COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (3-1, 0-0 CAA) vs. #19/21 LSU (4-0, 0-0 SEC)
Game #5
AdvoCare Invitational
November 22, 2018 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (5,000)
at Orlando, Fla.
 
Television: ESPNU
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: LSU Leads 2-1
Last Meeting: LSU def. CofC, 75-65, on Dec. 19, 2016 in Baton Rouge, La.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.advocare.statbroadcast.com
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
 
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fifth Year at CofC: 80-57
Fifth Year Overall: 80-57
LSU: Will Wade
Second Year at LSU: 22-15
Sixth Year Overall: 113-60
 
TELEVISION (ESPNU)
Play-By-Play: Mike Morgan
Color Analyst: Tim Welsh
 
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
 
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
For the first time in program history, the College of Charleston men's basketball team (3-1) will participate in the AdvoCare Invitational on Nov. 22, 23 & 25 at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. The defending Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament champions, the Cougars are one of three schools in this year's AdvoCare Invitational field that played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament field next to defending national champion Villanova and NCAA Elite Eight participant Florida State. Their opening-round matchup will pit them against one of the nation's top scoring offenses (31st, 87.5 ppg) in No. 19/21-ranked LSU (4-0) on Thanksgiving Day at 7 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU. The Cougars and Tigers are no strangers having played each other four times in the last five years. CofC is looking to rebound from a 70-58 loss at Oklahoma State in a non-bracketed game of the AdvoCare Invitational on Nov. 18 in Stillwater, Okla. Known for its stingy defense, the Cougars' last four opponents have scored only 68.0 points per game and made 12.3 turnovers per game. This is the first trip for Charleston to the Orlando area since playing at UCF in 2002. The winner/loser will either face Florida State (3-0) or UAB (3-0) in the semifinals/consolation round on Friday.
 
SCOUTING LSU
LSU is one of 63 undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I. The Tigers most recently beat Memphis (85-76) in a non-bracketed game of the AdvoCare Invitational on Nov. 13 and Louisiana Tech (74-67) on Nov. 16. This will be their first game away from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center this season. LSU boasts one of the Top-5 recruiting classes in the nation with two freshmen starters in its current lineup. Last year, the Tigers reached the NIT Second Round.
 
ADVOCARE INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Game 1: Villanova vs. Canisius on Thursday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m.
Game 2: Oklahoma State vs. Memphis on Thursday, November 22 at 3:30 or 4:00 pm.
Game 3: College of Charleston vs. LSU on Thursday, November 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: UAB vs. Florida State on Thursday, November 22 at 9:00 or 9:30 p.m.
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner on Friday, November 23 at 11:30 a.m.
Game 6: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser on Friday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner on Friday, November 23 at 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 3 Loser on Friday, November 23 at 6:30 or 7:00 p.m.
Game 9: 7th Place Game on Sunday, November 25 at 10:30 a.m.
Game 10: 5th Place Game on Sunday, November 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Game 11: 3rd Place Game on Sunday, November 25 at 1:00 or 4:00 p.m.
Game 12: Championship Game on Sunday, November 25 at 1:00 or 4:00 p.m.
 
COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2018-19 season on ESPN Radio 910 AM and 94.7 FM in Charleston or via a live audio link at: www.charlestonsportsradio.com. Voice of the Cougars Everett German will call the action live from HP Field House.
 
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#10 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 170, RS-Fr. (8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 32.8 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Jr. (19.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 37.3 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, So. (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 27.3 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 255, Sr. (18.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 34.3 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 270, Sr. (0.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 15.8 min)
 
PROJECTED LSU STARTERS
#4 Skylar Mays, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (12.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 28.5 min)
#3 Tremont Waters, G, 5-11, 175, So. (13.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6.3 apg, 33.0 min)
#1 Ja'Vonte Smart, G, 6-4, 200, Fr. (13.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 24.5 min)
#24 Emmitt Williams, F, 6-6, 225, Fr. (9.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 24.5 min)
#11 Kavell Bigby-Williams, F, 6-11, 250, Sr. (7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 16.5 min)
 
LAST TIME COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON …
• The last time College of Charleston beat a Power 5 Conference (SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big Ten or Pac-12) school was during the 2015-16 season under head coach Earl Grant. The Cougars defeated preseason Top 25-ranked LSU with future NBA Draft Pick Ben Simmons (W, 70-58) on Nov. 30, 2015 at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
• The last time CofC defeated a Southeastern Conference school (home or away) was the LSU upset in 2015.
• The last time the Cougars won an opening-round tournament game was against Boise State (60-47) in the ESPN Charleston Classic in 2016.
 
AGAINST THE ADVOCARE INVITATIONAL FIELD
While this will be the fourth-ever meeting between College of Charleston and LSU, the Cougars have faced six of the seven possible AdvoCare Invitational bracket opponents in Canisius (2-0), Florida State (0-3), Oklahoma State (1-2), UAB (1-0) and Villanova (1-2).
 
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
Last season, College of Charleston ranked No. 10 in the nation in turnovers per game (10.0). The Cougars are currently No. 28 averaging just 10.5 turnovers per game, which also leads the Colonial Athletic Association.
 
BRANTLEY'S FAREWELL TOUR
Senior forward Jarrell Brantley scored a game-high 24 points at Oklahoma State on Nov. 18 to move into the Top 15 all-time in career scoring at CofC. The preseason All-CAA First Team selection has tabulated 1,348 career points and 726 career rebounds to date. There are only two players (Ken Gustafson and Thaddeous Delaney) in program history, who have recorded at least 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career and four players (Gustafson, Delaney, Greg Mack and Sam Meade) with at least 1,500 points and 800 rebounds in a career. Brantley, who has registered 24 double-double games in his career, is looking to join the ranks of those all-time greats during what he calls his, "Farewell Tour."
 
ORLANDO HOMECOMING
Junior guard Grant Riller, who starred at nearby Ocoee High School where he once set a school-single game record of 53 points,  returns home to the Orlando area for the first time of his College of Charleston career. The team's leading scorer and playmaker is averaging 19.0 points and 3.8 assists per game this season. A preseason All-CAA First Team selection, Riller has recorded 19 career 20-point games and five career 30-point games. He poured in a season-high 28 points at Western Carolina on Nov. 10. Riller is one of two talented Orlando products that have impacted the Charleston Basketball program over the last six years – the other graduating senior and current NBA G League player Joe Chealey out of Apopka High School, who closed out his career last season as the school's fourth all-time leading scorer (1,827 points).
 
SERIES HISTORY
LSU leads 2-1 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. This will be the first neutral-site meeting between both schools. The Tigers own the last win in the series with a 75-65 victory on Dec. 19, 2016 in Baton Rouge, La.
 
LAST THREE GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 65-75 (-10) on Dec. 19, 2016 in Baton Rouge, La.
W, 70-58 (+12) on Nov. 30, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 47-71 (-24) on Dec. 22, 2014 in Baton Rouge, La.
 
COUGARS AGAINST THE SEC
The Cougars are 6-43 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 (1-2), 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 – a 70-58 upset of preseason Top 25-ranked LSU on Nov. 30, 2015, 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.
 
COUGARS AGAINST NATIONALLY-RANKED COMPETITION
The Cougars are 6-23 all-time when playing Top 25 nationally-ranked opponents. They are 2-10 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 (6-23) 
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.
No. 6 Wichita State 81, College of Charleston 63 on Nov. 13, 2017 in Wichita, Kan.
 
WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!
For some members of the team, this will be their first trip to Walt Disney World. Aside from basketball, the Cougars will enjoy some time at the Disney Parks on the tournament off day on Saturday.
 
"Growing up, my favorite Disney character was Simba from The Lion King. I've never been to Disney Parks and I'm excited to try all of the foods from the different countries at Epcot." – CofC Senior Forward Nick Harris from Dacula, Georgia
 
"Back home in Senegal, I used to watch Disney movies and TV shows. I enjoyed The Lion King and Mickey Mouse as a child. I'm really looking forward to our trip next week to Orlando." – CofC Sophomore Center Samba Ndiaye from Thies, Senegal
 
OKLAHOMA STATE RECAP
Oklahoma State 70, College of Charleston 58
• College of Charleston started Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris.
• Oklahoma State now leads 2-1 in the all-time series versus College of Charleston. Both teams last met in the semifinals of the 2002 Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. This was the second meeting between the two schools in Stillwater (0-2).
• Jarrell Brantley extended his double-digit scoring streak to four games with a season-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field at Oklahoma State. He also added five rebounds and two assists.
• Reserve Jaylen McManus turned in a season-high nine points and five rebounds at Oklahoma State.
• Freshman forward Isaih Moore came off the bench and contributed four points and two rebounds in eight minutes of action versus the Cowboys.
• The Cougars were held to a season-low 55 points and 36.4 percent shooting from the floor at Oklahoma State.
 
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"This is the third time we have played them (LSU) in four years. As a coach and player, this is the type of game you want to play. This is why you play this game – to be challenged. It's a big-time tournament. You play three games in four days. LSU is talented, but they are young. They are big with all five guys out there at one time. It's a great test and opportunity for us on Thanksgiving Day. We will give it our best effort and try to play to our standards. I am happy we get to spend the time at Disney with our families, while also trying to compete against some of the best teams in the country this week in Orlando." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on playing LSU and in this year's AdvoCare Invitational field
 
"He has grown a lot over the last four years. He's always been a talented player. He loves to play out on the perimeter. He is very dominant when he gets close to the basket. He is trying to round his game out and find some balance. He has done a good job of leading and its really great to see him evolve over the last four years." – Coach Grant on the growth of Jarrell Brantley
 
"We really don't approach it any differently. The big thing is you try to play basketball at a high level. We had a great opportunity with the Oklahoma State game. We led the game with four minutes left to go in the first half. We played really good basketball, but we let their pressure and athleticism dictate what we wanted to do. It was a Big 12 game on the road. Now, we have to go on the road and play the same type of team." – Coach Grant on learning from the OSU game in preparation for LSU
 
"It's a big week for us. We are gone for six days. We have a chance to bond as a team, enjoy the moment and play hard. It will be a good experience for all of us. We know they (LSU) are highly talented. Coach (Grant) has done a good job of preparing us. We have a good plan. We just need to play Charleston Basketball and let the chips fall where they may." – Junior Guard Grant Riller on playing LSU in the opening round