Morehead State at CofC (ESPN)

College of Charleston (1-0, 0-0)

Morehead State (0-1, 0-0)

TD Arena 

Tipoff Tuesday at 8:00 AM on ESPN

Where to begin with this game? It is certainly a little short on star power as opposed to last years game (Kenneth Faried was drafted in the first round by the Nuggets). Nevertheless, this will be the first time that CofC gets a home game in their new arena on ESPN's primary network. Not ESPN2, not ESPNU, not ESPN3.com or even ESPN 8: The Ocho. Fans from sea to shining see will tune in at prime time to watch the Cougars take on the Eagles here in Charleston. 

Wait, what's that you say? The game is at 8 AM?!

That's right, tipoff for this game is at a time when there is not a single student on campus who is awake by choice. As part of ESPN's 24 hours of college basketball, CofC was granted one of the worst time slots and will have to hope the appeal of free coffee and donuts will be enough to get some hardcore fans out of bed, out of class and out of the cubicle to watch this game and support the Cougs. 

Morehead State is coming off of a 30-point loss to an NC State team that was missing CJ Leslie. I was able to watch most of the game and there are some things to take away. Like what the Cougars are going through, the loss of Kenneth Faried has been a huge difference maker for the Eagles. They lost the leading rebounder in the nation and their most explosive offensive player. The team is now much smaller and inexperienced and the results so far have not been pretty. They were crushed by the NAIA's Mountain State and were manhandled on the boards by NC State.

One thing that sets Morehead State apart on defense is that they stick to a strict zone for the duration of the game. This is something that could potentially cause fits for the young Cougars. The best way to attack it is by keeping the ball moving and making crisp passes. Luckily, the Eagles don't have tremendous length or speed to utilize the zone as effectively as other teams. I think they'll struggle against bigger, stronger and faster competition (one thing the Cougars definitely have going for them). The Eagles will also employ the full court press. We'll see how quick the Cougars are able to fix the mistakes they made in the full court against Holy Cross. 

Even though Kenneth Faried is gone, this team still embodies his style of play. They may be undersized but they are scrappy and will fight until the final buzzer sounds. One thing I noticed that they did against NC State was in an attempt to get an inside game going. They routinely use head and ball fakes to try and draw the foul on the big fellas. This could get us into trouble. Can't you see Baru and Carlton jumping all over those ball fakes and getting into foul trouble? Cremins is going to have to keep them disciplined because lord knows our big man rotation is thin.

Athleticism, defense and the size advantage should put the Cougars over the top. The ungodly hour also is in our favor. Not only will the travel from NC hurt the Eagles but just the fact that the Cougars will get to sleep in their own beds should give them a little more of a mental edge. I'm looking for us to out-rebound and take advantage of a highly turnover prone team. Go Cougars!

*I'm going to be doing this game recap a little differently. Rather than the typical game summary and analysis, I'm going to have my computer on my lap and be giving a rapid reaction/ stream-of-consciousness type of instant feedback. Should be fun, fresh and keep me awake.