Eagles will play role of underdog in SAC Tournament opener at LMU on Wednesday night
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Saturday night’s loss to Anderson University means that the Carson-Newman College men’s basketball team draws its toughest possible match up in the opening round of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The eighth-seeded Eagles will travel to Tex Turner Arena to face top-seeded and No. 13-ranked Lincoln Memorial University Wednesday night.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Saturday night's loss to Anderson University means that the Carson-Newman College men's basketball team draws its toughest possible match up in the opening round of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The eighth-seeded Eagles will travel to Tex Turner Arena to face top-seeded and No. 13-ranked Lincoln Memorial University Wednesday night.
The game comes just a week after Carson-Newman (11-15, 8-10 SAC) battled the top-seeded Railsplitters (24-2, 16-2 SAC) to the final minutes in a 83-78 loss. The Eagles are the only team to post a single-digit loss at LMU this season.
"We put ourselves in this position by not taking care of some of our games down the stretch here," C-N head coach Chuck Benson said. "We lost at Newberry and I felt like we completely threw away an opportunity (Saturday) against Anderson. If we take care of either of those games, we're probably hosting."
The Eagles finished in a five-way tie for fourth place in the SAC this season, five spots ahead of where the preseason rankings picked them to be. Carson-Newman has already overachieved in its first regular season with Benson at the helm. This Wednesday, they'll try play the role of spoiler with a victory over the Railsplitters.
"We were picked to not even be in this thing," Benson said. "We've done better than what was expected. I'm pleased that we have a chance to compete in it and I think it'll help us for next season when we get that experience under our belt."
A win at LMU Wednesday night would give the Eagles a "signature" win in Benson's first year, but the season hasn't been short on memorable moments.
Benson's squad was bolstered this season from the emergence of freshman guard Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.). Sanders is averaging 13.6 points per game and two weeks ago set a new SAC and school record with 51 points against Mars Hill. Three days later, junior point guard Brad Tumer (Mt. Dora, Fla.) set the SAC single-game record with 19 assists in a 106-105 double overtime loss at Newberry.
LMU has four players averaging double figures a game, led by two of the best players in the conference, D'Mairo Curry (16.8 points per game) and Desmond Johnson (15.5 ppg).
After being soundly beaten 90-69 in their first meeting with LMU this season, Carson-Newman threatened an upset on Feb. 23, but turnovers and fouls doomed the Eagles in that game.
"We're going to review the last game and see if there's anything we can take from it for this tournament game," Benson said. "The reality is, we've got to be able to get stops defensively and we've got to make shots. We're going to focus on taking care of the ball and keeping them off the line."
Regardless of where the Eagles could have been seeded, Benson has no doubts that all roads to a SAC tournament title go through LMU. According to Benson, it's best to face them right off the bat.
"They (LMU) are going to be focused and on a mission to get to the Elite Eight," Benson said. "I would just as soon have it (the game) right now. Maybe we can go and surprise some people."
