Tuesday, March 14
Fort Collins, Colo.
9:00 PM
College of Charleston
at
Colorado State
Cougars Travel To The Rockies For First-Time Meeting With Colorado State In NIT First Round
3/13/2017 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
#5 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (25-9) vs. #4 COLORADO STATE (23-11)
2017 National Invitation Tournament
Game #35
March 14, 2017 • 9:00 p.m. (ET) / 7:00 p.m. (MT)
Moby Arena (8,745)
at Fort Collins, Colo.
Television: ESPN3
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.CSURams.com
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 51-47
Third Year Overall: 51-47
Colorado State: Larry Eustachy
Fifth Year at CSU: 110-58
26th Year Overall: 512-316
TELEVISION (ESPN3)
Play-By-Play: Trey Bender
Color Analyst: Richie Schueler
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
It has been six years since the College of Charleston men's basketball team (25-9) last punched its ticket to the National Invitation Tournament. The fifth-seeded Cougars are making their fifth all-time NIT appearance and will face fourth-seeded Colorado State (23-11) in the first round on Tuesday, March 14, at 9 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (MT) at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The game will be televised live on ESPN3. It will mark a first-time meeting between both schools who are led by the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in Earl Grant and Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in Larry Eustachy. The College last played in the NIT in 2011 – still the longest postseason tournament run in program history (quarterfinals) to date – and Colorado State in 2015. The Cougars have won six of their last seven games of the season, while the Rams have won nine of their last 11. Both squads reached the championship game of their respective league tournament as the No. 2 seeds – CofC a 78-69 loss to top-seeded UNCW on March 6 and CSU a 79-71 loss to top-seeded Nevada on March 11. The defensive-minded Cougars currently rank No. 25 in the nation in scoring defense (64.1 ppg) and No. 13 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.7%), while the Rams are No. 27 in field-goal percentage defense (40.4%) and No. 24 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (31.2%). Both teams also handle the ball well as the Cougars rank No. 11 in turnovers per game (10.4 avg.) and CSU No. 22 (10.9 avg.). The winner of the first-round game will advance to second-round action against either top-seeded Cal (21-12) or eighth-seeded CSU Bakersfield (22-9) slated for March 16-20. The quarterfinals will then be held on March 21 and 22, while both semifinal games will be played on Tuesday, March 28, and the championship game on Thursday, March 30, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
SCOUTING COLORADO STATE
Colorado State redshirt senior guard Gian Clavell is averaging a team-leading 20.4 points per game including a 30-point outburst in the finals of the Mountain West Championship. He was crowned the 2017 MWC Player of the Year as well as selected to the All-MWC First Team and All-Defensive Team. The Rams finished second in the final league standings with a 13-5 record after being picked to finish seventh. They also boast a .713 all-time winning percentage at Moby Arena and went 14-5 on their home court averaging 3,806 fans per game this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
College of Charleston sophomore forward Jarrell Brantley and Colorado State senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo will go head-to-head on Tuesday. Brantley has recorded 11 double-doubles on the season including four in the Cougars' last five games and Omogbo 20 double-doubles – which leads the Mountain West and ranks seventh among NCAA statistical leaders. Omogbo also ranks 10th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.65 avg.), while Brantley ranks 41st (6.59 avg.) which is second most in the CAA.
TICKET INFORMATION
For fans traveling to Colorado State, NIT tickets can be purchased through the McGraw Athletic Center Ticket Office at: 1-800-491-RAMS (7267) or online at: www.CSURams.com/tickets
HOW THEY GOT THERE
The Cougars built their postseason tournament resume with a No. 62 NCAA RPI, 25-win campaign under third-year head coach Earl Grant, 14-4 conference record (finished one game out of first place in the 11th-rated conference in the country in the Colonial), 10-4 road record and strong non-conference schedule with only four of their nine losses of the season to UCF, Wake Forest, defending national champion Villanova and LSU. They were also ranked for 13-consecutive weeks in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll with a ranking as high as No. 11. Colorado State, No. 66 NCAA RPI, lost in the non-conference only to Stanford, Wichita State, Kansas State, Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State.
ONWARD WEST!
The Cougars travel to the Centennial State for only the second time in program history. CofC last played Colorado (L, 57-72) under former head coach Tom Herrion in a 2014 Preseason NIT game held in Boulder, Colo. One of the program's most recent alums, Canyon Barry, a 2015 graduate in physics and three-time Academic All-American, hailed from Colorado Springs.
COUGARS ALL-TIME IN THE NIT
College of Charleston is 4-4 all-time in the Postseason NIT having last played Dayton (W, 94-84) in the first round, Cleveland State (W, 64-56) in the second round and Wichita State (L, 75-82) in the quarterfinals in 2011 under former head coach Bobby Cremins. The Cougars have won their first-round game in each of their last three previous appearances in the NIT in 1996, 2003 and 2011.
NIT ALL-TIME RESULTS (4-4)
1995 – College of Charleston at Providence, L, 67-72, First Round on 3/16/95 in Providence, R.I.
1996 – College of Charleston at Tennessee, W, 55-49, First Round on 3/13/96 in Knoxville, Tenn.
1996 – College of Charleston at Rhode Island, L, 58-62 (OT), Second Round on 3/19/96 in Kingston, R.I.
2003 – College of Charleston at Kent State, W, 71-66, First Round on 3/19/03 in Kent, Ohio
2003 – College of Charleston at Providence, L, 64-69, Second Round on 3/22/03 in Providence, R.I.
2011 – College of Charleston vs. Dayton, W, 94-84, First Round on 3/15/11 in Charleston, S.C.
2011 – College of Charleston at Cleveland State, W, 64-56, Second Round on 3/19/11 in Cleveland, Ohio
2011 – College of Charleston at Wichita State, L, 75-82, Quarterfinals on 3/23/11 in Wichita, Kan.
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 Moby Arena on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (17.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 33.9 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (13.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 27.0 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (6.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 31.1 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (14.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 32.0 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (6.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 24.5 min)
PROJECTED COLORADO STATE STARTERS
#11 Prentiss Nixon, G, 6-2, 185, So. (13.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 31.9 min)
#3 Gian Clavell, G, 6-4, 190, RS-Sr. (20.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 36.4 min)
#22 J.D. Paige, G, 6-3, 165, RS-So. (8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 32.5 min)
#2 Emmanuel Omogbo, F, 6-8, 210, Sr. (14.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 30.6 min)
#32 Nico Carvacho, F, 6-11, 240, RS-Fr. (5.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 21.6 min)
COUGARS ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN WEST
College of Charleston is 2-2 versus Mountain West Conference opponents having last faced San Diego State (L, 52-72) in the ESPN Wooden Legacy in 2013 and Boise State (W, 60-47) in the ESPN Charleston Classic in 2016. The Cougars have also played league members Air Force (1-0) and Wyoming (0-1). This will be the second road trip for CofC to a MWC school having last played at Wyoming (L, 59-84) during the 1990-91 season – the Cougars' second and final season of NCAA compliance to gain Division I status.
UNCW RECAP
UNCW 78, College of Charleston 69
• This was the third time that College of Charleston and UNCW met in the CAA Tournament. The Seahawks now lead 3-0 in those meetings – 2015 Quarterfinals, 2016 Quarterfinals and 2017 Finals.
• The Cougars appeared in their first-ever CAA championship game after joining the league in 2013.
• For the 14th time this season, Joe Chealey turned in 20-or-more points in game with a team-high 21 points against the Seahawks. He is currently on a career-best 16 game double-digit scoring streak. Chealey continues to move up CofC's career scoring list and has now tabulated 1,198 career points to date which ranks 26th all-time.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds versus the Seahawks. It marked the 16th double-double of his career. He recorded his 500th career rebound in the game and now has 509 to date.
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"Colorado State is a very good team. They play in a very good league and made it to the Mountain West Conference championship game and lost to Nevada. They are well coached and talented. It will be a great challenge for us to play another great team on their home court. I am really happy for our players and coaches. They put so much hard work into being able to play in a postseason tournament. It is great to be rewarded for our efforts this season. Hopefully, we can continue to advance." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on playing Colorado State in the NIT First Round
"It's a climb and it was fun. It's everything you could want in a college basketball game. We got a taste of what it is like and we will be back. We look forward to playing in the postseason." – Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey on playing in the CAA championship game and building on the future
"Every day we step on the court, we are hungry. That's the type of team that we have. We will be hungry every time we have a chance to play." – Sophomore Forward Jarrell Brantley after the CAA championship game on playing in the postseason and building on next season
2017 National Invitation Tournament
Game #35
March 14, 2017 • 9:00 p.m. (ET) / 7:00 p.m. (MT)
Moby Arena (8,745)
at Fort Collins, Colo.
Television: ESPN3
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.CSURams.com
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 51-47
Third Year Overall: 51-47
Colorado State: Larry Eustachy
Fifth Year at CSU: 110-58
26th Year Overall: 512-316
TELEVISION (ESPN3)
Play-By-Play: Trey Bender
Color Analyst: Richie Schueler
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
It has been six years since the College of Charleston men's basketball team (25-9) last punched its ticket to the National Invitation Tournament. The fifth-seeded Cougars are making their fifth all-time NIT appearance and will face fourth-seeded Colorado State (23-11) in the first round on Tuesday, March 14, at 9 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (MT) at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The game will be televised live on ESPN3. It will mark a first-time meeting between both schools who are led by the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in Earl Grant and Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in Larry Eustachy. The College last played in the NIT in 2011 – still the longest postseason tournament run in program history (quarterfinals) to date – and Colorado State in 2015. The Cougars have won six of their last seven games of the season, while the Rams have won nine of their last 11. Both squads reached the championship game of their respective league tournament as the No. 2 seeds – CofC a 78-69 loss to top-seeded UNCW on March 6 and CSU a 79-71 loss to top-seeded Nevada on March 11. The defensive-minded Cougars currently rank No. 25 in the nation in scoring defense (64.1 ppg) and No. 13 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.7%), while the Rams are No. 27 in field-goal percentage defense (40.4%) and No. 24 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (31.2%). Both teams also handle the ball well as the Cougars rank No. 11 in turnovers per game (10.4 avg.) and CSU No. 22 (10.9 avg.). The winner of the first-round game will advance to second-round action against either top-seeded Cal (21-12) or eighth-seeded CSU Bakersfield (22-9) slated for March 16-20. The quarterfinals will then be held on March 21 and 22, while both semifinal games will be played on Tuesday, March 28, and the championship game on Thursday, March 30, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
SCOUTING COLORADO STATE
Colorado State redshirt senior guard Gian Clavell is averaging a team-leading 20.4 points per game including a 30-point outburst in the finals of the Mountain West Championship. He was crowned the 2017 MWC Player of the Year as well as selected to the All-MWC First Team and All-Defensive Team. The Rams finished second in the final league standings with a 13-5 record after being picked to finish seventh. They also boast a .713 all-time winning percentage at Moby Arena and went 14-5 on their home court averaging 3,806 fans per game this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
College of Charleston sophomore forward Jarrell Brantley and Colorado State senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo will go head-to-head on Tuesday. Brantley has recorded 11 double-doubles on the season including four in the Cougars' last five games and Omogbo 20 double-doubles – which leads the Mountain West and ranks seventh among NCAA statistical leaders. Omogbo also ranks 10th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.65 avg.), while Brantley ranks 41st (6.59 avg.) which is second most in the CAA.
TICKET INFORMATION
For fans traveling to Colorado State, NIT tickets can be purchased through the McGraw Athletic Center Ticket Office at: 1-800-491-RAMS (7267) or online at: www.CSURams.com/tickets
HOW THEY GOT THERE
The Cougars built their postseason tournament resume with a No. 62 NCAA RPI, 25-win campaign under third-year head coach Earl Grant, 14-4 conference record (finished one game out of first place in the 11th-rated conference in the country in the Colonial), 10-4 road record and strong non-conference schedule with only four of their nine losses of the season to UCF, Wake Forest, defending national champion Villanova and LSU. They were also ranked for 13-consecutive weeks in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll with a ranking as high as No. 11. Colorado State, No. 66 NCAA RPI, lost in the non-conference only to Stanford, Wichita State, Kansas State, Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State.
ONWARD WEST!
The Cougars travel to the Centennial State for only the second time in program history. CofC last played Colorado (L, 57-72) under former head coach Tom Herrion in a 2014 Preseason NIT game held in Boulder, Colo. One of the program's most recent alums, Canyon Barry, a 2015 graduate in physics and three-time Academic All-American, hailed from Colorado Springs.
COUGARS ALL-TIME IN THE NIT
College of Charleston is 4-4 all-time in the Postseason NIT having last played Dayton (W, 94-84) in the first round, Cleveland State (W, 64-56) in the second round and Wichita State (L, 75-82) in the quarterfinals in 2011 under former head coach Bobby Cremins. The Cougars have won their first-round game in each of their last three previous appearances in the NIT in 1996, 2003 and 2011.
NIT ALL-TIME RESULTS (4-4)
1995 – College of Charleston at Providence, L, 67-72, First Round on 3/16/95 in Providence, R.I.
1996 – College of Charleston at Tennessee, W, 55-49, First Round on 3/13/96 in Knoxville, Tenn.
1996 – College of Charleston at Rhode Island, L, 58-62 (OT), Second Round on 3/19/96 in Kingston, R.I.
2003 – College of Charleston at Kent State, W, 71-66, First Round on 3/19/03 in Kent, Ohio
2003 – College of Charleston at Providence, L, 64-69, Second Round on 3/22/03 in Providence, R.I.
2011 – College of Charleston vs. Dayton, W, 94-84, First Round on 3/15/11 in Charleston, S.C.
2011 – College of Charleston at Cleveland State, W, 64-56, Second Round on 3/19/11 in Cleveland, Ohio
2011 – College of Charleston at Wichita State, L, 75-82, Quarterfinals on 3/23/11 in Wichita, Kan.
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 Moby Arena on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (17.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 33.9 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (13.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 27.0 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (6.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 31.1 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (14.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 32.0 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (6.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 24.5 min)
PROJECTED COLORADO STATE STARTERS
#11 Prentiss Nixon, G, 6-2, 185, So. (13.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 31.9 min)
#3 Gian Clavell, G, 6-4, 190, RS-Sr. (20.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 36.4 min)
#22 J.D. Paige, G, 6-3, 165, RS-So. (8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 32.5 min)
#2 Emmanuel Omogbo, F, 6-8, 210, Sr. (14.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 30.6 min)
#32 Nico Carvacho, F, 6-11, 240, RS-Fr. (5.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 21.6 min)
COUGARS ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN WEST
College of Charleston is 2-2 versus Mountain West Conference opponents having last faced San Diego State (L, 52-72) in the ESPN Wooden Legacy in 2013 and Boise State (W, 60-47) in the ESPN Charleston Classic in 2016. The Cougars have also played league members Air Force (1-0) and Wyoming (0-1). This will be the second road trip for CofC to a MWC school having last played at Wyoming (L, 59-84) during the 1990-91 season – the Cougars' second and final season of NCAA compliance to gain Division I status.
UNCW RECAP
UNCW 78, College of Charleston 69
• This was the third time that College of Charleston and UNCW met in the CAA Tournament. The Seahawks now lead 3-0 in those meetings – 2015 Quarterfinals, 2016 Quarterfinals and 2017 Finals.
• The Cougars appeared in their first-ever CAA championship game after joining the league in 2013.
• For the 14th time this season, Joe Chealey turned in 20-or-more points in game with a team-high 21 points against the Seahawks. He is currently on a career-best 16 game double-digit scoring streak. Chealey continues to move up CofC's career scoring list and has now tabulated 1,198 career points to date which ranks 26th all-time.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds versus the Seahawks. It marked the 16th double-double of his career. He recorded his 500th career rebound in the game and now has 509 to date.
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"Colorado State is a very good team. They play in a very good league and made it to the Mountain West Conference championship game and lost to Nevada. They are well coached and talented. It will be a great challenge for us to play another great team on their home court. I am really happy for our players and coaches. They put so much hard work into being able to play in a postseason tournament. It is great to be rewarded for our efforts this season. Hopefully, we can continue to advance." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on playing Colorado State in the NIT First Round
"It's a climb and it was fun. It's everything you could want in a college basketball game. We got a taste of what it is like and we will be back. We look forward to playing in the postseason." – Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey on playing in the CAA championship game and building on the future
"Every day we step on the court, we are hungry. That's the type of team that we have. We will be hungry every time we have a chance to play." – Sophomore Forward Jarrell Brantley after the CAA championship game on playing in the postseason and building on next season
Players Mentioned
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