Marist Presents Final Challenge Before SoCon, 2013

Marist (4-8, 1-1)

College of Charleston (8-4, 1-0)

McCann Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

Tipoff at 4 pm on goredfoxes.com 

No rest for the weary. A day after defeating Vermont in blizzard-striken Burlington yesterday, the Cougars completed a 6-hour bus drive through the snow and face a quick turnaround. Marist will host the Cougars tomorrow afternoon and the game will be streamed online through the Red Foxes athletic site.

Marist is out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, where they were picked to finish eighth, and have been struggling this season. They've played a tough schedule that has included West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Clemson in the Old Spice Classic but they've also been disappointed in some other OOC matchups. The Red Foxes actually got the victory over Vanderbilt in an offense-takes-the-day-off 50-33 contest; the programs first victory over an SEC opponent. Meanwhile the team has gotten blown out of the water by the likes of Army, Maine and West Virginia. 

Their main problem is scoring. The Foxes are averaging just 60.7 points per game and are shooting only 38.8% from the field as a team. Both those numbers are near the bottom of the NCAA and make the Cougar offense look like the favorite. There have been grumblings from CofC fans about the Cougars inability to put points on the board, but at the very least we are scoring efficiently and methodically. Even though we average about the same number of points per game as Marist, our field goal percentage ranks about 170 places higher on the national rankings. 

Guard Devin Price leads the Red Foxes in scoring this season with about 15 points per game. He's not a pure point guard or a knockdown shooter but, for a team that severely needs offense, he's usually the one chucking the ball up. On the wing is 6-5 swingman Chavaughn Lewis who was a second-team all-MAAC selection last season. He reminds me of Nori Johnson a little bit. There's talk on the Marist message boards that he needs to be more of a shooting guard but right now he's utilized as a small forward in the undersized starting lineup. 

I'm most anxious to see how the Cougar front court responds after being nearly shut out against Vermont. Baru has yet to have a stretch of bad games this season but if he, Willis and Anthony Thomas struggle again we could see more minutes for Theo Johnson or even a little Trent Wiedeman action. This Marist team struggles to put the ball in the basket as is, so the Cougar defense should really have a big day. Go Cougars!

Cougar Backcourt Clutch in 4th Straight Road Victory

Final Score: College of Charleston 62, Vermont 50

Top Performers:

Andrew Lawrence 21 points (8-13 FG), 5 assists, 5 rebounds

Anthony Stitt 19 points (7-11 FG) 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Would've been the end to more than one streak had the Cougars dropped this game today. But with the victory CofC has won 3 straight games, are 4-0 on the road this season and 8-0 all time against America East opponents. This was another quality win. Vermont was an NCAA Tournament team last year and a pre-season favorite to win the conference. The Cougars were playing in a tough road environment with little time to prepare (2 days of practice and a delayed flight) and still gutted out a W.

Going in one of the things to watch for was Vermont's flex offense. They don't have many athletes on their team but Coach Becker's squad does a really good job of getting quick cuts to the basket. Despite the uniqueness of such an offense, the Cougars did a really good job in both their man-to-man and zone sets to defend against it. The CofC defense continues to be a real strong suit for Coach Wojcik, and with just one more non-conference game on the schedule (plus the Bracketbuster), it should be enough to keep them in most Southern Conference contests should the offense struggle. 

Of course it didn't hurt that the Catamounts missed about a dozen layups at the rim. That was certainly an anomaly but it's a risk you take in the flex system. See if you can follow me here. When a Vermont player makes a cut, the ball has to get into his hands and up to the basket quickly - otherwise help side defense can slide over. When the pass doesn't come exactly on time - almost simultaneously as the cut begins- the player's momentum has carried him under the basket when he puts the shot up and it hits the bottom of the rim. That seemed to be the majority of the missed layups. 

To neutralize those missed shots the Cats did a really good job of rebounding the ball. It's rare for this Cougar squad to be out-rebounded but Vermont finished with a 36-34 edge and a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Putting the rebounding load on his back was Willis Hall who finished with a dozen on the afternoon. 

The Cougar forwards really had a tough day. The Vermont defense seemed intent on limiting Baru and Thomas inside and living with whatever they gave up on the perimeter. Combining the three CofC starting forwards final shooting stats is not a pretty sight: 5-20 from the field, 1-4 from the free throw line and 9 fouls between Hall, Baru and Thomas. Baru was second on the team with 6 rebounds. 

With Trent still sidelined the Cougars got a really noteworthy showing out of freshman Theo Johnson. In just 15 minutes of relief time as Baru went out with 3 fouls, Johnson had two big blocks on a Vermont possession, hit his two free throw attempts and swished a three. He still needs development but (as it's been stated here before) the instincts and physical tools are there for Theo to become a really game-changing player.   

As Wojcik said after the game, thankfully the Cougars have other players who can take over the game. The starting backcourt of Anthony Stitt and Andrew Lawrence finished with 40 points. Stitt continued his case for being the team's best jump shooter with three long balls on four attempts and some nifty floaters. Andrew Lawrence looked like a real NBA prospect. He was driving to the basket, distributing and scoring when he had to and was far and away the best player on the court. 

Lawrence really is the key for this team. Stitt has gotten better in recent games at running the offense when Andrew is on the bench, but the captain is the one who routinely delivers when the Cougars need a play. 

Next up is a 4pm contest against a struggling Marist team in Poughkeepsie on the 31st. Let's hope the Cougars can finish off 2012 on a high note. 

Cougars Travel North for Winter Break Double-Header

University of Vermont (7-4, 0-0)

College of Charleston (7-4, 1-0)

Patrick Gymnasium, VT

Tipoff Saturday at 2pm on uvmathletics.com 

Hope everyone out there had a happy holidays! After a week long layoff the Cougars are squeezing in two road games up in New England before we ring in 2013. They will take on Vermont tomorrow afternoon and then travel down to Poughkeepsie for a New Years Eve matchup against Marist.

The game tomorrow is the long anticipated rematch of the 2011 Bracketbuster game in Charleston between these two teams. That was the game in which Andrew Goudelock suddenly turned into a point guard and Willis Hall scored a career-high 22 points en route to a dominant Cougar victory on ESPNU. 

Both teams are very different now. Only Willis, Trent Wiedeman and Andrew Lawrence had any minutes against this team two years ago and the Catamounts have unfortunately graduated their mustachioed forward. 

The Cougars have played a lot better on the road this season but it's hard to predict what kind of performance we're going to have following Christmas break. Coach Wojcik expressed optimism that Trent will play on this trip and that may or may not be a good idea given how Vermont has been playing. Like the Cougars, the Catamounts have been a very up-and-down squad this year. The only opponent the two teams have shared this season was Towson, who beat the Cats 68-64 in Towson. But Vermont also has some quality wins over Harvard and Quinnipiac. 

From what I've been hearing about Vermont, their problems stem from giving up too many turnovers against bigger teams playing a man-to-man defense. I know that has some of you salivating. The Cougars certainly fall into the bigger and man-to-man D categories but the Catamounts are capable of playing very disciplined and efficiently on offense. The scoring is pretty balanced between all five starters and the team runs a lot of sets to get their wing players cutting to the basket. The front court of Apfeld (6'7) and freshman Ethan O'Day (6'9) is about equivalent size-wise to teams we'll face in the SoCon so it'll be interesting to see how CofC's inside-out offense takes advantage. 

The Cougars have better rebounding numbers than the Cats but we do turn it over more (that statement won't change for a while). We're 7-0 all time against the America East Conference and we'll learn a lot about the tops of the AE and SoCon after this one. Vermont was picked in the preseason to once again represent their conference in the NCAA Tournament. Should be a good one. Go Cougars!

Raffa Scoreless as Cougars Dispatch Chanticleers

Final Score: College of Charleston 60, Coastal Carolina 51

Top Performers:

Anthony Stitt: 22 points, 7 assists

The Cougar defense: CCU shot 18-47 for the game (2-10 3PT) with a lot of makes during garbage time

Maybe it was the approaching holiday break or the noon time start, but this game lacked the punch we might have expected based on the rivalry between these two teams over the past few years. That's not to say the Cougars looked bad - they dominated this game from the early goings and led by as many as 22 points before putting things into Bart Benton-led cruise control. In a game that featured one of college basketball's best scorers and a 600-win coach, Coastal Carolina stumbled bad against the Cougar defense and was lucky to crack 50 points. 

In previewing this game the theme was Coastal's productive backcourt versus the Cougars intimidating front court. What ended up happening was a complete switch of expectations. The Cougar backcourt was the aggressor. Andrew Lawrence was his usual even-keeled self and for the second straight game we had another player epiphany. Anthony Stitt finally became the number two option people like me thought he would become this season and posted career-high tying 22 points and 7 assists. Thomas and Stitt's big games this week have given each Cougar starter a signature performance on the season. That's a luxury few teams are capable of having. 

-Andrew Lawrence: 22 points against Boston College

-Anthony Stitt: 22 points, 7 assists against Coastal Carolina

-Anthony Thomas: 13 points, 3 blocks, 4 assists against Old Dominion

-Willis Hall: 19 points, 12 rebounds against Elon

-Adjehi baru: 16 points, 14 rebounds against Louisville

Playing excellent defense against Anthony Raffa, who came in averaging 21 points a game, Wojcik's defense really caused the Coastal Carolina offense to sputter. The only thing the Cougars really gave up was an open jumper to forward El Hadji Ndieguene. He was hitting that shot when it became available but that's about all that was working for the Chanticleers. The Chants other big strengths are their ability to rebound and force steals against opponents. The Cougars ended Coastal's season long streak of out-rebounding opponents by collecting 10 more than the Chants. Only one player, reserve forward Michel Enanga, had more than 4 rebounds. On defense the Cougars forced eight steals out of Coastal's hands and on offense the CofC starters only had about 11 turnovers. Hooray progress!

Even though the mood was subdued for the second half at TD Arena this was still a really good win to pick up for Charleston. This is the second straight game where Wojcik has been able to clear the entire bench with the game firmly in hand in the closing minutes. The defense is looking more stable from game to game and the offense with Andrew Lawrence on the floor remains sharp. Once again it's good to see that even when Baru or Lawrence is having a pedestrian game there are other guys who can contribute. 

The next step for the Cougars is a week long Christmas break. No basketball until a New England road trip to Vermont and Marist on the 29th and 31st. 

Coastal Carolina Visits Charleston in Lowcountry Rematch

CCU guard Anthony Raffa is averaging 20.9 points per game

College of Charleston (6-4, 1-0)
Coastal Carolina (4-5, 0-0)
TD Arena
Tipoff at 12pm on ESPN3

With one more game standing between them and winter break, the CofC Cougars host formative in-state rival Coastal Carolina inside TD Arena. The contest between these two last year was billed as an unofficial state championship in Conway as both teams had dispatched the rest of SC's college hoops programs. Antwaine Wiggins and Andrew Lawrence both showed out in that tiny little gym for a CofC victory. This time around the Cougars will have home court advantage but high-scoring Anthony Raffa and the Chanticleers are coming off an impressive thrashing of Clemson.

Coastal's main strength is their guard play. For much of this early season, Raffa was the nation's leading scorer in all of Division 1 basketball. He has since cooled slightly to just over 20 points per game, good for 10th in the country. Sharing the backcourt with Raffa are senior Kierre Greenwood and sophomore Warren Gillis. Both supplement Raffa's abilities by being double digit scorers themselves and both are exceptional three point shooters. The biggest challenge this presents for the Cougars is that CCU runs a lot of ball screens on the perimeter to get these guys open. Coach Wojcik already mentioned in this weeks podcast how that will challenge the Cougs because defending that sort of motion demands that one of your bigs moves out to the perimeter to defend.

Inside the paint, the Chants have two big men whose names appear to have been misspelled as my cat walked across the keyboard: Uros Ljeskovic and El Hadji Ndieguene. Neither of them are really scorers, but Ndgieguene and reserve forward Michel Enanga are two of the better rebounders in the Big South.

In some ways this is a pretty favorable matchup for the Cougars. Coastal has been much worse on the road, losing all three of their games (Ole Miss, Tenn Tech and Boston University) by an average of 16 points. The Chants offense excels against zone defense because of their shooting talent but the Cougars have been very solid with their man defense under Wojcik this year. Thirdly, there isn't anyone on the CCU roster who can match up against Adjehi Baru inside.

The keys to coming out on top for the Cougars will be limiting the effectiveness of Coastal's guards and not turning the ball over. Stitt seems like the most likely defensive foil for Raffa based on size, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lawrence (who has a bulkier frame) or even AT (length) is picked to be the stopper. The Cougars seemed to have a mini-breakthrough on Tuesday when they were much more careful with the ball. Saturday's game will determine if that was merely a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come. Go Cougars!

Back to Winning Ways: Baru, Thomas Post Season Highs in Victory

Final Score: College of Charleston 76, Old Dominion 65

Top Performers: 

Adjehi Baru 20 points (8-8 FG, 3-4 FT) 9 rebounds

Anthony Thomas 13 points (2-2 3PT) 4 assists, 3 blocks

A huge sigh of relief was emitted from TD Arena tonight as the Cougars played their most complete game of the season since defeating Towson over a month ago. The Cougars got contributions from literally everyone tonight, including four walk-ons, to take down ODU quite handily in the second half of play.

Before I get too far ahead of myself I need to give credit where credit is due. Anthony Thomas caught some flack on here last week following the Anderson game. He played the best he has since the Charleston Classic tonight. "AT" was very aggressive at not only getting to the basket but also pulling up from deep and hitting his two long ball attempts. He also continued to prove that "most versatile player" monicker the team gave him to start the season by filling up the stat sheet with blocks, assists and rebounds. If the team can get production like that from him every night we'll be in really good shape.

The first half was a back and forth affair. The Cougars started the game with Willis and Lawrence in the lineup and looked better than in the past games but there was still something to be desired. The defense was ok and the offense still wasn't running at peak efficiency but the Cougars were staying in it despite their shots not falling. All too frequently ODU would drive past Lawrence, Stitt or Willis and have a wide open layup before help side defense could even blink. That and ACC senior transfer DeShawn Painter was showing off some great touch around the basket. 

ODU threw more 2-3 zone at us this game (to be expected) but the Cougars did show signs that this was something they had worked on. On one occasion Baru was able to get behind the zone for an easy dunk and the Cougars were not afraid to shoot from the outside. In the first half the shots they were getting off were not falling but things would change in the second.

CofC kicked off the second half on a 17-6 run. Fueled by a couple Baru slams and some three pointers that finally fell the Cougars never looked back. They pushed the lead to as many 20 in the second half, scoring one less point in the final 20 minutes than they did the entire Anderson game and setting a new season high for scoring output. 

There was a lot to like in the second half. Anthony Thomas finally having another big game, Baru dominating everything in his path and Trent Wiedeman returning to game time action. The true Christmas miracles however were the decreased turnovers, increased assist numbers and fast break points for the Cougars. 

The team had just 12 turnovers before emptying the bench in the final minutes. Some of that is attributable to Andrew Lawrence's presence and some was because the team wasn't forcing anything. They found open men and Willis/Thomas/Baru were quick to get rid of the ball when the double team came in the paint. Not only does the decreased TO's mean a lot more offensive opportunities for the Cougars; it also prevents a lot of easy transition points for their opponent.

CofC actually flipped the script by taking advantage of the turnovers they forced out of ODU. For the first time in a while we saw a concerted effort by the team to push the pace in transition and it paid huge dividends. The Cougars got a lot of easy baskets in transition by getting out on the break in numbers or attacking the basket one-on-one. Really easy way to swing points in your favor when you're limiting your own turnovers and getting run-outs on defense.

Unfortunately the game wasn't perfect for every one of the Cougars. Just 18 minutes after making his debut back to the court, Trent Wiedeman came down awkwardly on his other ankle. The injury looked bad on film but Trent was able to walk off on his own power. It's a real shame for Wiedeman if he's gonna miss more time. In speaking with the commentators pre-gamtime Trent sounded excited to get back to the floor and contribute. 

Hope everything is alright with the other All-SoCon performer on the roster. With him and Lawrence back on the floor together, everyone is back to their traditional roles. Willis can bring his blue collar work ethic off the bench, Adjehi gets more rest and Thomas is given the freedom to roam around the court offensively. That's why I think the offense seemed to flow the best it has since Towson. That's really the only other time we've been totally healthy. 

Great effort and execution tonight at a time when the team clearly needed it. Rest a little bit easier tonight CofC fans. 

Stopping the Bleeding vs Old Dominion

College of Charleston (5-4, 1-0)

Old Dominion University (1-9, 0-1)

TD Arena

Tipoff at 7:30 on ESPN3

Aside from a win over SoCon rival Elon on the first of the month, December has not been kind to the Cougars so far. In two games since then it has been Opponents: 145, CofC: 87. Both losses to Louisville and Anderson (teams as far opposite one another on the basketball spectrum as you can get) have startled the fan base and I hope the coaching staff. The next test is an ODU team that has also been struggling as of late.

I mentioned back in September how this was a game a lot of us Cougar fans were hoping for on the schedule. Old Dominion, in their last year in the CAA, is moving to Conference USA next season and ineligible to play in their conference tournament this year. That is likely saving them some embarrassment. The team went 22-14 last year but they graduated three impact seniors and are currently playing with a very young team. Still, the Monarchs could not have predicted that they would be sitting where they are now. Their only victory this season was over Morgan State and they have had close losses to Murray State, VMI and most recently UCF. 

ODU is a team not so different from College of Charleston. Like the Cougs the Monarchs rebound the ball well and have some talented players in the frontcourt. Both teams do however struggle offensively. For the Monarch's its the all-underclassmen three-guard lineup and their inability to really grasp the concepts of Coach Blaine Taylor's offense. For CofC the real issue has been turnovers <viciously beating dead horse>

The biggest question for the home team is whether or not we'll have the services of Andrew Lawrence. My educated guess, based on what was said about his ankle injury and his listing as a starter for the Anderson game, is that he was just sitting last week for precautionary reasons. I think if it had not been a DII opponent we probably would have seen Andrew play. He is 90% of our offense right now (9% being Adjehi Baru and 1% being Matt Sundberg) and the team/head coach really need a win right now. 

If the Cougars' back was against the wall last week; they've now been demolished through the drywall and into the kitchen following the loss to Anderson. Despite ODU's record they're one of the best teams the Cougars will face the rest of the season. A win here would do a lot to quell the torch and pitchfork purchases at the West Ashley Home Depot. 

Cougars Humbled By DII Anderson: A Reaction in GIFs

Anderson starts the game by immediately going to the 2-3 zone: otherwise known as CofC kryptonite. Not a bad strategy. 

Despite contesting shots, the Cougars find themselves in an early 12-5 hole behind some remarkable shots tossed up by Anderson's Chandler Hash.

My reaction when former Citadel forward Bo Holston went to the hoop for a jam on the slow-to-rotate Cougar defense...

Nori Johnson gets the Cougars going on a run offensively. Then Stitt finds Baru for an open alley-oop. The Cougars have cut a 16 point deficit to a two posession game with 20 seconds left in the half. Ha, stupid Anderson. CofC is gonna be a-OK...

On their last possession of the half, Anderson throws up an air ball...which is easily put into the basket off an offensive rebound as the buzzer sounds...

The reaction of myself, Coach Wojcik and fans at TD Arena when Anthony Thomas coughed up his 8th turnover of the game as the team's 5th option offensively...

Free throws, turnovers and a lack of offense against the 2-3 zone continue to be the demise of this team. Louisville is one thing, but Anderson starting to run away with this game?

When I had to start fielding questions to help explain CofC's performance....

Looking for a Big Push-back Against DII Anderson Tonight

College of Charleston (5-3, 1-0)
Anderson University (6-2, 2-0)
TD Arena
Tipoff at 7pm on CofCSports and ESPN 910

With final exam week over, the Cougars will get their long-awaited return to the TD Arena floor to take on Division II Anderson University tonight. Coach Wojcik has stated that he doesn't want the guys to dwell on the beating they took the last time they played, but he also doesn't want his team to forget how costly their turnover problems were. A contest with a lower-tier opponent, in a game that doesn't count toward anything substantial, is the perfect opportunity for the guys to shed the rust off and work on what they need to work on.

Anderson is a solid DII team but they recently lost to Limestone, a team the Cougars decimated in exhibition play last year. Look for the starters to play limited minutes. Lawrence, Stitt and Thomas need to show much better decision making and handle of the ball or we could be in for a long SoCon season. Baru will also probably play a more limited role. He's leading the team in minutes and could afford to finally get some action against an opponent that shouldn't threaten him physically. The coaching staff will also probably experiment with some things offensively. Hopefully Anderson will throw some 2-3 zone at us and the guys can work on moving the ball and getting good shots. My guess is that was a major emphasis in practice over the past few days and will be into next week.

What I'm really looking forward to is a decisive victory by the Cougars. Even if the starters don't play much (maybe they will; this team still lacks depth), there should still be a positive assist-to-turnover margin and rebounding advantage. The Louisville game brought everybody back to earth and really exposed this team as turnover-prone. Anderson University is an opponent suitable for a big bounce back type game.

Observations from the Latest Podcast

Every week Jeff McCarragher and Doug Wojcik take 15 minutes to recap the most recent games and preview what's ahead for the Cougars. Here are my thoughts from the most recent episode, in chronological order.

• Willis Hall cardboard cutout chilling in the stands?
• 0:41 - "You feel liked you're not doing anything"- that makes two of us
• 2:20 - "I was more disappointed for our fans" - saying all the right things, Coach
• 3:22 - "In the game of basketball, everyone steals from each other" - only when Tom Herrion is your head coach
• 4:22 - Fan makes desperation travel plea to refs. Props for trying 
• 7:50 - Had to mute the Skrillex-themed ticket promo after a few too many viewings
• 8:55 - Wheeling, West Virginia: home to the most bitter rival of the South Carolina Singrays
• 9:35 - Doug was raised on the streets kids. Meanwhile Jeff's eyes glazed over as flashbacks of the drug warfare and gang-related violence of rural Kansas toyed with his mind
• 14:00 - Coach treating this Anderson game like it's a scrimmage, just like the fans

Weekend Read: The Continued Development of Adjehi Baru

One of the few positives to come out of this weeks game against Louisville was the stellar play of sophomore big man Adjehi Baru (14 and 14). In fact, Baru's development has been one of the pleasant surprises of the early Cougars season. I think it's about time we talked specifically about what facets of Adjehi's game have improved the most, where his potential still lies and what factors all this can be attributed to.

We all knew about the enormously high expectations put on Adjehi coming into his freshman year at the College. He was the highest-rated prospect to ever enter the men's basketball program and he had chosen to play in a mid-major conference over the likes of Maryland, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. What made Baru such an intriguing player was his size and athleticism. Already having the height and speed of most NBA-caliber power forwards made him a shot blocking and rebounding threat as a freshman center in the Southern Conference. Not only that, but his offensive game (especially a technically perfect jump shot) separated Baru from many more raw high school prospects. 

Early on last year Adjehi played like he had the weight of the College on his shoulders. In his first game he looked out-of-control and flustered when he got the ball in the paint. Luckily as time went on he was able to adjust to the college game and finished the season as a solid and productive teammate.

One of the reasons Doug Wojcik took the CofC head coaching job was because of the opportunity to mold a young big man like Adjehi into a fundamentally sound player who could anchor a defense/rebounding-centric team. With Trent Wiedeman sidelined over the last five and a half games, the timetable of Adjehi's development was put into overdrive.

Baru already leads the team in minutes per game at nearly 34 a game, up 20% from what he averaged last season. Despite the increased playing time, Adjehi has managed to stay on the floor by fouling less per game than he did in 2011-2012. This has been maybe the most crucial development. The team has very limited depth at the forward position right now and it is of absolute importance that our one true center can stay on the floor for the majority of a game. 

The other stat Adjehi is leading the Cougars in is rebounding per game. Last year as a freshman he could depend solely on his height, enormous wingspan and jumping ability to snag rebounds. Under Wojcik's tutelage, Adjehi (and the rest of the team) put more emphasis on positioning and boxing out opponents. This has led to 9.5 rebounds per game from Adjehi, one of the best marks of any mid-major player and a huge step up from his 6.3 average last season. Also note that this is with a CofC team that is shooting a lot less, playing at a slower pace and facing stiff competition in early games. 

In the Charleston Classic, Baru seemed happy to protect the rim and gobble up rebounds. But unfortunately for the Cougars his offensive game disappeared. Few seemed overly concerned but in the Boston College game it was obvious that our big guy had turned a corner. In that game, he drained a couple of tough hook shots in the paint and was smiling as he ran down the court. "I'm happy for Adjehi, it's great to see him confident and smiling during the game again" praised Wojcik after the game.

Since that point, against Baylor, CSU and especially Louisville, Baru has looked confident and decisive taking his new array of go-to post moves. The numbers back it up. Baru's field goal percentage has bumped up to .491 and that's with him taking on more of the scoring load. Last year Adjehi averaged 5.9 shot attempts per game, many on put-backs and wide open jumpers. This year he's up to 7.25 attempts per game and he's converting more. 

But Baru is still not a polished package. The free throw and turnover bug of this team has rubbed off a bit on him as well. Despite repeated trips to the free throw line, Baru is a bit below last years 50% mark (although he's been more consistent since the Baylor game). With the added responsibility of being one of the ball handlers in the offense, his turnovers have nearly doubled from less than one per game to 2.5 this year. His assist numbers are also identical to last years (0.6 per game). 

If the young man can get better at making his free throws and finding the open man when he's double-teamed under the basket, he could very easily average 10-and-10 over the next few years. As I mentioned earlier, his numbers will change as we exit the most difficult part of the season and get into conference play. Wiedeman will most likely be back but Adjehi's efficiency should remain consistent or improve. Going against the front lines of UNCG, Georgia Southern and Furman will only bolster already impressive numbers. Credit Wojick for his teaching skills, the Cougars for feeding him the ball and Adjehi Baru himself for all the hard work he put in this offseason. It all adds up to a humble, determined and tenacious beast in the paint for the Cougars. And he deserves all the accolades he receives. 

Cardinals Punish Cougars at TD Arena

Final Score: Louisville 80, College of Charleston 38

Top Performers: Russ Smith 13 points, 7-8 FT

                             Adjehi Baru 16 points, 14 rebounds

Keep moving people, nothing to read here. We're just going to pretend this one never happened....

Why are you still reading? You saw the final score. Don't make me relive this!

How about that Wizards game huh? Beat the Miami Heat...

....ok fine

This is a game I said from the beginning would be decided by turnovers. I mentioned it in my preview, I brought it up on CofCfans.com, I texted my basketball-illiterate friends who wondered why CofC was on TV during prime time and I made the argument to those I was watching the game with that the Cougars had a shot if they could hold on to the ball. If the Cougars could not have the kind of unforced errors they had had against other opponents this season, we matched up very well with Louisville's perimeter game and lack of a big man. 

Within the first 120 seconds of the game it was obvious that the Cougars had no shot at winning this game. This was worst case scenario. This what happens when a turnover-prone team meets an immovable object in the form of the Louisville Cardinal's defense. Twenty-seven turnovers by one team in 40 minutes of play. That's enough for a three game total. That led to 30 very easy points for Rick Pitino's team and they had the game on cruise control from nearly the first whistle.

Offensively the Cougars picked a very inopportune time to struggle the way they did. The Louisville defense was absolutely stifling and when the Cougars were able to break a press or set up their offense, it was usually late in the shot clock and very much a desperation shot. The team that was averaging over 40% from three could only account for 2-15 shots from outside with Smith and Siva constantly harassing whoever was looking at the basket the wrong way. 

The lone bright spots were Adjehi Baru and the Cougar half court defense. Adjehi looked like the only CofC player worthy of being on the same court as the Louisville players last night on the way to an impressive double-double. It's like he showed up late to the varsity basketball scrimmage and the older kids put him on the JV team because it wasn't fun winning so easily. But even our talented big man missed an easy put back dunk and an easy transition alley oop. It was just that kind of night for the Cougars all around.

This loss is on just about everyone else though. I'm not going to put the brunt of it on Wojcik and the coaching staff because I know they've addressed the turnover issue in recent weeks. The players were also very much aware of Louisville's defensive pressure and steal numbers. Wojcik wasn't the one making decisions on who to pass to on inbounds plays and he certainly wasn't the one shooting 4-10 on free throws. 

Louisville is a favorite to win a national title because they're capable of winning games in this fashion. The Cougars learned a valuable lesson and they have two whole weeks before they face another Division 1 opponent. In that time, the turnover and free throw issues that continue to plague this team need to be of absolute paramount importance. The Cougars won't face another team anywhere close to Louisville's talent level but they can't just push it out of their minds. I don't think they'll forget anytime soon. 

The Big One: Louisville @ College of Charleston

"There are no moral victories but they [CofC] outplayed us tonight...for about 32-33 minutes they were the better team tonight" - Rick Pitino after the Cards narrowly escaped College of Charleston last season

College of Charleston (5-2, 1-0)
Louisville (6-1, 0-0)
TD Arena
Tipoff at 9pm on ESPNU

Here we are folks, the moment you've all been waiting for. The game I had circled all the way back prior to Labor Day has finally arrived. After the Cougars took Louisville down to the wire in their house we all anticipated a fiery matchup in 2012 when the teams would face off inside TD Arena. Since that game last year the Cardinals have gone to the Final Four, been picked as the favorite to win a national championship, lost to a very good Duke team and struggled to replace their best defensive player (Gorgui Dieng) who is out following surgery on a broken wrist. On the Cougars' side they have hired a new coach, committed to a more consistent and defense-oriented style of play and been playing very solid ball following the loss of one of their key players.

The game sets up well for the Cougars. Rick Pitino mentioned in his preview of the game that his Cardinals are walking into a "hornet's nest" at TD Arena. Tuesday is Reading Day before finals so there are none of those pesky classes to distract students or players from the fury that is going to take place at the ThunderDome when ESPN turns on the cameras. Quite a tough environment for the Cardinals to play their first true road game. That's right, Louisville has played all six of their games either at home or on the neutral court of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Even at home the Cards are still adjusting to life without Dieng. They barely got past a solid mid-major in Illinois State and Northern Iowa also gave them a scare. It should also be noted how much of an impact Dieng had in this matchup last year. He had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in 38 minutes of play and was the cause of a lot of hesitation shooting under the basket by the Cougars.

Ever since defeating another Top 25 team on the road the Cougars have really jelled despite the loss of an all-conference player in Trent Wiedeman. Willis Hall fits perfectly into Coach Wojcik's tough, blue collar style of play and bookends Adjehi Baru and Andrew Lawrence are playing at elite levels. The Cougars are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country (41.5%) and have yet to be out-rebounded by a single team this season. In big games like this it's usually the seniors who step up the most. Willis wasn't able to play this Cardinals team last year due to injury but I'm expecting big things from him, Andrew Lawrence and Matt "SunnyD" Sundberg.

But if the Cougars are going to get anything more than a good learning experience out of this they're going to have to A) not beat themselves and B) limit the Cardinal backcourt and C) get the best out of their best players.

One problem that has followed the Cougars around all season has been the turnovers. For a stretch it seemed like it was diminishing, but then against Elon on Saturday, the guys committed an ugly 20 giveaways. Andrew Lawrence couldn't explain all the unforced TO's, Coach Wojcik didn't understand why it happened, but a game like that can't happen against a Rick Pitino-led squad. Louisville's calling card is their defense; it might be the best in the country. They press full court, they pester and double team ball handlers (the Cards are a Top 10 team nationally in steals per game) and they defend the rim even without Dieng. Teams also don't get many second chances against Louisville, the Cards rebound at a high level as well.

The Cardinal backcourt is spearheaded by starting point guard Peyton Siva and leading scorer Russ Smith. Stitt and Lawrence are both solid on-ball defenders but they'll once again have their hands full with these two. Siva was one of the stars of last season's NCAA Tournament and can get to the rim seemingly at will. Off the ball Russ Smith is averaging 20 points a game as the team's lethal outside shooter. Both guys also average about 3 steals a piece defending the perimeter.

Finally the Cougars are going to have to have big games from just about everybody. Adjehi Baru has to continue his stellar play against BCS teams by staying out of foul trouble and being a threat offensively. We also need him to continue rebounding and defending well. Is that too much to ask? Lawrence and Stitt both need to hang on to the ball against that fierce Cardinal defensive pressure and take advantage of Dieng's absence by driving to the rim. When they do, spot up shooters like Nori Johnson and Sundberg can't afford to be cold from deep. Matt had one of his best games of the season against this team last year (3-for-3 from deep and led the team with 9 boards) so you know he'll be ready to play. Anthony Thomas also has to have a big day. He was brought in to replace Antwaine Wiggins, who led the Cougars in scoring against the Cardinals last time. Thomas is another guy who we can't afford to have turning the ball over.

There's a real buzz around Charleston for this game, as well there should be. The Cougars have given fans something to cheer for and you could argue there's never been a more highly regarded team to play one of the Holy City's universities. I guess the only thing left to say is Go Cougars!

Still A Game to Play Tonight

Elon University (5-2, 1-0)

College of Charleston (4-2, 0-0)

Alumni Gym

Tipoff at 7 pm, video available here

Lost amidst all of the Colonial Athletic Association talk, there's still a Southern Conference game to be played tonight between the Cougars and the Elon Phoenix: and it's a good one at that. Battle of North vs South Division leaders, Monster Game of the Week, first conference game for the Cougars and Coach Wojcik, however you spin it this is an important game for both teams. 

Elon has been the cream of the North division so far and a bit of a surprise in the SoCon as a whole. They once again defeated South Carolina for one of the league's early marquee victories and at 5-2 they're ahead of preseason favorite UNCG in the division. The Phoenix have already played a conference game; on Wednesday they dispensed Georgia Southern in Statesboro. The Phoenix built a comfortable lead but were sloppy down the stretch closing out the Eagles. 

The Cougars are riding a three game winning streak and Coach Wojcik gets to take on his first SoCon team with the Cougars. Trent Wiedeman is still out with the ankle injury (please be back in time for Louisville) which means more hustle plays for Willis Hall to make down low. Andrew Lawrence must still have fever-like symptoms in his right arm because ever since he came back from that viral infection he's been white hot from three. The Phoenix are allowing opponents to shoot 38% from deep which bodes well for the Cougars and their recently balanced inside-outside offense.

But CofC will have their hands full with this Elon team. Lucas Troutman is the reigning SoCon Player of the Week and one of the league's best big men. The 6'10 junior averaged 16.5 points and 7 rebounds per contest over two games against South Carolina and VMI to receive the honor. The other guy to look out for, one who had his way with us in the 2OT game last year, is guard Jack Isenbarger. He had 25 points in that last game and is one of the SoCon's best scorers. Neutralizing both those guys will be a tall order for the Cougs but it should go a long way in controlling the game.

Another stat that seems to favor the Cougars is the rebounding differential. College of Charleston out rebounds opponents by over 6 per game while the Phoenix, despite their size up front, lose the rebounding battle by an average of 4 per game. The teams are on opposite ends of the SoCon stat board in that department.

The biggest advantage Elon will have will be playing at home. It's the third straight road game for the Cougars and the Phoenix phaithful (see what I did there?) will be fired up to take on the Cougars and jump out to an impressive 2-0 start to conference play. Unfortunately I can't watch the game live tonight but I'll have a recap as soon as I can watch it tomorrow. Go Cougars!

Weekend Links: CAA Edition

• Official release by the athletics department and by President Benson [CofCSports | CofC]
• Joe Hull would be "shocked" if more Southern schools were not added. An added throw-in for the baseball program: they'll be hosting the CAA Tournament at Patriots Point in 2015 and 2016. UNCW was originally going to host in 2015 [Post & Courier]
• President Benson says the value of our degrees should increase as a larger region of the country becomes more familiar with the College of Charleston. Well....employers...?? [YouTube]
• Video reaction from CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager. Pronounced like Jagermeister [YouTube]
• Reactions from the rest of the SoCon [Mocs Mania]
• I also answered a few questions over at Mocs Mania [Mocs Mania]
• GMU Hoops is excited to get a "solid, clean program that has a history of winning" [GMU Hoops]
• The beat writer for UNCW is glad to have a geographical rival, a baseball powerhouse and thinks the Cougars will immediately compete in tennis and golf as well [Star News]
• NBC Sports mentions that the NBC sports deal will be very advantageous for the Cougs [NBC College Basketball Talk]
• According to Andrew Miller the CAA men's basketball tournament could also be hosted in Charleston "in near future" [Twitter]
• Mid Major Madness sees the Cougars immediately making noise upon their arrival in the CAA and recognizes that Davidson is the last major player in the SoCon [SB Nation]