Drew Wins 3-Point Competition!!

What a beast! Way to dominate Drew! It was so incredible that the reporter's face exploded out of pure amazement.

Counting Down the Best Moments from the 10-11 Season

After having a few days to digest everything that happened in Cougar basketball this past season, I think it's about time we take a look back at the best of the best. The 2010-2011 Cougar men's basketball season started with high expectations and a few question marks. By the end of March, the Cougars were not where they wanted to be, but I'd still say the season was a success. To celebrate all of their accomplishments this year, and to have something to write about during the offseason, I've decided to compile the Top 5 Moments from the 10-11 season. 

Starting on Monday, I'll release a new "moment" every day or two starting with 5. Rankings are purely subjective and based on my flawless logic. 

To wet your appetite a little bit, I'll begin with the honorable mentions. These are things that Cougar fans will remember from the season, but just missed the cut into the Top 5. 

Goudelock Selected to Participate at Final Four

This just in from the P&C. Goudelock is headed to Houston to participate in the 3-point competition. The competition will air this Thursday on ESPN 2 and is part of the pre-Final Four festivities. The rest of the field will be announced in the next couple days. Represent the Cougars in Houston Drew!

Epic Cougar Comeback Falls Just Short

As much as I would've liked to see the Cougars play in Madison Square Garden, last night was the type of performance that all the CofC faithful can be proud of. Down 23 points in a hostile environment, the Cougars showed a lot of heart by clawing back into the game late in the 2nd half before losing by 7. Andrew Goudelock put on an absolutely dazzling performance that overshadowed the Shocker victory in the eyes of SportsCenter. Even during the game, announcers discussed the merits of Drew's NBA-caliber talent and how he was one of the best sharp shooters they had ever witnessed. 

Willis Hall, Trent Wiedeman and Donovan Monroe also wowed viewers and WSU fans alike with their determination. Nineteen year old Wiedeman refused to quit bodying up on a 23 year old grown-ass man in JT Durley. Hall provided one of the Cougars only highlight plays inside the arc with his first half put back dunk. Monroe fought tooth-and-nail to make sure this wasn't his last game in a Cougar uniform. 

Wichita State was just too much bulk for the Cougars to handle. Their front line absolutely dwarfed ours and prevented Willis and Trent from providing balance offensively. Turnovers also cost us big. As awesome as Goudelock's shooting was, his 8 turnovers (many in the last few minutes of the first half) really dug us into a hole. 

Let's look at some more positives from last night:

• Can't be upset when Andrew Goudelock's highlights accounted for 100% of ESPN's postgame coverage. Link is here (thank cofcfan's CofCcougars1 for the vid)
• Goudelock also got a lot of attention on Twitter and the blogosphere for his performance. Here is former Clemson star and current Wizards starter Trevor Booker commenting
• Trent Wiedeman is going to be such a stud for the next 3 years
• Because of the ref's slow response to a clock error, the Cougars had 22 more seconds to shoot lights out
• Going against one of the best rebounding teams in the entire country, the Cougs cleaned up on the glass in the first half

No more Cougar basketball this season, which means no more game coverage, but that doesn't put an end to my blogging career. Look for some wrap-up pieces and some fun articles up til next season starts. 

Cougars Depart For Kansas Today at 2

Based on my research the Cougars will be landing in an environment similar to this one. But seriously, wear your Maroon and cheer on the Cougars from the comfort of your living room tomorrow!

What to Expect in Wichita

All indications point to a rocking, shocking Charles Koch Arena for the CofC game

After a crazy finish in Blacksburg, the Cougars will be traveling to someplace called Kansas to take on the Shockers of Wichita State. Being from Virginia myself I would've liked nothing more than to see my beloved Cougars further justify my reasons for leaving the Old Dominion by crushing the Hokies in VA. Ever since the refs at Tech crushed that dream, I'm gonna have to settle for an upset over WSU (yes I said upset, allow me explain).

WSU is an experienced team that shares the ball and demonstrates some of the most balanced scoring in the country. They play inside-out ball and have some beasts inside including All-Conference selection JY Durely and a 7 footer named Garrett Stutz. They rarely settle for threes and use a soft press defense coupled with a little man-to-man depending on their opponent's set. They rebound very well and this usually results in easy put-backs and layups.

Now let's look at what the Cougars do well. We have a highly potent backcourt combination of seniors who can score at will when guarded lightly. The majority of our shots are put up by one player and as he goes, the team goes. When he struggles, other players have the capability of stepping up. Our inside game is solid for the guard-heavy Socon, but the thought of Willis Hall trying to cover Goliath scares the hell out of me. Our coach let's the players play. This is not always a bad thing, as players have gotten so accustomed to each others games that they are good at complimenting one another.

There are some things that really scare me about this game. Let's go over the worst case scenario first:

• The Cougars enter an extremely hostile Koch Arena and are immediately intimidated by the 10,000+ screaming Kansas-folk (Kansans?). Goudelock starts off slow like he did in the Dayton game. Wiedeman and Hall struggle to score inside. WSU controls the glass and gets a ton of second chance points. Durley goes off for a double-double and the Shockers go on to win by double digits.

Sound grim? If the Cougs don't come out to play, this could very well happen.

BUT there is hope...

Cougars Will Play Wichita State in NIT Quarter Finals

Not the matchup I wanted, but it is what it is. Wichita State is the type of team that is Kryptonite to the Cougars; well-coached, disciplined and deep. That would be bad enough, but we also have to play them in Wichita as well. Not an easy place to win.