Cougars Ranked No. 24 In Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
12/15/2015 1:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston men's basketball team is ranked No. 24 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll released on Monday.
Under second-year head coach Earl Grant, the Cougars (7-2) are making their first appearance in the poll since the 2011-12 season. They are currently off to their best season start since then with a signature home win over preseason Top 25-ranked LSU on Nov. 30 and are winners of their last five-consecutive games.
CofC is led by junior guard Canyon Barry (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who currently ranks No. 17 among NCAA scoring leaders averaging 21.4 points per game, and junior point guard Payton Hulsey (Memphis, Tenn.), who ranks No. 32 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.33).
As a team, the Cougars are rated No. 79 in the latest NCAA RPI report released on Dec. 14. They are also ranked No. 44 in the country in scoring defense (63.8 ppg) and No. 40 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (29.5%).
This weekend, the Cougars will face their first Top 25 test in Miami (Fla.), ranked No. 15 in the latest Associated Press Poll and No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches Top 25 Poll, on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. (ET) in Coral Gables, Fla. The game will be televised regionally on Fox Sports Net and locally on Fox Sports South via the ACC Network.
COLLEGEINSIDER.com MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
1. Gonzaga (23) 6-3
2. UALR (4) 8-0
3. Valparaiso (2) 9-2
4. Saint Mary's (1) 6-1
5. Chattanooga 8-2
6. Northern Iowa 6-3
7. Evansville 8-2
8. Monmouth 6-3
9. Wichita State (1) 5-4
10. BYU 6-3
11. Belmont 6-4
12. Akron 7-2
13. South Dakota State 9-1
14. UT Arlington 8-2
15. Oakland 6-3
16. Stephen F. Austin 6-3
17. Southern Illinois 9-2
18. UC Irvine 7-3
19. Mercer 8-1
20. Western Illinois 7-2
21. Milwaukee 8-2
22. North Florida 7-4
23. Hofstra 6-3
24. College of Charleston 7-2
25. Northeastern 7-3
