College of Charleston (1-3, 0-0)
Furman (2-1, 0-0)
TD Arena
Tipoff at 6pm on UStream
After nearly a week of rest following the Miami game, the Cougars face their final tune-up against Furman before hitting the road for California and the Wooden Legacy Tournament. The Paladins are a familiar opponent from CofC's time in the SoCon but they are not your older brother's bottom-feeding Furple team. The Paladins have a good win against Gardner Webb and their only loss on the season was a one point defeat at the hands of 2013 NCAA Tournament darlings Florida Gulf Coast. The Paladins always get up for their games against the Cougs but the guys really need a confidence-boosting win heading into Anaheim. Let's talk Furman.
Are they any good?
They're probably better than you think they are. Most CofC fans expect to stomp the small school from the upstate year after year. For good reason too. The past few seasons Furman has consistently ranked as one of the worst teams in D1 basketball. However, as last season's Andrew Lawrence-saving victory at TD Arena made evident, the Paladins can be dangerous when they play with nothing to lose.
New head coach Niko Medved is the reason behind this season's solid start. He's made point guard Stephen Croone the star of the show, trusting the sophomore guard to penetrate defense and make the right plays when he gets into the paint.
What do they do well?
Furman was able to keep things close with the much more athletic Gulf Coast team by throwing a 2-3 zone defense at the Eagles for the first 75% of the game. You have to believe after watching tape on the Cougars this season Medved will employ the same strategy. With the players Furman has on the roster it's unlikely they will force many turnovers, but they can make the Cougars take bad shots.
What do they struggle with?
Moving the ball. The Paladins are ranked 336th in the country in assists per game with a paltry 9 dimes per contest. Inconsistent offense was part of the reason why Furman started to fall apart against FGCU. Croone can carry the team only so much, he's yet to get a 2nd option to share duties with.
Matchup to watch for
Croone vs CofC's perimeter defense - We've talked about Stephen Croone this much, might as well keep the dialogue going. Not all small, speedy point guards dominate the Cougars, but chances are if the Cougars lose, an opposing point guard has been able to get into the lane at will. It's been an issue for a while. Against Miami the Cougs could not keep the Cane guards in front of them. Last year Croone (then just a freshmen) drove again and again, finishing around Baru. He's super quick off the dribble and some of the acrobatic shots he was making last year at TD Arena really showcased his body control.
These types of players cause two major problems for the Cougars. It's an easy way for Baru and Hall to get into quick foul trouble and the penetration neutralizes CofC's usually pretty good three point defense. Croone gets past a defender, sucks defense in, kicks it out for a wide open look. Wojcik has said that stopping Croone is the priority tonight.
X-Factor
Terrance O'Donohue - Wojcik shook up the rotation a bit last week with freshman Terrance O'Donohue entering the game before Wishon. I like what I've seen from him so far and want to see him in extended minutes. He might get it tonight if the Cougs find themselves up on Furman early. Rain those treys young fella!
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