HARROGATE, Tenn. – The red-hot Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team goes for its 22nd consecutive victory Wednesday night inside Shuford Memorial Gymnasium in Hickory, North Carolina, when the Railsplitters take on host Lenoir-Rhyne in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. Attempting to remain perfect in South Atlantic Conference play and in 2020, LMU (21-1, 14-0) is seeking to avenge its 2019 road loss to the Bears (11-8, 7-7).
 
The Railsplitters have posted a 19-1 record versus Lenoir-Rhyne since 2011.
 
How to Follow
Wednesday night's affair will be streamed live via SAC Live on Stretch Internet, while live statistics of the game can be followed by visiting LRBears.com. As usual, in-game updates will be available on LMU Railsplitter athletics' official Twitter account, @LMURailsplitter.
 
Opening Tip
- Through 22 games of the 2019-20 season, there is no team hotter than LMU in all of NCAA Division II basketball. At 21 games, the Railsplitters hold the longest winning streak in the nation by eight games. It is the most consecutive wins for LMU since earning a program-best 24-straight victories during the the Railsplitters' run to the national title game in 2015-16.
- An overtime neutral-site setback to top-five ranked West Tex A&M (99-89) in the season opener at the fourth annual Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Saint Joseph, Missouri, on Nov. 1 was LMU's first and only loss this season. That is 96 days without enduring a defeat.
- Reaching their 20th-straigtht victory last Wednesday night with an 87-65 home triumph over longtime local rival Carson-Newman, the Railsplitters now hold the five-longest winning streaks in conference history. In fact, LMU is the only program in the 12-team SAC to have won 20 in a row at any point.
- Owning five 20-game win streaks in school history, the Railsplitters' four other such streaks all took place in the last 10 years beginning in 2010-11 (22). LMU also won 20-straight during its 2014-15 campaign while winning 24 in order in 2015-16 and 21 consecutive in 2017-18.
- A win Wednesday would tie the Railsplitters' second-longest winning streak in program history.
- LMU's 14-straight league victories are also the most of any team in the nation, while its 21 total wins are tied for the most among all Division II programs.
- Playing a 22-game conference schedule in the 12-team SAC, the Railsplitters have defeated every team in the league at least once and have topped Coker, Carson-Newman and Queens University of Charlotte twice.
- Some of LMU's best basketball of the season has been played as of late with the Railsplitters defeating their opponents by an average of 21.3 points in the month of January and holding five of their nine adversaries under 70 points.
- With the release of the two national polls Tuesday afternoon, LMU held steady at No. 2 in both the National Association of basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 and D2SIDA Media Poll. For the first time of 2019-20, the Railsplitters are receiving multiple first-place vote in the media poll.
- It marks the fifth consecutive week LMU has been ranked in the top five of both national polls. The No. 2 ranking is the highest for the Railsplitters since completing the 2017-18 season as the top team in the land.
- For eighth-straight week, LMU is ranked among the top five teams in the country, marking the 49th week in program history.
- No other SAC school is ranked or receiving votes in either of the national polls.
- Only defending national champion Northwest Missouri State (20-1) out of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) ranks ahead of the Railsplitters. In the coaches poll, the Bearcats are receiving all 16 first-place votes with West Texas A&M (21-1) ranked third, followed by UC San Diego (21-1) fourth, Nova Southeastern (16-2) fifth, Florida Southern (19-2) sixth, Azusa Pacific (16-3) seventh, St. Edward's (Texas) (19-2) eighth, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (18-2) ninth and Jefferson University (19-2) 10th. In the media poll, Northwest Missouri State is receiving 10 first-place nods with third-ranked UC San Diego and fourth-ranked West Texas A&M each receiving one first-place recognition. Florida Southern is ranked fifth in the D2SIDA Media Poll, followed by Indiana (Pa.) sixth, Nova Southeastern seventh, St. Edward's eighth, Missouri-St. Louis (20-2) ninth and Bridgeport (17-2) 10th.
- Since Nov. 25, LMU has been ranked at the top of the D2SIDA Southeast Region Poll and continues to lead the regional rankings after receiving all six first-place votes Monday. Fellow league members Queens (14-6, 9-5) and Catawba (14-6, 9-5) are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the regional poll with Anderson (13-7, 8-6) checking in at No. 8 and Tusculum (13-9, 8-6) receiving votes. UNC Pembroke (16-4) out of the Peach Belt Conference and King (16-5) out of Conference Carolinas are ranked second and third in the Southeast Region, followed by the Peach Belt's Lander (16-4) fourth and Conference Carolina's Lees-McRae (15-6) seventh.
- The Railsplitters own seven wins over teams who were either ranked or receiving votes in at least one of the two national polls when LMU defeated them. Four of those are top-25 victories with the Railsplitters ousting then 22nd-ranked Davenport (D2SIDA Media Poll) 98-48 on Nov. 2, then 12th-ranked Queens (NABC Top 25) 73-64 on Dec. 7, then 22nd-ranked Catawba (NABC Top 25) 110-85 on Jan. 11 and then 17th-ranked Queens (D2SIDA Media Poll) 103-80 most recently this past weekend.
- A remarkable seven different LMU players have scored at least 20 points in a game this season with four owning multiple 20-point outings. Sophomore guard Courvoisier McCauley has scored 20 points or more on 11 different occasions while redshirt junior guard Devin Whitfield has reached 20 points 10 times. Senior point guard Anthony Brown has claimed four 20-point games and redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Henry has had three 20-point outings.
- Three different Railsplitters have turned in 30-point performances in 2019-20 with both McCauley and Whitfield scoring more than 30 twice and Henry earning 30 points once.
- Four of LMU's five starters are averaging double-digit scoring led by McCauley's 20.0 points per game and followed by Whitfield (17.0 PPG), Henry (14.0 PPG) and Brown (12.8 PPG).
- The Railsplitters continue to lead all of Division II basketball in two key categories, field goal percentage defense (37.6%) and defensive rebounding (32.0 RPG) while ranking second in both scoring margin (23.9) and three-point defense (28.7%), third in total assists (430), fifth in shooting (52.2%) and assists per game (19.5), eighth in three-point shooting (41%) and scoring (93.3 PPG), and ninth in three pointers made (245).
- Owning a 22-9 all-time record versus Lenoir-Rhyne, LMU has gone 9-6 against the Bears in Hickory. Since 2009, the Railsplitters have suffered just one loss to Lenoir-Rhyne in North Carolina, an 85-83 defeat to close out the 2018-19 regular season last March.
- Head coach Josh Schertz is 21-3 against the Bears.
 
Last Time vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
McCauley was nearly unstoppable in a 97-77 win in Harrogate on Dec. 18, willing LMU with a career-high 44 points on 17-for-25 shooting. Going a remarkable 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, McCauley's 44 points were the most scored by a Railsplitter in a single game in LMU's NCAA era and the most since Nick Sanford also scored 44 against Saint Michael's in 1987. Furthermore, the Indianapolis native's 44 points tied for the seventh-most in a game in program history. Behind 60.3 percent shooting as a team, the Railsplitters connected on 13 three pointers and never trailed. LMU scored 55 first-half points on 65.6 percent shooting, including 8-for-12 from deep, and was able to overcome foul trouble and 14 made threes by visiting Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
Last Time Out
Making a statement, the Railsplitters completed the regular-season sweep of two-time defending Southeast Region champion Queens by routing the Royals by 23 points (103-80) on the road Saturday afternoon. Reaching the century mark for the sixth time of the season, LMU shot 54.2 percent for the game, including 60.7 percent in the first half, and had five players reach double-figure scoring. Knocking down 13 treys and going 26-for-29 at the foul line, the Railsplitters held host Queens to 42.5 percent shooting for their 15th 20-point win of the season. Anthony Brown was sensational once again, scoring 20 points and dishing out a game-high eight dimes while McCauley poured in a game-best 24 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including going 5-for-8 from long distance.
 
Southeast Region Supremacy
Sitting atop the Division II Southeast Region, LMU has already won three battles between SAC and regional leaders this season. Both of the Railsplitters' wins over Queens, this past weekend and on Dec. 7 (73-64), came when the two teams were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the league and Southeast Region. Furthermore, when LMU defeated then 22nd-ranked Catawba 110-85 in Harrogate on Jan. 11, the Indians entered second in both the conference and the region. The Railsplitters also own an 83-72 home victory over USC Aiken as part of LMU's SAC vs. Peach Belt Challenge and took down Tusculum 96-81 on the road on Jan. 22. Both the Pacers (13-9) and Pioneers (13-9, 8-6) are receiving votes in the latest D2SIDA Southeast Region Poll
 
Distance from the Rest
Fifteen of the Railsplitters' 21 victories thus far this season have come in dominant fashion. Owning an astounding seven wins by at least 31 points and 15 by 20 or more, LMU has outscored its competition by 526 points through 22 games. On Dec. 15, the Railsplitters defeated visiting NAIA member Tennessee Wesleyan by 60 points (122-62) for their largest margin of victory since pummeling Mars Hill by 87 (156-69) in December of 2017. LMU has notched wins of 60, 50, 47, 40, 37, 32, 31, 26 (twice), 25, 23, 22 (twice), 21 and 20 points this season. During their 21-game win streak, the Railsplitters have defeated their opponents by an impressive average of 25.5 points.
 
Among Statistical Leaders
In addition to its field goal percentage defense, defensive rebounding, scoring margin, three-point defense, total assists, shooting percentage, assists per game, three-point shooting, scoring and made three pointers, LMU is among the elite teams in the nation in several other offensive and defensive statistical categories. The Railsplitters rank 11th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.50), while 12th in the country in total rebounds (872), 13th in free-throw shooting (79.4%), 16th in three pointers made per game (11.1), 28th in total steals (182) and 29th in rebounds per game (39.6 RPG).
 
Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List Members
On Jan. 15, McCauley and Anthony Brown were both named to the 2020 Bevo Francis Award Top 100 watch list as announced by Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee. Presented annually, the Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is given to the player who has the finest overall season within Small College Basketball (non-Division I). The two guards joined an illustrious list of former LMU players who have been named to the Bevo Francis Award watch list in recent years, including Jalen Steele (2016), Luquon Choice (2016 and 2017), Dorian Pinson (2017 and 2018), Trevon Shaw (2018), Emanuel Terry (2018) and Cornelius Taylor (2019). All-American Terry won the national player of the year award in 2018 after compiling a remarkable 126-14 career record donning the Blue and Gray. It marks the fifth-straight year the Railsplitters have had at least one player named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 watch list.
 
Head Coach Josh Schertz Wins No. 300
LMU's 76-64 win over UVA Wise on Wednesday, Jan. 8 was head coach Josh Schertz' 300th of his remarkable career. He needed just 365 games as a head coach to reach the career milestone. Coach Schertz now owns an astonishing 307-65 (.825) record in 12 seasons at the helm of the Railsplitter men's basketball program.
 
Standard of Success
LMU has finished within the top two of the final SAC standings each of the last nine years, spent 95-straight weeks in the national rankings from December 2010 to December 2016 and completed the season as the top team in the country in two of the last four seasons. The Railsplitters are one of only four Division II programs to have posted 20 wins or more for 11 consecutive years. Only West Liberty (15), Bellarmine (11) and Indiana Pa. (11) can say the same. LMU has also reached the NCAA Tournament eight of the last nine seasons.
 
Looking Ahead
The Railsplitters return to the friendly confines of B. Frank "Tex" Turner Arena Saturday for a 4 p.m. tilt with Wingate presented by Danny England Motors. Next Wednesday, Feb. 12, LMU heads one-and-a-half hours northeast to Wise, Virginia, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at first-year SAC member UVA Wise.
 
LMU L-Club
All LMU L-Club members receive basketball season tickets with premium seating available through silver and platinum memberships. Additional membership benefits include discounts at community partner locations, exclusive e-mail communications, VIP basketball parking and Tex Turner Arena hospitality room access. Become an LMU L-Club member today by visiting LMURailsplitters.com.  
 
On Social
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter basketball throughout the 2019-20 season.