CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the 15^th time in program history, the No. 4 Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (28-3, 21-3 South Atlantic Conference) will go for a National Championship competing in the NCAA Tournament. The Royals received the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region and will play the No. 7 seed Columbus State Cougars (20-10, 10-8 Peach Belt Conference) this afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. tip off from Christenberry Fieldhouse in Augusta, Georgia. The Royals enter the tournament as winners of 15 straight looking to tie the programs record of 16 straight wins on Saturday afternoon. Queens returns to the big dance for the seventh straight season coming off their fifth conference championship, including their second South Atlantic Conference Tournament title. Fans can catch all of the action on the PBC Sports Network or by tuning into the Queens Sports Network for a live radio broadcast here. Fans can also preorder tickets by visiting the official site or grab your tickets at the door.

Saturday afternoon's meeting will mark the 2^nd contest between Queens and Columbus State with the Royals emerging victorious in the sole meeting. The last time the programs met was March 12, 2016 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the win, Rob Lewis approached a triple-double for the Royals finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Todd Withers was a menace on the boards grabbing 16 rebounds while adding 13 points. The Royals shot an efficient 53-percent from the field while forcing 18 Cougar turnovers which were converted into 22 points. The Royals also dominated the paint pouring in 40 points from the block. Queens enters Saturday coming off the South Atlantic Conference Championship title while Columbus State enters following a semifinals loss to Augusta in the Peach Belt Conference tournament.

 
Quick Facts (Game Notes)
Queens University of Charlotte (28-3, 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 15^th straight victory on Sunday night when they took down Carson-Newman, 69-59 in the SAC Finals. In the win against the Eagles, three Royals reached double figures scoring, including Jamari Smith, Kenny Dye, and Quan McCluney. Smith finished with a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds while also picking up three blocks. Dye would fill the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists. McCluney would round out the scoring with 10 and Jay'Den Turner was a menace on the glass grabbing 11 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
• Queens is a perfect 24-0 this season when leading at the half and 21-0 when scoring at least 80 points. When the Royals shoot better than 45-percent, they are 19-0.
• Jamari Smith has led the Royals all season long, scoring 17.1 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 has been named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week four times 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 Royal 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 7.0 points per game. Veteran guard Kenny Dye facilitates the offense and is second in the conference with 5.3 assists per game. He is also the conference's best three-point shooter, cashing in 49-percent of the time from deep, helping him tally 14.0 points per game.
• Crashing the glass continues to be a priority for Bart Lundy's team as they are third in the country in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 9.0 per game. They are sixth with 14.32 offensive rebounds per game. Gavin Rains has been physical on the block pulling down a 7.2 rebounds per contest, including 3.2 offensive boards.
• The Royals are No. 14 in the nation in scoring offense averaging 86.0 points per game.
• Queens has displayed their depth as 11 Royals are averaging at least 8.0 minutes per game.
• Jamari Smith and Kenny Dye were both named SAC First Team All-Conference. In the D2CCA All-Region awards, Jamari Smith earned First Team All-Region praise and Kenny Dye earned Second Team honors. Smith was awarded Conference Player of the Year as the Jonesboro, Ga. native is averaging 17.0 points per game while hauling in 7.0 rebounds per game. He became the fourth Royal to be named Conference Player of the Year, and the first since 2018-19. Kenny Dye earned First Team nods following a season in which he averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. The junior was second in the conference in assists per game and top 25 nationally.
• 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.

Columbus State University (20-10, 10-8 Peach Belt Conference)

• The seventh seeded Cougars enter the NCAA tournament having lost in the Peach Belt Conference Semifinals. In their last ten games, Columbus State is 6-4 overall. The Cougars have struggled away from their home court this season going 9-7 in true away games, but they are 2-0 in neutral site contests.
• Columbus State is averaging 76.8 points per game this season on 44-percent shooting from the field and 33-percent from behind the arc. The Cougars play a tight defense forcing 10.3 turnovers per game, including 7.0 steals which they convert into 15.9 points per game. Opponents have only managed to score 71.5 points per game on 43-percent shooting from the field and 34-percent from deep.
• Columbus State plays with a strong core as eight players are averaging at least 18.0 minutes per game. Langston Gaither leads all Cougar scorers with 17.1 points per game which is fourth most in the conference on 39-percent shooting while also bringing down 4.4 rebounds. Hunter Preston and Anthony Moore are two players to key an eye on as they are ferocious on the glass and can score under the basket. Preston is averaging 15.0 points and 7.3 boards while Moore is adding 9.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. Both players are in the top eight in the conference in rebounds per game. On defense, keep an eye on shot blocker Nelson Haskin. The big man was named Peach Belt Conference Defender of the Year after a regular season which included 70 blocks which is seventh most in the nation.
• Cougars Head Coach Robert Moore is in his 12^th season at the helm of Columbus State. Moore is 184-142 as the Cougars leader with four NCAA appearances. Under his direction, Columbus State has yet to make it past the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• The Cougars finished the regular season ranked fifth in the Peach Belt Conference. Coming into the season, Columbus State was picked to finish fifth following a year in which they went 5-7. Langston Gaither and Hunter Preston were both named to the PBC Preseason All-Conference Team.

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