After starting the season 5-1, the No. 7 ranked Emory men's basketball team is headed to Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend to participate in one of the premier Division III in-season tournaments – the Jay Bilas Classic – on December 19th and 20th.
The Jay Bilas Classic, a showcase event named after the former Duke University star and current ESPN basketball analyst, features Emory, Christopher Newport, Denison University, The College of New Jersey, Greensboro, and host Johnson & Wales (Charlotte). The event will feature two games on Friday followed by a tripleheader of events on Saturday.
The nationally ranked Eagles have a pair of matchups against teams receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, taking on the CNU Captains on Friday before TCNJ the next evening. Both Emory contests are scheduled for 5:00 PM and will be played at Johnson & Wales University. All events will be streamed on the JWU YouTube channel (JWU Charlotte Athletics - YouTube) and tickets can be purchased on the hometown ticketing website or by following the links below.
Day One Tickets
Day Two Tickets
The Eagles come into the weekend featuring one of the highest scoring offenses in the country, ranking 10th in Division III with 93.0 points per game, and have scored 90 points or more in four straight contests.
Senior guard Ben Pearce has been more of more dynamic playmakers in the country entering play third in the nation with 7.0 assists per game and stands 10th in the country at 24.7 points per game. Classmate Jair Knight has been equally impressive with 19.0 points per game, third-best figure in the UAA, while sophomore Mario Awasum currently leads all UAA players in both blocks per game (2.33) and rebounding (8.2).
Christopher Newport carries a seven-game win streak into Friday's tilt including a double-overtime thriller over No. 12 Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday. Toa Hollenbeck leads the charge with 18.2 PPG while Tyson Henderson comes in with a 13.6 scoring clip and a team-high 51 assists.
For TCNJ, the Lions have picked up a pair of NJAC wins to improve to 7-3 on the year. The team features a well-balanced scoring attack with four starters averaging double figures led by Nick Koch's 18.3 points per game. Big man Matthew Solomon is someone to watch down low as he checks in at 12.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game.
