Smoky Mountain Today

Carson-Newman (9-2) renews one of its oldest rivalries when it plays old Volunteer State Athletic Conference foe Tennessee Wesleyan (8-2) for the 89th time Monday in a matinee at 2 p.m. inside Holt Fieldhouse.

The contest will count as a regular season game for the Eagles, but a non-countable exhibition for the NAIA Bulldogs. 

"You talk about a historical sort of rivalry," head coach Chuck Benson said. "From the 60s through the 80s, Tennessee Wesleyan and Carson-Newman was a big, big deal to a lot of people. I remember that era well. It might not mean as much to our guys, but it is a game that has a long-standing tradition behind it. We definitely want to go into the break on a bang. They've had a great start to the year and have some talented kids. We'll have our work cut out for us."

The Eagles and Bulldogs have met just six times since Carson-Newman moved to Division II in the early 1990s. C-N is 5-1 in those meetings, losing 78-69 in 1998, winning 78-71 in 1999, 75-60 in 2010, and 98-74 in 2014, 81-73 in 2018 and by a series-best margin of 103-70 in 2019. The two teams met every year from 1968-1991.

Carson-Newman and Tennessee Wesleyan share some connections. Carson-Newman head baseball coach Tom Griffin is a Tennessee Wesleyan alum and a member of the TWC Athletic Hall of Fame. CarsonNewman head men's soccer coach Stephen Lyons played and coached for the Bulldogs before moving to Mossy Creek. Carson-Newman's fourth all-time leading scorer and Hall of Famer Steve Adams coached the Bulldogs' basketball program from 1994-2004.

There aren't many holdovers for the Bulldogs from the roster in 2019 when the teams last met. Cameron Webb and Jonathan Montgomery combined for 25 minutes and three points in that meeting. He didn't play in 2019, but he did in 2018, and that is Knox West product Ty Patterson.

In an 81-73 C-N win, Patterson put together a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double. This season, Patterson has scored in double figures in every game he has played and already has three double-doubles.

The last game before Christmas holds a bit of an ignomious spot on Carson-Newman's schedule. C-N has had dreams of mama's roast beef on the brain some years and laid some real stinkers in the final game before the holiday break. Under Benson, Carson-Newman is 4-8 in such games. Carson-Newman hasn't won its final game before Christmas since beating Limestone 84-72 in a non-conference game on Dec. 19, 2017 in Charles Clark's senior season.

Carson-Newman is searching for a fifth straight win. A victory would give Carson-Newman two distinct five-game winning streaks in the same for a second consecutive year.

Bryant Thomas is the ultimate shot-stopper. Carson-Newman's single-game, single-season and career record-holder for blocks now sits on 158 career rejections after a 10-block week last week. He has the fourth most blocked shots among active players in NCAA Division II. Thomas leads the league this season with 2.5 rejections per game and is top 10 in the country in blocks per game in that regard.

Carson-Newman wraps up the pre-Christmas schedule Dec. 19 at home against Tennessee Wesleyan. Tipoff for the old VSAC rivalry is set for 2 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.

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