CofC at Elon

College of Charleston (17-7, 10-2)

Elon University (10-14, 4-9)

Alumni Gym, Elon, NC

Tipoff at 7pm on ESPN960 Radio

Tonight's game will be a measuring stick to see if the Cougars have in fact turned a corner. Will they display the same defensive mindset that shut down Wofford and Furman? Can Trent Wiedeman continue holding down Jeremy's spot in the starting lineup? Will James Carlton show off his true potential?

Like many opponents we face in the SoCon, Elon's matchup tonight is their equivalent of UNC coming to visit. Their fans are whiting out the game and the coaches are well aware of what defeating the Cougars can do for team morale. Once again, we'll be receiving the other team's best shot tonight.

As Cremins mentions here, this Elon game is eerily similar to the Cougars' last defeat in Davidson. Elon coach Matt Matheny studied under the tutelage of Davidson's Bob McKillop for 15 years. Elon has lost four straight games, just like Davidson had before beating us. We are playing the Phoenix in their house.

While the comparisons are certainly worth considering, every conference road game the Cougars face should be approached with caution. Hopefully the Davidson loss brought the team back down to Earth and taught them not to take any program lightly. The team usually responds well when they are exposed by a beatable team. Remember, we beat Tennessee handily after being trounced by a lousy Clemson team (yea I said it Tigers fans).

Here's the ideal scenario: Cougars take an early lead, the subs keep up the momentum and defensive pressure. When Cremins feels comfortable, he puts in the freshman for the last 5 minutes. Will it happen? Probably not. But we all know that's what this team has always been capable of and we displayed it twice last week. So let's keep the same mentality up and don't slip now! Go Cougars!