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Phil Constantino (pxp), John Short (analyst), Julia Allsbrook (sideline)

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Tournament Central

 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The top-seeded Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (28-4, 19-1 SAC) hosts No.8-seed Emmanuel College (25-9, 15-3 CC) on Saturday evening at the Levine Center in the first round of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children (17 and under), senior citizens (62 and older), and college students with a school ID.

Saturday marks the second all-time meeting between Queens and Emmanuel. Earlier this season, the Royals won the only previous meeting, 85-68, on Nov. 9. The winner of Saturday's matchup will advance to meet the winner of Saturday's final quarterfinal between No. 4 Catawba College and No. 5 the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, in the semifinals on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Southeast Regional Championship game is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
 

Quick Facts
No. 10/5 Queens Royals (28-4, 19-1 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-The Royals earned the No. 1 seed in the region, and the right to host the Southeast Regional, after finishing with an in-region record of 26-3. The eight-team regional bracket features three schools from the South Atlantic Conference, four from the Peach Belt Conference and one from Conference Carolinas. The Regional Champion will advance to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana, beginning on March 27.

-The 2018-2019 season marks the fourth consecutive year in which Queens has qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and the 12th total. The Royals have won the regional title and advanced to the Elite Eight three times, all of which have come under Bart Lundy's leadership. Queens last hosted the regional in 2017 and lost to Lincoln Memorial University in the championship game, 82-68.

-Last time out, Daniel Carr recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Shaun Willett scored 20 points with five rebounds, but top-seeded Queens fell to fifth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University, 83-68, in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Pilot Flying J Men's Basketball Championships on Saturday night at Timmons Arena. The loss snapped the Royals' nine-game winning streak.

-On Saturday, Feb. 23, at Carson-Newman University, Queens won its 17th conference game of the season, and in doing so, secured the outright SAC Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history. The championship is the second total regular-season crown claimed by the Royals in their six-year tenure in the League, as Queens split the title in 2016-2017 with Lincoln Memorial University. The conference championship is also the seventh overall regular-season conference crown in program history and the third-straight year in which Queens has claimed either a conference or regional title.

-On Tuesday, Queens remained in the official coaches' poll landing at No. 10 in the most recent edition of the NABC/Division II Rankings. The placement in the 15th and final official poll of the season marks the 60th consecutive week in which Queens has 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 marks the third consecutive top-10 finish for Queens.

-On Friday, Willett was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 25 Watch List, Small College Basketball announced. The Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest season across NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA Divisions I and II, USCAA Divisions I and II and NCCAA Divisions I and II. The watch list, which began with 100 players on Jan. 15 and also featured Daniel Carr, will be trimmed down to 25 players on March 15. Finalists will be announced on April 6 and the award winner will be announced on April 8.

-Also on Friday, Willett was named the Southeast Region Player of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Carr was named a Second-Team All-Region selection.

-Willett was named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, and Lundy was named SAC Coach of the Year, the League announced on Mar. 7. In addition, five Royals received all-conference accolades. Along with Willett, Carr was named a first-team all-conference selection, Lewis Diankulu was named to the League's second team, Van Turner Jr. was named an honorable mention all-conference honoree, and Kenny Dye was named to the League's all-freshman team.

-On Feb. 27 at Wingate, Willett passed Soce Faye (335, 1997-1998, 30 games) to take hold of the program's single-season rebounding record. Through 32 games this season, Willet has totaled 376 rebounds, which also stands as a South Atlantic Conference single-season record. In his two-year career, Willett has 552 rebounds, ranking his just outside the top 10 all-time in Queens history.

-With 25 double-doubles, Willett leads the NCAA (more than 1,200 institutions) in double-doubles this season. At the Division II level, Will Vorhees of Notre Dame College is second with 22 double-doubles. In DI, Davontae Cacok of the University of North Carolina Wilmington has 24, and in DIII, Kevin Dennis of Morrisville State College also has 24.

-In last Saturday's conference semifinal game, Willett passed J.R. Gamble (627, 2000-2001, 32 games) for second place on the Queens single-season scoring list. Willett has currently scored 630 points this season but is still 158 points shy of tying Spencer Ross (788, 2002-2003, 33 games) for first place.

-Willett finished the regular season as the SAC's second-leading scorer, with an average of 19.6 points per game, and the League's leading rebounder, averaging 12.0 rebounds per game. He currently ranks third nationally in rebounds per game and leads Division II in total rebounds (376).

-Carr finished 10th in the SAC in scoring (15.6 PPG), fourth in assists (4.9 APG), and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (43.1%).

-Diankulu finished as the League's fourth-leading rebounder with 7.6 boards per game and second in field goal percentage (58.6%).

-Turner ranked fourth in 3-point shooting (46.2%). His current total of 107 made 3-pointers ranks him fifth nationally in 3-point field goals made this season.

-Blake Morrow was the SAC's sixth-best 3-point shooter (44.2%).

-Josh Brodowicz led the League in assist to turnover ratio (3.1).

-Lundy is in his sixth season since returning to Queens and his 11^th overall at the helm in Charlotte. In 17 years as a head coach in Division I and II, Lundy has posted an overall record of 356-171 (.677 win pct.) and a record at Queens of 260-84 (.758 win pct.). Lundy has led Queens to all three of its Elite Eight appearances.

 
Emmanuel Lions (25-9, 15-3 CC)

-Emmanuel College is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in its first season of Division II postseason eligibility. Last season, the Lions claimed the NCCAA National Championship after playing a Conference Carolinas regular-season schedule as a provisional DII member.

-Emmanuel won the Conference Carolinas Regular Season and Tournament Championships to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA field. The Lions beat Belmont Abbey College, 75-72, in the Conference Carolinas Championship Game.

-Kendrick Colvin leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. A first-team all-conference selection, Colvin has 18 double-doubles this season which ties him for third in NCAA Division II. He was recently named Conference Carolinas Tournament MVP after a 19-point and 16-rebound performance in the title game.

-Head Coach T.J. Rosene was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year. In 12 years at Emmanuel College, Rosene has led his team to 11 20-win seasons.