Game #9 - College of Charleston Cougars

The Cats continue their trip, this time to to the South Carolina low country and Charleston, SC to face former SoCon opponent and now CAA member College of Charleston. 

When: Friday, December 18, 2020, at 7 pm
Where:   TD Arena 

Radio: Catamount Sports Network
-announcers:  Gary Ayers, play by play

TV/video:  FloSports  (subscription):   

Conference: CAA
Official Athletic Site:   CoCSports
Nickname: Cougars
Location: Charleston, SC 
Colors: Maroon and White

Students: 10,488
Charleston Fan Message Board: CoC Fans

The Series: The Cats have an overall record of 7-23 versus the Cougars.  The Series first started in 1953. The Cats are in a seven-game losing streak to the Cougars and have not won in Charleston since 2008.

Game Notes:    Western Carolina       -     Charleston   (posted once available)
Head Coach: Earl Grant
Earl Grant's Record at CoC:    119-82 / 7th year

Cougar's record last season (2019-20): 17-14 overall, 11-7  conf., 10-5 home, 6-6 away, 1-3 neutral
Cougar's record this season (2020-21): 2-3 overall, 2-2 home, 0-1 away

Key Returners: Brevin Galloway, Zep Jasper, Osinachi Smart, DeAngelo Epps
Key Losses: Grant Riller, Jaylen McManus, Sam Miller
Key Newcomers: Payton Willis (Minnesota), Lorenzo Edwards (St. Joseph’s), Cam Copeland (JUCO), D’Avian Houston, RJ Ogom, Keegan Harvey

Picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Cougars will come into the game having dropped 2 of their last 3,  but are coming off a 90-53 win over SC State. The Cougars did play Furman in early December, falling to the Paladin, 57-87 in Charleston. 

Last season's record was a step back for Coach Grant, both in terms of record (17-14) and KenPom ranking (slid to 170th, his worst since his first campaign). A large part of the Cougars’ decline has been the defensive side of the ball, where Charleston has gotten worse every year for five straight seasons, going from 20th in 2016 to 229th last year. The 2016 defensive squad was able to pressure heavily and dominate the defensive glass; in 2020, the Cougars did neither. Grant’s scheme has stayed mostly the same – man-to-man, with an emphasis on taking away transition opportunities and forcing foes to execute in the half-court – but the quality of personnel has declined.

Graduate senior and top returning player Brevin Galloway is out for the remainder of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury it was announced Monday.  The 6-foot-2 guard and team captain tore the ACL in his left knee after playing in eight minutes with 13 points in the first half of play against South Carolina State on Dec. 11.

If transfers Willis, Edwards, and Copeland can contribute right away, the Cougars may have the offensive balance they need to compete in the CAA. Defensively, it's still a question mark.

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