Cougs land sixth seed in SoCon Tourney, face Citadel on Friday!

2008 Men's and Women's SoCon Tournament Pairings

Men

Friday, March 7
Wofford vs. Western Carolina, 3 p.m. (Seeding TBD)
No. 7 Elon vs. No. 10 Furman, 5:15 p.m.
No. 6 College of Charleston vs. No. 11 The Citadel, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 8
No. 1 Davidson vs. Wofford/WCU winner, 2 p.m.
No. 4 App State vs. No. 5 UNC Greensboro, 4:15 p.m.
No. 2 Chattanooga vs. Elon/Furman winner, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Ga. Southern vs. Charleston/Citadel winner, 9:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 9
Semifinals, 6 and 8:30 p.m.

Monday, March 10
Championship game, 9 p.m.

Women

Thursday, March 6
No. 7 Furman vs. No. 10 Wofford, 3 p.m.
No. 8 App. State vs. No. 9 UNCG (30 minutes later)

Friday, March 7
Furman/Wofford winner vs. No. 2 Western Carolina, 10 a.m.
App State/UNCG winner vs. No. 1 Chattanooga

Saturday, March 8
No. 4 Georgia Southern vs. No. 5 College of Charleston, 9 a.m.
No. 3 Davidson vs. Elon, (30 min later)

Sunday, March 9
Semifinals, noon, 2:30 p.m.

Monday, March 10
Championship Game , 5 p.m.

For a printable bracket in PDF format, click here.

Davidson still has the ugliest mascot in College Basketball!

For all of the Davidson fans that could use a Sapakoff's refresher course in FAN-101, let me begin by saying you have by far the ugliest mascot in college basketball. The Davidson Wildcat not only scares the kids, but I would be apprehensive if I saw that thing in a dark alley.

Secondly, if you feel it necessary to remove your shirt for a basketball game, you should at least paint something, anything, on your chest. Simply showing off your six chest hairs is not enough. Hell, other than the location of your seats, it was hard to know which team you were affiliated with.
If you noticed Cougar fans painted themselves maroon, with white letters. There were variations as the painted Coug Fans were numerous, but they all spelled wither "C-of-C", "C-O-U-G-S" etc. Obviously this is just advice (take it or leave it) but if you are headed to Rupp to represent your school and our conference, a little body paint would be apropos. I am not hating; I am just stating a few facts of the matter.

Post and Courier article by Andrew Miller

Click here for the Post and Courier's Andrew Miller's article about the game. The guys played their hearts out and there is still a chance at a NIT bid. It is truly remarkable what this team has accomplished this season. They went from being a 3-6 team labeled and chanted by Davidson fans during the game as being "over-rated" to becoming one of the best teams in the SoCon that reached the SoCon Finals.

(Photo from Mic Smith at the Post and Courier)

Davidson is the SoCon Champs for 2-consecutive years

Davidson will return to the Big Dance to face either Ohio State, Michigan State or Wisconsin at Rupp Arena later this month. Davidson improved to 29-4 and won their second-straight Southern Conference Championship. The College of Charleston Cougars (22-11) still have a possible bid in the National Invitational Tournament. (Photo courtesy of the Davidson basketball blog)

The game was a heart-breaker with lots of emotion on both sides. But I would be amiss to take parting shots at the Wildcats or the poor-officiating in all 3 of our games during the SoCon Tourney. As a College of Charleston graduate reared on manners and with a great level of respect for our opponents, I can only wish Davidson well in the NCAA Tournament and hope they represent the Southern Conference well.

I am taking a couple of days off, but I will post more on the blog later this week.

SoCon Championship Game: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Southern Conference Championship Game: The College of Charleston vs. Davidson
A win tonight against our rivals would return the Cougars to their first trip to the Big Dance since 1999! Despite Davidson holding a 7-game win streak against the Cougars, they are our biggest rivals and perhaps the College of Charleston vs. Davidson match-up is the biggest rivalry in the Southern Conference! This is the first SoCon Championship that the Cougars have played in since 2000; ironically, the same year Coach Cremins retired from Georgia Tech! (Photo courtesy of Keele)

Davidson is tough, but every team has their weaknesses. On paper, Davidson looks to have none, but we all know that Stephen Curry has foul tendencies and weak first-half starts. Jason Richards is 2nd in the nation in assists, but he has issues with the full-court press. We need to give the "Cincinnati Kid" a tough time in the paint and to prevent good looks from the parimeter. We need Josh Jackson to come out fresh and for his jump hook to drop. We need a continued gang-busting efforts from Jermaine, Philip and David! We need huge efforts by the supporting casts of subs and the Maroon Nation! Finally, we need Dontaye to maintain his level of play on both ends of the court (stopping Max Paulhaus-Gosselin and Steph Curry) and impress those NBA scouts watching the game on ESPN2!

With hometown energy the Cougars have an excellent chance to win tonight. Coach Bob McKillop will be looking for his 4th trip to the NCAA Tourney and a win tonight would give the Wildcats their wishes. I am sure he is telling his troops to concentrate on tonight's game, but they are the favorites and since they are easily beating their opponents in the SoCon Tourney, it is only human nature for them to look ahead. And that is where the Cougars who are shooting lights-out basketball will bring home a win and a trip to the Big Dance! My final advice for tonight's game is to leave it all on the court. Remember the words of Urbana, Ohio native Brown when he said while walking out of the church, "You know what they say, it is better to burn out..than to fade away!" Go Cougs!

Davidson breezed by Furman last night 91-60

The Wildcats were led by SoCon Freshman of the Year Stephen Curry with 30-points to cruise by Furman 91-60! Curry's 6 baskets from behind the arc set a new NCAA Division 1 record for most 3-pointers in a season by a freshman @ 113. Leading the nation in assists, point-guard Jason Richards added 20-points for the Wildcats!

The Wildcats' defense shut-down Furman holding the Paladins to only 15-points in the 1st-half. Davidson shot 48.3% from the field for the game and made 21-28 from the charity-stripe. They will face the College of Charleston in tomorrow's Championship Game!

For more Davidson Basketball check out WB's Davidson basketball blog or Will Bryan's real-time blogging from the game!

The College of Charleston Wins Over Appalachian State!

The Cougars won 89-87 in OT tonight against Appalachian State and will face Davidson in the Championship Game tomorrow night at 6:00 pm! The game will air on ESPN 2.

Dontaye Draper set a new career-high and College of Charleston record of most points scored in a game with 38-points! More on this later! It is time to celebrate with the Maroon Nation!
(Photo compliments of CofC Sports.com)

Scouting Appalachian State for tonight's game

The Cougars dropped both of their games against the Mountaineers this year: @ Kresse they lost 57-68 and at App the Cougars lost 56-67. In the December 2, 2006 game, Dontaye Draper was held to 5-points all from the charity-stripe. In the last meeting between the two schools, Dontaye scored 3-points (from behind the arc) in 33-minutes of play. (Photo courtesy of SoCon Sports.com)

Draper knows that he has to shake those Mountaineer blues if the Cougars are to advance this evening to tomorrow's Championship game. If you watched the last game at Appalachian State, you are well aware that Draper was cold, but so wasn't the rest of the squad. Dontaye made great dishes, but the Cougs (shooting 34.5% from the field, 22.7% from behind the arc and 65% from the charity-stripe) couldn't get the ball to drop. Philip and Josh both ended with 12-points for the game. All Conference 3rd Team honoree, David Lawrence had 9-points and Jermaine added 6. Marcus Hammond had 4-points against App and Tony White Jr and Taurus both finished with 3-points.

Although Appalachian State's starting forward Nathan Crawford is 3-days out of practice and inflicted with a virus, the Mountaineers' bench picked up the slack last night against Western Carolina. The University of Virginia transfer, Donte Minter, scored 11-points and had 5-boards, Doug McLaughlin-Williams scored 12-points with 6-rebounds and Eduardo Bermudez added 11-points coming off the bench. With 15-points, D.J. Thompson was the only starter to score double-digits.

The Cougars have an excellent opportunity to break the 3-game losing streak the Mountaineers have imposed and can catch the Mountaineers looking past this game to the Media's darling match-up with Davidson for the SoCon Title. As Coach Cremins said, "Everyone wants to see a Davidson vs. App. State final, but we have other plans." The Cougars need a big game from Dontaye Draper tonight and even a bigger game from the big men down in the paint. If they do so, they can contain the Mountaineers and play tomorrow for a ticket to the Big Dance!

The College of Charleston advances to the Semi-Finals to face App. State tonight at 8:30 pm

For the past 6-years, Goldfinger, Mel and I have gone to the So Con Tourney only to be disappointed as our beloved Cougars fell short from attaining the ticket to the Big Dance, but this year was different. This year, the Cougars knew the stakes and they came to win! The College of Charleston's men's basketball team improved to 21-10 defeating Georgia Southern 77-66. The Eagles dropped to 15-16 for the season. The Cougars face Appalachian State tonight at 8:30 pm.

From the Den
The Cougars trailed by 7 at the half. Dontaye Draper scored 12-points in the first half, David Lawrence had 5-points, Jermaine put up 5-hard fought points and Javon Parris added three-points in the first half. Dismal to say the least. The Cougars gave up numerous easy baskets and it looked as the same dance, just a different year. (Photo from CofC Sports.com)

Keeping the Faith!
The 2nd half became a Cougar high-light reel as the College turned up the defense, the crowd became a formidable opponent as the 6th man and we all ran (7-2 @ the 16:26-mark and 10-0 at the 12-minute mark) with the Cougars. (Que Prince" "They say tomorrow '00, party on like its' 1999!) Dontaye Draper would lead the Cougars with 23-points (4-6 from behind the arc). Big Man Josh Jackson looked sluggish in the first half, but became a fierce opponent in the paint with 16-points. I almost felt bad for Salazar and his fellow wounded Eagles as Dontaye and Jermaine utilized the Lionel Richie-"All Night Long" play dishing under the basket for Jermaine's easy lay-up. Jermaine Johnson would finish with 15-points. David Lawrence looked like Reggie Miller on the floor feeding shots and putting up 12-points of his own.

The Cougars played an exciting game last night. They gave us all something to cheer about and kept our spirits alive throughout. I can only hope that more of the Maroon Nation will join us for tonight's game against App. State. Great job by the Cougars! Eagles thanks for playing!

Davidson, Furman and Appalachian State advance to the Semi-Finals

#1-seed, Davidson defeated UT-Chattanooga (15-18) by 10-points, 78-68 as Jason Richards and SoCon Rookie of the Year, Stephen Curry put 20-points on the board to give the Wildcats a chance to be in it to win it. The Wildcats improve their season to 27-4 and face the Furman Paladins tonight at 6pm.

The Furman Paladins improved to 15-15 beating UNC-Greensboro by 2-points, 73-71 last night. Robby Bostain scored 18-points and Moussa Diagne added 16-points in their win over the favored Hawks. Furman will face Davidson at 6pm tonight.

#2-seed, Appalachian State Mountaineers (25-6) had a lot of help from their bench last night with Doug McLaughlin-Williams scoring 12-points, Eduardo Bergendez and Donte Minter both had 11-points during the contest. All-Conference team recipient, D.J. Thompson led the Mountaineers with 15-points. The Mountaineers will host the College of Charleston's super-powered, dynamic offense tonight at 8:30pm.

Ladies results in the SoCon Tourney!

The #5-seed, Georgia Southern Eagles defeated UNC-Greensboro 81-64 today shooting 50% from behind the arc to enter the Semi-Finals tomorrow against Western Carolina at Noon. SoCon Rookie of the year, Carolyn Whitney had 10-points in today's victory. (Photo from SoCon Sports.com)

#3-seed, Davidson defeated Wofford, 71-62, to advance to the Semi-Finals to face UT-Chattanooga tomorrow at 2:30 pm.

Scouting Georgia Southern

If you saw last week's game at Statesboro, the Cougars led at the half and kept the game close until the Eagles ran away with the game in the final minutes of the game. The Eagles are playing great basketball right now. Georgia Southern can hit the 3-ball and with guys like Diogo Salazar, they are big down below.

The Eagles main weakness is their shooting ability from the charity-stripe (60%). The Cougars missed opportunities to foul guys like Salazar (42%-shooter) instead of letting them make the easy basket. Hopefully, the Cougars have watched the tape and know what to do if the game gets dangerously close at the end.


Recon on Georgia Southern from the last game of the season: (FG, 3PT, FT, Rebs and Points)

• Diogo Salazar: #34 (5-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, 6-rebounds, 11-points)
• Louis Graham: #40 (7-16 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-8 FT, 4-rebounds, 19-points)
• Dwayne Foreman: #1 (4-8 FG, 2-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2-rebounds, 12-points)
• Donte Gennie (All-SoCon Team) #2 (4-14 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1-1 FT, 5-rebounds, 10-points)
• Matt Fields: #33 (5-12 FG, 0-0 3PT, 4-6 FT, 1-rebounds, 14-points)
  

North Charleston Coliseum

Here is the seating chart for the North Charleston Coliseum (Click on image for a larger version)
The Cougars are 26-8 all-time at the NCC. The College is 4-4 in SoCon Tourney play, having lost their last 4-games in the Tourney. The Cougars lost last year at the buzzer in a 65-63 decision to UT-Chattanooga in the Quarter-finals last year. CofC is 3-0 in Over-time games at the NCC and 1-0 in SoCon Tourney Over-time games.

The Opening Round of the SoCon Tournament went as expected!

UT-Chattanooga sent Wofford home to Spartanburg with a 64-55 win last night. Casey Long scored 13-points as the Mocs improved to (15-17, 7-12 SoCon). Junior Salters led the Terriers with 17-points. The Mocs face the #1-seeded Davidson Wildcats (26-4, 17-1 SoCon) today at 2 pm. For all of you Davidson fans out there, WB says that Parking Lot B will have a Davidson tailgate from 10 am this morning until 2 pm. (Photo compliments of SoCon Sports)

Nick Aldridge scored 20-points and Negus McKenna scored 18-points as the Western Carolina Catamounts (11-19, 8-11 SoCon) squeaked one past the Elon Phoenix 69-65. Western Carolina advances to face Appalachian State (24-6, 15-3 SoCon) in the Q-finals tonight at 7pm.

Georgia Southern defeated the Citadel, (62-46) giving Coach Conroy an addendum to his cousin’s book, “My Losing Season”. I asked Coach Conroy’s nephew-twice- removed's, college roommate, Hank, after the game what he thought about the Bulldog’s season and what Coach Conroy was thinking. He replied; “I am very proud, of my seniors’ game, although their kind of balling and mine ain’t exactly the same. Stop and think it over, try to put yourself in my unique position. Now leave me alone, we can’t press with the zone, we lost all season long, we’re just carrying on and it’s just a Family Tradition!"

The Eagles will face the College of Charleston (20-10, 13-5 SoCon) tonight. I know it is everywhere, I guess the media is rubbing their total disregard for fact-checking in the SoCon's face but despite what the liberal-Davidson (on-line) Media is saying, we (CofC) are not playing the Catamounts who we beat twice this year, we are playing Georgia Southern, tip-off is at 9:30 pm.

My Picks for Dancin' the Charleston

Here are the CofC Sports Fans picks for the SoCon Tournament:

Session 1
Game #1: UT-Chattanooga over Wofford
Game #2: Western Carolina over Elon
Game #3: Georgia Southern over The Citadel

Session 2
Game #4 Davidson over UT-Chattanooga
Game #5: UNC-Greensboro over Furman

Session 3
Game #6: Appalachian State over Western Carolina
Game #7: The College of Charleston over Ga. Southern

Session 4
Game #8: Davidson over UNC-Greensboro
Game #9: The College of Charleston over Appalachian State

Championship Game
Game #10: The College of Charleston over Davidson
The College of Charleston receives the SoCon automatic bid to the BIG DANCE!

Time for the Cougars to do the Charleston! So-Con Tournament!

The College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team received a 3rd-seed for the SoCon Tourney! Of course, you already knew that and I am sure you already called Josh Bryson at the CofC ticket office to get your seats behind the bench for Thursday night's game. The game (game 7 in the tournament) will be at 9:30 on March 1st against Wednesday night's Game 3 winner between #6-seed Georgia Southern and the 11th-seed Citadel Bulldogs.

If the Cougars advance they will play the Game 6 winner between #2-seed App State and the winner of Game 2 between Western Carolina and Elon. Wouldn't it be great to see Elon win against the Catamounts and then beat App State for the 2nd time this season? We can only hope.

If the Cougars win game 9 on March 2nd @ 8:30 pm against either App State or the Western Carolina/Elon winner, they will reach the Championship Game (Game 10) against a pretty much open field of contenders, but presumably, the Cougs will face either #1-seed Davidson, #4-seed UNC-Greensboro or #5-seed Furman. The SoCon Tournament Championship Game will air on ESPN2 on March 3 @ 6 pm.