Cougars Travel To LSU For Rematch On The Bayou

Monday, December 19

Baton Rouge, La.

8:00 PM

College of Charleston

LSU

12/18/2016 8:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

LSU Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (8-3, 0-0 CAA) vs. LSU (7-2, 0-0 SEC)
Game #12
December 19, 2016 • 8:00 p.m. (ET) / 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,215)
at Baton Rouge, La.

Television: SEC Network+
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: Series Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: CofC def. LSU, 70-58, on Nov. 30, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.LSUSports.net
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 34-41
Third Year Overall: 34-41
LSU: Johnny Jones
Fifth Year at LSU: 87-53
18th Year Overall: 292-215

TELEVISION (SEC Network+)
Play-By-Play: Chris Blair
Color Analyst: Henry Hayes

RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German

GAME PREVIEW
A rematch on the Bayou with LSU (7-2) is up next for the College of Charleston men's basketball team (8-3) on Monday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (ET) in Baton Rouge, La. The game will be televised live on SEC Network+. This will be the last game of a 2-for-1 series between the Cougars and Tigers. College of Charleston's leading scorer Joe Chealey is averaging 13.5 points per game with 35 career games in double figures, while LSU's leading scorer Antonio Blakeney (16.9 ppg) has registered 28 career games in double figures. Chealey led CofC with 14 points in a 53-35 road victory at East Carolina on Dec. 15. It marked the fewest points scored by a Charleston opponent in the program's NCAA Division I history since 1991-92. The Tigers are averaging 75.1 points per game and shooting 47.0 percent from the field. On the flip side, the Cougars rank No. 43 nationally in field-goal percentage defense (39.1%), while also among the Top 10 NCAA Statistical leaders in scoring defense (7th, 58.6 ppg) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (9th, 27.4%). CofC is 2-2 all-time in games played in the Pelican State.

EYEING THE TIGERS
Like East Carolina, the Tigers enter the contest an undefeated 6-0 at home this season. They are on a three-game winning streak with victories over Houston (84-65) on Nov. 29, North Carolina Central (70-66) on Dec. 13 and Texas Southern (88-80) on Dec. 17. Four of the team's nine games of the season have been decided by single digits including its last two contests. LSU currently ranks No. 32 in blocks per game (5.4 bpg) behind 6-foot-10 big man Duop Reath, who is averaging 1.9 per game.

THOSE WINNING WAYS
The Cougars are currently on a five-game winning streak, which matches their five-game winning streak last season against Western Carolina, LSU, The Citadel, East Carolina and North Greenville. They boast the No. 47 strongest schedule in the country and are rated No. 54 in the latest NCAA RPI. CofC is one of only 37 NCAA Division I schools on a five game-or-more win streak with defending national champion Villanova leading the nation winning 17-straight games since the 2015-16 season. Other teams with five-game win streaks include Minnesota, Kansas State, Louisville, Oakland, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Loyola Chicago, Providence, Seton Hall, Wyoming, Clemson, Illinois, UNC Asheville and Georgetown.

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2016-17 season on ESPN Radio 910 AM in Charleston or via a live audio link at: www.charlestonsportsradio.com. Voice of the Cougars Everett German will call the action live from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (13.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 30.3 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (10.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.5 apg, 20.0 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (8.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 32.1 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (12.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 31.3 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (5.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.1 apg, 23.7 min)

PROJECTED LSU STARTERS
#4 Skylar Mays, G, 6-4, 205, Fr. (5.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.1 apg, 20.0 min)
#2 Antonio Blakeney, G, 6-4, 197, So. (16.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 32.6 min)
#0 Brandon Sampson, G, 6-5, 193, So. (11.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 30.0 min)
#1 Duop Reath, F, 6-10, 235, Jr. (14.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 27.2 min)
#32 Craig Victor II, F, 6-9, 235, Jr. (8.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 23.3 min)

SERIES HISTORY
College of Charleston and LSU are tied 1-1 in the all-time series. Both teams protected their home court in each of the last two outings. Last season, Canyon Barry recorded a game-high 19 points as CofC used a big first-half charge to hand LSU its third consecutive loss, 70-58, on Nov. 30, 2015 at TD Arena. The Cougars proved they were not about to concede to LSU's dynamic freshman tandem of Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney. Barry scored 12 of his points in the opening half as Charleston pulled in front 41-17 on Payton Hulsey's foul shots to start the second half. LSU sliced things to 63-56 on Jalyn Patterson's 3-pointer with 1:08 to play. That was as close as the Tigers could get. The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons led LSU with 15 points and 18 rebounds.

LAST TWO GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 70-58, on Nov. 30, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 47-71, on Dec. 22, 2014 in Baton Rouge, La.

COUGARS AGAINST THE SEC
The Cougars are 6-42 all-time against schools hailing from the SEC including Alabama (0-1), Arkansas (0-1), Auburn (0-3), Georgia (0-2), Kentucky (0-2), LSU (1-1), Ole Miss (0-2), South Carolina (2-27), Tennessee (3-1), Texas A&M (0-1) and Vanderbilt (0-1). CofC's last three victories over an SEC opponent were all at home – last year's 70-58 upset of preseason Top 25-ranked LSU, a 71-65 win over Tennessee on Dec. 14, 2011, and an 82-80 overtime thriller versus South Carolina on Nov. 28, 2008 at TD Arena.

THE ORLANDO CONNECTION
Redshirt freshman guard Grant Riller, who was sidelined last season with an ACL injury, is an Orlando area native, who averaged 28.1 points per game as a senior at Ocoee High School in Ocoee, Fla. He was voted player of the year for Orange and Osceola Counties by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) and named 8A MVP over LSU sophomore guard and McDonald's All-American Antonio Blakeney out of Oak Ridge High School, and Virginia Tech sophomore forward Kerry Blackshear, Jr., out of Evans High School. Combined, CofC and LSU are led in scoring by three Orlando natives in Joe Chealey, Riller (10.3 ppg) and Blakeney.

EAST CAROLINA RECAP
College of Charleston 53, ECU 35
• College of Charleston now leads 3-1 in the all-time series with East Carolina and picked up its first road win in Greenville, N.C. The Cougars last played on the road at ECU (L, 51-65) in 1990.
• Joe Chealey recorded a game-high 14 points including a 6-for-6 performance from the free throw line. It marked his fourth time this season to shoot perfect from the charity stripe in a game.
• Jarrell Brantley turned in a near double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds at East Carolina.
• Nick Harris brought down a career-high tying 13 rebounds including a season-high seven on the offensive end at East Carolina.
• The Cougars held ECU to a season-low 35 points – the fewest points scored by an opponent in the program's NCAA Division I history since the 1991-92 season. The previous low by an opponent was 37 points vs. Furman on Feb. 10, 2001 and at Towson on Jan. 21, 2016.
• CofC also held the Pirates to an opponent season-low 23.4 percent shooting from the field (11-of-47) and 12.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc (2-for-16).

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"They (LSU) are a SEC team and have SEC caliber players with a pair of 6-foot-10 post players and big-time All-American guards. We will be playing on their home court. LSU will present a great challenge with the talent that they have. We needed to get off to a good start in this five-game road swing. I'm glad we were able to get the first in five (games) with the East Carolina win." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on LSU

"In every game that we play, our mantra is to defend and rebound. We make sure we rebound the first miss, take away easy baskets from transition, challenge the first shot and try to contest every shot. We did it at a high level at East Carolina. We are who we are. Hopefully, the defense will travel with us during this road stretch. We will remain true to who we are on someone else's home court." – Coach Grant on CofC's defense holding ECU to only 35 points and continuing the momentum defensively on the road

"We will try to do the same things as we did last year and make our presence known early. We know it will be another big challenge on the road. It's always good to win a road game to help our confidence into the next game. We are gelling together well as a team right now. We know our best basketball is ahead of us." – Sophomore Forward Nick Harris on the rematch with LSU and the team coming together during the current five-game road stretch post final exams

"It's always good to win on the road. It (ECU win) gives us a little confidence going into the next game. We are a much different team since we last played at LSU two years ago. They will pose a big challenge for us with a cast of really talented players. We just have to trust each other on defense, talk and communicate and play hard. We are exciting for this next test." – Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey on the next road test in LSU