Defense Clamps Down on Boise, CofC Advances to Face UCF

Final Score: College of Charleston 60, Boise State 47
Top Performers:
Jarrell Brantley- 11 pts (3–5 2pt, 4–4 FT), 13 rebs
Chandler Hutchison- 24 pts (10–19 FG), 12 rebs, 2 asts

Boy is it nice to be on the winners side of the bracket.

After anxiously waiting for three games to play out at TD Arena, the Charleston Cougars were able to shake off a slow start and ride a textbook defensive effort to victory in the first round of their hometown tournament.

Boise State, a team that averaged nearly 80 points per game last year, was limited to just 47 last night. Without Chandler Hutchison’s monster performance, it would’ve been even less. Credit the Cougar defense for another smothering effort in mostly man-to-man sets. The Boise numbers are not pretty — they had 7 shots blocked, shot 4 of 21 from behind the arc and managed about half a point per possession.

Offensively, CofC continued to share the wealth. After another rough start from the field, the team got rolling during a 25–9 run that included a Brantley dunk, a pair of Cameron Johnson three pointers and some heady plays by Hulsey and Pointer. In total, 6 Cougars contributed 5 or more points. Chealey and Brantley were the only ones in double figures, but the team shot 40% from the field and 74% from the line.

Next up for Charleston is a 9:30 p.m. contest vs UCF on ESPNU. The Knights scored the lone upset of the tournament so far, riding a career game from 7'6 center Tacko Fall to a decisive victory over Mississippi State. Fall, seen as a project for much of his freshman season, finished last night with 26 points (8 dunks), 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. He was complemented by do-all point guard BJ Taylor, who was 3 rebounds shy of a 17-point triple double.

There’s no one on the Charleston roster that can match up size wise with Fall, so Earl Grant and the coaching staff need to do the exact opposite of whatever Mississippi State’s strategy. One thing the Cougs do have going for them is depth. The Knights go about six deep and there is a sharp dropoff in talent after the starting five. Charleston’s defense should wear out Taylor more than anyone he’s faced this year. The question is, can the CofC offense get the same production with one of the world’s tallest humans protecting the basket? We shall see.

Some more notes from the game:

• Another switch in the starting lineup, as Hulsey took over for Pointer after they had switched roles the previous game.
• Rotation update — McManus is up to 6 minutes of PT and Bailey did not enter the game.
• Chevez Goodwin was able to stay on the floor and out of foul trouble to contribute 5 points, 5 boards and a team-high 3 blocks. He also played some great defense in easily his best performance so far.
• Best finish in maybe 2+ seasons for the Cougars. Seriously. When you have guys like Chealey, who can play smart with the ball and make free throws, the late game cardiac arrests that paralyze Cougar fans slowly subside.
• Here’s Tacko Fall versus a regular sized vending machine