Charleston Basketball: How the Cougars could upset Auburn
Auburn has received their fair amount of media coverage this season. Charleston basketball is looking to put an end to that by handing them a first-round exit.
The 13-over-4 upset is not a yearly occurrence but it has happened eight times in the last 10 NCAA Tournaments. In the year’s Big Dance, there are a few No. 13 seeds that have enough firepower to knock off the favorite. Even though Auburn has had a sensational season, College of Charleston has the guard play and overall scoring ability that can keep up.
Stars to watch
Leading the way for the Cougars is a dynamic backcourt made up of Joe Chealey and Grant Riller. Chealey, a senior, is the veteran leader of this team. He is putting up 18.5 points per game on the season, which is good for second on the roster, although on relatively low efficiency. Despite being a high-volume shooter, Chealey only converts on 39.3% of his field goals and 35.0% of his 3-pointers.
His counterpart, Riller, is a much more efficient offensive weapon. He was the leading scorer on the team for the season at 18.7 points per game. Over the course of the year, he has become the go-to scorer for Earl Grant’s team. The sophomore drops in 40.3% of his threes to go along with a ridiculous 62.3% efficiency inside the 3-point arc.
However, this duo is not alone. Jarrell Brantley rounds out the unique trio of scoring that Charleston brings to the table. Brantley averaged 17.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the season on a fairly efficient 49.7% shooting from the field (38.4% from three).
Controlling the pace
Big-time performances from each of these three players are mandatory if Charleston is going to upset Auburn on Friday. Considering the Tigers play at one of the fastest paces in the country, these scorers will be relied on to keep pace for the Cougars for as long as they can.
If this game is played at the torrid tempo that Auburn wants to run with, though, Charleston will have no chance. The Cougars play at the 27th slowest pace in the country and will need to do everything that they can to slow down possessions. This means that the team needs to pass the ball to find the best shot, limit fast breaks, and rebound the ball well on both ends of the floor.
Thankfully, one of the things that Charleston does better than just about any other team in the country is taking care of the ball. On the season, the Cougars turn the ball over on only 14.7% of their possessions, a mark that ranks 11th in the nation. This trend will need to continue in order for Charleston to have any chance.
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It is going to take a huge effort from Charleston to make this upset happen but would it come as a huge surprise? In March, all it takes is one guy catching hot from deep to upset a top team. The Cougars have three guys who could potentially erupt for that kind of performance.