CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 11/13 Queens University of Charlotte (13-2, 9-2 SAC) men's basketball team is prepared to hit the road for a top-25 showdown at No. 14/17 Lincoln Memorial University (13-2, 10-2 SAC) on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2:00 p.m. The Royals were originally scheduled to compete at UVA Wise tomorrow, but the game was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The Royals and Railsplitters were formerly set to play on Feb. 19, however openings in both schedules allowed the teams to move their game up.

Queens is coming off their sixth straight victory and are one win away from matching their longest streak of the season. Following the Saturday showdown, the Royals are scheduled to stay on the road as they look for redemption at Tusculum University on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday evening marks the 27^th all-time meeting between Queens and Lincoln Memorial, with the Railsplitters holding a 19-7 series lead. Queens and Lincoln Memorial first battled on Feb. 12, 1992 with the Railsplitters winning, 62-52. The Railsplitters managed to take ten of the first eleven matchups between the two. The two rivals squared off prior to Christmas break and the Royals snapped a four-game losing skid when Kenny Dye went coast-to-coast and drilled a layup at the buzzer to defeat the Railsplitters 82-80. Jamari Smith led all scorers with a career-high 28 points while hauling in a team-best eight rebounds. Dye would finish the evening with a season-high 24 points while adding four assists.

Quick Facts (Game Notes)
Queens University of Charlotte (13-2, 9-2 South Atlantic Conference)

• In the season opener against Young Harris, the Royals set a new program record with 133 points scored as eight Royals finished with double figures.
• Head Coach Bart Lundy picked up his 400^th career victory in the dominant season opener. Lundy is in his 14^th season at Queens and 20^th season overall as a collegiate head coach.
• Queens is a perfect 11-0 this season when leading at the half and 12-0 when dropping at least 80 points. When the Royals shoot better than 45-percent, they are 9-0 this year.
• Following a dominant season last year, Jamari Smith has returned to the Royals lineup and leads the team in scoring with 16.2 points per game while hauling in 5.7 rebounds per game. Smith earned his seventh career double-double in the victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.
• Queens has been efficient distributing the ball this season as six Royals are averaging at least eight points. Veteran guard Kenny Dye facilitates the offense and is top 25 in the nation in assists per game with 5.9 while also adding 14.4 points per game. Dye is coming off a 14 point and 10 assist double-double in the win over Anderson on Wednesday night.
• Crashing the glass continues to be a priority for Bart Lundy's team as they are fifth in the country with 14.93 offensive rebounds per game. Gavin Rains has been physical on the block pulling down 8.3 rebounds per contest, including a league-best 3.8 offensive boards.
• The Royals are No. 13 in the nation in scoring offense averaging 87.0 points per game.
• Queens has been efficient shooting the deep ball as Kenny Dye leads the conference draining 55-percent of his three-point opportunities.
• Queens has displayed their depth as nine Royals are averaging at least 13.0 minutes per game.
• Junior guard Kenny Dye notched his 1,000th career point in the 80-72 victory over Wingate on Dec. 15. Dye became the 19th player in program history to hit the 1K mark.
• The Royals opened the new season with a dominant 133-80 victory over Young Harris. The milestone victory was head coach Bart Lundy's 400th career win and the most points scored in program history.

 
Lincoln Memorial University (13-2, 10-2 SAC)

• Lincoln Memorial enters Saturday night's contest as winners of their last four games, including victories against Newberry and Limestone and a pair of wins against Lenoir-Rhyne. The Railsplitters have not lost since their upending in Charlotte on Dec. 18.
• Lincoln Memorial is averaging 88.9 points per game which ranks No. 9 in the nation. The Railsplitters impressive scoring numbers come on 51-percent shooting from the floor and 39-percent from behind the arc. The Railsplitters are averaging a league-high 41.3 rebounds per game this season and have played physical defense forcing opponents into a 41-percent shooting mark and 30-percent mark from deep.
• The Railsplitters rely heavily on their core six as they are each averaging at least 25 minutes per game, including 33.0 minutes from Chase Rankin and 31.4 minutes from Alex Dahling. Six Railsplitters are averaging double digit scoring with SAC Preseason Second Team All-Conference selection Jordan Guest leading the way at 15.9 points per game. The junior forward is hauling in 7.1 rebounds per game which ranks seventh in the conference.
• Head Coach Jeremiah Samarrippas is in his first season as the Railsplitters head coach after former head coach Josh Schertz' departed for Indiana State after last season. Samarrippas is believed to be the third-youngest head coach among all levels of NCAA Men's Basketball and the second-youngest leading a Division II program. 
• Lincoln Memorial was picked to finish fourth in the SAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll following a 19-4 overall season, and 14-3 mark in SAC play last year. The Railsplitters are coming off a season in which they won the NCAA Southeast Regional and advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Be sure to follow the Royals men's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.