Bracketology 2023: Complete Bubble Watch before final weekend of regular season
By Joey Loose
Charleston: 28-3 (16-2 in CAA) NET: 53
Though they won 20 straight games earlier this season, Charleston’s NET has never been higher than 41 this season. That’s a winning streak that includes wins over Virginia Tech, Kent State, and Davidson. When you’re comparing the performance of these Cougars to some of the other teams vying on the bubble, it’s understandable why the Cougars will likely be left outside if they don’t get the automatic bid.
The unfortunate truth is a pair of Quad 3 losses to Hofstra and Drexel in the middle of conference play really doomed Charleston’s resume. They finished the season tied with Hofstra in the league standings but settled for the 2-seed in the CAA Tournament. Aside from those aforementioned games, the Cougars have zero impressive wins and only played one Quad 1 game all season, a tough one on the road at then-#1 North Carolina in November.
If Charleston makes the title game of the CAA Tournament and losses again, they’ll have 30 wins, but will they deserve an at-large bid? They’ve already won 17 games against Quad 4 opposition and it’s clear they’re beating up on the weaker teams on their schedule this season. It’s hard to imagine a situation where this talented team can fall in their conference tournament and sneak in, especially with some of the potent mid-majors that have been left out of the field in recent years. Nobody wants to see Charleston in the first round; let’s hope we get to find out what happens.