Lenoir-Rhyne Earns Top Seed For 2008 Food Lion Men’s Basketball Tournament
ROCK HILL, SC - The Lenoir-Rhyne College men's basketball team, which shared the South Atlantic Conference championship, is the top seed for the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, which begins Wednesday.
The Bears (21-5 overall, 12-2 SAC) tied for the league title with Wingate University with 12-2 conference records. The teams split their two regular-season meetings, and both teams swept third-place Carson-Newman. Lenoir-Rhyne earned the tournament's top seed by sweeping fourth-place Catawba, while Wingate split their series with Catawba.
Lenoir-Rhyne will host eighth-seed Lincoln Memorial University (8-19 overall, 1-13 SAC) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Wingate (22-5 overall, 12-2 SAC) will begin their quest to win their third straight Food Lion SAC Tournament title on Wednesday by hosting seventh-seed Newberry College (12-15 overall, 5-9 SAC) at 8 p.m.
Carson-Newman College is the third seed after finishing 8-6 in the conference and 18-6 overall. The Eagles will host sixth-seed Mars Hill College (12-15 overall, 5-9 SAC) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Mars Hill and Newberry finished tied with 5-9 conference records and split their regular-season meetings. Mars Hill earned the sixth seed by virtue of its season-ending victory over top-seed Lenoir-Rhyne.
Catawba College captured the fourth seed and the final quarterfinal home court game with a 7-7 conference record (16-11 overall). The Indians will host fifth-seed Tusculum College (13-14 overall, 6-8 SAC) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Quarterfinal winners advance to the tournament semifinals, which will be held at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. on Saturday.
Tickets for all tournament games are $6 per day for adults, $3 per day for children, students and college students with ID.
The men's and women's winners of the tournament will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
MEN
Wednesday, March 5
Food Lion SAC Tournament, Quarterfinals, Home of Higher Seed
No. 8 Lincoln Memorial at No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne, 7 pm
No. 7 Newberry at No. 2 Wingate, 8 pm
No. 6 Mars Hill at No. 3 Carson-Newman, 8 pm
No. 5 Tusculum at No. 4 Catawba, 7 pm
Saturday, March 8
Food Lion SAC Tournament, Semifinals, CVCC Arena, Hickory,
NC
Lincoln Memorial/Lenoir-Rhyne winner vs. Tusculum/Catawba winner, 1
pm
Newberry/Wingate winner vs. Mars Hill/Carson-Newman winner, 6
pm
Sunday, March 9
Food Lion SAC Tournament, Finals, CVCC Arena, Hickory, NC
Championship, 2 pm