TV: CBS Sports Network (cbssports.com)
Andrew Catalon (pxp), Steve Lappas (color), Jamie Erdahl (sideline)

Radio: Queens Sports Network (WGNC FM 101.1, AM 1450)
Phil Constantino (pxp)

Stats: NCAA.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The seventh-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (32-3, 18-2 SAC) will face No. 6 Northern State University (35-3, 20-2 NSIC) on Thursday night in the national semifinals of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championships. Opening tipoff from Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. eastern.

Second-seeded Queens reached the semifinals with a 100-94 win over seventh-seeded California Baptist University on Tuesday night. Todd Withers led six Royals in double figures with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and no turnovers in 38 minutes. Queens is making its second all-time appearance in the national semifinals and the first since 2003.

Third-seeded Northern State took down sixth-seeded East Stroudsburg University on Tuesday, 79-71, to reach the semis. It was the first win at the Elite Eight in the history of the program, and also set a new program record for wins in a season with 35.

Thursday night marks the first-ever meeting between the two sides. The winner will advance to the National Championship Game on Saturday afternoon and will face the winner of Thursday's first semifinal between top-seeded Ferris State University and fourth-seeded West Texas A&M University.
 
Quick Facts

No. 7/5 Queens Royals (32-3, 18-2 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Queens is making its third all-time appearance in the Elite Eight, and its first since 2003, after winning the Southeast Regional Championship with a 69-57 win over top-ranked and top-seeded Lincoln Memorial University on March 13. The triumph gave the Royals 31 wins on the season, setting a new program record and breaking the previous mark of 30 wins set by last year's team. Upon reseeding for the Elite Eight, Queens was named the No. 2-seed, slotted only behind Ferris State University.

-In four games so far during NCAA Tournament play, five Royals are averaging in double figures (Withers 15.5 PPG, Jalin Alexander 13.5 PPG, Mike Davis, 11.8 PPG, Lewis Diankulu 10.3 PPG, and Shaun Willett 10.3 PPG). Ike Agusi falls just shy of the mark with 9.5 points per game.

-With an average of 13.7 points per across three games, Alexander was named the Southeast Regional Most Outstanding Player, while Withers, who averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds in that stretch, was also named to the Regional's All-Tournament team.

-On Monday, Withers was named an All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), becoming the first Royal to garner All-American accolades since Spencer Ross in 2004. This season Withers has previously been named to the Southeast Region All-District First Team by the NABC, a Second-Team All-Southeast Region selection by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA), and a First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference selection. He was also named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List and the conference's all-tournament team.

-In total, four Royals received individual postseason accolades, as Agusi and Davis were named to the SAC's second team, and Alexander received honorable-mention recognition. Willett was later named to the conference's all-tournament team alongside Withers.

-Queens has won 26 straight non-conference games including the postseason. Queens has completed its non-conference regular-season schedule unbeaten for three straight years. The Royals last non-conference loss came versus Livingstone, 73-71, on Dec. 3, 2014.

-Queens features one of the most efficient offenses in the country, with a shooting percentage of 49.9 percent, which is ranked No. 9 nationally and No. 3 in the SAC, and an average of 16.9 assists per game which is the 22nd-best mark in the nation, and the second-best in the league. The Royals score 83.7 points per game on average which is ranked No. 31 in the country and No. 4 in the conference.

-The Royals are ranked No. 2 in the SAC, and No. 45 in Division II, in scoring defense, allowing 69.3 points per game. Queens has held 29 of its 35 opponents under their season scoring average.

-Queens has held its opponent to 70 points or less 19 times in 35 games, and 60 points or less seven times. Only five opponents all season have scored more than 80 points in a game against Queens (Carson-Newman, Catawba, Newberry, Lincoln Memorial, California Baptist).

-The Royals are holding opponents to 41.3-percent shooting (No. 20 NCAA, No. 2 SAC), and are out-rebounding opponents by 7.2 rebounds per game (No. 16 NCAA, No. 2 SAC).

-Queens is led by Withers who is averaging a team-high 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Withers is 19^th in the SAC in scoring, third in rebounding, and third in blocked shots.

-Withers has currently recorded 759 career rebounds and ranks fourth all-time at Queens. He is two rebounds away from tying for third all-time (Carlos Andrade, 761, 1999-2003). Withers' 281 rebounds this year give him the second most in a single season at Queens. He is 54 boards away from tying for the second most (335, Soce Faye, 1997-1998).

-With 26 points last game versus CBU, Withers moved past Yogi Leo for eighth place on the career scoring list at Queens 1,355 points. He is 35 points away from tying for seventh (1390, Antonio Stabler, 2009-2013).

-With 11 points last time out Davis eclipsed the 1,700-point mark for his career, having compiled 1,704 career points. The senior scored 811 of his points in his first two collegiate seasons at Francis Marion University, and the following 893 since transferring to Queens prior to his junior year.

-As one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, Queens features two of the league's top six in shooting percentage. Diankulu ranks fourth at 66.5-percent shooting, and Shaun Willett ranks sixth at 59.4 percent.

-The Royals feature a balanced attack with four of five starters averaging double figures (Withers 14.0 PPG, Davis 12.5 PPG, Alexander 11.5 PPG, and Agusi 11.3 PPG). Queens has featured seven different leading scorers in a game this season (Withers, Davis, Alexander, Diankulu, Agusi, Willett, Josh Van Weezep.

-Despite falling short of the SAC regular-season championship in the final game, the 2017-2018 team posted the best regular-season record in program history going 26-2 (.928 win pct.). The previous best mark was set by the 2002-2003 team that finished with a 29-4 overall record, and a 24-2 record in the regular season (.923 win pct.).

-Queens earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region. The appearance marked the third straight trip to the NCAAs for the program, and the 11^th total in 30 years.

-The Royals only three losses this season came versus the current No. 1-ranked team, Lincoln Memorial. In the first meeting on Jan. 13, then-No. 1 Queens fell 73-72, in front of a crowd of nearly 1,400 fans at the Levine Center. The Royals squandered a 14-point first half lead, as the loss put an end to a 16-game winning streak that tied program records for both winning streak, and best start to a season.

-On Jan. 9, Queens reached No. 1 in the NABC/Division II National Rankings for the first time in program history and received 13 of a possible 16 first-place votes.

-Queens became the first ever Charlotte-area men's college basketball program to receive a No. 1 national ranking in its classification.

-With a No. 7 ranking in the final poll of the season, Queens was ranked in the coaches' poll for the 45th consecutive week, a streak which began on Nov. 24, 2015, with the first poll of the 2015-2016 season. Queens has cracked the top 10 of the rankings during each of the last three seasons and was ranked top-5 nationally for 14 of the 15 weeks this season.

-With a win over Anderson University on Jan. 27, Queens won its 20^th game of the season, giving the Royals a 20-win campaign for the third consecutive year, and the 14^th time in the program's 30-year history. For Lundy, 2017-2018 is his seventh 20-win season as a collegiate head coach in 16 years, and his sixth in 10 years at Queens.

-Over the last three seasons, Queens has opened a combined 44-0 before losing, opening the 2015-2016 season 12-0, and opening the 2016-2017 season 16-0, prior to this season's 16-0 start.

-Queens is the only program in the nation, in all levels of NCAA competition, to have started each of the last three seasons 10-0 or better (More than 1,200 schools).

No. 6/7 Northern State Wolves (35-3, 20-2 NSIC)
(Game Notes)

-Northern State is making its first trip to the Elite Eight since 1998, and the second in school history.

-The Wolves qualified for the NCAA Tournament after winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Championship for the first time since 2004-2005 with an 81-75 win over Southwest Minnesota State University in the title game. Northern also claimed its first regular season title in the league since 2002-2003.

-The Wolves feature four all-conference players, Ian Smith who made the NSIC's first team, and Darin Peterka, DJ Pollard, and Logan Doyle who made the league's second team. Smith was also named a D2CCA and NABC All-Region second-team selection.

-Head Coach Paul Sather, a Northern State alumnus, was named the NSIC Coach of the Year, and the Central Region Coach of the Year by the NABC.

-The Wolves feature five double-figure scorers (Pollard 13.1 PPG, Smith 12.3 PPG, Doyle 12.2 PPG, Peterka 12.1 PPG, Carter Evans 10.2 PPG) and average 80.2 points per game on offense.

-The Wolves finished the regular season leading the NSIC in scoring defense (66.8), scoring margin ( 14.6), field goal percentage defense (43.5), and rebounding margin ( 9.3).