistical rankings.
 
- Queens is shooting just 29 percent from three-point range in its three games in January. In contrast, Lincoln Memorial is 119 for its last 266 from three, good for a 45 percent mark.
 
- Neither team has won back-to-back games in the series since Lincoln Memorial strung together eight straight wins from 2013-16. The Railsplitters, who own a 13-3 edge in the series, will be trying to make it two straight following last season's Sweet 16 triumph over the Royals.