CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 6/9 Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (25-3, 21-3 SAC) will begin their postseason journey seeking their fifth conference championship tomorrow when they host rival Catawba College (11-15, 10-14) inside Curry Arena at 7:00 p.m. for the South Atlantic Conference quarterfinals. The Royals closed out the regular season on Saturday with their 12^th straight victory defeating Wingate, 80-63 claiming a share of the regular season title with Lincoln Memorial. Fans can catch all of the action beginning tomorrow, Mar. 2 at 6:45 on the Queens Sports Network, or by purchasing tickets at the door. For the tournament, there will not be a guest pass list and ticket prices are listed below. Queens students will receive free admission.

Adults: $5
Youth age 6-12/seniors 60+/ Active & Retired Military: $3.00
Under 5 – Free 

Wednesday night's meeting will mark the 27^th contest between Queens and Catawba, and the third meeting this season with the Royals owning a 22-4 all-time advantage. Queens has beaten Catawba in 20 straight games and has not fallen in Charlotte since Nov. 22, 2008. In the regular season series, the Royals swept the Indians by averaging 79.0 points on 48-percent shooting from the field. In the first meeting, Kenny Dye sparked the offensive production with 14 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. In game two, Jamari Smith poured in 21 points and 11 rebounds while Jay'Den Turner finished just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
 
Quick Facts (Game Notes)
Queens University of Charlotte (25-3, 21-3 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.
• The Royals are coming off their 12^th straight victory on Saturday night when they took down Wingate, 80-67 to claim their share of the South Atlantic Conference regular season title. In the win against the Bulldogs, Queens used a dominant second half outscoring the visitors 46-30 to carry their streak into postseason play. Jamari Smith led the Royals with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. AJ McKee was just shy of a double-double pouring in 10 points and hauling in nine rebounds. Five Royals reached double figures, including Smith and McKee, Quan McCluney, Kenny Dye, and Gavin Rains.
• Queens is a perfect 22-0 this season when leading at the half and 20-0 when scoring at least 80 points. When the Royals shoot better than 45-percent, they are 18-0.
• Jamari Smith has led the Royals all season long, scoring 17.2 points per game and ripping down 7.0 rebounds per game.  Smith has collected nine double-doubles this season increasing his career total to 14. The forward is coming off a week in which he received South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week honors for a fourth time this season. He is the only player in the conference given the AstroTurf Player of the Week more than twice this season and becomes the first player in program history to receive the honor four times in a season.
• Queens has been efficient distributing the ball this season as seven Royals are averaging at least 8.5 points per game.  Veteran guard Kenny Dye facilitates the offense and is second in the conference with 5.4 assists per game. He is also the conference's best three-point shooter, cashing in 51-percent of the time from deep, helping him tally 14.9 points per game.
• Crashing the glass continues to be a priority for Bart Lundy's team as they are top 10 in the country in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents y 8.0 per game. They are top ten with 13.78 offensive rebounds per game. Gavin Rains has been physical on the block pulling down a 7.4 rebounds per contest, including a league-best 3.3 offensive boards.
• The Royals are No. 12 in the nation in scoring offense averaging 87.1 points per game.
• 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.
• Sophomore forward Jamari Smith scored his 1,000th career point in the 99-67 victory over UVA Wise on Jan. 31. Smith became the 20th player in program history to hit the 1K mark and second this season after Kenny Dye
• 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.
• Jamari Smith and Kenny Dye were both named to the 2022 Bevo Francis Top 50 Watch List, as announced by Small College Basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The award is presented to one player who had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball.

Catawba College (11-15, 10-14 South Atlantic Conference)

• Catawba enters Wednesday night after defeating UVA Wise 92-89 in the regular season finale snapping a two-game losing skid against Mars Hill and Wingate. In their last 10 games, the Indians are 4-6. This season, Catawba's longest win streak was three after they downed Lincoln Memorial, Coker, and Limestone before Queens ended the streak.
• On the season, the Indians are averaging 79.2 points per outing on a 45-percent field goal percentage and 35-percent three-point percentage. Catawba is a team that can get to the free throw line as the Indians have totaled 506 attempts which ranks in the top 40 nationally. The Indians play big averaging 4.1 blocks per game which is second best in the conference.
• Catawba is a deep unit as ten players are averaging at least 18 minutes per game and six Indians are scoring at least eight points per game. Caleb Robinson leads the way for the Indians scoring a league-best 18.5 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Rob Perron is in his eighth season as the Indians head coach holding a 119-101 record.
• Catawba was picked to finish 7^th in the conference preseason rankings following a 9-11 overall season last year.

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.

The Queens University of Charlotte Athletic Department has made updates to its fan policy for indoor sports as the COVID-19 climate continues to change. Starting Monday, Feb. 21, Queens Athletics events held inside Curry Arena will be open to fans up to 50 percent capacity. There is no longer a restriction on the general public attending. Teams currently in season that this effect are men's and women's basketball and men's volleyball. Masks are required while indoors for attendance.
 
Social distancing and face coverings are required at all times.
 
Gates will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the scheduled event.
 
No tailgating is allowed on the premises.

Queens Athletics will continue to stream as many home events as possible on the Queens Sports Network. To keep up with the Royals from home, stream games live on your computer or mobile devices by visiting www.queensathletic.com 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 are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on all social media platforms by searching @QueensAthletics for updates. 
 
This policy is subject to change at any time based on changes in the current climate.