Cougars Go Phi Slamma Jamma on Limestone

Another preseason game and another lopsided victory for the Cougars, 95-61 over Limestone. As you can see from some of the above highlights, this year's Cougar team has the length and athleticism to dunk all over this type of competition. The aerial acrobatics from James, Trent and Adjehi were entertaining, but the real meat and potatoes of this victory lay in the stat sheet. Very balanced scoring from Charleston.  Trent and James both finished with double-doubles, five other Cougars finished with 10 or more points and Baru was right on the cusp with 9 points and 7 rebounds.

Let's go ahead and answer the questions I posted in my preview yesterday.

1) Can Trent rebound? (figuratively and literally)

• Yes and Yes. Hulk led the way and could have finished with more if Cremins hadn't run sets for Baru in the 2nd half.

2) What ever happened to that competition at the 2-guard spot?

• Because of a minor injury to Andrew Lawrence, Anthony Stitt made the start at point and further clouded the backcourt quagmire. AL will start at the one and Jordan Scott seems to have done enough to secure a start at the two. Coach really wants Stitt to see playing time this year, but he couldn't overtake Jordan (and seems a more natural fit at point), so his consolation prize will be the 6th man role. To complicate matter further, Nori and TD played nearly identical games and neither distinguished themselves enough to be the final rotation player. More analysis on all of this in my final "Examining the Starting Lineup."

3) Will Baru settle in?

• Adjehi did look much more comfortable in this game as opposed to last week. He wasn't getting offensive touches in the first half, but BC ran some one-on-one plays for him in the second half. Baru finished the game going 4-13 and 1-3 from the charity stripe. I don't think the inefficiency was from nerves though. He was making nice moves on his opponent, the shots just weren't going in. This problem should be solved with more reps.

A few more parting thoughts:

• Cramps?! Both Wiggins and Stitt had to be nearly carried off the court in the final minutes do to severe cramps. I know it's still preseason, but shouldn't the guys have better conditioning?
• The offensive disparity between the halves was interesting. Lots of threes from the "Drew Goudelock" offense in the first, lots of inside-out play in the 2nd. Nothing wrong with either, but I hope we find an identity. Or maybe we can play both. Too early to tell.
• Love how the perimeter defense of Wiggins and Stitt allows us to get out in transition so often. Combine that with three big man who can run the floor and you have a recipe for crowd-pleasing baskets.
• Speaking of running the floor, there was a play in the first half when Baru was stripped of the ball. He chased his defender down, sped in front of him, didn't foul and forced the turnover. Awesome one-on-one defense.