CARROLLTON, Ga. - Coming off a historic 93-85 win over No. 11 North Florida in the Opening Round of the ASUN Tournament, No. 6 West Georgia men's basketball prepares to face No. 3 Queens in the Quarterfinals this Friday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game is streaming on ESPN+.

Going head-to-head twice this season, UWG (15-16, 9-10 ASUN) and Queens (18-13, 13-5 ASUN) split the series by taking wins at each other's home courts. 

Powered by 20-point performances from Shelton Williams-Dryden and Josh Smith, West Georgia handed Queens its first ASUN loss of the season back in January (Jan. 24). In the final road game of the regular season, the Royals got their revenge by beating the Pack 91-87 after tallying 28 points at the free throw line (Feb. 21). 

Coming off his 19th 20-point performance of the season, Williams-Dryden played like a First Team All-Conference player in the Opening Round of the ASUN Tournament. In that victory, the forward led the Wolves with 27 points on 80 percent shooting while also grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds, marking his 13th double-double of the year. Averaging a team-high 21 points and 9.2 rebounds this season, Williams-Dryden will need to have another highlight performance in order for the Wolves to overcome the Royals. The Milwaukee native led the Pack with 24 points in the Wolves' win over Queens, but was held to 14 in the second matchup.

The ASUN Sixth Man of the Year, Josh Smith, joined Williams-Dryden in recording a 20-point performance in the recent tournament win. Fueled by four three-pointers and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the line, Smith totaled 25 points on the Ospreys. 
 
The Pack's first-ever ASUN Tournament victory on Wednesday was a complete team effort. Malcolm Noel contributed 12 points and a team-high five assists while also draining clutch free throws down the stretch. Kenneth Chime attacked from the paint with an efficient 80 percent shooting rate to add nine points to his seven rebound total. Kolten Griffin made a big-time block late in the game, which slowed the Ospreys' momentum. Matija Žužić and JaVar Daniel both played solid defense and hit their free throws when sent to the line. In playoff basketball, it takes a complete team effort to be victorious, and the Wolves will need that same contribution this Friday.

One thing that the Royals do better than anyone else in the ASUN is score points. Fueled by a second-best in conference 48 percent team field goal rate, Queens leads the league in scoring with an 84.7 points per game average. 

What makes the Royals so hard to defend is that they attack with an even scoring distribution. Currently, six players average in the double-digits, with senior guard Nasier Mann's 13.2 points average leading the way. Not only is he scoring consistently, he also leads the team with 29 steals and averages a QU-best 5.5 rebounds per game. Held a season-low two points in their loss to UWG, Mann bounced back with a season-high 26 points in their win against the Wolves.

Ranking third on the team with an average of 11.6 points per game is Avantae Parker. What is really remarkable about Parker's game is that he posts a 71 percent field goal clip, which is the second-best in the country. In addition to his notably high field goal percentage, the 6-foot-9 forward leads the Royals with 40 blocks, has totaled 26 steals and averages 5.1 rebounds per game. Against the Wolves, the Georgia Southern transfer recorded his first 20-point game with the Royals and then dropped 15 in the second matchup. 

With the Royals able to attack in so many different ways, the Wolves league-high block average (5.03 BPG) and rebound average (36.7 RPG) could play a key role in slowing them down, while creating more scoring opportunities for UWG. 

Catch West Georgia and Queens clash for an ASUN Tournament Semifinal spot this Friday on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m.