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NEWS BRIEFS

Queens University earns first NCAA tournament bid

WFAE | By Kenneth Lee Jr.
Published March 9, 2026 at 4:35 PM EDT
Queens University of Charlotte and Elon University plan to merge by the summer of 2026.
Elvis Menayese
/
WFAE
Queens University of Charlotte and Elon University plan to merge by the summer of 2026.

Queens University of Charlotte men’s basketball team has made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

Queens clinched its first Atlantic Sun Conference championship Sunday, defeating Central Arkansas 98-93 in overtime. Senior point guard Chris Ashby led the Royals with 34 points.

Last season, Queens reached the College Basketball Invitational, with its postseason run ending in the quarterfinals. After moving up to Division I, this was the first year the Royals were eligible for the NCAA tournament. During a press conference Monday, head coach Grant Leonard said the season went their way.

You build this plan, it's our first year eligible and, and you hope that it's gonna happen. You never know how the ball bounces in March, but it bounced our way, and, I'm so fortunate to be here," Leonard said.

On Selection Sunday, the Royals will find out who they’ll take on this year’s tournament.
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Kenneth Lee Jr.
Kenny is a Maryland native who began his career in media as a sportswriter at Tuskegee University, covering SIAC sports working for the athletic department and as a sports correspondent for the Tuskegee Campus Digest. Following his time at Tuskegee, he was accepted to the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program as a Marketing Intern for The NASCAR Foundation in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2017.
See stories by Kenneth Lee Jr.