College of Charleston (0-1, 0-0)
UNC Charlotte (1-0, 0-0)
TD ArenaTipoff at 7:00 pm HERE
Even with all the good that came out of a valiant effort against Louisville, a loss is still a loss and the Cougars return to TD Arena to take on the UNC Charlotte 49ers and avoid an 0-2 start. The Niners are coming off a close victory over ETSU in their own home opener. Last year in the A-10, Charlotte had convincing wins over Butler and Davidson but eventually settled for middle-of-the-pack pecking order in their final year before moving to Conference USA. Both teams match up very well against one another in terms of talent.
Like many out of conference opponents CofC has faced the last two seasons, Charlotte is a tough, physical team. Sophomore center Mike Thorne was a beast in Charlotte's first game of the season, dominating with 17 points on almost perfect shooting to go along with 9 boards. Joining him in the front court is forward Willie Clayton. The two make a formidable offensive rebounding duo - an area that was highly exploited by the Cards on Saturday.
On the perimeter, the player to watch is point guard Pierria Henry. He had 5 steals in the first half against ETSU and also finished with 17 points while playing all but 60 seconds of the game. The Niners must depend on offensive boards and defense because they are a horrendous outside shooting team. They finished in the bottom 10 nationally in threes made and attempted last year and don't look to be reversing the trend anytime soon.
That's a shame for the Cougars because defending the arc is one of the things they've done best since Wojcik came to town. The key matchup is going to be inside. Baru vs Thorne is the battle everyone is talking about but Willis Hall and David Wishon will be the X-factors. Willis is hit or miss against physically larger opponents. He was hesitant against Louisville but he also had a lot of success last year against a similar sized team in Baylor. Wishon will be the biggest opponent the Niners face and if he can be a defensive presence Charlotte may get out of whack. It's hard to tough up a guy that size.
From the rest of the team I'll be looking for ball security and improvement from the charity stripe. The Niners mostly play man-to-man defense but Henry will gamble for steals. With so many big bodies banging in the post, this could also be a game decided by free throws and the Cougars don't want to continue to shoot themselves in the foot like they have the past two games.
This game will be a really good test for the Cougars. Both programs are on a very similar level and it's a good win to have under your belt to start the home season. The road warrior mentality of last year was great but the young guys for CofC need to experience a strong home court atmosphere. So show up, show out and don't forget to wear white! Go Cougars!
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