Men's Basketball | 3/1/2016 2:35:00 PM

Championship Central | Bracket

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs are the number three seed in this week's South Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament, which begins Wednesday evening. The Bulldogs will host sixth-seeded Carson-Newman University in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. The contest will air on ESPN3, while live stats will also be available.

Wingate ended the regular season with a 20-8 overall record, going 16-6 in the SAC. It is the most conference wins in program history for the Bulldogs and is the first time reaching 20 overall wins in the regular season since the 2007-08 season, the year after Wingate won its only regional title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Bulldogs are ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA Southeast Region poll, which is used to determine the NCAA Tournament field. The 'Dogs are looking for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2012-13 season, when Wingate advanced to the regional semifinals for the second consecutive year.

The Bulldogs closed out the regular season with an 80-69 victory over Anderson on Saturday. Junior forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) piled up 21 points and a season-high 13 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack, while classmate Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 20 points, hitting six-of-seven shots from three-point range. Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) contributed 13 points and nine boards for the Bulldogs.

Wingate finished the regular season as the league-leader in blocked shots, ranking ninth nationally. The Bulldogs also led the way in scoring defense, ranking second in field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounding. Wingate ranked third in the SAC in rebounding margin. The defense will be tested Wednesday night by Carson-Newman, who leads the nation in field goal percentage (52.5 percent).

The Bulldogs and Eagles met twice in the regular season, with Wingate picking up a pair of wins. In the two victories, the 'Dogs held the Eagles to their two lowest point totals of the season. Carson-Newman shot below 40 percent just three times on the season, two of those occasions came against Wingate. The Bulldogs held the Eagles without a three-point field goal in Cuddy Arena, while CN shot just two-for-16 from beyond the arc in Jefferson City.

Wingate defeated Carson-Newman 71-48 in Cuddy Arena in January, holding the Eagles to their lowest point total in five seasons, which also came against the Bulldogs. Carson-Newman shot 38 percent from the field, going 0-for-12 from three-point range. Doyle had 17 points to lead the Wingate offense, while Cureton added 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Senior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) contributed 10 points, four boards and three assists.

The Bulldogs and Eagles met in Jefferson City on Feb. 20, with Wingate rolling to an 81-60 victory. Carson-Newman shot 37.9 percent from the field on the afternoon. Freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) had 22 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs, going eight-for-10 from the field and six-of-eight from beyond the arc. Cureton added 16 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) had 10 points and five assists. Junior Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 10 points, six boards and two blocks.

Cureton leads Wingate's balanced attack with 14.5 points per game, shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 82.4 percent at the free throw line. He also leads the team in rebounds and steals, ranking second in blocks and third in assists. Baez scores 12.6 points per contest, ranking second on the team with 48 threes. Doyle has knocked down a team-best 58 triples on the season, averaging 10.5 points per contest.

Xavier Griffin averages 8.9 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Sophomore Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) scores 7.6 points per contest, connecting on 32 threes while Josh Dominguez (Matthews, N.C.) shoots 53.2 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from three-point range, collecting 6.9 points per game. Keith Griffin is second in the SAC with 1.8 blocks per game, averaging 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest.

After the 21-point home setback against Wingate, the Eagles bounced back with an emphatic 102-55 victory at Brevard. Carson-Newman ended the regular season with a 78-71 win at Coker over the weekend. Charles Clark leads the Eagles and ranks second in the SAC with 21.8 points per game. He shoots 51 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from three-point range and 89.4 percent at the free throw line. Clark has been held to a season-low 10 points in each of the two Wingate games. Sawyer Williams averages 16.5 points per contest, shooting 61.8 percent from the field while adding 6.9 rebounds per game. Carson Brooks contributes 11.3 points and 6.9 boards per game for the Eagles, shooting 56.2 percent from the field.

The winner of the Wingate-Carson-Newman contest will advance to the SAC Tournament semifinals in Greenville, S.C. Saturday at 8 p.m. The winner of the Queens vs. Catawba contest awaits the WU-CN winner. The championship game is Sunday, March 6 at 4 p.m. at Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University. Wingate is looking to advance to the SAC Tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when the Bulldogs won their second consecutive SAC Tournament championship.