College of Charleston (7-7, 0-0)
Howard (3-13, 1-1)
TD Arena
Tipoff at 4pm on MyTV Charleston and UStream
Coming off a 2-0 week, the Cougars look to head into their first ever CAA league game with a win over the struggling Howard University Bison. Since Nori Johnson entered the rotation against Citadel, the Cougars have added the missing link to their offense while maintaining their edge in rebounding and defense. The results have been two victories by an average of 18 points. The decision by Wojcik to let his seniors see more playing time as the freshmen struggle looks to be a smart one. Willis Hall won CAA Player of the Week behind dominant play from Christmas through New Years Day and could very well repeat the title. Anthony Thomas has also brought his defense and swiss army knife versatility to the to the starting five.
In Howard, the Cougars have the opportunity to let Canyon, Joe and Johnathan play extended minutes if the starters do their jobs. If those three can get their sea legs under them the Cougars will have some serious depth as they enter conference play. Here's your Howard preview:
Are the Bison any good?
No, they are not. The Howard men's basketball team has just one D1 victory on the season - an overtime defeat of conference foe Delaware State. They have losses to familiar opponents like William & Mary (albeit in overtime as well) and Old Dominion. Howard has one of the youngest teams in the country - starting four freshman and one junior. It's not uncommon for teams to schedule down heading into conference play, it's a great opportunity to fine-tune things, and this looks like a great matchup for the Cougars.
If there's one thing the Cougars have been doing consistently the last two months it's play fundamental team defense. Against a young team like Howard the Cougars could very easily force them into some frustrating and inefficient offense. But remember, the guys should not be taking any opponent lightly (especially at home), Marist walked in here with zero wins and used CofC as a springboard to a four game winning streak.
What do they do well?
Ehhhh.....they're an ok rebounding team. That's the only major team stat that puts them amongst the top 300 nationally. Carrying the load for the Bison is that one junior in the starting lineup I mentioned - small forward Prince Okoroh. He averages 16 points and 6 boards per game and appears to be the straw that stirs the drink on offense for Howard.
What do they struggle with?
CofC has gone through some growing pains integrating two or three freshmen into collegiate play. Howard is dealing with twice that many and their offense struggles as most young teams do. They don't share the ball very well, take poor shots and it results in just over 60 points per game (ironically the same number Wojcik's defense strives to keep opponents at). They can get out and run but they will likely struggle today to get the ball in the hoop.
Matchup to watch for
Easily the matchup of the afternoon will be Okoroh versus Anthony Thomas. The Bison picked the wrong candidate to be the one carrying the team against CofC because AT takes opposing small forwards out of the game. The two match up size wise and since Thomas was inserted back into the starting spot on the wing it's given the Cougars a team defensive and rebounding boost.
X-Factor
Paging the class of 2017...come in. Since their hot start to begin the season, Canyon Barry, Joe Chealey and Johnathan Burroughs-Cook have all seen their production drop. It's not unexpected and we all have seen the tantalizing potential each one of them exhibits. Any of those three could use a good game to boost their confidence back up for league play and give the Cougars the x-factor they need.
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