CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will play hosts to Florida Gulf Coast in their Atlantic Sun home opener on Wednesday, January 10^th, as they welcome the Eagles to the Levine Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: January 10, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Levine Center (Charlotte, NC.)
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THE MATCHUP
Wednesday night will be the third all-time meeting between the Royals and the Eagles. The programs met twice last season with the Royals taking both games. The new league opponents battled to the wire in both matchups as the average margin of victory for the Royals was four points. In the opening round of the ASUN Tournament, the Royals defeated the Eagles 61-55. Queens dominated the boards and outrebounded the Eagles 43-29, included a 13-0 mark on the offensive glass.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (6-10 overall, 0-1 ASUN)

• The Royals fell to the defending conference champions Kennesaw State on Saturday afternoon, in a back-and-forth matchup in their conference opener. The Royals had their lead grow to as large as 13 points in the second half before the veteran Owls, backed by their home crowd, clawed their way back for the slim victory. Turnovers plagued Queens as 16 Royals turnovers were turned into 19 points for Kennesaw State.
• The Royals enter Wednesday night looking to continue defending their home court. During non-conference play, the Royals went 5-1 at home and hold a 241-79 record inside Curry Arena.
• Queens is knocking down 9.8 three-pointers per game which is fourth best in the league. The Royals offense runs through the three-point shot, as they have attempted the second most in the conference, and the third most per game with 28.8.
• The Royals offense can fill up the statsheet, as they are fourth in the conference in scoring with 79.8 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.
• Sharing the ball is key for the Royals as they are 5-2 on the year when dishing out 15+ assists as a team. Queens ranks fourth in the ASUN in assists as Deyton Albury leads the way with 4.0 per game, a mark that is seventh-best in the league.
• Queens continues to push the tempo averaging 73.4 possessions per 40 minutes, a mark that is 22^nd in the country according to KenPom.
• Preseason All-Conference nominee AJ McKee is the anchor for the Royals offense. On the season, he is averaging 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. The Charlotte native is fifth in the league in scoring and third in steals.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury has put together a solid start to 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 13 games this season, including seven straight. Against nationally ranked Duke, the junior guard poured in a team-high 23 points.
• Senior BJ McLaurin has started all 16 games on the block for the Royals. The forward has reached double figures in nine games this year, including five of the last six contests. McLaurin ranks 10th in the conference in rebounds per game, at 6.0.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby leads the Royals perimeter scoring as the junior is averaging 9.9 points per game on 39 percent shooting from behind the arc. The Houston, Texas native ranks fifth in the league in three-point field goal percentage as he has buried a three-pointer in 41-of-49 career games as Royal.
• Junior forward Jaxon Pollard notched his second start of the 2023-2024 season in the conference opener against Kennesaw State. The junior scored nine points, while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.

 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES (7-10 overall, 1-1 ASUN)

• The Eagles enter Wednesday night 7-10, and 1-1 in conference play as they are coming off a 78-58 loss against North Florida. Wednesday night will be FGCU's first conference road game.
• Florida Gulf Coast struggled on the road in non-conference play going 1-5 away from Fort Myers. Last season, the Royals knocked off the Eagles in both games, including in the opening round of the ASUN Tournament 61-55.
• The Eagles recently got a boost to their lineup as Preseason All-ASUN nominee Isaiah Thompson returned to the lineup following an injury. The senior guard is averaging 13.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. In nine games played, Thompson has eclipsed double digit points in six of those games.
• Junior forward Zach Anderson has stepped into a significant role averaging 12.4 points per game. The forward is shooting a team-high 68 percent from the field.
• Penn State transfer Dallion Johnson leads the Eagles in their shooting from behind-the-arc. The junior guard shoots 40 percent from behind-the-arc on over six attempts per game. That mark puts him at third-best in the conference.
• The Eagles are the league's third-best scoring defense allowing just 72.8 points per game.
• Florida Gulf Coast was picked to finish second in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll. The Eagles posted a 17-15 overall record and 7-11 mark in league play last season.
• Pat Chambers is in his second season as the head coach of the Eagles, and his thirteenth year as a head coach at the college level. Most recently serving as an assistant at La Salle, he has been the associate head coach at Villanova under legendary coach Jay Wright. Chambers first served as a head coach at Boston University from 2009-2011. There, he would lead the school to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. He would then spend nine years as head coach at Penn State. His 56 Big 10 wins are the most conference wins for any coach in Happy Valley.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals will remain at home hosting Stetson University on Friday, January 12^th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from Curry Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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