NCAA Basketball: Early preview of the 2018 Gildan Charleston Classic
Ball State Cardinals
The Cardinals won 19 games last season, but coach James Whitford’s team fell in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament. They do return their four top scorers, including all three double-digit scorers and junior forward Kyle Mallers, who if he is able to improve on his three-point shooting after shooting 34% last season, could be a real weapon for the Cardinals. Maller averaged 9.6 points and 4.9 rebounds to go along with a team-best 85% from the free throw line.
Positionally, the bulk of the Cardinals point production was balanced as guard Tayler Persons (15.0), 6-8 forward Thjai Teague (12.1), and 6-9 center Trey Moses (11.3) are the team’s leading scorers, Moses and Teague also combined to pull down nearly 16 rebounds per game.
Davidson Wildcats
You can Pencil it in, legendary coach Bob McKillop will win at least 20 games again and have a good chance to repeat as champions of the Atlantic 10. After beating Rhode Island by a single point to claim the title last year, they gave fifth-seeded Kentucky all they could handle in the first round before falling 78-73. The Wildcats were a top-100 team both on offense, 76.9 points, and defense, 68.2, as well as assists where their nearly 17 per game was 13th best in the country.
Leading scorer and rebounder Peyton Aldridge will need to be replaced but Kellan Grady was one of the most productive freshmen in the country at over 18 points per game and his running mate in the backcourt Jon Axel Gudmundsson returns with 13 points and is also the team’s top returning rebounder at six per game. One guy to keep an eye for the Wildcats is junior guard KiShawn Pritchett who averaged 5.9 points and three assists while shooting 92% from the free throw line and 44% from behind the arc.