CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team is set for their regular season finale on Friday night as they host the reigning league champions in Kennesaw State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Curry Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. Prior to tip, the Royals will honor their 2024 senior class.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: March 1st, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
Watch
Live Stats
Queens Game Notes
Tickets
 
THE MATCHUP
Saturday's matchup will be the fifth all-time matchup between the two schools. Kennesaw State holds the series lead 3-1 over the last two years. The Owls taking the close back-and-forth conference opener, 80-77, on January 6th. The Owls proved opportunistic, as they converted 16 Royals turnovers into 19 points. Last season, Kennesaw State defeated the Royals 67-66 in the ASUN Conference Tournament Quarterfinals, despite five different Royals scoring in double figures.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (12-18 overall, 6-9 ASUN)

• The Royals are coming off a tough road loss at FGCU on Saturday evening. Despite taking a lead into halftime, the Eagles would outscore the Royals 52-42 behind a blistering 64 percent shooting from the field in the second half to secure the 90-81 victory.
• On Wednesday night, it was officially announced that the Royals had clinched a spot in their second consecutive Atlantic Sun Tournament, in their second season at the Division 1 level. Friday's matchup against Kennesaw State still remains pivotal for seeding purposes, however, as both squads sit at 6-9 in conference play.
• Queens looks to close out the season on a high note at home as the safe confines of Curry Arena have been kind to the Royals this season. The Royals are 10-3 inside Curry Arena this season.
• The highflying Royals play a fast style of play that catapults their explosive offense. The Royals average 80.4 points per game which is fourth best in the ASUN and top-fifty nationally. The Royals are 7-4 on the season when they score over 80 points and they rank first in scoring amongst teams in the Division 1 transition period.
• Friday looks to be a high-paced back-and-forth matchup as both the Royals and the Owls rank inside the top-10 in pace-of-play according to KenPom.
• Queens is knocking down 8.8 three-pointers per game which is fifth best in the league and ranks top-50 in the NCAA in makes per game.
• Sharing the ball efficiently is a key for the Royals as they are 7-2 on the year when dishing out 15+ assists as a team. Queens ranks seventh in the ASUN in assists as guard Deyton Albury leads the way with 3.8 per game which is eighth best in the ASUN.
• Royals guard AJ McKee is the catalyst for the Royals as the Charlotte native averages a team-leading 18.3 points per game, ranking him third in the ASUN in scoring. McKee also averages a team-leading 1.7 steals per game which is third best in the league. McKee is a steadying presence on offense for the Royals as he has eclipsed double digit points in 29-of-30 contests for the Royals this season. Against FGCU, McKee poured in a team-leading 22 points as he became the seventh player in program history to reach 1,500 career points.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury has quickly stepped up as a leader in his first year in the Queen City. The junior point guard is fifth in in the league in points per game with 17.5. Albury is elite at getting to the free-throw line as he leads the conference in made free throws. The Nassau, Bahamas native is also top-ten in the ASUN in field goal percentage, assists, and steals. Albury scored 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out three assists against FGCU last time out.
• Senior forward BJ McLaurin has started all 30 games down low for the Royals. The forward has reached double figures in 16 games this year as he averages 11.8 points on the season. McLaurin can stretch his game beyond the three-point line as the forward is shooting 35 percent from behind-the-arc on over 100 total attempts on the season.
• Houston, Texas native Chris Ashby leads the Royals in perimeter shooting. The junior is a shooting threat everytime he touches the ball as Ashby ranks top-five in the ASUN in three-point field goal percentage. Over the last four games, Ashby is 12-for-28 from behind the arc, including three straight games making three or more from deep.
• Rookie Bryce Cash has become one of the ASUN's most prolific freshman as he has stepped into a prominent role in his first year as a Royal. Cash has started in 29-of-30 contests this year for the Royals and is averaging 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on the season.

 
SCOUTING THE OWLS (15-14 overall, 6-9 ASUN)

• The Owls enter Friday night's matchup with a 15-14 overall record and a 6-9 record in ASUN play. They are coming off a 84-72 loss to Stetson last Saturday night.  
• Kennesaw State is looking to get on the right track before postseason play begins. Since starting league play 4-1, the Owls are 2-6 over their last eight contests. 
• Senior guard Terrell Burden leads the Owl offense. In ASUN play, Burden has been electric averaging 19.3 points and 6.2 assists. The Symra, Georgia native can fill up the stat sheet quickly as he has eclipsed 30 points three times this season. In the last matchup against the Royals, Burden poured in 28 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out six assists.
• Simeon Cottle has stepped into a leading role in his sophomore season for the Owls. Cottle averages 15.2 points, and has eclipsed double digits in 25 contests this year.
• Montgomery, Alabama native Demond Robinson is a physical presence downlow for the Owls. The senior forward is first on the team with 7.3 rebounds which ranks him at fifth in the ASUN.
• The high-octane Owls have the most prolific offense in the ASUN. Kennesaw State leads the conference in points with 82.8 which ranks them at 17th in the country in scoring offense.
• The Owls have struggled to string together stops on the defensive end. They are 11th in the conference in defense allowing 80.0 points per game. In each of their nine conference losses, Kennesaw State has given up over 80 points to their opponent.
• Kennesaw State was picked to finish fourth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and second in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll following a 26-9 overall record and 15-3 mark in league play last season.
• The Owls have clinched a spot in the ASUN Tournament. Kennesaw State is looking to win the tournament for the second straight year, and secure their second ever berth into the NCAA Tournament.
• Antoine Pettway is in his first season at the helm of the Owls following a stellar 15-year stint on the Alabama coaching staff. With Pettway on staff, Alabama spent several weeks as the nation's No. 1 ranked team in 2022-23. Known as one of the nation's top recruiters, Pettway brought in the third-ranked class which included two five star and two four-star recruits, highlighted by 2022-23 National Player of the Year and current Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals will begin postseason play next week as they are set to participate in the ASUN Men's Basketball Tournament. The official bracket will be released following all of the action on Friday night.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals on Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.