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The Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team returns home to take on in-state rival Carson-Newman on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Tex Turner Arena. The Railsplitters and Eagles have met 215 times on the hardwood, with LMU holding a 111-104 advantage in the all-time series.
 
Lincoln Memorial (14-1, 5-0 South Atlantic Conference) won its 13^th game in a row on Wednesday night, disposing of UVA Wise 94-69. The Railsplitters pounced early and went into halftime up 54-26, while Quay Kennedy (20 points), Chase Rankin (19), Me'Kell Burries (18) and Jordan Walters (16) contributed double figures scoring in the game to the offense.
 
The visiting Eagles enter with a 10-4 overall record (4-0 SAC) after a 72-64 overtime loss at Belmont Abbey on Tuesday night. Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman are the only two SAC teams that are undefeated in conference play so far this season. The Eagles have played common opponents Lees-McRae (L 73-70), King (W 86-74), Clayton St. (W 92-89), Erskine (W 84-47), Limestone (W 74-56), UVA Wise (W 81-77), Mars Hill (W 82-70), Emory & Henry (W 85-69) and Tennessee Wesleyan (W 110-65).
 
Lincoln Memorial was ranked No. 6 in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and D2SIDA polls released on Jan. 3, which is the team's highest ranking in the D2SIDA poll and tied for its highest in the NABC poll after opening the season in the sixth position.
 
RAILSPLITTER STRIKES (through games played Jan. 5)

• Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC in assists per game (19.8, fifth in Division II), field goal percentage (52.7, third), rebounding margin (+11.1, third), scoring margin (+20.5, seventh) and scoring offense (90.9 points per game, sixth) so far this season.
• Chase Rankin ranks second in the conference and fourth in Division II in total assists at 92, while his 6.1 assists per game rank 11^th nationally. The graduate guard's 2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the SAC.
• Martez Brown's 125 total rebounds leads the league and ranks No. 21 in the country.
• Matthew Sells has made 40 3-pointers this season, good for third in the conference and 26^th in Division II. The sophomore guard's 44.9 percent shooting from distance ranks second in the league and No. 26 nationally.
• Along with being ranked No. 6 in the NABC Preseason Poll, the Railsplitters were picked to win the SAC with 143 points including 11 first place votes.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Me'Kell Burries, senior forward Jordan Guest and Rankin were all selected to the preseason All-SAC First Team.

SCOUTING CARSON-NEWMAN: The Eagles bounced the Railsplitters 78-66 from the SAC Tournament in the semifinals last season in the most recent game between the two teams. The team went 20-11 and 15-9 in the SAC a season ago. Carson-Newman leads the conference and ranks No. 11 in Division II with 4.8 blocks per game, while its rebounding margin (+9.2), scoring margin (+15.1), field goal percentage (49.5) and field goal percentage defense (39.5) all come in at second in the SAC and in the Top 25 nationally.
 
Senior center Bryant Thomas, who was named the SAC Player of the Week on Nov. 14, leads the league in total blocks (30, ninth nationally) and blocks per game (2.31, tenth). The Charlotte, N.C., native's 61.7 field goal percentage is third in the league and 17^th in Division II.
 
SAC Men's Basketball Standings (as of Jan. 5)
 
Mountain Division                Overall           Conference
Lincoln Memorial                  14-1                 5-0
Carson-Newman                     10-4                 4-0
Tusculum                                 7-5                   3-2
Emory & Henry                        9-4                   2-3
UVA Wise                                7-6                   1-4
Limestone                                5-8                   1-4
Mars Hill                                  3-9                   0-4
 
Piedmont Division                Overall           Conference
Wingate                                   9-4                   4-1
Catawba                                  8-4                   3-1
Coker                                       9-6                   3-2
Anderson                                 4-9                   1-2
Newberry                                 8-6                   1-3
Lenoir-Rhyne                           6-6                   1-3
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters host Salem on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.