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NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Following a 12-day break for the holidays, the Christopher Newport University men's basketball squad returns to the court Tuesday night. The Captains are 8-0 to start the season and ranked 11th in the nation, and will host the Hornets of Shenandoah University in the opening round of the Crowne Plaza Captains Shootout. Game time at the Freeman Center is set for 7:30 p.m.

CNU last saw action on December 16th when the Captains downed Pitt-Greensburg, 93-74, in Greensburg, PA. Sophomore Marcus Carter led the way for the Captains, posting a double-double of 21 points and ten rebounds. His effort led him to be named the Player of the Week in the Capital Athletic Conference.

John Krikorian's squad is off to its best start since CNU opened the 2000-2001 season with an 11-0 mark. That Captains squad, the first to play in the Freeman Center, went on to advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to being 8-0 overall, the Captains are also 3-0 atop the Capital Athletic Conference. CNU is 4-0 at the Freeman Center this season, and the Captains have won their last seven at home dating back to last season.

CNU's defense has led the way this season, as the Captains are allowing just 59.1 points per game (11th best in the nation). The Captains are also holding their opponents to 36.3 percent shooting, sixth best in the country.

Tuesday night's opponent, Shenandoah, is a familiar foe for CNU. The schools were both previously members of the Dixie and later USA South Athletic Conference. The matchup will be 59th all-time, with the Captains holding a 45-13 lead in the series. CNU has won the last six meetings, and the schools last played during the 2011-2012 season, SU's final in the USA South before leaving to join the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

The Hornets this season have lost four in a row, and are off to a 3-6 start and SU is 0-2 in the ODAC. Rob Pryor's squad last played on December 19th, a 70-57 loss at Ferrum College.

The two-day tournament at CNU will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when Stevenson plays Scranton in the opening game at the Freeman Center. Tickets for the doubleheader will be available at the Freeman Center Ticket Office.

Live video of the games will be available on CNUsports.com/live, and all Christopher Newport games are also broadcast live on the CNU/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show set to begin at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday night.

Tuesday's losing teams will play in the third-place game on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. followed by the Championship Game at 6:00 p.m.