Cougars Face First Test with Matinee Stop at Davidson

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

Davidson College (1-0, 0-0)

Belk Arena

Tipoff at 1:00 pm, live stream HERE

Team rebuilding efforts are not linear. There is rarely a smooth positive slope of improvement where the x axis is time and the y axis is performance. 

Just ask the Cougars. Since the days of Andrew Goudelock, Bobby Cremins and their crew of sharpshooters taking on the ultimate mid-major zeitgeist of Steph Curry in regular Southern Conference meetings, CofC has gone through three head coaches and a roller coaster of expectations and disappointments. 

Gone are the headliners from those torrid SoCon rivalry days - Curry, Goudelock, Jake Cohen, Andrew Lawrence and others. What remains (as it has since 1989) is Davidson head men's basketball coach Bob McKillop. That consistency is why Davidson remains a mid-major power and Charleston attempts to rebuild.  

The names are different on both sides of the ball, but Davidson will play the way they always have: smart, composed and methodical. Their players will push the limits of moving screen rules, they will make their free throws, the fans at Belk Arena will clear their throats to belt out Sweet Caroline. It'll be the toughest test for this young Cougars squad so far, but a fair measuring stick compared to the soft schedule thus far.

Davidson has played just one game this season - a 90-85 home triumph over #FreeTako (Fall) and the UCF Knights. In that game, junior guard Jack Gibbs scored 35 points on 23 shots to lead the Wildcats. Davidson got great production from their starters, only turned the ball over 6 times in a fast-paced contest and shot respectively from the floor. 

Conversely, the Wildcats surrendered 85 points at home, lost the edge in rebounding and got limited production from their bench. If there's a way for CofC to attack Davidson, it might be with their reserves. Davidson only really played seven deep in their first game, while the Cougars were actually at their best against Navy when guys like Pointer, O'Donohue and Bailey kickstarted the offense. 

The Cougars will have to play close to flawlessly if they want to stay undefeated. What terrifies me the most is the young CofC forward combo hacking at the rate they did in Annapolis, putting an elite free throw shooting team at the line and clearing space under the basket. Coach Grant talks a lot about growth and building. If the Cougs can take care of the ball, defend and make open shots they could surprise us. Win or lose - those are the things I'd like to see.