Mid-major basketball: In-depth look at the College of Charleston Cougars from the Colonial
In what will be one of our last mid-major focuses of the season, we look at the College of Charleston, who currently command the Colonial Athletic Association.
About a week ago, we focused on some mid-major programs that have not made the NCAA Tournament in a while. The Colonial Athletic Association features the College of Charleston, a program who has missed the big dance the last 19 seasons. The Cougars last made the tournament in 1998-’99 where they went a magical 28-3 overall. However, that was when the team was housed in the Southern Conference.
Since moving to the Colonial in 2013-’14, Charleston has steadily improved since then. The last three seasons have seen their win totals go from 17 to 25 to 23 this season. Charleston looks poised to end the year with more than 25 total wins, signifying another improvement from the year before. Currently, they have a 14-4 league record which is tied for best in the Colonial. However, the team they are tied with, Northeastern, has a worse overall record. The Cougars have two more wins on the season compared to the Huskies.
Charleston has two regular season victories over Northeastern, but they have not played since early February. Those two teams are the odds on favorites to play for the conference’s automatic bid. For the Cougars, the old saying claims that it is hard to beat a team three times in one season rings true. In order for Charleston to make the NCAA Tournament, they may have to do just that.
While they are locked in as the number one seed in the conference tournament, they do head into said tournament with stifled momentum. Their final game of the regular season saw them lose to William & Mary, the fourth best team in the Colonial. It is worth noting that the Tribe had to score 114 points to defeat the Cougars. None the less, that loss has to sting being as though they won their previous 11 games before that.
They will play either the eight or nine seed in the opening round of the CAA tournament. They will either play Drexel or most likely Delaware in that game. Charleston went 3-1 in games against those two teams this season, losing to Drexel back in early January. However, the Cougars will still be the favorite in that contest, regardless of their opponent.
The Cougars have a great diversity of seniors and underclassmen, which means they are here to stay for at least the next few seasons. Their best player, Grant Riller, is only a sophomore, but he averages a team high 18.4 points per game while shooting a blazing 55 percent from the field. Not far behind Riller is senior Joe Chealey and junior Jarrell Brantley. Chealey averages 18 points and five rebounds per game while Brantley pours in 17.3 points and nearly seven rebounds per contest. That three-headed monster is what carries Charleston most of the way. Also, senior Cameron Johnson averages nine points per game on 45 percent shooting.
Next: Ranking the 32 conference tournaments
As a program, the College of Charleston has only made the NCAA Tournament four times total. Keep in mind, this is a school that has only had a Division I basketball team since 1991. The Colonial has some sneaky teams that could upend their hopes at snapping their drought. However, the Cougars are clearly the favorite to represent the Colonial Athletic Association. They have the most talented players and the most complete team. Do not be shocked to see the Cougars on Selection Sunday.