HARROGATE, Tenn. – Taking on The University of Virginia's College at Wise for the second time in just over 48 hours, the Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team goes for back-to-back victories against the same opponent Wednesday night in Wise, Virginia. The fifth-ranked Railsplitters, who sit at 9-1 overall and 7-1 in South Atlantic Conference play, throttled the host Cavaliers (0-8, 0-8 SAC) 111-72 Monday night inside B. Frank "Tex" Turner Arena. Tip-off from inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center is slated for 8 p.m.
 
How to Follow
Wednesday night's tilt will be streamed live via the Cavalier Sports Network and live statistics of the contest can be followed by visiting UVAWiseCavs.com. As usual, in-game updates will be available on LMU Railsplitter athletics' official Twitter account, @LMURailsplitter.
 
The unique two games versus UVA Wise in consecutive outings was brought about after LMU had to postpone its originally scheduled home date with the Cavaliers on Saturday, Dec. 5 to Monday, Jan. 18 due to positive COVID-19 test results within the Railsplitter program. With COVID-19 circumstances within the Mars Hill and Catawba programs, LMU had to shuffle its schedule around and will be playing four games within a seven-day span. The Railsplitters take on UVA Wise Wednesday (Jan. 20) on the road before returning to Harrogate for a three-game homestand beginning with Limestone University this Saturday, Jan. 23, followed by Mars Hill next Monday, Jan. 25 and Carson-Newman next Wednesday, Jan. 27.
 
Railsplitters on the Road
Since head coach Josh Schertz has been at the helm, LMU has gone 117-36 (.765) in true road games and completed three undefeated seasons at opposing team's venues. Last year, the Railsplitters were a perfect 12-0 in true road games after owning that same record on the road in 2017-18 and 2014-15. In the last 689 days, LMU has suffered just one true road defeat.
 
A Top-10 Staple
Following a pair of wins within the last week, the Railsplitters are ranked among the nation's top five in both national polls. In the sixth National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Top 25 regular season poll of 2020-21 announced Tuesday afternoon, LMU is No. 5. The Railsplitters received one first-place vote and are No. 2 in the second D2SID Media Poll of 2021, which was also released Tuesday afternoon. Receiving four first-place votes, LMU sits atop the second regular season D2SIDA Southeast Region Poll announced Monday morning. With the challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic, two of the nation's top 25 programs still have yet to play a game this season. Several teams were removed from the NABC Top 25 following the announcement that they would no longer be eligible for the 2021 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship due to delayed season starts. The Railsplitters have spent a program record 22-straight weeks ranked in the top 10 dating back to Nov. 19, 2019 and have held a top-5 ranking a combined 58 weeks. LMU has been a top-10 team for 92 total weeks and has appeared in the national polls a total of 141 weeks since December of 2010.
 
Among National Leaders
Continually striving to be elite on both ends of the floor, the Railsplitters lead the nation or are near the top in several offensive and defensive statistical categories including ranking:

• First in total assists (226)
• First in assists per game (22.6)
• Second in field-goal percentage (54.4 percent)
• Third in total three-point field goals made (119)
• Third in defensive rebounds per game (31.90)
• Fourth in total steals (84)
• Fourth in scoring offense (95.3)
• Fifth in three-point field goal attempts (292)
• Fifth in scoring margin (25.1)
• Sixth in total rebounds (396)
• Eighth in three-point field goals per-game (11.9)
• Eighth in assist-turnover ratio (1.53)
• Ninth in rebound margin (9.9)
• 12th in free throws made (154)
• 13th in field-goal percentage defense (39.5 percent)

Dismantling the Cavaliers
Picking up its second consecutive SAC triumph, LMU scored at least 55 points in each half en route to a convincing 39-point home blowout of UVA Wise Monday night. All 16 Railsplitters got in the game and LMU committed a season-low eight turnovers with 28 assists on 42 made baskets. Holding the visiting winless Cavaliers to 40.7 percent shooting for the night, the Railsplitters drained 15 three pointers and scored 23 second-chance points off of 14 offensive boards. Getting a game-high 31 points from redshirt senior guard Devin Whitfield and a near triple-double of 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists from redshirt sophomore guard/forward Xavier Bledson, LMU reached the century mark for the fifth time of 2020-21 and scored 21 points off of 14 UVA Wise turnovers. The Railsplitters scored 54 points in the paint and outrebounded the Cavaliers 46-28, shooting 55.3 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from deep and 80 percent at the free-throw line. An early 8-6 lead for UVA Wise was quickly erased and LMU built a 26-point lead by halftime after an impressive 19-4 run over the last 4:18 of the first half. Emptying the bench with eight minutes to go, the Railsplitters got strong play down the stretch from their reserves. An emphatic dunk by freshman guard/forward Jordan Walters, who also had a stuff at the rim and a three pointer on the ensuing offensive possession, a layup by redshirt freshman forward Simon Wilbar on a nice find from redshirt freshman guard Luke Bartemes and a layin off an offensive board by freshman Nekhi Smith were some of the highlights in the closing minutes. Junior forward Jordan Guest scored 11, grabbed five boards and dished out a trio of assists, while junior starting point guard Julius Brown registered 10 points and also earned three assists. Bartemes handed out a career-high four assists in nine minutes off the bench and Smith made his first field goal in an LMU uniform.
 
Henry Claims first Career SAC Player of the Week Honor
For the fourth time in 2020-21 a Railsplitter was selected as SAC AstroTurf Men's Basketball Player of the Week Monday morning when redshirt junior Cameron Henry picked up his first career player of the week award from the league. He was outstanding in LMU's 100-76 road rout of Limestone last Wednesday night, recording his second double-double of the season by leading a quartet of double-figure scorers with 25 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 guard dished out a game-high tying five assists and made a steal against the Saints as he went 7-for-11 from the floor and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the free-throw line. Henry continued his superb play Monday night against the Cavaliers, tying his career high in steals with five and finishing with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, seven rebounds, and a pair of assists.
 
Whitfield Continues to Impress
Despite missing the season opener and playing a limited role at Coker (Nov. 24) in his first game of 2020-21, Whitfield has been awe-inspiring. The Lipscomb, Alabama (McAdory HS), native has recorded eight consecutive 20-point games behind a 58.1 percent shooting clip. During the stretch, Whitfield has collected back-to-back SAC AstorTurf Player of the Week honors on Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 and was named Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 22. Against UVA Wise Monday, Whitfield was ultra-efficient once again. He needed just 27 minutes to score his 31 points, going 12-for-17 from the floor and 6-for-10 from beyond the arc while grabbing four rebounds and making a pair of steals. Over his last eight performances, Whitfield has averaged 25.0 points, shot 44.3 percent from deep and gone 25-for-29 (86.2 percent) at the foul line.
 
All LMU Does is Win
Coming off their best season in terms of winning percentage (.970), the Railsplitters have won 41 of their last 42 games. LMU's 39-straight victories from Nov. 2, 2019 – Jan. 6, 2021 set both a program and SAC record for consecutive wins. Having won 29 of their last 30 conference outings, the Railsplitters went an unblemished 22-0 in SAC play in 2019-20 for their third undefeated league season in the last five years. Finishing 32-1 overall last year, LMU has dropped just two games in the last 684 days.
 
Preseason Accolades
Both Whitfield, the 2020 SAC Tournament MVP, and Henry, the reigning SAC Defensive Player of the Year, were selected as preseason All-Americans by Basketball Times. The all-region tandem also landed a spot on the preseason All-SAC First Team and features two of the top returning players in all of Division II basketball. Whitfield has scored 1,745 points in his collegiate career and currently leads the Railsplitters in scoring (22.7 PPG), while Henry led the conference in steals (71) and was second in rebounding (8.0 RPG) in 2019-20. Henry's 2.3 steals per game this season lead the 13-team SAC and he is second on the team in scoring (14.0 PPG), rebounding (5.5 RPG) and assists (4.6 APG).
 
1K Scorers
Whitfield reached 1,000 career points a season ago and needs just 255 more points to get to 2,000, while Henry is only 133 points away from becoming the program's 31st 1,000-point scorer. With 907 of Whitfield's 1,714 career points coming during his two seasons at fellow Division II Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Whitfield is 162 points shy of becoming LMU's 32nd (or 31st) 1,000-point scorer. Senior guard Alex Dahling (657) and junior point guard Julius Brown (549) are also within reach of the coveted 1,000-point mark for their Railsplitter careers.
 
Versus the Cavaliers
Wednesday will be the 36th all-time meeting between LMU and UVA Wise, formerly named Clinch Valley College and UVa-Wise, with the Railsplitters owning a 26-9 lead in the series. Having won each of the last nine matchups with the Cavaliers, LMU has gone 9-7 versus UVA Wise in Wise. The Railsplitters have not lost to the Cavaliers since Dec. 8, 2012, when UVA Wise pulled out a one-point, 81-80 overtime affair in Virginia. In its last trip to Wise on Feb. 12, 2020, LMU clinched a share of the Railsplitters' eighth SAC regular season crown in 10 years with a 94-76 road win over the Cavaliers. Head coach Josh Schertz is 10-2 against UVA Wise.
 
About LMU Basketball
The second-winningest Division II program of the 2010's (.845), LMU has won 13 total SAC titles since 2011. Selected as the top seed and host of the Division II Men's Basketball Southeast Regional Championship four of the last six years, the Railsplitters have ended the season ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 three times in the last five seasons. The only school in Division II to have reached 30 wins in five of the last six years, LMU is one of only four Division II programs to have recorded 20 wins or more for 11-straight seasons. The Railsplitters have notched at least 25 wins and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament nine of the last 10 seasons. Inside Tex Turner Arena LMU has registered the second-highest home court winning percentage in Division II basketball since 2010-11, going an impressive 158-11 (.935). The 158 home victories are the most among Division II programs in the last 11 years as the Railsplitters have posted three perfect seasons in Harrogate during that time.
 
About Coach Schertz
Since taking over the LMU basketball program, coach Schertz has amassed an astonishing 327-66 record over 13 seasons. Schertz' career winning percentage of .832 is tied for the second-highest of any head coach in men's college basketball history at any NCAA level (minimum 10 seasons). He is also tied for second with Gonzaga head coach Mark Few (.832) among active head coaches with at least 10 years at the helm – Jim Crutchfield, Nova Southeastern (.841). On Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, coach Schertz reached his 300th career victory with a 76-64 conference home win over UVA Wise. Reaching the 300-win milestone in only 365 games as a head coach, the seven-time SAC Coach of the Year owns the second-most SAC victories with a phenomenal 207-37 (.848) league record.
 
About UVA Wise
Led by eighth-year head coach Blake Mellinger, the Cavaliers are seeking their first triumph of 2020-21 as they enter Wednesday night with both an overall and SAC record of 0-8. Outside of Monday's loss to the Railsplitters, UVA Wise has been involved in a few high-scoring affairs but has fallen at Tusculum (109-96), at Wingate (98-86) and at Coker twice, 83-70 and 95-91 in overtime. The Cavaliers have been defeated at home by Tusculum (101-82), Lenoir-Rhyne (98-63) and most recently 15th-ranked Queens University of Charlotte (91-67) this past Saturday. Junior guard Cameron Whiteside, a 2020 All-SAC Second Team selection and a preseason All-SAC First Team pick, is one of the most prolific scorers in the nation. His 24.5 points per game lead the league and rank him among the top 10 scorers in the nation. At 6-foot-5, Whiteside leads UVA Wise in rebounding (7.0 RPG). He is one of four Cavaliers averaging double-figure scoring as UVA Wise is scoring 78.4 points per outing thus far this year. Tyler Lloyd, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, is averaging 13.3 points per contest but has not seen the court since Dec. 6, while 6-foot-4 redshirt junior guard Briggs Parris (11.4 PPG) and 6-foot-5 junior forward Kaeleb Carter (10.4 PPG) are also both double-figure scorers. Drew Greene, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, leads the Cavaliers in assists (5.8 APG). Picked to finish 12th in the conference after finishing last in the then 12-team SAC a season ago, UVA Wise is giving up 98.3 points per game.
 
Looking Ahead
Playing five games within a nine-day stretch, LMU begins a three-game homestand this weekend when the Railsplitters host Limestone for a 4:30 p.m. tip-off  inside Tex Turner Arena. LMU will then host Mars Hill Monday, Jan. 25, followed by Carson-Newman next Wednesday, Jan. 27. Both of next week's home tilts will are slated for 8 p.m.
 
LMU L Club
Register to become an L Club member today. 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.  
 
Stay Up to Date
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 2020-21 season.