HARROGATE, Tenn. – The eyes of the NCAA Division II basketball world will be focused squarely on Tex Turner Arena on Saturday afternoon as the No. 1 nationally-ranked Railsplitters (26-1, 19-0 SAC) clash with the No. 2 nationally-ranked Queens Royals (26-1 18-1 SAC) to conclude the 2017-18 regular-season schedule. Tip-off between the two bitter South Atlantic Conference rivals is set for approximately 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 as part of the Division II Basketball Showcase. Lincoln Memorial will also be offering free admission for the game.
Saturday's long-awaited showdown, which could go down as the highest stakes regular-season game in program history, has no shortage of storylines.
First and foremost, it will serve as only the 15th all-time meeting between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the entire history of NCAA Division II men's basketball. The Railsplitters have incredibly been involved in three of the last four, including one earlier this season when then second-ranked Lincoln Memorial faced then No. 1 Northwest Missouri State in Owensboro, Ky. on December 19. The Railsplitters were also ranked No. 1 in the country when they faced No. 2 Augustana in the 2016 national championship game.
No. 1 vs. No. 2 collisions are the rarest occurrences in Division II men's basketball, but they are even rarer in regular-season play. One vs. two showdowns typically occur deep in the postseason in the final leg of the NCAA Tournament, as four of the six times its happened this century have taken place in the national quarterfinals, the national semifinals or the title game. It will be just the seventh one vs. two matchup since the start of the 1983-84 campaign.
The outcome of Saturday's game could also decide the fate of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional and have major NCAA Tournament implications at large. The Railsplitters are currently ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region poll and in the driver's seat to host the regional for the third time in the past four seasons, while Queens is solidly at No. 2 in the region rankings. Lincoln Memorial hosted the Southeast Regional in 2015 and 2016, while the Royals held that event in Charlotte, N.C. in 2017.
Along with the national implications at stake, the Railsplitters, who clinched at worst a share of their sixth consecutive South Atlantic Conference regular-season title on Wednesday night, will be looking to claim the outright championship. Queens, on the other hand, is trying to spoil Lincoln Memorial's bid for the second perfect SAC season in program and league history and earn a share of the SAC regular-season title for the second season in a row. A win would give LMU the outright title while a loss would mean that it's a shared championship once more.
The Railsplitters enter the regular-season finale riding a SAC-record 33-game conference winning streak. With a win, Lincoln Memorial would finish the season 20-0 in league play to become just the second team in SAC history on either the men's or women's side to go unbeaten in conference play. Lincoln Memorial's 2015-16 team that ran the table with a perfect 22-0 mark is the only other basketball team in SAC history to accomplish that feat.
In addition to all of that, Saturday will also serve as the final regular-season home game for seniors
Josh Odem,
Dorian Pinson,
Trevon Shaw and
Emanuel Terry. That quartet will be honored during a pre-game ceremony just before tip-off.
Pinson and Terry are the longest tenured members of the senior class as that duo has been with the program since the 2014-15 season. Over that span, the Railsplitters have an astounding cumulative record of 120-13 with four regular-season SAC titles, one SAC tournament championship, three appearances in the NCAA Tournament (with a fourth appearance forthcoming), two Southeast Region championships and two appearances in the national semifinals.
The Railsplitters pushed its overall winning streak to 15 games, extended its Tex Turner Arena winning streak to 21 games and claimed a share of the SAC regular-season title on Wednesday night by grinding out a hard-fought 89-77 win against the rival Carson-Newman Eagles. Lincoln Memorial faced a nine-point first-half deficit but climbed out of that hole to lead by one at the half. The Railsplitters then used a late 7-0 run to shake off the Eagles once and for all.
While Lincoln Memorial's three Bevo Francis Award top 50 finalists – Pinson, Shaaw and Terry - have rightfully stolen the headlines this season, the Railsplitters' depth was the difference in the win over Carson-Newman, as
Deshawn Patterson and
Kamaran Calhoun lifted Lincoln Memorial with 35 combined points off the bench. Patterson scored 19, one shy of his career high, while Calhoun added 16. Pinson chipped in 16 points and 13 rebounds while
Cornelius Taylor added 18 and Shaw scored 13.
The Railsplitters have looked every bit the part of the nation's No. 1 ranked team. Lincoln Memorial enters Saturday's regular-season finale leading the nation in field-goal percentage offense and defense as the team is shooting 54.9 percent from the field while holding opponents to 36.4 percent shooting. Due to that, the Railsplitters are winning by an average margin of 28.3 points per game – the highest mark in the nation.
Along with Lincoln Memorial, Queens is on the short list of teams in the conversation for the claim as the best in the nation. Since dropping their one and only loss of the season to the Railsplitters in a 73-72 nail biter on January 13 in Charlotte, the Royals have reeled off 10 straight wins. They have been virtually unchallenged since that setback, but did have to rally for an 89-86 overtime win at Catawba on January 24. Newberry also pushed the Royals in a 103-95 loss on February 14.
Queens is one of the most efficient offensive outfits in the country, ranking eighth nationally in field-goal percentage with a 50.7 percent clip. Along with that, the Royals are a superb defensive team that ranks 17th in the country in field-goal percentage defense by holding opponents to 41 percent shooting. The Royals are allowing just 68.6 points per game
The veteran-laden Royals are led by the senior quartet of Todd Withers, Mike Davis, Ike Agusi and Jalin Alexander. Withers is putting up 14 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, while Davis is adding 13.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 39 percent from three. Agusi makes the Royals go with 11.4 points, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Alexander is contributing 11.3 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field.
Like the Railsplitters, Queens has no shortage of talent as those four players are backed by Shaun Willett, Lewis Diankulu and Daniel Carr, who have each appeared in all 27 games this season. Willett is putting up 8.8 points per game while Diankulu is contributing 8.7. Carr is chipping in with 6.0 points per game.
The Railsplitters and Royals have played for the highest of stakes over the past several seasons. The two teams played four times last season, splitting the regular-season matchups with a couple of thrillers. Queens won at their place 103-101 in overtime on January 9, 2017, which stands as Lincoln Memorial's most recent regular-season SAC loss. The Railsplitters returned the favor at Tex Turner Arena with an 81-79 win on Shaw's buzzer-beating jumper.
Then came postseason play. Queens edged the Railsplitters 75-72 in the SAC Championship title game to earn the right to host the Southeast Regional, but Lincoln Memorial got the last laugh by beating the Royals 82-68 on their home court to earn the program's second straight trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. It marked Queens' third straight season that was ended by the Railsplitters, who also topped the Royals in the Southeast Regional semifinals in 2016 and the SAC semifinals in 2015.
Earlier this season, the Railsplitters grinded out a 73-72 win at Queens to notch the program's first-ever victory over the nation's No. 1 ranked team. Lincoln Memorial found a way to win on the road despite turning the ball over a season-high 24 times and facing as large as a 14-point deficit in the first half. Shaw, Pinson and Terry combined for 37 points to lead the Railsplitters, who were held to their third-lowest point total of the season in the win. Willett paced the Royals with 19 points while Withers was limited to just seven points on 2-of-6 shooting.
All told, Lincoln Memorial is 13-3 against Queens with an unblemished 6-0 mark in Harrogate.
Tip-off between the Railsplitters and Royals in the 15th all-time meeting between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams is set for 4 p.m. at Tex Turner Arena. Lincoln Memorial is offering free admission for the game as part of the Pack the House promotional event. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3, while live stats and audio links are also available at www.lmurailsplitters.com.
Quick Hits:
- The Railsplitters are a remarkable 74-4 in Harrogate since the start of the 2013-14 campaign. Lincoln Memorial has won 21 straight at Tex Turner Arena since their last home loss on December 17, 2016, a 107-102 setback to Newberry.
- The Royals have yet to lose on the road this season, sporting a perfect 12-0 mark outside of Charlotte, N.C.
- Queens doesn't have many apparent flaws but they are careless with the basketball at times, ranking 258th in the nation with nearly 15 turnovers per game.
- Since the start of the 2010-11 campaign, the Railsplitters are an absurd 148-13 in SAC play with seven SAC regular-season titles.
- The battle on the backboards will be key to the outcome of Saturday's game. Queens is ranked 13th in the nation in rebounding margin at 8.6 while the Railsplitters are fifth nationally with 10.3.
