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The Lincoln Memorial men's basketball team is set to host Emory & Henry on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in its first game at Tex Turner Arena in a week-and-a-half. The Railsplitters (22-2, 12-1 South Atlantic Conference) and Wasps (14-8, 6-7 SAC) met back on Dec. 10 in Emory, with the visitors going into halftime up 50-23 before cruising to an 89-69 win. That was the first game between the two programs since 1977, and this game will be the first between the teams in Harrogate, Tenn., since Feb. 17, 1976, a 98-51 Lincoln Memorial win.
 
The Railsplitters handed SAC Contender Wingate a 78-64 loss on Saturday afternoon in North Carolina to sweep the two games of their roadtrip. Quay Kennedy scored 23 points for the second consecutive game on his way to being named the SAC Player of the Week.
 
The visiting Wasps are streaky, have won their last four straight after losing their previous four in a row. Emory & Henry is coming off a 107-103 decision over Anderson on Saturday.
 
Lincoln Memorial was ranked No. 8 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches and D2SIDA polls released on Feb. 7.
 
RAILSPLITTER STRIKES (through games played Jan. 31)

• Lincoln Memorial leads the SAC in assists per game (20.2, fourth in Division II), field goal percentage (52.7, first), rebounding margin (+9.2, eighth), scoring margin (+19.9, second) and scoring offense (89.5 points per game, eighth) so far this season.
• Chase Rankin stands at first in Division II in total assists (159) and fourth in assists per game (6.6). The graduate guard's 2.84 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the SAC.
• Martez Brown's 208 total rebounds leads the league and ranks No. 22 in the country.
• Matthew Sells has made 61 3-pointers this season, good for fourth in the conference and 39^th in Division II. The sophomore guard's 44.2 percent shooting from distance is second in the league while being No. 21 nationally.
• Rankin earned the SAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week honor on Jan. 16, while redshirt sophomore guard Me'Kell Burries won it on Jan. 9.
• Rankin was named to the Top 100 Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award on Jan. 15, which is given to the player who had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball.

SCOUTING EMORY & HENRY: The Wasps are second in the SAC in scoring offense (85.6 points per game) behind only the Railsplitters. Their 48.7 percent shooting is also good for second in the league.
 
Sophomore Gabe Brown's 15.4 points per game are the fifth-most in the SAC, while his 40.7 percent shooting from distance is sixth among shooters making at least two 3-pointers per game in the league.
 
SAC Men's Basketball Standings (as of Feb. 8)
 
Mountain Division                Overall           Conference
Lincoln Memorial                  22-2                 12-1
Tusculum                                10-9                 6-6
Limestone                               11-11               6-6
Emory & Henry                       14-8                 6-7
UVA Wise                               13-9                 6-7
Carson-Newman                    11-11               5-7
Mars Hill                                 6-15                 2-10
 
Piedmont Division                Overall           Conference
Catawba                                  15-6                 10-2
Wingate                                   14-8                 9-4
Newberry                                 14-8                 7-5
Coker                                      11-12               5-8
Anderson                                 7-15                 4-8
Lenoir-Rhyne                           8-13                 3-10
 
Up Next
The Railsplitters host Coker on Saturday at 4 p.m in the first game of the season against the Cobras.