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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 22^nd-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will compete in its sixth straight NCAA Tournament on Saturday, opening play in the 2021 Southeast Regional as the fifth overall seed. The Royals will square off against fourth-seeded Emmanuel College (Ga.) in the first round of competition at 8:45 p.m. from Tex Turner Arena in Harrogate, Tennessee.
 
Saturday marks just the 4^th all-time meeting between the Royals and Lions as Queens holds a perfect 3-0 record in the series. In the last meeting, Queens was a 100-91 winner over Emmanuel last season in a neutral site contest. The two sides also have history in the postseason, meeting in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Southeast Regional where Queens won 76-72 on its home floor.
 
In an effort of promoting and prioritizing the health and safety of student-athletes and game day personnel, Lincoln Memorial University has adopted a limited attendance policy for the 2021 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Southeast Regional Championship. General admission tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 9 at 12 p.m. ET. All general admission tickets are available for purchase ONLINE ONLY. Tickets for each session are $5 with children two years of age or younger receiving free admission.
 
To keep up with the Royals from home, stream games live on your computer or mobile devices by visiting www.queensathletic.com/coverage or downloading the Queens Royals app. Additionally, fans can download the Queens Athletics app on their Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV devices. Just type Queens University or Queens University Athletics into the search bar. Fans can also listen to today's game on ESPN 730 The Game with the pre-game show beginning at 3:45 p.m.
 
 
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
-Queens received an at-large bid to the tournament as the fifth seed following a runner-up finish in the 2021 SAC Pilot Flying J Championship Final last Sunday. The Royals are 16-5 overall and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Queens is ranked No. 22 overall in the latest NABC Coaches' Poll and have been ranking in 94 of the last 96 national polls dating back to the 2015-16 season.
 
-Emmanuel is the regional tournament's fourth overall seed after a runner-up finish in the 2021 Conference Carolinas Championship where they fell to the region's top-seeded Belmont Abbey College. The Lions are 15-6 overall and are also 8-2 in their last 10 contests.
 
IN THE BACKCOURT
 
-All-conference point guard Kenny Dye runs the Queens offense, leading the SAC and ranking 8^th in NCAA Division II with 5.9 assists per game to go along with 13.1 points per contest on 41.9 percent shooting from deep. Junior Quan McCluney has been inserted into the starting lineup for the last seven games and is averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest while making 46 percent of his 3-point attempts.
 
-Emmanuel boasts the 2020-21 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year in sophomore KJ Jones II. The Atlanta, Ga. native averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor, 43.2 percent from 3-point range and 90.7 percent from the free throw line. His backcourt mates, Tyonn Stuckey and Brandon Simpson, were also named to the all-conference team and averaged 11 and 10 points per game, respectively, while shooting better than 40 percent from deep.
 
IN THE FRONT COURT
 
-In the post, all-conference redshirt-sophomore Jamari Smith has made an immediate impact after missing the first six games of the year and is leading the team with 16.9 points per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and 34.1 percent from deep. Fellow all-conference forward Gavin Rains controls the paint, leading the SAC with 9.1 rebounds per game, including 3.7 rebounds per game on the offensive glass, to go along with 11.2 points per game.
 
-Forward Jayvion Rucker and Kyler Ingram combined to average 15.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game down low as each player averages at least one block per game. Ingram is one of the most efficient scorers in Division II, making 62.8 percent of his shot attempts in the paint.
 
ON THE SIDELINES
 
-Queens Head Coach Bart Lundy is in his 19^th season overall and 13^th season at Queens. During his career with the Royals, Lundy is the program's winningest coach with a 303-98 (.756) record and has a 399-185 (.684) career coaching record at Queens and NCAA Division I High Point University. During his reign, Queens has won five conference championships (three Conference Carolinas, two South Atlantic Conference), four Southeast Region Championships and has made eight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
-TJ Rosene is in his 16^th year overall as a collegiate head coach and 14^th season with Emmanuel. He has accumulated a 335-175 (.657) career record, including a 312-137 ((.695) mark with Lions, and has ushered in a new era in Franklin Springs after guiding Emmanuel from an NAIA and NCCAA powerhouse to the NCAA Division II ranks.  He is a two-time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year and has made the NCAA Tournament twice since the Lions became full NCAA members in 2018-19.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
 
-Queens ranks among the NCAA Top 40 in scoring defense as opponents are scoring just 69.7 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the floor. The Royals force 14.6 turnovers per contest and score 17.2 points per game off of those miscues.
 
-Offensively, the Royals score 80.8 points per game and have scored 85 or more points 10 times this season. Queens is shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 38.8 percent from 3-point range as a team while holding a plus-9.5 margin in rebounds per game.
 
-Emmanuel scores just below 80 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from 3-point range on the season. They have scored 85 or more points on eight separate occasions and have made double-digit 3-pointers in 12-of-21 games, but the team turns the ball over 15 times per game, including 11 games with 15 or more turnovers. Defensively, the Lions give up 72.2 points per contest and allow opponents to shoot nearly 14 free throws per game as 10 games have been decided by singles digits.