Eagles up to seventh in NCAA Region Rankings
INDIANAPOLIS - Carson-Newman has been ranked seventh, up one spot, in the third and final batch of region rankings the NCAA posted Wednesday afternoon.
INDIANAPOLIS - Carson-Newman has been ranked seventh, up one spot, in the third and final batch of region rankings the NCAA posted Wednesday afternoon.
This is the final set of rankings before the NCAA selection show on Sunday, March 8.
The rankings are the official poll utilized by the NCAA in the championship selection process and will continue to be released each week by the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Committee up to the NCAA Championship selections.
The field for the Southeast Region is comprised of the conference tournament champions from the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and the Peach Belt Conference, as well as the top five teams in the region rankings who aren't tournament champions.
Carson-Newman is one of six South Atlantic Conference schools ranked. Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne occupy the top two spots in the poll. Catawba sits in fourth. The Eagles are the next-highest ranked team in seventh, while Carson-Newman's SAC quarterfinal opponent Lincoln Memorial is ranked eighth. UVA Wise sits in ninth. The Peach Belt has the other four teams in the rankings. Lander sits in third, while North Georgia and Columbus State are in sixth and seventh. USC Beaufort is on the outside looking in in 10th.
With no Conference Carolinas schools in the rankings, the champion of that conference tournament would take the eighth spot for the NCAA Southeast Regional, presently occupied by LMU. The magnifies the importance of the C-N/LMU SAC quarterfinal contest.
Carson-Newman's RPI is the eighth-best in the region, while their PI ranks 10th. Carson-Newman's KPI is the eighth-best in the region, but 33rd nationally in the deep Southeast.
C-N has played a host of teams in the regional top 10, and is 4-8 against teams in the rankings. C-N swept UVA Wise and owns wins over Lander and Lincoln Memorial. C-N lost at the buzzer to North Georgia in November, and was swept by Anderson, Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba.
Carson-Newman takes on Lincoln Memorial Thursday night. Tipoff from Rock Hill Sports & Events Center is set for 5:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 4:45 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 Flo Sports at cneagles.com/FloMBB. Fans can also watch the Eagle Sports Network crew at work while listening to the radio call on YouTube.
| SOUTHEAST | |||
| 1 | Anderson (South Carolina) | 25-2 | 25-2 |
| 2 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 23-7 | 23-5 |
| 3 | Lander | 22-5 | 22-5 |
| 4 | Catawba | 21-7 | 21-7 |
| 5 | North Georgia | 20-6 | 20-6 |
| 6 | Columbus State | 19-7 | 19-7 |
| 7 | Carson Newman | 17-10 | 17-10 |
| 8 | Lincoln Memorial | 18-10 | 18-10 |
| 9 | Virginia at Wise | 19-10 | 19-9 |
| 10 | USC Beaufort | 19-9 | 19-9 |
