Central Arkansas Basketball faces Queens with ASUN title and odds still in focus

Emerson Raymont

Published: March 8, 2026 3:40 PM ET

Central Arkansas Basketball faces Queens with ASUN title and odds still in focus

Sunday at 11: 00 a. m. ET, the matchup is set: central arkansas basketball and the Queens Royals will play for the ASUN Championship in Jacksonville, Florida at 2: 00 p. m. ET. What remains unresolved is how the third meeting between the teams will swing—whether Central Arkansas can control the margin again, or whether Queens’ higher-scoring profile changes the game’s shape.

Central Arkansas Basketball and Queens enter the ASUN final with a narrow betting line

Central Arkansas Bears vs. Queens Royals is scheduled for Sunday at 2: 00 p. m. ET in Jacksonville, Florida, with the game designated as the ASUN Championship. The listed line has Central Arkansas favored by 2. 5 points, and the over/under set at 157. 5.

Both teams bring strong ASUN resumes into the final. Central Arkansas is listed at 22-11 overall and 17-3 in ASUN play, while Queens is listed at 20-13 overall and 15-5 in ASUN play. Central Arkansas has also gone 5-8 in non-conference games and is 2-0 in one-possession games, a confirmed indicator that the Bears have finished tight outcomes successfully so far.

Still, the betting numbers set up a specific uncertainty: whether the championship game plays closer to the kind of contest implied by a 2. 5-point spread or whether the teams’ recent scoring trends push the result toward a higher-variance outcome. That question won’t be resolved until the pace and efficiency are visible early in the 2: 00 p. m. ET tip.

Camren Hunter and Nasir Mann headline a third meeting with recent history

The teams meet for the third time this season, and the most recent matchup ended with Central Arkansas winning 84-79 on Feb. 28. In that game, Camren Hunter led the Bears with 30 points, and Nasir Mann led the Royals with 20 points.

Hunter is averaging 20. 2 points for the Bears. Ty Robinson is averaging 13. 5 points over the last 10 games for Central Arkansas. For Queens, Mann is shooting 49. 8% and averaging 13. 4 points, while Yoav Berman is averaging 14. 4 points over the last 10 games.

Yet the key unresolved element is how closely Sunday’s scoring and matchup outcomes track the Feb. 28 result. The prior game confirms Central Arkansas can win a relatively high-scoring contest against Queens, but it does not confirm that the same shot-making, foul patterns, or late-game possessions will repeat in the championship setting.

Queens also carries a defined rebounding profile into the game: the Royals rank eighth in the ASUN with 30. 7 rebounds per game, led by Mann at 5. 7 rebounds per game. Whether that translates into extra possessions on Sunday is unconfirmed as of 11: 00 a. m. ET and will be clarified by the first-half rebound margin and second-chance scoring.

The numbers that will decide Central Arkansas vs. Queens as the clock starts

Both teams’ season scoring and defensive allowances outline a clear set of swing points that will become observable during the game. Central Arkansas scores 80. 5 points per game, which is 2. 1 fewer points than the 82. 6 points per game Queens allows. Queens averages 84. 5 points per game, which is 10. 5 more points per game than the 74. 0 points Central Arkansas allows to opponents.

Those figures establish a straightforward uncertainty heading into the final: whether the game is more driven by Queens’ offensive production or by Central Arkansas’ defensive baseline. The first concrete signal will come from how efficiently Queens scores against a defense that has held opponents to 74. 0 points per game, and whether Central Arkansas can keep producing near its typical output against a Queens defense that allows 82. 6.

Recent form adds another measurable layer. Over the last 10 games, the Bears are 9-1, averaging 81. 6 points, 30. 2 rebounds, 14. 9 assists, 9. 0 steals and 1. 9 blocks per game while shooting 47. 1% from the field; their opponents have averaged 73. 5 points per game. Over the last 10 games, the Royals are 8-2, averaging 87. 0 points, 29. 3 rebounds, 15. 0 assists, 7. 6 steals and 3. 0 blocks per game while shooting 50. 9% from the field; their opponents have averaged 80. 3 points.

For now, what’s contested in practical terms is which “last 10” profile holds up under championship pressure—Central Arkansas’ lower opponent scoring average (73. 5) or Queens’ higher team scoring average (87. 0). Sunday’s early scoreboard and field-goal efficiency will settle that without requiring any interpretation beyond the visible results.

Confirmed trigger at 2: 00 p. m. ET: Tip-off will immediately reveal pace and shot-making trends tied to the 157. 5 over/under.
Confirmed reference point: The Feb. 28 game (84-79 Central Arkansas) provides the most recent head-to-head scoring baseline.
Observable in-game pivot: Rebounding and second chances, given Queens’ 30. 7 rebounds per game and Mann’s 5. 7 rebounds per game.

The next scheduled event that will move the story is the ASUN Championship game itself at 2: 00 p. m. ET on Sunday in Jacksonville. If the game tempo and scoring track above the 157. 5 total early, a higher-scoring finish is expected; if Central Arkansas holds Queens closer to its 74. 0 points allowed baseline, the outcome is expected to hinge on late-game execution in a tighter margin.