Live Video: Queens Sports Network
Phil Constantino (pxp), Walker Mehl (analyst)

Live Stats: QueensAthletics.com

 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 7/8 Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (3-0) caps its weekend versus the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (4-0) on Military Appreciation Day on Sunday afternoon at the Levine Center. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. All military personnel, active-duty or retired, will receive free admission and the first 50 students in attendance will receive a military-themed Queens t-shirt.

The Royals and the Braves will meet for the first time since Mar. 11, 2018, when Queens beat UNCP, 75-63, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The all-time series is tied 5-5. Saturday will mark the first regular-season meeting since 2006-2007 when Queens beat UNCP 69-61 at home in the Oven.
 

Quick Facts
No. 7/8 Queens Royals (3-0)
(Game Notes)

-On Saturday night, Queens beat Lees-McRae College (2-1), 96-93, behind a career-high 21 points from Jamari Smith and a career-high 20 points by Jachai Taylor. The Royals took a 15-point lead with 1:15 to play in the first half and survived two potentially game-tying 3-point attempts as time expired to seal the victory.

-Daniel Carr was named South Atlantic Conference AstroTurf Men's Basketball Player of the Week for his week-one performance. In two wins over Young Harris College and Emmanuel College, Carr averaged 24 points, four assists, two steals, and two rebounds while shooting 70.6 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from the 3-point line. The weekly honor was Carr's second career Player of the Week nod.

-Queens entered the 2019-2020 season ranked No. 7 nationally in the D2SIDA Preseason Rankings (media poll) and No. 8 in the NABC/Division II Preseason Rankings (coaches' poll). The preseason top-10 placement marks the fifth consecutive year in which the Royals have reached the top 10 in both national polls.

-The two-time reigning regional champions were ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region's Preseason Poll, compiled by the D2SIDA. The Royals received five of six first-place votes and 58 points, placing just ahead of reigning regional runner-up, Augusta University, in second.

-Queens, the reigning South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Champion, was picked atop the SAC's Preseason Poll, as voted on by the League's coaches. The Royals received eight of 12 first-place votes and 117 points to edge Lincoln Memorial University, who was picked second, and Catawba College, who was picked third.

-Two Royals received preseason all-conference honors in advance of the 2019-2020 season. Senior guard Daniel Carr, who was named a first-team all-conference selection last year, was named to the League's first team, and redshirt-senior guard Van Turner Jr., who earned an honorable mention all-conference nod last year, was named a preseason second-team all-conference selection.

-Carr was named a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's Basketball Magazine. Last season, Carr was named a second-team all-region selection by two outlets (NABC & D2CCA) and to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List.

-Over the past three seasons, the Royals have won 93 games, the fourth most of any program at all NCAA levels during that span (Gonzaga 103, Northwest Missouri State 100, Villanova 94).

-The Royals have won 30 games or more in each of the last three seasons and are one of just two programs in all levels of NCAA basketball who have accomplished the feat (Gonzaga).

-Queens concluded the 2018-2019 season at No. 10 in the NABC/Division II Rankings released on Tuesday, Mar. 12. The placement in the final official poll of the season marked the 60th consecutive week in which Queens had been featured in the national rankings dating back to the first poll of the 2015-2016 season on Nov. 24, 2015. The Royals also finished No. 5 in the D2SIDA Media poll, and have cracked the top-10 nationally in both polls during each of the last four seasons. The 2018-2019 season was the third consecutive top-10 finish for Queens in both polls. The first coaches' poll of the regular season will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
 

UNC-Pembroke Braves (4-0)   
       
-UNC-Pembroke moved to 4-0 last night with an 81-79 victory over Tusculum University (3-1) at the Levine Center. Jordan Ratliffe led UNCP with 21 points on 6-for-9 3-point shooting. As a team, the Braves shot 60 percent from beyond the arc.

-Three of UNCP's four wins have come versus SAC teams. The Braves topped Catawba College, 95-90, in overtime on opening night, and followed it with a 73-69 victory over Newberry College during the season's opening weekend.

-Acting Head Coach Tony Jones has coached UNC-Pembroke to all four of its wins this season. Head Coach Ben Miller, who is in his 12^th season with the Braves, is currently on administrative leave. Jones is a 2015 graduate of UNCP and has served as an assistant coach each of the last three seasons.

-On the court, the Braves are led by Akia Pruitt, a two-time all-conference selection and the reigning Peach Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, who is averaging 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds this season. Ratliffe, who its averaging 17 points per game, is the team's leading scorer.

-UNC-Pembroke was picked second in the PBC Preseason Poll behind Augusta. The Braves finished last season 21-10 overall (15-7 PBC) and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. After reaching the national tournament as the No. 5-seed last season, UNCP lost to fourth-seeded Catawba College, 80-61, in the first round.