C-N looks for first season sweep of TU in eight years
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (10-8, 5-7 South Atlantic Conference) will be trying to do something Wednesday night it hasn’t done since the SAC’s all-time leading scorer Charles Clark was roaming the Holt Fieldhouse hardwood.
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
20 | 32 | 8 | 60 |
|
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35 | 17 | 17 | 69 |
VIDEO: On Press Row
VIDEO: C-N at Tusculum Cinematic Recap
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (10-8, 5-7 South Atlantic Conference) will be trying to do something Wednesday night it hasn't done since the SAC's all-time leading scorer Charles Clark was roaming the Holt Fieldhouse hardwood.
Sweep a season series with Tusculum (8-10, 4-8 SAC). Tipoff from Holt Fieldhouse is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Carson-Newman is trying to do something that it has never done to one of JT Burton's Tusculum teams - sweep the season series with the Pioneers. C-N hasn't swept a season series from the Pioneers since the 2017-18 season. In spite of this, the Eagles have won four of the last six meetings thanks to a win in the SAC quarterfinals two years ago. This marks a third straight year C-N has won the first meeting in the series. C-N fell in overtime in Greeneville last year 90-88 and dropped an 84-81 decision in Holt Fieldhouse on Valentine's Day 2024 to see the Pioneers secure splits the last two seasons.
The contests with Tusculum have been tight of late. Of the last 12 meetings, only three have been decided by more than 10. Seven of the 12 have been decided by four points or fewer. Tusculum is 7-5 against Carson-Newman in this stretch. Carson-Newman nearly overcame an eight-point deficit with 5:55 to go in last year's 90-88 OT loss at TU, while Tusculum nearly came back from down 16 in a 95-91 loss to C-N last season. Carson-Newman's 100-73 win in December was the largest margin of victory for C-N in the series since 2014.
Jack Browder enters the contest on 1,777 career points. He is eighth all-time in scoring. The lone player in school history with his jersey retired, Arnold Mellinger is next to catch on the all-time scoring list with 1,826 points. Browder is 49 away from him. Browder is sixth among active NCAA Division II players in career scoring and 20th among all players in all divisions.
With 795 career rebounds, Browder is fourth among active Division II players in career rebounds. Browder, plus Hall of Famers Mike Ogan and Tommy Everette are the only three members of the 1,500/700 club in Carson-Newman history. Browder is the only player in the NCAA era to do that.
Browder is one of three active players in NCAA Division II with 1,700 career points and 700 career rebounds. Carl Cleveland at Young Harris and Dylan Kuehl at Northern Michigan are the only others in NCAA Division II. Browder's 795 rebounds are the fifth-most in school history.
With 34 career double-doubles, Browder already has career mark for Carson-Newman for all-time double-doubles (at least in the NCAA era where we have game-by-game stats). He has the second most double-doubles among active NCAA Division II players, behind Young Harris' Carl Cleveland's 35. He has the eighth-most double-doubles amongst players in all divisions.
Browder is the only player in NCAA Division II to lead his league in scoring and rebounding. Browder is also the only player in the country in the top 25 in both scoring and rebounding. Browder is fifth in scoring at 22.4 points per game and 12th in rebounding at 9.8 boards per game. Browder saw a 21-game streak where he had at least five rebounds come to an end Friday in the Eagles' loss at Catawba.
Tipoff between the Eagles and Pioneers is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMbb. Fans can also watch the ESN crew call the game on press row with a feed available on YouTube.
Team Stats
Tusculum
| Game Statistics | Tusculum | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (22-77) | (25-58) |
| Field Goal % | 28.6% | 43.1% |
| Rebounds | 41 | 54 |
| Assists | 12 | 20 |
| Turnovers | 8 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 4 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 10 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 16 | 8 |
