Charleston to Explore Move Further

According to the Charleston Post and Courier, the College of Charleston Board of Trustees discussed a possible move from the Southern Conference to the CAA at their meeting today. However, there was no definite decision.

The athletics committee will study the issue and make a recommendation to the full board, which is next scheduled to meet on Aug. 3.

Cougars athletic director Joe Hull said there is no timeline or deadline from the CAA for College of Charleston to make a decision. He said the uncertain future of the Southern Conference and the potential for missed class time and increased travel costs in the CAA are two of many issues College of Charleston must consider.

I've been following all of this through my Twitter account. Check it out there if you want to read more.

SoCon Didn't Issue "Deadline"

On Tuesday, the SoCon released a statement saying it did not give a deadline to some of it's member school that are being courted by the CAA.

“Additionally, despite numerous published reports citing a July 4th deadline, the conference office has not issued any ultimatums to its member schools regarding conference affiliation.”

A Burlington Times-News article sums it up this way ...

While there certainly never was any sort of established deadline, the Southern Conference had hoped its member schools in play with the Colonial Athletic Association would reach their decisions by Wednesday.

I personally just love how the writer of this entry on the blog App State Nation (great site by the way) put it ...

How did the rumor get started? Well basically, the Burlington Times reported it citing unnamed sources. The Charleston Post & Courier cited the Burlington Times. The Virginia Gazette cited the Charleston Post & Courier. Then the Winston-Salem Journal cited the Virginia Gazette.

Where do I think this whole "deadline" idea got started? Message boards. I read a ton of message boards and have a ton of very quiet sources who let me know about stuff well in advance. However, I try to wait until an actual news group or journalist published something. I always try to link to the source and quote it as much as possible as well. That way you can go read the story for yourself. If I've misrepresented what was written, you guys can leave a comment telling me as much. In this case it seems like a tweet got changed by a message board and picked up by another paper and then ... BOOM ... it was on. I still love Twitter, though.

As for an actual SoCon-CAA timeline, it seems UNCW Chancellor Gary Miller (who is chairman of CAA's Council of Presidents) expects another 6 months before things begin to really take shape.

"Christmas is a realistic goal," he said of a time frame for announcing new members.

"It's a difficult question to answer, because the schools we want to talk to have time constraints, they're in conferences already, they have exit strategies. We would like to see some things happen quickly – and definitely by next year."

Apparently, this saga will go on for quite a while.

UNCG wins 3rd straight, Secures Bye

UNCG 78 - Charleston 63

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG Athletics
Charleston Athletics

Halftime: UNCG 31 - Charleston 30

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Derrell Armstrong (30)
Leader Rebounds: David Williams (11)
Leader Assists: Kyle Randall (6)
Team FG: 30-62 (48.4%)
Team 3 Pt: 8-19 (42.1%)
Team FT: 10-14 (71.4%)
Reabounds: 34
Turnovers: 16

Charleston Stats
Leader Points: Trent Wiedeman (21)
Leader Rebounds:Trent Wiedeman (18)
LeaderAssists: Andrew Lawrence (7)
Team FG: 21-59 (35.6%)
Team 3 Pt: 5-25 (20.0%)
Team FT: 16-21 (76.2%)
Rebounds: 40
Turnovers: 22

Cremins to Take a Leave of Absence

College of Charleston Coach Bobby Cremins is currently deciding whether to take a leave of absence or to step down. The Charleston Post & Courier has an article discussing the situation there.

College of Charleston head basketball coach Bobby Cremins, suffering from unspecified but non-life threatening health problems, is deciding whether to take an extended leave of absence or resign, high-level sources told The Post and Courier on Friday.

An official announcement from the school is expected at a new conference scheduled for 6:15 p.m. today.

What's Next Western, Youth YMCA Teams?

Western Carolina defeated Toccoa Falls 141-39 last night. Here is a recap of the game. Toccoa Falls College is a "fully accredited, Christian liberal arts, bible college, located in Toccoa, Georgia." The Eagles (3-6) are a member NCCAA (National Christian College Athletics Association).

The Catamounts jumped on TCC 72-17 by halftime and eased up on them the second half. Nine (that's right, nine) WCU players scored in double figures. Trey Sumler led Western with 18 points in 18 minutes of playing time. Two of the three WCU players that didn't score in double figures were starters. The margin of victory is the 3rd highest ever in D1 basketball (if that is what we are calling this).

While these are some tremendous statistics, Western Carolina should be ashamed of themselves. Why in the world were they even playing this game? For the record, this is WCU's second game against a non-D1 school. Earlier this season, the Catamount defeated Montreat College 109-63. But for this game, who gained anything from it? It didn't boost attendance (1, 431). It isn't an early season game to get your team some traction. Even the press WCU is receiving from winning by 100+ isn't all good. Some outlets are questioning their sportsmanship (and with good reason).

This past week, the Charleston Post & Courier printed a story discussing with the commissioner some steps the SoCon could take become a real mid-major conference like the CAA. If the P&C had waited a week, Western would have served their point on a silver platter.

On the other hand, SoCon teams have played 20 games against non-Division I teams, dotting schedules with mystery teams such as Warren Wilson, Lindsey Wilson, Spalding and Virginia-Wise, an NAIA team that's played three SoCon squads this season.

The CAA? It's 12 teams have played just one game against a lower-division squad.

CAA programs must ask the league for a waiver to schedule any non-Division I squad. In the SoCon, teams must request a waiver only if they play more than two lower division teams.

"We've talked about scheduling issues and how that impacts the RPI rankings," Iamarino said. "But we've not gotten to the point where we have created a mandatory format. I don't personally think that's in the best interest
of each program."

But Iamarino does review each team's schedule, and said teams expected to contend are encouraged to "schedule up and put some good non-conference opponents on there." Conversely, a schedule with three or four lower-division opponents draws scrutiny from the league office.

"With one program this year, I had a long conversation with their athletic director about it," said Iamarino, who declined to name the team. "I just felt it was an upper echelon program that was not testing itself sufficiently."

I'm guessing the school he declined to name was west of Greensboro.

This past week's installment of Scanning the SoCon asked the panel's opinion about that specific article and the responses were very similar. Here are the Davidson and Chattanooga blogger's responses ...

This article from the Post and Courier talks about things the SoCon needs to do to improve. What do you think the Commissioner needs to do to help improve the conference?

DavidsonCats- Conference teams currently need to request a waiver to play more than two non-D1s. I'd like to see this changed. How about this-- you can play one non-D1. If you want to play a second one, you submit a request for a waiver and a check for $100,000 to be divided among the schools who schedule zero non-D1 teams. The commish keeps the check, but only grants the waiver if he can't find you a D1 game. What that would mean is that no school would request the waiver. They'd find D1 opponents, even if it meant playing other Southern Conference teams, or just leave a game off of the schedule.

MocsMania- Personally, I think the commissioner needs to help with the scheduling- namely two sets of conference challenges (how about the Big South and the OVC?) and each team plays at home in one, and on the road in the other during the season. Then, the following year, they play return trips. (I stole that one from ChattanoogaMocs on the MocFans message board.) I also think that requiring teams to play in the BracketBuster (with a return trip the following year) will be huge. That would be four games each year out of conference right there. Put those on the Mocs schedule this year, and they would not have had to play a single non-D1. Same is true for everyone else in the conference. But, there also needs to be an influx of money spent on basketball to up recruiting budgets and to hire better coaching staffs. I don't know where that influx of money comes from. But that is where the biggest deal will be.

In the end, I guess I'll say congratulations to Western Carolina while informing them that my nephew's 6th grade Upward Bound team already has a full schedule for this season (just in case they were wondering).

Scanning the SoCon - Week 11

Scanning the SoCon Week #11

1. Davidson
2. Charleston
3. Ga Southern
4. Chattanooga
5. WCU
6. Wofford
7. Elon
8. App State
9. Furman
10. UNCG
11. Citadel
12. Samford

This article from the Post and Courier talks about things the SoCon needs to do to improve. What do you think the Commissioner needs to do to help improve the conference?
DavidsonCats- Conference teams currently need to request a waiver to play more than two non-D1s. I'd like to see this changed. How about this-- you can play one non-D1. If you want to play a second one, you submit a request for a waiver and a check for $100,000 to be divided among the schools who schedule zero non-D1 teams. The commish keeps the check, but only grants the waiver if he can't find you a D1 game. What that would mean is that no school would request the waiver. They'd find D1 opponents, even if it meant playing other Southern Conference teams, or just leave a game off of the schedule.

Spartans Win in Crazy Fashion; Sweep Low Country Trip

UNCG 67 - Citadel 66

Post & Courier Recap
UNCG Athletics Recap
Citadel Athletics Recap

Halftime: UNCG 32 - Citadel 36

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (19)
Leader Rebounds: Aaron Brackett (5)
Leader Assists: Korey Van Dussen (4)
Team FG: 23-50 (46.0%)
Team 3 Pt: 3-9 (33.3%)
Team FT: 18-22 (81.8%)
Rebounds: 27
Turnovers: 9

Citadel Stats
Leader Points: Mike Groselle (22)
Leader Rebounds: Mike Groselle (9)
Leader Assists: DeVontae Wright (7)
Team FG: 22-44 (50.0%)
Team 3 Pt: 8-13 (61.5%)
Team FT: 14-22 (63.6)
Rebounds: 31
Turnovers: 15

Thoughts
What an amazing and stunning turn of events in the last 8 seconds of the game. I went from thinking that G had found a way to finish a second straight game, to full on anger and cussing. Then with the last second alley-oop, I was left completely speechless for a solid 2 minutes. If you didn't get to listen to the game, I'll let you read the game recaps from the above links. For this blog, I'll just move on past that to some of the numbers.

Even though the Citadel's numbers are better than UNCG's, it was really the 2nd half defensive effort that put the Spartans in position to make a play at the end. The team's ability to create their own energy at the end of the game helped. I think both of those things can be attributed to the coaches. Also, it was a solid game for Korey Van Dussen. David Williams continues to make lots of great hustle plays.

After sweeping their first road trip since 2007-2008, UNCG now has a 5 game homestand and a chance to really get back in the SoCon North race.

Spartan Stun Cougars for Miller's First Win

UNCG 73 - Charleston 66

News & Record Recap
Post & Courier Recap
UNCG Athletics Recap
Charleston Athletics Recap

Halftime: UNCG 36 - Charleston 35

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (16)
Leader Rebounds: Aloysius Henry (11)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (4)
Team FG: 26-59 (44.1%)
Team 3 Pt: 7-18 (38.9%)
Team FT: 14-22 (63.6%)
Rebounds: 48
Turnovers: 22

Charleston Stats
Leader Points: Trent Wiedeman (15)
Leader Rebounds: Trent Wiedeman (9)
Leader Assists: Andrew Lawrence (3)
Team FG: 22-60 (36.7%)
Team 3 Pt: 6-26 (23.1%)
Team FT: 16-28 (57.1%)
Rebounds: 36
Turnovers: 16

Thoughts
The Spartans won despite having 22 turnovers thanks to some big rebounds by David Williams and some great defense that held Charleston to just 3 points over the final 4+ minutes. Aloysius Henry came alive by pulling down 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time. Also, Derrell Armstrong (16 pts) and Drew Parker (9 pts) really did a great job of not letting UNCG falter while Trevis Simpson sat with 4 fouls.

It's been UNCG that has normally fallen flat at the end of games this season. However, the Spartans really siezed this game at that point and wouldn't let go. It was a really great win for a team that's been playing very hard. It's the first win for new coach Wes Miller and UNCG's first conference win. Unfortunately, there is little time to enjoy it. UNCG faces the Citadel tomorrow afternoon.

SoCon Previews

Charleston Post & Courier

4. UNC Greensboro
Last season: 7-24, 6-12 (5th in North)
Coach: Mike Dement, 327-360 overall, 122-163 at UNCG.

Players to watch: G Trevis Simpson, 6-4, so. (11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) G Kyle Randall, 5-10, jr. (9.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg); C Aloysius Henry, 6-10, sr. (9.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg).
Note: UNCG lost its first 15 games last season before rallying to win seven of its final 16, including two victories over Davidson and one over Appalachian State.

Fox News

UNC-GREENBORO: The Spartans won just six games in league play last year, and that number can be increased in the new campaign if the team can figure out a way to play well at the defensive end. UNCG surrendered over 80 ppg last season, and that is simply too many points, especially when there is not a consistent scoring presence on the roster. Trevis Simpson is the only returning player who averaged double figures last year and that total was just 11.8 ppg. As mentioned, if the Spartans are going to improve they will need to play much tougher defensively, but they will also need to get consistent efforts from guys like Aloysius Henry and Kyle Randall. Henry is a 6-10 center, but managed only 4.8 rpg last year, so clearly the big man needs to be more physical. As for Randall, he needs to shoot better than the mere 35.8 percent he hit from the field last season, resulting in 9.4 ppg. However, the guard did lead the team with 103 assists, so he is certainly capable of controlling the game on the floor for UNCG.Read more:

What to Expect for the Mid-Majors ...

Southern Conference
My pick: Davidson (South), Chattanooga (North)

Bob McKillop has a contender three seasons after Stephen Curry drew celebrities to Davidson's games. It's hard to envision a repeat of the 2007-08 campaign. But with seven of eight starters returning, including J.P. Kuhlman, the Wildcats should get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since Curry left the scene. Chattanooga has four starters back from last season's squad.
Contenders: Charleston will challenge Davidson after adding highly touted recruit Adjehi Baru. In the North, Chattanooga will face tests from Western Carolina and Appalachian State.

X factors: Elon could be a sleeper this season.

Preseason MVP: J.P. Kuhlman, Davidson

Blue Ribbon Preview

Spartans Snap Skid

UNCG 59 - Citadel 53

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG Athletics
Citadel Athletics

UNCG won it's first televised game this season as Ben Stywall led the charge. Stywall scored 19 points and added 14 rebounds.

Positives
- Defense --- UNCG changed defenses often and it kept the Citadel completely off balance. The Bulldogs repeatedly looked confused as they shot long contested 3 pointers.
- Rebounding --- The Spartans pounded the Citadel on the boards, 41-24. The outscored them in second chance points 14-6.

Negatives
- Free throws --- UNCG only made 15 of 23 attempts (65.2%). This game could have been a run away if the Spartans had just made a few more at the charity stripe.
- Shooting % --- The Spartans have not shot the ball well all season. This game was no exception. UNCG was 20-50 (40%) from the floor, including 0-6 on 3 pointers in the first half.

Shots Just Miss the Mark

UNCG 64 - College of Charleston 67

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG Athletics
Charleston Athletics

Kendall Toney's attempt was a little short and Kyle Randall's was a little long. Thus ended the furious Spartan comeback. In a game that felt destined to be a 15 point Charleston win, UNCG fought back. They just couldn't quite get all the way back.

Positives
- Rebounds --- UNCG out rebounded Charleston 49-29. They led in offensive rebounds 25-8. The Spartans led in second chance points 29-8.
- Ben Sywall is a beast --- Coming off a game where he had had 11 points and 15 rebounds, Ben scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds. For the season Ben is averaging 12.9 points and 9.3 rebounds.
- Moxie --- UNCG has shown a lot of fight this season. There's not been a game where the guys mailed it in and gave up. They continue to go on impressive second half runs where they play with a sense of urgency. It's a shame they don't start out the games with that same sense of urgency.

Negatives
- Starting Woes --- Once again, UNCG found itself down 9-2 in the first 5 minutes. It would be nice if the Spartans didn't need to show that "moxie" mentioned above. I don't know what the deal is with playing at home, but hopefully the guys can find a good rhythm soon.
- Quick guards --- For the second straight home game, UNCG got hammered by a lightning guard breaking down the defense.
- Luck --- Andrew Goudelock hit a shot that bounced off the rim 15 times, twice on the top of the backboard and then a dozen more times on the rim before it finally went in. Okay this obviously an exaggeration, but not by much. I don't know what we can do to get some good luck, but I'm open to suggestions.

This blurb from the N&R article gives a little insight into what has been going on with Mikko.

UNCG's Mikko Koivisto is battling a hip strain that is limiting his minutes. Dement said the senior guard can play offense, but can't slide his feet on defense. Koivisto played 11 minutes Monday after he could go only two minutes Saturday.

Conroy Not Going to Boone (Updated: It's Buzz)

For post #101 (and second of the day) I thought I'd update the coaching search taking place with our rivals to the west. According to this article in the Charleston Post & Courier, that Citadel coach Ed Conroy will remain the head coach of the Bulldogs.

"It looks good," for Conroy to remain at the military school, said the source.

Conroy, 41, emerged as a candidate at App State after leading the Bulldogs to a 20-13 record and the first postseason tournament in school history last season, his third at his alma mater.

App State officials interviewed Conroy and at least two other candidates last week, according to various reports. Conroy has not commented publicly about the App State job, which has been open since Houston Fancher was fired on March 16.

Appfan must be getting swamped this morning. I couldn't get the site to load in several attempts. I'm sure they will have some choice comments, though.

UPDATE: The Winston-Salem Journal is reporting that former ASU coach, Buzz Peterson, has taken the job and will be introduced at a press conference tomorrow.

Transfers, Rule Changes and the APR

Even though most of us have realized that UNCG would be losing a couple of players, here is some official notice from Fox Sports blogger Jeff Goodman.

TRANSFER ADDITIONS Aaron Austin, 6-3, G, Fr., Radford Landon Clement, 6-1, G, Soph., UNC Greensboro Tony Dennison, 6-3, G, Jr., Hofstra Kyle Desmarais, 6-2, G, Fr., Central Connecticut StateAaron Garriott, 6-3, G, Fr., SIU-Edwardsville Aaron Hall, 6-3, G, Soph., Central Connecticut State Jacob Iati, 5-11, G, Fr., High Point Khalil Mumford, 5-11, G, Soph., St. Peter’s Jake Nielson, 6-3, G, Fr., Southern Utah Daniel Oliver, 5-10, G, Soph., UNC Greensboro Kevin Payton, 6-5, G, Jr., Minnesota C.J. Reid, 6-4, F, Fr., St. Peter’s Mark Socoby, 6-5, G, Jr., Maine Ryan Staker, 6-7, PF, Jr., UC Irvine Anthony Thomas, 6-5, F, Fr., Howard Torrance Timothy, 6-5, G, Fr., Howard Isiah Tucker, 6-1, G, Soph., Winston Salem State Omar Wattad, 6-5, SG-SF, Soph., Georgetown Barry Wellington, 6-0, G, Jr., SIU-Edwardsville Joey Rodriguez, 5-10, G, Soph., VCU

Here's another good article written by Goodman discussing the ramifications of a new rule that the NCAA has implemented for this season.

The NCAA instituted a ridiculous and baffling rule recently in which college coaches are no longer able to watch players at AAU events in April.

It would seem that, like every other NCAA rule, this one started with good intentions. However, the unintended consequences will cause coaches to really have to go out of their way to see players or taking players that they never see play in person. That will undoubtedly lead to more transfers.

Finally, congratulations are in order for 2 UNCG teams. Women's basketball and women's tennis earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking in the top 10 percent of APR in their respective sports. Individual scores will be released on May 6. UNCG fans should be looking closely for the APR scores in men's basketball and baseball. Those 2 sports fell below the NCAA mark and were penalized this season.

2 in 1 Day? (USA Today)

It's just a two USA Today related posts kind of day today. I came across this article discussing the coaching carousel.

With one more change Monday, the number of Division I schools with new men's basketball coaches for next season stands at 24. If that holds, it will be the fewest since 1966, when 24 changes also were made.

Notice that one team still searching for a coach are our friends in Boone. Buzz Peterson officially turned down the App State job last Friday. Since then, the plot has thickened. The Apps appear to have turned their attention to the Citadel's Ed Conroy. The Winston-Salem Journal reported earlier that the Bulldogs denied App State permission to speak to Conroy. Now the Charleston Post & Courier has Citadel officials saying that report was false. However, it appears the Bulldogs are working to give Conroy an extension. A more detailed version of how this is playing out is available over at the Appfan blog.

UPDATE: Now App is after Buzz Peterson again.

UPDATE x2: Isiah Thomas is the new coach of Florida International ???

SoCon Tournament Possibly Moving

Over the past few weeks, it appears Charlotte business leaders and SoCon officials have been in talks to bring the 2010 Southern Conference Tournament to either Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena or Bojangles' Coliseum. Here are some links to articles and discussions.

Davidson Forum
Chattanooga Forum
College of Charleston Forum
UNCG Forum

Charlotte Observer (3/29/09)
Charleston Post & Courier (3/28/09)
Chalreston Post & Courier (3/30/09)
Chattanooga Times Free Press (3/29/09)
Chattanooga Times Free Press (3/31/09)

It appears that Chattanooga is willing to back their hosting date up one year and probably get some financial considerations for being so helpful. But, why the rush to get this in place for next year?

The CIAA Tournament is locked into TWC Arena for the next 3 years. In 2011 & 2012, that tournament and the SoCon Tournament fall on the same weekend. Next year is the only available year where that's not the case.

Don't believe that reason? Let's try this one. Stephen Curry will be a senior next season (provided he doesn't go pro). Imagine the fanfare of this tournament in a central location with a legitimate NBA lottery pick playing in it. Also, Davidson's campus is right down the road. Seems like the perfect storm to fill up the arena.

Want another option? If you believe massage board talk, Chattanooga barely broke even hosting this year's tournament and that's with the hometown team winning. It appears next season that UTC will be rebuilding. Why not wait a year to host again when the Mocs might be better and get more locals into the arena?

I think all of these reasons have some merit to them. I think Chattanooga is a fine place to host the tournament. Unfortunately, Chattanooga (and Charleston) are destination spots for the tournament. With economic times the way they are, the SoCon is going to have to take the tournament to where the fans are located.

I really hope this happens. Money is tight for me right now, just like everyone else. It would be nice to drive ~ 1 hour down the road to see the tournament. Plus, I really like TWC Arena. This seems like the right thing to do at the right time.

But, that's just my opinion.

That's all Folks

UNCG 56 - College of Charleston 69

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG Athletics
Charleston Athletics

College of Charleston jumped on UNCG 33-15 and never really let up. UNCG fought back to make it a 10 point game with about 10 minutes left, but could get no closer. That was all for UNCG at the SoCon Tournament in Chattanooga.

The Good:
- Ben Stywall 21 pts & 11 rebs.
- Pete Brown had his second straight double figure game and set his career high with 12 points.
- UNCG only turned the ball over 11 times.

The Bad:
- 32.3% shooting. Offense has been a big part of the Spartan's problem all season and things were no different on Friday afternoon.
- It took 17:48 for a guard to score for UNCG. With good shooters like Toney and Mikko, that's a tough stat to read.

The Ugly:
- Rebounds: UNCG 34 - Charleston 45
- Offensive rebounds: UNCG 14 - Charleston 21

So, that's it for the season. It's been a rough one. As fans, we must remember that suffering through the bad times makes the good times that much better. Hopefully the good time aren't that far off.

I'll post a end of the year wrap up later this weekend (or maybe the first of next week).

Was this game at Cameron Indoor?

UNCG 60 - Citadel 66

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG Athletics
Citadel Athletics

UNCG led 60-56 with a little under 4 minutes remaining, but would go scoreless from there as The Citadel scored 10 straight. Zach Urbanus scored 20 and Demetrius Nelson scored 19 to lead the Bulldogs.

The Good:
- Four Spartans scored in double figures. Damian Eargle (18 pts, 7 rebs & 4 blocks), Mikko Koivisto (14 points, all in the second half), Ben Stywall (11 pts & 7 rebs) and Kendall Toney (10 points) and chipped in for UNCG.
- Rebounds - UNCG 35 & Citadel 29.

The Bad:
- If you look down the stat sheet, there's no reason that the Spartans lost this game. I'm just listing that as bad. When you win on the stat sheet, you have to find a way to win on the scoreboard.

The Ugly:
- Free Throws- UNCG 12-16 & Citadel 25-30. I wasn't at the game. So, I can only point out the stats and let whoever is reading this decide if it seems a little unbalanced. So, go ahead and decide.

*** With the circus (Davidson College) in town this coming Thursday, there will be several post taking place. Check back often.

Different Location, Same Result

UNCG 73 - College of Charleston 89

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG Athletics
CofC Athletics

UNCG played a bad 20 minutes of basketball against College of Charleston on Thursday night just like they had on December 5. The difference between the 2 games was that unlike the game in Fleming, this one was over with by halftime. The Cougars hit 12 3 pointers in the first half and led 55-37 at the break.

The Good:
-Ben Stywall had an amazing stat line 26 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steal & 0 fouls. Damian Eargle scored 22 points and had 6 rebounds.
- UNCG only turned the ball over 8 times outrebounded CofC 34-31 (13-8 offensive rebounds).

The Bad:
- 20% (2-10) from behind the arc and 41.8% (28-67) overall shooting from the field.
- UNCG point guards (Spooner, Smith & Oliver) combined stats - 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist & 5 turnovers. Even their minutes were limited (Spooner-14, Smith-4, Oliver-14).

The Ugly:
Mikko Koivisto - 0 points (0-8 from the field, 0-6 from 3 point range and 0-1 from the free throw line).
- College of Charleston shot 55.6% (35-63) from the field and 59.1% (13-22) from behind the arc. That's pretty awful defense. I don't think it's possible to beat a team when they shoot that well.

Georgia Southern (4-8) @ UNCG (2-11)

When: Thursday, Jan 15 7 pm
Where: Fleming Gym (2,320)
TV: None/ Spartan All-Access

Georgia Southern Athletics
Georgia Southern Forum
Georgia Southern Blog (Football Related Only)

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, the Spartans won despite a last second 3 pointer by ASU's Donald Sims that sent the game into overtime, 85-83. Damian Eargle scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds.
- Saturday's win was UNCG's first against D1 competition. The Spartan's other win came against NAIA member Webber International.
- The win pulled UNCG into a tie for 5th place in the North division (1-3) with Elon. The Spartans are 1/2 game ahead of Samford (1-4) and 1/2 game behind Chattanooga (2-3).
-Mikko Koivisto leads UNCG in points (12.8) and assists (2.8). Ben Stywall is averaging 8.8 points and team high 8.5 rebounds.
- For the season, UNCG is shooting 37.9% from the field, 29.5% from behind the arc and 68.1% from the free throw line.

Eagles Notes:
- The Eagles fell to College of Charleston in their last game. Antonio Hanson lead Georgia Southern with 25 points, while Julian Allen had 12 points and 7 rebounds.
-Including Saturday's game, GSU has now dropped 5 of it's last 6 games. The Eagles are 0-6 on the road this season.
- Willie Powers lead 3 GSU players scoring in double figures (14.5 pts). Hanson (13.3) and Allen (12.4) are the other double figure scorers. Powers leads GSU in assists (3.6) and Hanson is the leading rebounder (7.2).
- For the year, GSU is shooting 43.8% from the field, 34% from 3 point range and 69% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts:
Sports are all about proving something. Well this game for the Spartans is all about proving that last week's games weren't a fluke. Proving that they have turned the corner. Proving that they can deal with having some success.

It's very simple. Protect the ball, play defense, make some shots and the home crowd will go home happy. Go prove you can do it again.

Go Spartans !!!

UPDATE: The Charleston Post & Courier is reporting that Willie Powers has torn his ACL is will miss the rest of the season.

The Charleston Sweep of UNCG

UNCG 62 - College of Charleston 77

News & Record
Charleston Post & Courier
UNCG
College of Charleston

The Spartans played their best half of basketball on Saturday. They followed it up with one of their worst. The Spartans took a 40-36 lead into the locker room. However, CofC owned the second half (41-22).

Since I didn't really do much of a recap after the Citadel game, this is going to just be more of some of my major thoughts of both games. I'm not going to bother discussing major negatives b/c I think we're moving towards "moral victory" territory.

- Damian Eargle was ineligible for the Citadel game, and UNCG was outrebounded 37-30. He was back for the CofC game and UNCG outrebounded the Cougars 35-31. These two thing could be completely unrelated. I doubt it, though.
- Elhanan Bone is really starting to look more comfortable and his stats are showing it (8 pts & 6 rebs - Citadel, 12 pts & 5 rebs - CofC). If Bone can average 10 & 7 guy the rest of this year, the Spartans will be competitive in a lot of games.
- Even with the disappointing early season play, the crowds at Fleming Gym have been nice. Not "sell-out" nice, but enough to generate a fun atmosphere. The crowds will have to get larger an more vocal next year, though.
- Daniel Oliver has been a good spark off of the bench. In both games, he's brought a sense of urgency on the court with him. He's also looked to take a few more shots and made some of them.
- UNCG shot free throws well in these two games. 12-14 against CofC and 7-9 against the Citadel.
- UNCG played very good free throw defense. The Citadel made just 7-13 and CofC missed all of their 11 attempts.
*** I am not going negative here. While this was might come off as an underhanded shot at UNCG, it's not. I'm actually cracking on CofC. That's an unbelievable stat (0-11). If the Cougars plan on really competing with Davidson, they better get the problem corrected in a hurry.