College of Charleston Preview

As I will once again be spending the next few days out of town, I will present some pre-game thoughts and a few highlight vids to remind fans what Davidson has done against the Cougars in the last few years.

This game arguably holds more significance for the Cougars right now. The Wildcats are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings, and the Cougars are due for a couple of lucky bounces in this rivalry. The College of Charleston entered this year as the near unanimous favorite to win the Southern Conference and because of their mediocre performances in November and December, the moniker has now shifted to the streaking Wildcats. The Cougars are beginning to find an identity with the return of Josh Jackson from suspension and the elevated play of Jermaine Johnson in the frontcourt. Dontaye Draper seems to be finding some rhythm despite a cold stretch when Coach Cremmins moved the pre-season POY to point guard.

Davidson will be outmatched in terms of experience and lbs inside, but they will make up for it through coaching, outside shooting and a knack for the free throw line. The Wildcats pretty much did in the visiting WMU Broncos last week only by getting to the line 27 more times and hitting 85%. The Cougars might have a straight up mismatch in the paint, but the Wildcat big men will extend the defense and force some interesting matchups.

Going into this game, everyone is talking about the matchup between Draper and Stephen Curry. Perhaps a more intriguing and ultimately influential matchup will occur within the Dontaye Draper/Tony White Jr. vs. Stephen Curry/Jason Richards rotation. All four players have seen time at the 1 and 2 positions and it will be interesting to see where the coaches line them up at different points in the game. Both White and Curry have shown some freshman lapses throughout the early part of the season, but show a knack for shooting the ball. While Curry has been called on to be more of a primary scorer, White's play is just as critical to the success of the Cougars.

The more experienced leaders in Richards and Draper will be tested as they are battered and harassed up and down the court. Draper possesses a game-breaking mentality that always wants the ball. Richards, on the other hand, knows that he must continually keep the team together and keep the offense flowing. Whichever duo can play more effectively will certainly affect the outcome of this one.

Final Prediction: Davidson 75 CofC 73

Videos:
Morton Downs CofC