Doug Wojcik Named Head Coach at CofC

Confirmation from ESPN's Andy Katz

We interupt this NCAA Final Four to give you an important announcement regarding CofC basketball. Former Tulsa Golden Hurricanes head coach Doug Wojcik has been named the newest mens basketball coach at the College of Charleston. So much to process right now. Here are the various pros and cons I can accrue from what research I've done so far:

Pros:

• Tubby Smith and Bill Self were also solid Tulsa head coaches who went on to do good things
• Played point guard at Navy alongside David Robinson
• Took Tulsa from two straight 9 win seasons to a respectable 123-78 record as head coach over seven seasons.
• Also has coaching experience at Navy, Notre Dame, Michigan State and UNC
• Each one of his seniors earned their degree at Tulsa
• Turned Tulsa into one of the top defensive teams in the country
• Helped recruit Raymond Felton to UNC and Chris Thomas to Notre Dame

Cons:

• He's been solid, but not spectacular at Tulsa. This was a team that was once a big time mid-major program but they were stalling under Wojcik
• Was one of the top assistants available in 2001 and 2003 but never really lived up to expectations 
• External hire: really hope we don't see an exodus of talent
• NEVER reached the NCAA Tournament as a coach at Tulsa (part of this was due to Calipari's Memphis team dominating the C-USA for so long but the Golden Hurricanes limped to a 10-6 conference record and lost to Marshall in the quarter finals this season)

Press conference scheduled for Wednesday

Cremins Officially Retires as CofC Head Coach

In a press conference held just minutes ago at TD Arena, Coach Cremins announced his official retirement from coaching college basketball. Also at the press conference were President Benson and Athletic Director Joe Hull. The College will conduct a national coaching search, of which interim coach Mark Byington has already been named the first "finalist".

Sad news to say the least, but was this a surprise to any real CofC fans? We all kind of said our goodbyes and sent our well-wishes when Cremins stepped down due to non-life threatening health concerns. The real curveball would have been if Cremins announced today that he would be back at the helm as the CofC mens basketball head coach.

The big takeaway for me is that the coaching search has not yet begun according to Hull and Benson. Which basically brings us right back to the gargantuan argument amongst CofC fans as to who should take up the reigns. There are whispers that Bobby will be an advisor to the program a-la John Kresse. There is also some speculation that the big search is all smoke-and-mirrors and that Byington pretty much has the job locked up. I'll make an assessment when official news comes to fruition. 

Davidson Holds Off Western Carolina in 2OT: Wins SoCon 93-91

What a freaking game. Those of you who stayed up to watch witnessed an absolute nail biter in one of the most dramatic SoCon Championship games in recent memory. Western Carolina jumped out to an early 12-point lead because Davidson was completely incapable of stopping dribble penetration. Then during a stretch spanning the end of the 1st and beginning of the 2nd half, Davidson was able to crawl back. It looked like the aggregate games were starting to get the better of Mutombo and Sumler as both were walking the ball up court, doubling over and bricking shots. So much of the Catamount offense is based on perimeter movement that it was only inevitable that their legs would start to die. Davidson meanwhile pounded the ball inside to Brooks, Cohen and Mann who went beast mode on anyone not name Tawaski King (he had a great game also).

Then with the game firmly in hand, Davidson botched a 10 point lead in the final 2 minutes plus change by turning the ball over off out-of-bounds plays and giving up dumb fouls. To their credit, Cole and Sumler also hit some ridiculous shots to tie the game up. In the both overtimes, the teams traded big shot after big shot. Eventually Mann finally took advantage of WCU's lethargic D and dunked one home to give Davidson their 93rd point. Cole would miss a deep three at the buzzer to seal the Wildcat NCAA Tournament birth.

Really really tough ending for Mutombo (my Tournament MVP) and Sumler. Those guys battled all weekend and never gave up down the stretch tonight against the overwhelming favorite. Both players collapsed to the ground as the buzzer sounded.

More notes from a great game:

• Player of the Year De'Mon Brooks had two isolation attempts to seal the game. Missed them both
• Very uncharacteristic of a McKillop-coached team to give the game away like that in the last two minutes of regulation. 14-2 run by WCU to close out the first 40 minutes
• My boy Michael Czera was big time down the stretch
• Dikembe in the house!
• Best subplot of this game: camera shots of uncomfortable Davidson fans sitting next to Asheville's locals. At more than one time you could see the argyle- wearing, bespectacled Davidson alums looking physically disgusted at the Mucinex boogers sitting next to them  
• Jon Sciambi is my favorite play-by-play man in college basketball. Always happy to cover the mid-majors and always gives the SoCon mad love
• Raise your hand if you knew Tawaski King and Clint Mann had such refined post moves. Liar. 
• Prime example of mental fatigue- WCU's miscommunication on defense leading to all those wide open lanes to the hoop
• Davidson a little too careless with the ball for such an important game
• Somebody please get Davidson's "free throw expert" to come to CofC

And that's all she wrote folks. Davidson is your Southern Conference Men's Basketball Champion

Southern Conference Championship: WCU vs Davidson

Davidson (24-7, 16-12) 

Western Carolina (17-17, 8-10)

US Cellular Center, Asheville, NC

Tipoff at 9pm on ESPN2

Do the Catamounts have one more game in them to complete the Cinderella story? Do the Wildcats go essentially untouched from preseason favorite to postseason champion? You guys all know the story lines in this one. Western Carolina peaked at just the right time and, as they have demonstrated to Wofford and UNCG, they are a force when their shots are falling. Davidson has had little trouble disposing those in their path so far but no team in the conference is as hot as Western Carolina. 

There are two things working in the Catamounts favor: speed and experience. Seniors Mutombo and Cole have been leading the charge in this tournament and Trey Sumler has been playing above the maturity level of most sophomores. The Catamounts also are quick on the perimeter and use a small lineup with Mutombo as the 4 to their advantage.

That leads into Davidson's strengths. Despite the adrenaline and home crowd likely to be present tonight, the Catamounts have played an exhausting 120 minutes of basketball this weekend so far. Out of those 120 minutes their three most important players have played the following: 

-Cole: 38, 34, 38

-Sumler: 39, 39, 40

-Mutombo: 35, 26, 28

Thats a lot of tread on the tires for any team with an NCAA berth on the line. Then add into that the size advantage Davidson has. Brooks and Cohen are All-Socon level forwards going up against that puny WCU front line.

Speed vs size, momentum vs steadfastness. Now stop reading and go enjoy some good basketball. 

Semi-Final Results

Western Carolina 82, UNC Greensboro 77
And the Catamounts pull another one out of the hat! Guess that's what I get for thinking. Western Carolina is rightfully the hottest team in the conference now, riding a seven-game win streak into the championship game and taking out two bye teams. Sumler and Mutombo again had great games, but this time the Cats got a big boost off the bench from Preston Ross. Ross went 4-7 from the field with 10 points to go along with 7 boards, but he also had some highlight plays that really changed the momentum of the game.

UNCG found themselves in a 12-point hole in the second half and for a little while it looked like they were going to make a big enough run to possibly take this one. For better or worse, Trevis Simpson went into full-on "hero ball" mode late in the game. The ball completely stopped when it touched his hand and he was playing a little too out of control. Simpson made some pretty spectacular shots that kept the Spartans within striking distance, but he also had some really careless travel violations and wild shots that certainly didn't help his cause. Questionable decision by Wes Miller late when he decided to ditch the full-court press that helped UNCG get back into it late and instead allowed G to run their play with less than 30 seconds left. Now WCU finds themselves in the final game of SoCon play; not bad for a team that just now got back to .500 on the year.

Davidson 83, Elon 67
Aside from some solid scoring performances by Lucas Troutman and Jack Isenbarger, the rest of Elon looked completely outmatched against the Wildcats. McKillop was able to limit Cohen and Cochrans minutes and Brooks was able to put up 20 and 6 despite foul trouble. The Wildcats go into the Championship game playing great basketball and with plenty of rest.

Down to the Semi-Finals

If you would have told me in December that the semi-finals of the SoCon Tournament featured three teams from the North Division and no CofC, I probably would have told you to take your prediction and shove it up your Nostradamass. And yet here we are. One of these teams will have the privilege of representing the entire conference in the Big Dance (and it won't be Wofford). When will we see regular-season Western Carolina return? When will the Spartans run out of steam? And who the hell is guarding Chris Czerapowicz?! All your questions will be answered in the next two days. For now, lets take a look at tonights games.

Game 9, 6pm: UNCG (1N) vs Western Carolina (3N)

The Western Carolina Catamounts have been one of the pleasant surprises of the SoCon Tournament so far. They are the only non-bye team still in the race for a championship and they also dismissed two-time champ Wofford in the process. What'll be interesting tonight is how they handle a team that runs a completely different offense than what the Catamounts have faced so far in the postseason. Citadel and Wofford both run their offense very methodically in the half court. The Spartans like to get out and run and jack up shots. The Terriers and Bulldogs orchestrate their offense like a well-tuned symphony. UNC Greensboro is much more hard rock. They're running and gunning and it's nothing pretty but it's sure as hell entertaining.

The teams have been real competitive with one another this season. Seven points and an overtime combined are all that separated these two squads in their home-and-away with each other. It's hard to get a gauge on UNCG because they have only played one tournament game. In that game against App State, it took about 25 minutes for Trevis Simpson to get going and once the Mountaineers had their hands on their knees during dead balls it was all over. Too much athleticism by the Spartans. UNCG didn't shoot well in that game but they made up for it by playing enough bodies to keep the tempo up. 

Western Carolina has been led by Harouna Mutombo and Trey Sumler. Both guards have been instrumental in frustrating opponents on the perimeter and hitting timely shots. The issue is going to be how long they can keep up a consistent defensive effort given the dense tournament schedule. There's a reason no team has ever won the four games in four days. Mental fatigue is just as much an issue as physical fatigue and the Catamounts are going to need both to keep pace with Greensboro.

The Pick: UNC Greensboro My mind's telling me no, but my body, my body's telling me yes. That's how I feel about picking the Catamounts. Any team that beats Wofford in the postseason has my backing. I just worry about the fatigue issue. Citadel and Wofford play slower than the average SoCon team and that certainly has helped the Cats win two games in two days. UNCG's tempo is the opposite of all that. Going with my mind in this one and picking the 1N seed.

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Game 10, 8:30 pm: Davidson (1S) vs Elon (2N)

I mentioned earlier how the Game 9 matchup features two similar teams going against each other. In the entire Southern Conference there may not be two more similar teams than those facing off in Game 10: Davidson and Elon. That's because Elon coach Matt Methany studied under the tutelage of Bob McKillop for 16 seasons before taking over the Phoenix in 2009. Matheny built his team under many of the same principles that McKillop employs: smart guard play, doing all the little things right etc. What caused Elon to get blown out by Davidson this year in the pair's only meeting was rebounding. The Wildcats held a commanding 45-27 advantage on the glass. That will have to be a point of emphasis for the Phoenix and they'll likely need a big game from Lucas Troutman. When the Cougars played Davidson at Belk, our guys really had a tough time rebounding while chasing guys like Jake Cohen around the perimeter. Matt Methany might have to get creative and aggressive with his game plan if Elon is going to pull the upset. 

The Pick: Davidson The only way the Wildcats are losing this one is if they're looking ahead to the championship game and they let the Phoenix shoot way over their head. 

     

Day 2 Wrap Up

UNCG 65, Appalachian State 55
Not a pretty game by any means but UNC Greensboro came back from an 11-point deficit to knock App State out of the tournament. Early on the Mountaineers looked good, they continued to hit difficult shots and they really pressured the Spartans into tough possessions. The difference maker was when Trevis Simpson finally started hitting shots in the second half. Once he got going, things seemed to get easier for Armstrong and Parker to make plays. The Mountaineers hit their final field goal of the game at the 9:03 mark of the second half. They simply ran out of gas. Too many careless turnovers and forced one-on-one plays by ASU down the stretch cost them the lead and the victory.

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Western Carolina 82, Wofford 59
The Terriers may have just overtaken CofC for worst first game of the tournament. Wofford just couldn't buy a shot going against surprisingly stingy defense by the Catamounts. Brad Loesing and Kevin Giltner put up some pretty heroic efforts in trying to make it a three-peat in the Big Dance, but Western Carolina was just too fast and too aggressive for Mike Young's team. Recently-named Freshman of the Year Karl Cochran really struggled in his first tournament game and looked noticeably frustrated on the floor.

Wofford's bigs got in early foul trouble and it's been said here before how weak that bench is. Once Skinner and Crowell were forced to stay on the floor with four fouls apiece, Mutombo and King were able to drive untouched to the basket. Didn't help matters that the crowd at US Cellular Center was largely Catamount favorable. Every time WCU delivered another big basket that place got loud. Needless to say this is a HUGE loss for the Terriers and a big win for the North Division, which is now guaranteed to have a team make the Championship game. Tough ending for those seniors from Wofford, something tells me that team is going to take a step backward next year.

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Davidson 73, Furman 54
Who needs UNC-Duke when you have a matchup like this? I didn't watch this game live because the Tobacco Road matchup was on at 7. Plus you gotta watch the pregame shenanigans on College Gameday. Furman actually outrebounded the Wildcats 34-31 but they allowed Davidson to shoot 47.4% from the floor and 10-26 from three. Kind of surprised the Cats took that many treys but so continues the tournament trend this year of one team completely outshooting the other. Davidson was paced by Brooks and Chris Czerapowicz (I've decided his nickname will be Michael Czera) both of whom scored 17 points in less than 30 minutes of play. There was also one other player who scored 17 points. Tyler Kalinoski, who I totally struck out on as my Most Important Player, came off the bench to drill 5 three-balls. Every Davidson player sounds like they come from a Polish family who emigrated to Minnesota.

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Elon 65, Georgia Southern 58
Charlton, your defense....woof. The Eagles had enough offensively to win most regular season games. If you look at the boxscore you'll see that both teams put up very similar stats on the night. Offensive and defensive rebounds, assists, turnovers all match up pretty equal for GSU and Elon. But the one glaring issue with Georgia Southern last night was that they allowed the Phoenix to shoot 53.3% of their field goals. Elon had very balanced scoring within their rotation and jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead that they never really looked back on. The Eagles didn't have an answer for Isenbarger and sent him to the line again and again. He made the Eagles pay by sinking all 9 of his free throws on the night. Eric Ferguson had another impressive game for GSU (21 and 9), but he was also part of the problem defensively.

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Elon's win gives us three North division teams in the semi-finals. Of those 4, WCU was the only one to play on Day 1. I'm still in favor of scrapping divisions.