Big Road Test For Cougars at No. 7/8 Wichita State

Monday, November 13

Wichita, Kan.

9:00 PM

College of Charleston

Wichita State

11/12/2017 5:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Wichita State Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (1-0, 0-0 CAA) vs. WICHITA STATE (1-0, 0-0 AAC)
Game #2
November 13, 2017 • 9:00 p.m. (ET) / 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
at Wichita, Kan.

Television: CBS Sports Network
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: Wichita State Leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Wichita State def. CofC, 82-75, in NIT Quarterfinals on March 23, 2011 in Wichita, Kan.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at http://wichita.statbroadcast.com/
Live Video: Live Video at http://www.cbssports.com/watch/cbssportsnetwork/
Tickets: www.GoShockers.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fourth Year at CofC: 52-48
Fourth Year Overall: 52-48
Wichita State: Gregg Marshall
11th Year at Wichita State: 262-90
20th Year Overall: 456-173

TELEVISION (CBS Sports Network)
Play-By-Play: Brent Stover
Color Analyst: Bob Wenzel

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

GAME PREVIEW
The stakes were high when both the College of Charleston men's basketball team (1-0) and Wichita State (1-0) last met six years ago in the 2011 NIT Quarterfinals with the winner punching a ticket to the world-famous Madison Square Garden. The Shockers would prevail 82-75 to advance to the semifinals and end the storied four-year career of CofC all-time leading scorer and 2011 NBA Draft pick Andrew Goudelock (2,571 points). Only one game into the 2017-18 college basketball season and no postseason advancement on the line this time around, the Cougars will be tested very early on the road against the No. 7/8-ranked team in the land. Wichita State has won 11 in a row on their home court and will host CofC for a Monday, Nov. 13 nationally-televised game on CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. (ET) / 8 p.m. (CT) in Wichita, Kan. One of the toughest home courts in America, the Shockers are 189-34 (.848) all-time in Charles Koch Arena, and like the Cougars, return the majority of their offensive firepower. CofC is coming off a down-to-the-wire 68-60 overtime victory over Siena in its season opener on Nov. 10 at TD Arena. This will only be the second time for the preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite Cougars to play a game in the state of Kansas. A game full of storylines, the biggest of them all being coach vs. mentor. Head Coach Earl Grant, in his fourth season at The College, returns to America's Heartland to coach against his mentor, Wichita State Head Coach Gregg Marshall, for the first time of his career on the opposite end of the sidelines. Grant serve as an assistant to Marshall at Winthrop from 2004-07 and Wichita State from 2007-10. One team will improve to 2-0 on the season on Monday night in what's expected to be a battle between two programs both known for their defensive play on the court. For the Cougars, a win would give the program only its seventh all-time victory over a Top-25 program and first since 2012.

SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
The Shockers, who are now members of the American Athletic Conference, have reached the 100-point plateau twice in its exhibition victory over Newman (113-55) on Nov. 6 and season-opening rout of UMKC (109-57) on Nov. 10. Wichita State returns 91.2 percent of its scoring and rebounding from last year's NCAA Tournament squad (lost to Kentucky in the second round). They are led by 2017 All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team selection and Freshman of the Year Landry Shamet, who averaged 11.4 points per game a year ago. The CofC game will serve as a tune-up before the Shockers compete seven days later at the Maui Invitational.

JOHN KRESSE COACHING TREE
Wichita State Head Coach Gregg Marshall's mentor is legendary CofC Head Coach John Kresse, who still works in the athletics department serving as an ambassador for the program and special assistant to the AD. Marshall spent eight years as an assistant coach at the College of Charleston from 1988-96. In his time with the Cougars, they reached the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and the NIT twice in 1995 and 1996. In an ironic twist of fate, he accepted an offer to coach The College (bringing Grant with him as an assistant) in June of 2006, but changed his mind after the introductory press conference and returned to Winthrop, a program he guided to seven NCAA Tournament appearances prior to accepting the Wichita State position in April of 2007.

SERIES FLASHBACK
Wichita State's Gabe Blair and J.T. Durley combined for 30 points to lead the Shockers past College of Charleston, 82-75, in the quarterfinals of the NIT before a sell-out crowd on March 23, 2011, at Charles Koch Arena. Blair had 16 points and Durley added 14 for Wichita State, who not only advanced to the semifinals in New York City, but won the eventual title. Joe Ragland scored 12 points for the Shockers, while Toure Murry added 10. Andrew Goudelock scored 23 of his game-high 31 points in the second half for Charleston. The Cougars cut a 12-point halftime deficit to 43-36 in the first four minutes of the second half, helped by two 3-pointers by Goudelock from beyond 26 feet. But, Wichita State answered with a 15-1 run keyed by four points from Blair and a three-pointer by David Kyles to take a 58-37 lead. It marked the Cougars' deepest-ever postseason tournament run in March (NCAA or NIT).

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2017-18 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 Charles Koch Arena on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS (*2016-17 Statistics)
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 190, Sr. (17.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 33.8 min*)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 195, So. (13.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 27.0 min*)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Sr. (7.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 31.3 min*)
#24 Jaylen McManus, F, 6-7, 230, So. (1.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.2 apg, 6.3 min*)
#23 Nick Harris, 6-10, 260, Jr. (5.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 24.5 min*)

PROJECTED WICHITA STATE STARTERS (*2016-17 Statistics)
#33 Conner Frankamp, G, 6-1, 171, RS-Sr. (8.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 23.9 min)
#11 Landry Shamet, G, 6-4, 180, RS-So. (11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 26.7 min)
#1 Zach Brown, F, 6-6, 213, Sr. (7.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 21.0 min)
#21 Darral Willis Jr., F, 6-9, 225, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.6 apg, 16.4 min)
#24 Shaquille Morris, C, 6-8, 279, RS-Sr. (9.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 18.0 min)

COUGAR DEFENSE
Only one game into the 2017-18 season and the College of Charleston continues to showcase its trademark defensive prowess under Earl Grant. Siena committed 24 turnovers, shot 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from long range and scored only 60 points against the Cougar defense on Nov. 10 at TD Arena. Last year, CofC ranked No. 27 nationally in scoring defense (64.6 ppg) and No. 14 nationally in three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.8%). They also pressured three opponents (The Citadel, Navy and East Carolina) to commit 20-or-more turnovers in a game in 2016-17.

BACK TO THE ALMA MATER
College of Charleston Director of Basketball Operations Matt Braeuer, who is in his second year with the program, is a 2008 graduate of Wichita State and was a three-year starting point guard for the Shockers under head coaches Mark Turgeon and Gregg Marshall. He helped WSU return to the NCAA Tournament, play in the Sweet Sixteen and earn a Top-10 national ranking. Braeuer still ranks in the Top 10 all-time in career three-pointers made and games played. He also ranks 11th in career assists and career steals in the school record books.

COUGARS AGAINST NATIONALLY-RANKED COMPETITION
The Cougars are 6-22 all-time when playing Top 25 nationally-ranked opponents. They are 2-9 all-time vs. teams ranked in the Top 10. Of their six all-time Top 25 victories, three have come against Top 10 competition including an upset of No. 3 North Carolina, 66-64, on Dec. 5, 1998 in Charlotte, N.C.

COFC ALL-TIME vs. TOP 25 OPPONENTS (6-22)
No. 20 Georgia Tech 77, College of Charleston 70 on Jan. 28, 1992 in Atlanta, Ga.
College of Charleston 84, No. 8 Georgia Tech 67 on Jan. 16, 1993 in Atlanta, Ga.
No. 21 Wake Forest 74, College of Charleston 64 on Dec. 17, 1994 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
No. 25 Syracuse 72, College of Charleston 61 on Dec. 16, 1995 in Syracuse, N.Y.
No. 7 Connecticut 77, College of Charleston 60 on Dec. 27, 1995 in North Charleston, S.C.
College of Charleston 82, No. 21 Stanford 78 on Dec. 29, 1996 in Anchorage, Alaska
No. 8 Kentucky 92, College of Charleston 65 on Nov. 30, 1996 in Anchorage, Alaska
College of Charleston 75, No. 22 Maryland 66 on March 13, 1997 in Memphis, Tenn.
No. 15 Arizona 73, College of Charleston 69 on March 15, 1997 in Memphis, Tenn.
No. 11 Stanford 67, College of Charleston 57 on March 13, 1998 in Chicago, Ill.
College of Charleston 66, No. 3 North Carolina 64 on Dec. 5, 1998 in Charlotte, N.C.
No. 2 North Carolina 72, College of Charleston 54 on Dec. 3, 1999 in Charlotte, N.C.
No. 14 North Carolina 64, College of Charleston 60 on Dec. 30, 2000 in Charlotte, N.C.
No. 15 Wisconsin 75, College of Charleston 49 on Jan. 3, 2004 in Madison, Wis.
No. 10 Louisville 78, College of Charleston 63 on Dec. 21, 2005 in Louisville, Ky.
No. 18 Arkansas 75, College of Charleston 49 on Nov. 18, 2007 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
No. 3 North Carolina 108, College of Charleston 70 on Jan. 7, 2009 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 9 Tennessee 86, College of Charleston 69 on Nov. 27, 2009 in Knoxville, Tenn.
College of Charleston 82, No. 9 North Carolina 79 (OT) on Jan. 4, 2010 in Charleston, S.C.
No. 25 North Carolina 74, College of Charleston 69 on Nov. 28, 2010 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 4 Louisville 69, College of Charleston 62 on Dec. 20, 2011 in Louisville, Ky.
College of Charleston 63, No. 21 Baylor 59 on Nov. 24, 2012 in Waco, Texas
No. 5 Louisville 80, College of Charleston 38 on Dec. 4, 2012 in Charleston, S.C.
No. 3 Louisville 70, College of Charleston 48 on Nov. 9, 2013 in Louisville, Ky.
No. 17 Connecticut 65, College of Charleston 57 on Nov. 20, 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
No. 21 West Virginia 86, College of Charleston 57 on Nov. 29, 2014 in Morgantown, W. Va.
No. 15 Miami 85, College of Charleston 63 on Dec. 19, 2015 in Coral Gables, Fla.
No. 2 Villanova 63, College of Charleston 67 on Nov. 23, 2016 in Villanova, Pa.

SIENA RECAP
College of Charleston 68, Siena 60 (OT)
• College of Charleston started Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jaylen McManus and Nick Harris. It marked the first career start for McManus, who played in 28 games off the bench last season.
• With the win, the Cougars now lead 1-0 in the all-time series with Siena. CofC is now also 10-3 all-time versus opponents hailing from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
• CofC is now 15-2 all-time in home openers since its first season as a NCAA Division I member in 1991-92. In the Earl Grant Era, the Cougars are a perfect 4-0 in season openers.
• Grant Riller recorded his eighth 20-point outing of his career with a game-high 21 points against Siena. He went 6-of-8 from the free throw line and dished out three assists.
• Joe Chealey knocked down 17 points along with grabbing seven rebounds versus the Saints.
• Nick Harris registered a near double-double performance with 11 points and nine rebounds versus Siena. He scored six of the team's first 10 points in the contest including the opening basket of the 2017-18 season.
• Marquise Pointer came off the bench and turned in seven points including a game-changing three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.
• CofC's defense forced Siena to commit 24 turnovers in the ballgame, which resulted into 23 points for the Cougars.
• While the team struggled from the field (23-of-70) and long-range (5-of-25), the Cougars shot an improved 62.5% in overtime, while also limiting Siena to just four shot attempts.
• The Cougars had 4,955 fans in attendance that packed their 5,100-seat facility – TD Arena.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"It's another tough game. Last year, we played Villanova, and this year, we are playing Wichita State. They are ranked Top 7 in the country. My mentor is the coach (Gregg Marshall) and I coached there for three years. I know what the place is all about and know their mentality. It will be a challenge. But, it will be an opportunity for us to go out and play against a program that we are trying to get to the stage where they are. The only way you get to that stage, is you go out and play against them and see what you can do. We will do that on Monday night." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on facing a Top-10 ranked team on the road in Wichita State

"It's a big game for both of us. Certainly you never want to play against people you really care about and love. We spent six years together. Me and Gregg (Marshall) talked two weeks ago and both of us said, 'why are we playing this game?' We already signed the contract now and we have to go play it. We aren't excited that someone has to lose the game. You just do the best you can. It's going to be exciting and we have two days to get ready for it." – Coach Grant on playing against his mentor Wichita State Head Coach Gregg Marshall and former team he coached as an assistant

"It will be fun. We will be playing in a really exciting atmosphere. We are looking forward to it. Honestly, whomever we play. It doesn't really matter. It's crazy, because it seems the last five years that I've been here, we've played the defending national champions on opening night or in a tournament. But, who we play doesn't really matter. We just focus on us and try to do our best." – CofC Senior Guard Joe Chealey on playing on the road at Wichita State

"For me, it's another big game I get to play in as a young player. Just the whole experience of going there and believing (in our chances). It will be fun." – CofC Sophomore Guard Grant Riller on playing a nationally-ranked team in Wichita State on the road in a loud arena