Wofford vs Queens University prediction: Queens' Nasir Mann and a shootout-ready offense test a rebuilt Wofford
The defending ASUN champions have scored in bunches through two games, and a Wofford roster stripped of last season's scorers has to find enough offense to keep pace.
- Expect Queens to push the game early and lean on Watford and Mann while Wofford's new pieces try to find shots that fall.
- Wofford's high-volume three-point plan against a Queens defense that has let opponents hit 45.3% from deep.
- No line is posted yet. Queens is 2-0 against the spread with two overs, and its games have featured 98 and 95 allowed.
A Wofford team starting over
The Wofford that went 19-13 last season is mostly gone. Players on this season's roster accounted for just 32.4% of last season's minutes, and the departures took the scoring with them: Kahmare Holmes (19.5 points a game, now at DePaul), Nils Machowski (17.2, now at UConn) and Cayden Vasko, now at UCF. That makes last season's numbers, including a top-20 turnover rate, a weak guide to this group.
The new version opened with a 90-59 loss at No. 8 Tennessee. The first half was competitive at 31-34 before the Vols ripped off a 36-10 run over the first 14 minutes of the second half. Wofford's effective field goal percentage (a shooting measure that counts threes 1.5 times) was 35.5%, 338th of 357. Cam Lowe led with 14 points. One game against an elite defense says little, but the Terriers, in Kevin Giltner's second season, haven't yet shown where their points will come from.
Queens can really score
Queens, the defending ASUN champion, picked up five of eight first-place votes in the league's preseason poll and has backed it up. The Royals beat Winthrop 103-98 on a neutral floor and won 96-95 at Loyola Marymount, where Jordan Watford hit the deciding free throw with two seconds left.
Their offensive efficiency is 130.9 points per 100 possessions, 53rd nationally, and they get going fast: 52.5 first-half points a game ranks 36th. Watford carries the load with a 30.5% usage rate and 23.0 points a game. Nasir Mann has been the sharper weapon, hitting 8 of 12 threes and scoring 28 at LMU. Queens also takes care of the ball, with a turnover rate of 12.5% that ranks 48th. Neither opponent so far ranks better than 155th in adjusted net efficiency (Winthrop 155th, Loyola Marymount 169th), so the level of competition matters here.
Wofford's path runs through the arc
If Wofford is going to hang around, it will be from three. The Terriers took 43.5% of their shots from deep at Tennessee but made only 22.2% of them. Queens' defense offers a friendlier target: opponents are taking 47.8% of their shots from three and making 45.3%, a mark that ranks 334th.
The transfer to watch is Chris Arias, who shot 36.1% from three at Jacksonville last season and scored 10 off the bench in the opener. Inside, the path is harder. Avantae Parker, the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, is blocking 2.0 shots a game, and Queens is the bigger team by minutes-weighted height.
Neither defense has earned trust
Both of Queens' games went over the total, and the Royals' defense is the reason as much as the offense: opponents post a 62.3% effective field goal percentage, 327th nationally. That fits last season, when Queens ranked 351st of 365 in defensive efficiency.
Wofford's defense didn't offer much resistance either. Tennessee made 64.3% of its twos, and last season's adjusted defensive rating ranked 297th. Queens' advantage is that it can turn a game into a track meet, which this Wofford offense hasn't shown it can win. This is also the first of two meetings, with the rematch set for Nov. 24 in Spartanburg.
Key players
- Jordan Watford (Queens University): Averaging 23.0 points and 5.0 assists with a 30.5% usage rate, and he had 26 points and 8 assists against Winthrop.
- Nasir Mann (Queens University): Has made 8 of 12 threes for a 156.5 offensive rating and scored 28 at Loyola Marymount.
- Avantae Parker (Queens University): The ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year is blocking 2.0 shots a game.
- Caleb Jones (Queens University): Averaging 11.0 points in 20.0 minutes, including 3 of 3 from deep against Winthrop.
- Cam Lowe (Wofford): Scored 14 at Tennessee on a team-high 28% usage rate.
- Chris Arias (Wofford): Shot 36.1% from three at Jacksonville last season and scored 10 in his Wofford debut.
- Chace Watley (Wofford): Averaged 9.7 points last season but started this one 0 of 3 from three.
- Evan Ramsey (Wofford): Grabbed 10 rebounds with 2 blocks in 22 minutes at Tennessee.
Numbers that matter
| Wofford returning minutes | 32.4% | Most of last season's production left, so last season's team numbers say little about this roster. |
|---|---|---|
| Queens offensive efficiency | 130.9 | Points per 100 possessions through two games, 53rd nationally. |
| Queens opponent 3-point % | 45.3% | Ranks 334th and is the opening Wofford's three-heavy offense needs. |
| Wofford effective FG% | 35.5% | Ranked 338th after the opener at Tennessee. |
| Queens first-half points per game | 52.5 | Ranks 36th, a sign the Royals can build a lead before Wofford settles in. |
Wofford vs Queens University: quick answers
When is Wofford vs Queens University?
Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET.