The Bellarmine University men’s basketball team is set to begin its ASUN Conference schedule with two road games. The Knights will play at West Georgia on New Year’s Day, followed by a matchup against Queens in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday. Both games will be available for live viewing on ESPN+ and ESPN 680/105.7.
Bellarmine enters conference play with a 5-7 record and a NET ranking of 249. The team recently concluded nonconference play with a 99-85 loss at Kentucky. So far this season, the Knights have equaled their total number of wins from last year, including three victories over Division I opponents.
West Georgia holds a 6-6 record and is ranked No. 272 in the NET. The Wolves have faced four power-conference teams but did not secure wins in those contests. Their notable victories include games against The Citadel, Tennessee Tech, USC Upstate, and Troy—the latter being their highest-ranked win at No. 135 in the NET standings.
Statistically, West Georgia ranks ninth in the ASUN for scoring (76.3 points per game), defense (80.7 points allowed per game), and field goal percentage (.429). They are second in the league for three-point shooting percentage (.369) but attempt only 21 shots from beyond the arc per game—tied with Bellarmine for second-fewest attempts.
Senior forward Shelton Dryden-Williams leads West Georgia with an average of 17.5 points per game, which is third-best in the conference. He also averages 8.9 rebounds (second in ASUN) and 1.5 steals (seventh). Junior guard Josh Smith contributes 15.5 points per game, placing him fifth in the league. On defense, Kenneth Chime and JaVar Daniel each average 1.9 blocks per game.
Dave Moore is serving his eighth season as head coach of West Georgia as they continue their transition from Division II to Division I competition.
Queens has a record of 5-8 and holds a NET ranking of No. 238. The Royals are undefeated at home this season with five wins at Curry Arena—four against Division I teams: Sacred Heart, UNC Greensboro, Gardner-Webb, and South Carolina State. Despite facing five power-conference teams recently, Queens managed to keep only one contest within a twenty-point margin.
Offensively, Queens ranks second in the ASUN by averaging 82.5 points per game but allows an average of 89 points on defense (10th in ASUN). Their field goal percentage (.469) and effective field goal percentage (.553) both trail only Bellarmine among conference teams.
Nasir Mann leads Queens with an average of 15.2 points per game while maintaining one of the top field goal percentages in the league alongside Bellarmine’s Brian Waddell and Jack Karasinski. Chris Ashby adds another scoring threat at 11.3 points per game and ranks fourth in three-point shooting percentage (.371).
Grant Leonard is coaching Queens for his fourth season after previously serving six years as associate head coach under Bart Lundy.
Historically against these opponents, Bellarmine lost to West Georgia last February by a score of 81-76 and has gone 1-3 versus Queens since joining the ASUN Conference.
Bellarmine’s all-time record against ASUN competition stands at 40-47 since joining the league during the 2020-21 season; however, most losses have come over the past two seasons following a strong start after joining Division I play.
Jack Karasinski currently leads both Bellarmine and the ASUN Conference with an average of 21.1 points per game—ranking him sixteenth nationally—and has scored more than twenty points seven times this season so far.
Brian Waddell leads the conference with a .630 field goal percentage (23rd nationally) while averaging double-digit scoring nearly every outing.
As a team, Bellarmine leads both the conference (.515 field goal percentage) and nation (.817 free throw percentage). Over their last eight games they have shot .383 from three-point range.
This year’s squad has already matched last season’s totals for overall wins (five) and victories over Division I opponents (three).
“With a pair of wins this week to begin ASUN play, Bellarmine would be 7-7 and at .500 or better after 14 games for the first time in their DI era (since 2020-21). Bellarmine was last at .500 or better after 14 games in 2019-20, their final DII season, when they started 14-0.”
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