HARROGATE, Tenn. – For the second consecutive season, Queens stands between the Railsplitters and a trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. as No. 1 ranked and top-seeded Lincoln Memorial (32-1) faces the No. 7 Royals (30-3) in the championship game of the Southeast Regional on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. inside of Tex Turner Arena.
 
Schedule / Game Day Links
 
Tuesday, March 13 vs. Queens – 7 p.m.
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Tournament Central
NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship bracket
 
Here We Are Again
 
For the second season in a row, Lincoln Memorial and Queens will play for the Southeast Regional title. The Railsplitters will be looking to claim their third straight region championship while the Royals are hoping to avoid having their season ended by Lincoln Memorial for the fourth successive year.
 
The Railsplitters and Royals have been on a collision course since the 2017-18 campaign tipped off four months ago. Queens opened the season ranked No. 2 in the NABC/Division II rankings while Lincoln Memorial sat at No. 4. Neither team has been ranked outside of the top 10 all season and both have been ranked No. 1 at some point.
 
Tuesday night's Sweet 16 showdown will be the fourth meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Queens this season, marking the second consecutive year in which the two teams have played four times. It marks the third straight season that the Railsplitters will face the Royals in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Railsplitters are set to face the Royals for the third time since the two teams wrapped up the regular season on February 24 at Tex Turner Arena. Lincoln Memorial won that game 80-65 and later rallied for an 77-75 triumph over Queens in the SAC Championship title game back on March 4 in Greenville, S.C.
 
Queens is 0-3 against Lincoln Memorial but 30-0 against everybody else they have played this season.
 
How Did We Get Here
 
The Railsplitters punched their third straight ticket to the Sweet 16 with an 87-61 win over Clayton State on Sunday night at Tex Turner Arena. Lincoln Memorial opened the game on a 17-3 run and eventually carried a commanding 56-25 lead into the break. The Railsplitters built as large as a 42-point cushion in the second half before cruising to the win.
 
With Sunday night's result, the Railsplitters extended their winning streak to 21 games and captured their 25th consecutive home win. Lincoln Memorial hasn't lost since falling to defending national champions Northwest Missouri State on December 19, rattling off the third-longest winning streak in SAC and program history. The Railsplitters also clinched sole possession of the second-most wins in a single season in SAC and program history with their 32nd victory of the year.
 
Queens earned its spot in the Southeast Regional title game with a hard-fought 75-63 win over UNC Pembroke on Sunday evening. The Royals held the Braves to 33 percent shooting and led outright for over 36 minutes to clinch a 30-win campaign. Queens opened the NCAA Tournament by stomping Lees-McRae 90-69.
 
Epic Series  
 
When the Railsplitters and Royals square off, it's almost always a classic.
 
During the 2016-17 campaign, three of the four meetings were decided by a single possession. Queens edged the Railsplitters 103-101 in overtime in Charlotte, N.C. before Trevon Shaw buried a game-winner to give Lincoln Memorial an 81-79 win in the final regular-season clash at Tex Turner Arena. The Royals then topped the Railsplitters 75-72 in the SAC title game but Lincoln Memorial returned the favor with an 82-68 victory in the Southeast Regional title game.
 
That trend has continued in 2017-18. The Railsplitters defeated then No. 1 Queens in Charlotte 73-72 back on January 13 and later capped the regular season with an 80-65 triumph over the Royals. Lincoln Memorial had to rally from a nine-point first-half deficit and survive a furious charge to beat Queens 77-75 in the SAC title game.
 
Lincoln Memorial is 15-3 all-time against Queens but five of the last six games in the series have been decided by three points or less.
 
The Railsplitters have never lost to the Royals in Tex Turner Arena, sporting a perfect 7-0 home mark in the series. Lincoln Memorial is also 2-0 against Queens in NCAA Tournament play with wins in 2016 and 2017.
 
Two of the Nation's Elite
 
Lincoln Memorial and Queens have unquestionably been two of the nation's best teams all season.
 
The Railsplitters entered the NCAA Tournament leading the country in both field-goal percentage offense and defense, shooting 54 percent from the field while holding opponents to a 36 percent mark. Lincoln Memorial also leads the nation in scoring margin with an average margin of victory of 27 points, and ranks in the top 10 nationally in assists per game, defensive rebounds per game, rebound margin, scoring offense, three-pointers made and rebounds per game.
 
Queens is ranked ninth nationally in scoring margin, 10th in field-goal percentage, 13th in blocked shots per game, 16th in rebounding margin and 24th in field-goal percentage defense.
 
The Railsplitters are led by the All-SAC quartet of Emanuel Terry, Dorian Pinson, Trevon Shaw and Cornelius Taylor.
 
Terry – the SAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year – is putting up 17.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 71.2 percent from the field. Pinson has accounted for 15.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 60 percent. Shaw leads the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game and needs just three three-pointers to tie the SAC and program record of 140. He leads the nation in that department with 137. Taylor has added 14.7 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the field.
 
Queens is powered by the veteran core of Todd Withers, Mike Davis, Jalin Alexander and Ike Agusi. Withers puts up 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and leads the team with 58 blocks. Davis has poured in 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, and leads the team with 84 triples. Alexander is contributing 11.4 points per game on 46 percent shooting, while Agusi is averaging 11.3 points and 5.0 assists per game.
 
In total, Tuesday's game will feature two teams that have a combined record of 62-4 with eight All-SAC selections and four All-Southeast Region honorees.
 
NCAA Tournament and Tex Turner Arena Dominance
 
Following Sunday night's win over Clayton State, the Railsplitters moved to 15-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The Railsplitters are a combined 11-2 in the NCAA Tournament over the past three seasons.
 
The Railsplitters also captured their 25th straight home win in that triumph over the Lakers. Lincoln Memorial has not lost at home since falling to Newberry 107-102 on December 17, 2016.
 
Sioux Falls Bound
 
The winner between Lincoln Memorial and Queens will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D., which begins on March 20.
 
The Railsplitters are trying to make their third straight trip to the national semifinals, while Queens is seeking its first bid to the Elite Eight since 2003.