CAA Tournament Preview Extravaganza: Round 1

Friday March 7th

Game 1: #9 UNCW vs #8 Hofstra

The game nobody wanted to play. The winner of this veritable "play-in" game gets the unfortunate task of facing off against top-seeded Delaware less than 15 hours later. Neither the Pride nor the 'Hawks come into Baltimore with any real momentum, but Hofstra does hold the 2-0 series advantage against the Dub this season. The Seahawks seemed to be turning the slightest of corners down the stretch of this season but Dixon and Williams can only do so much. The victor gets congratulated with jeers from CAA fans Saturday afternoon about having not delivered enough jabs to bruise up Delaware before the latter rounds. 

The Pick: Hofstra

Saturday March 8th

Game 2: #1 Delaware vs UNCW / Hofstra Winner

Over/under 25 Flacco jersey-clad UD fans at this tournament? Even as the overall #1 seed in Baltimore, I'm not sure many have bought the Blue Hens as the team to beat. Despite having three All-CAA performers in the starting lineup, the Blue Hens are playing second fiddle to pre-season favorite Towson. In a league full of parity I would be surprised if this game is in question beyond halftime. Delaware had a chip on their shoulder against CofC in the final regular season game and I believe they will carry it into Baltimore. I foresee Upshaw having an inefficient 20+ point game as he tries to shoot Hofstra into the next round but ultimately Saddler, Usher and Baptiste pose too much manpower. 

The Pick: Delaware

Game 3: #4 Drexel vs #5 Northeastern

Now we're getting somewhere. For the middle 80% of the season I saw CofC likely playing in this middle seed matchup. That scenario fell by the wayside when the Cougars dropped their last three games. Like the Cougars, Drexel seems capable of grinding out an upset or two in Baltimore but Northeastern has the most recent win over the Dragons in the season finale and The Beasterton down low. If the college basketball gods are just we'll get a repeat of the fantastic double OT game that these two teams played on January 8th. In similar fashion I think this is going to come down to the wire, with one team making just enough threes late in the game to pull away.

The Pick: Northeastern

Game 4: #2 Towson vs #7 JMU

With the CAA Tournament leaving the familiar confines of Richmond, Virginia, former conference doormat-turned favorite Towson finds themselves defending their own backyard. JMU is a team you don't want to face in a win or go home scenario because their effort levels and outside shooting sway back and forth so violently that they can beat anybody. But the Dukes are still a year or more away from really making noise in the tournament. Benimon, Skerry and Towson have had big aspirations all year - I fully anticipate them taking care of business on Saturday and cruising into the next round.

The Pick: Towson

Game 5: #3 William & Mary vs #6 Charleston

Well well well...now we get to the headliner, the main event (just let me have this). CofC fans have differing opinions on whether or not 3rd seeded William & Mary is a favorable or unfavorable matchup. The Cougars experienced both sides of how the classic offense vs defense matchup can go. At William and Mary earlier in the year, CofC had the Tribe right where they wanted them and seemed destined to sneak out with a low scoring victory on the road before Marcus Thornton started taking (and making) and unconscious number of shots to lead a strong comeback and ultimate win. More recently in Charleston, CofC put together what will probably go down as their best game of the season. The defense put the pressure on Thornton and Rusthoven early and often but more importantly, the Cougars took what the soft W&M defense gave them and drained season highs in threes and shooting percentage en route to an 87-54 victory. 

I hope that game is crystallized in the players' heads because that's how they need to play throughout the tournament - balanced. You have to believe William & Mary is nervous about a rematch with CofC. Wojcik has preached all season that the regular season CAA run is just a set-up for the tournament; and the team has the defensive acumen, relative depth and rebounding dominance to stay in any game (also lose any game, as we've seen so often this year). The Tribe rely on three point offense and the unfamiliar shooting perspective that comes with playing in a brand new venue does not bode well for them.

 

If the Cougars are going to pull the upset, they will need two things to fall their way. First, the game needs to be called like a tournament contest and not like the bones-are-made-of-glass whistle fests of this past fall. CofC cannot afford to have All-CAA defensive ace Adjehi Baru riding the pine with the season on the line and Marcus Thornton driving uncontested to the basket.

 

The second thing is what we have preached all season: the scoring. More specifically, the outside shots need to fall. The sets Charleston sees on Saturday should not be much different than the defense they torched last time out. The Tribe players don't have the length or closeout speed to contest open looks so Nori, Anthony and Canyon need to drain them when they get the opportunity.

 

The Pick: The College

Resurgent Offense Not Enough as Cougs Fall to Delaware

Final Score: Delaware 89, College of Charleston 86

Top Performers:

Jarvis Threatt 13 pts (11-13 FT), 13 assts, 6 rebs

Canyon Barry 27 pts (5-7 3pt)

Disclaimer - I was unable to watch this game because of a combination of CAA TV's shoddy product and my own inconsistent internet. So I was forced to glean what I could from tweets and box scores. 

Positives: 

• The offense came back to life as the Cougars hit 13 of 26 three ball attempts and actually got to the line 22 times (hitting 17). The 13 three pointers was one shy of the season total set in the last home game against William & Mary.
• Canyon Barry reminded us that the future is bright for Rick Barry's youngest son. He put up a season-high 27 points coming off the bench and shot over 50% from the field, behind the arc and from the charity stripe.  Canyon's biggest issues right now are his ball handling and shooting percentages; if those continue to improve he'll become a hell of a player. 
• The Cougars held a narrow edge on the boards, 37-35
• David Wishon was able to give good minutes off the bench for a second straight game with Baru slightly hobbled by his knee issues. The Ginja Ninja had 6 points and 5 rebounds in just 15 minutes of play.
• The opening 3-pointer by Judson Hall is what senior night is all about. Last year, seldom used Bart Benton was made a starter and he responded with a basket that caused the crowd to erupt. The set play to get Judson a wide open three is a nice tip of the cap by Wojcik and the younger Hall responded by draining it to everyone's delight. I really like keeping up that tradition.

Negatives:

• As the offense took a step forward, the defense took a step back. Wojcik cannot be happy with his guys giving up 89 points - even if it Delaware is the league's best offense.
• Jarvis Threatt, who was suspended the first time these teams met, gave the Blue Hen offense a whole new look. He got to the line at will and had 13 assists on the afternoon. The CAA is a guard-oriented league and Threatt played like an all-league point guard yesterday against CofC's defense. 

Despite the Cougar's efforts, Delaware played like the superior team they are down the stretch. Don't forget, the top seed and automatic NIT bid were not guaranteed unless they beat CofC. Fortunately for the Cougs they only fell to the 6th seed and will face William & Mary (the team they blew out of the water three games ago) in the first round of the CAA Tournament in Baltimore. From there it's an uphill battle that will likely include another rematch with Delaware if the Cougars can advance. Look for full CAA Tournament previews this week. 

Last Home Game for Johnson, Thomas and the Brothers Hall

College of Charleston (14-16, 6-9)

University of Delaware (21-9, 13-2)

TD Arena

Tipoff at 2pm

Rather than stick to the typical preview style blog post formula, I'm switching things up before the final home game of the season. Revenge against the Delaware Blue Hens, after their outstanding comeback in Newark a few weeks ago, is the narrative going into the last regular season contest of the year - this game is about the four seniors. As tradition holds, all four senior members of the team will be honored throughout today's game and they each deserve our praises.

Judson Hall

The younger brother of star player and fellow senior Willis, Judson is a valuable member of the scout team and perhaps more importantly - a Raising Canes Killer. Willis has gotten the hype over the years but walk-ons like Judson sacrifice just as much time, energy and heart as they practice and travel with the team year after year. I hope this afternoon the fans at TD Arena recognize the other Hall's commitment to the program over the past four years and give him a raucous ovation.

Anthony Thomas

AT's college career was anything but typical. Growing up in The Dash (Winston-Salem for the uninitiated), Anthony signed on to play for former SoCon rival Appalachian State. After being used sparingly, AT took the road less traveled route to improving his game by transferring to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, which Jeff McCarragher will be quick to reiterate - is in the middle of nowhere. It was after his sophomore season that Doug Wojcik's newly minted Charleston coaching staff noticed Thomas and offered him a spot on the team for his two remaining years of eligibility. 

Anthony was given the unenviable task of replacing one of the most talented and versatile players of this century at CofC in recently graduated small forward Antwaine Wiggins. On top of that he was coming into a new situation, new school, new coaching staff, new teammates...and exceled right away. AT has been a starter for nearly every game while he's been at CofC and he is rock steady in his role as the team's lockdown defender and a jack-of-all-trades who can chip in rebounds, steals and blocks in any game. He's a prototypical small forward and has been such an asset for Charleston as they moved up a competitive level to the CAA. 

My favorite memory of AT was the revenge-fueled beat down he put on his former team - App State - in TD Arena last year. He didn't even downplay his desire to show up the Mountaineers in pregame interviews and when Wojcik went to his 3 man early and often for point production, AT delived by relentlessly going to the rim and carrying helpless ASU defenders with him. Beast mode.

Nori Johnson

A personal favorite of mine, Nori Johnson's journey is similar to AT's in it's ebbs and flows. Nori came to Charleston as a late signing recruit in the pretty lauded Bobby Cremins class of 2010. That was the class that included Trent Wiedeman, Jordan Scott and James Carlton - a class that was built to ultimately replace the production of Cremins stellar first recruiting class (Goudelock, Monroe, Simmons, Wiggins). Early in his career Nori was overlooked in favor of those other three - Wiedeman with his instant impact, Scott and Carlton with their tantalizing athleticism. Three years later and only Nori Johnson is still here to walk across the Cistern.

Wiedeman, Scott and Carlton moved on to smaller stages after Cremins stepped down, while Nori still proudly wears Charleston on his jersey and now starts at shooting guard. But the path from afterthought to starter was not a direct progression. In his sophomore season, it took Mark Byington stepping in as interim coach and injuries to freshman Anthony Stitt for Nori to get an opportunity. His impact as a pure shooting outside sniper immediately proved to be just what the Cougs needed with Goudelock graduated. Once given the opportunity Nori proved he deserved the playing time.

Once Wojcik came in, Nori had the option to transfer. He was recruited to play in the three-point dependent Cremins system, not the defense-fueled Wojcik style. At first the decision looked to backfire immensely: Nori's minutes steadily dropped from the time Wojcik came in - reaching a lowpoint as the senior was relegated to DNP-Coach's Decision games all throughout the fall semester of this season. Freshman Canyon Barry was the team's fan crush starter on the wing but the Cougars still desperately needed three point shooting. It was a game against rival Citadel that Nori was given his opportunity - and he jumped headfirst into it by sinking 4 of 7 three pointers in his first significant action of the season.

It wasn't until the break between out-of-conference and CAA play that we learned why Nori had been used so sparingly when his abilities were so clear. Wojcik is a no nonsense coach both on and off the court. He demands discipline not just running the plays but when hitting the books as well - a departure from the slack that Cremins gave his guys. Nori had been struggling academically and was falling close to being a rare player to not graduate in Wojik's head coaching career. For that reason Nori had been glued to the bench, not until his mind and report card were straight could Coach reward him with playing time, senior or not.

It says a whole lot about Nori's character to know how he got to where he is now as the scorer on an offense starved team. He had every reason to be pissed at Wojcik, himself and his circumstances but he pushed through it all. You can see how much he has matured since he was lumped in with some of the clowns he entered Charleston with - you hear it in his interviews and you see it in the relationship he's developed with Coach Wojcik. Nori is very aware of how much better of a place he's in now - mentally and physically. It's paid off for the senior with a staring role on the team and a graduation date looming in May. 

Favorite memory: This dunk against Georgia Southern two years ago. The out-of-nowhere nature of it, the viciousness, the scream - so badass. 

Willis Hall

What can you say about Willis Hall that hasn't already been said by his coaches, his teammates, the school president and the NCAA? A star player with a walk-on's work ethic. A coach's favorite type of player. Captain and natural leader. Steph Curry record-breaker. Humanitarian and global ambassador for the College of Charleston. National Player of the Week. Graduate student. Workhorse. 

Willis Hall is the type of player and person I want associated with the College of Charleston for years to come. He's that rare type of collegiate player who absolutely relishes every minute of time at this school. He seems to have perspective on his career despite having not finished it - probably from the year he was forced to sit out after tearing his ACL- and leaves every game completely drained, having played it like it was his last. 

Willis came to CofC waaaay back in 2009 (hard to believe right?) and has seemingly been here for what feels more like a decade rather than half of that. He's the last remaining player who played on the team that defeated UNC inside Carolina First Arena in January of 2010. Back then Willis Hall was a nice complimentary piece as a freshman big man who could hustle and rebound coming off the bench. He wasn't the tallest or most athletic player in any game but he scrapped and clawed on every possession to give the Cougars the best shot at winning. 

As a sophomore Willis was happy to give the spotlight to the likes of Andrew Goudelock, Donovan Monroe and even freshman Trent Wiedeman. In year two it looked like we could all grasp the type of player Willis would be - a fan favorite for his effort, a killer backup or serviceable fill-in starter who was talented but ultimately limited by his physical tangibles. A torn ACL halfway through his college career had Willis miss an entire season to medical redshirting and ensured he would be handcuffed to Wiedeman for the remainder of his career.

In Wojcik's first season, Willis (in his true senior year) was asked to backup the two towers of Baru and Wiedeman. It didn't take long for the oft-injured Wiedeman to start missing time with injuries and Hall stepped in and became a perfect compliment next to Adjehi. His ability to space the floor with his three point shooting reduced some of the redundancy created by having Trent and Adjehi clogging the paint together and resulted in a Top 25 road win over Baylor and a strong final run through the SoCon.

Now a fifth year season coming into the fall, Willis - the grizzled and battle tested veteran, welcomed the opportunity to take on new CAA travel and opponent challenges in his final season. He has responded by putting together as solid a season as any big man in CofC history. He's the unquestioned leader and heart of the Cougars. He put up jaw dropping rebounding and point totals against Davidson and Howard. He's also delivered victories for the Cougars in two surefire would-be losses with buzzer beaters against UNC Charlotte and Drexel inside TD Arena.

Willis Hall is the one guy that the Cougars, players and fans alike, are going to miss most next year. Not just from a stats perspective but from everything else he brings to the table as well. He's a model student-athlete and someone who is universally respected and admired. Soak in everything that comes your way today Willis, you deserve it all.

Favorite memory: freshman Willis Hall clinches CofC's biggest win of the 21st century by snagging a game-snagging rebound and getting fouled.  Let the chills flow through your body.