CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will look to bounce back, as they head on the road to face Jacksonville University on Thursday, January 18th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: January 18^th, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Swisher Gymnasium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
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THE MATCHUP
Thursday night will be the second all-time meeting between the Royals and the Dolphins. The programs faced off one time last year with the Dolphins winning the game 77-70. Leading by eight in the first half, the Royals went cold in the second half shooting 32 percent from the field as the home-crowd backed Dolphins stormed back for the victory.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (7-11 overall, 1-2 ASUN)

• The Royals are coming off a tough loss to Stetson on Friday Night. The Hatters led wire-to-wire in Friday's matchup as they won the rebounding battle 34-29, including a 10-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The Royals' four-made three pointers were their least amount in one game all year.
• The Royals enter the game looking to snap their nine-game road losing streak.
• Queens is knocking down 9.5 three-pointers per game which is fifth best in the league. The Royals offense is centered around the three-point shot as they have attempted the second most in the conference.
• The Royals offense can score in bunches as they are fourth in the conference in scoring with 78.9 points per game. Queens has reached the 80-point threshold six times this season and holds a 4-2 record in those games. The Royals are the highest-scoring team amongst schools making the transition to Division 1.
• Distributing the ball is key for the Royals as they are 6-2 on the year when dishing out 15+ assists as a team. Queens ranks fifth in the ASUN in assists as Deyton Albury leads the way with 4.1 per game which is good for seventh-best in the league.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury;s has had an immense impact in his first campaign in the Queen City. The Nassau, Bahamas native is top 10 in the league in scoring, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, steals, and assists. Albury has reached double figures in 14 games this season, including nine straight. Against Florida Gulf Coast, Albury poured in a career-high 27 points.
• Preseason All-Conference nominee AJ McKee is the anchor for the Royals offense. On the season, the senior guard is averaging 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. The Charlotte native is fifth in the league in scoring and sixth in steals.
• Senior forward BJ McLaurin has started all 17 games down low for the Royals. The forward has reached double figures in 10 games this year. McLaurin ranks 11th in the conference in rebounds per game at 5.9.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby leads the Royals perimeter scoring as the junior ranks fifth in the league in three-point field goal percentage as he is shooting 39 percent from behind the arc. The Houston, Texas native has made a three-pointer in 43-of-51 career games as a Royal.
• Freshman forward Bryce Cash has started in 17-of-18 contents in his opening season as a Royal. The Charlotte native is averaging 6.9 points per game, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.

 
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS (9-8 overall, 0-3 ASUN)

• The Dolphins enter Friday night 9-8 and 0-3 in conference play as they are coming off an 82-74 loss against North Florida. Jacksonville comes into Thursday night looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
• Jacksonville has been exceptional inside Swisher Gymnasium as the Dolphins have gone a perfect 6-0 at home this season.
• Redshirt-sophomore guard Robert McCray V leads the Dolphins in points with 15.4 per game. The mark is good enough for ninth overall in the ASUN for the Wake Forest transfer.
• Marcus Nilback is the senior leader for the Dolphins as he serves as the commander for the Jacksonville offense. The senior guard averages 12.2 points per game and a team-leading 3.1 assists per game.
• The Dolphins rank fourth-best in the ASUN in opponent field-goal percentage as they are holding their opponents to a 43 percent clip from the field.
• The Dolphins are pesky swiping a league-high 8.5 steals per game.
• Jacksonville University was picked to finish ninth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and tenth in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll. The Dolphins posted a 13-16 overall record and 6-12 mark in league play last season.
• Jordan Mincy enters his third season as the head coach of the Dolphins. After six seasons as the assistant at the University of Florida, Mincy has posted a 43-34 record as Head Coach of the Dolphins. In his first season at the helm, he navigated Jacksonville to its first ASUN Tournament Final since 2009.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals will remain in the Sunshine State as they take on North Florida on Saturday, January 20^th. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from UNF Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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