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Where Is Queens University Located? What to Know About No. 15 Seed Playing Purdue

The Royals also have an unofficial mascot named “Buddy the Dog.”
Tom Dierberger|
No. 15 seed Queens will take on No. 2 seed Purdue in the NCAA tournament on Friday.
No. 15 seed Queens will take on No. 2 seed Purdue in the NCAA tournament on Friday. | Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

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Purdue Boilermakers

Every March, many sports fans who are not college basketball sickos are introduced to a handful of schools around the country and are educated about their lore.

What’s the scoop on High Point University? Why is Akron called the Zips, and why do they have a kangaroo mascot? Hang on, what school is Purdue playing in the first round?

The answer to that last question is the No. 15 seed Queens University of Charlotte Royals, an Atlantic Sun Conference program that made the men’s NCAA tournament for the first time in just its fourth season at the Division I level. If you don’t know much about Queens, you’re not alone. Purdue senior forward Oscar Cluff was confused as well.

On Sunday night after Purdue learned of its first-round opponent in March Madness, Cluff was asked what he knows about Queens.

“It’s in New York somewhere,” Cluff said.

Sorry, Mr. Cluff, it is not that Queens.

Where is Queens University of Charlotte located?

The answer is right in the name. Queens is located in Charlotte, about three miles south of Bank of America Stadium where the NFL’s Carolina Panthers call home.

The Royals play their home games on campus at Curry Arena, a stadium with about 2,500 seats for spectators.

So, no, the Queens University Royals are not located in Queens, the New York City borough. That would be the Queens College Knights, who compete in the East Coast Conference at the Division II level.

Full history of Queens Royals men’s basketball

Queens joined the Division I ranks in 2022, but the Royals weren’t eligible to make the NCAA tournament until this year due to the NCAA’s three-year postseason moratorium. They punched their ticket by defeating Central Arkansas in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship game on March 8, scoring 52 points in the second half to force overtime and win, 98–93.

Queens is just the fourth school in NCAA history to make the big dance in its first year of postseason eligibility, joining North Dakota State, UC San Diego and Northern Kentucky.

Grant Leonard has been the head coach at Queens since 2022. He was first hired as an assistant by Queens in 2013 and worked his way up to associate head coach, and later, head coach. Under Leonard’s leadership, the Royals have gone 73–62 with winning seasons in three of their four D1 campaigns.

SEASON

RECORD

NOTES

2022–23

18–15

First year as Division I program

2023–24

14–19

Advanced to A-Sun quarterfinals

2024–25

20–15

Advanced to A-Sun semifinals; played in CBI

2025–26

21–13

A-Sun champion; No. 15 seed in NCAA tournament

Before they jumped to the Division I level, Queens was a successful Division II program, advancing to the Final Four in 2003 and ‘18.

Introducing ‘Buddy the Dog,’ Queens’s unofficial mascot

If you needed another reason to root for Queens to become a Cinderella in this year’s March Madness, Queens carries around a statue of a dog named Buddy to every game.

Buddy the Dog is handed out after each game to a deserving player of coach Grant Leonard’s choice. Buddy, a German Shepherd statue, wears a “B” chain around his collar. He’s actually the team’s second edition of a traveling dog trophy after the first was, well, injured after a big win over Florida Gulf Coast in January.

Buddy will likely be watching from the bench as the Royals take on No. 2 Purdue on Friday night.

More March Madness from Sports Illustrated

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Published | Modified
Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is the Deputy News Director at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor’s in communication from St. John’s University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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