#13 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (26-7) vs. #4 AUBURN (25-7)
2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship First Round
Game #34
March 16, 2018 • 7:27 p.m. (ET) / 4:27 p.m. (PT)
Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414)
at San Diego, Calif.
 
Television: truTV
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: Auburn Leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Auburn def. CofC, 55-51, on Nov. 16, 2012 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at https://www.ncaa.com/game/basketball-men/d1/2018/03/16/col-of-charleston-auburn
Live Video: Live Video at https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/
Tickets: www.Ticketmaster.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
 
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fourth Year at CofC: 77-55
Fourth Year Overall: 77-55
Auburn: Bruce Pearl
Fourth Year at Auburn: 69-61
23rd Year Overall: 531-206
 
TELEVISION (truTV)
Play-By-Play: Carter Blackburn
Color Analyst: Debbie Antonelli
Sideline Reporter: John Schriffen
 
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
Color Analyst: Danny Johnson
 
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
It's been 19 years since the College of Charleston men's basketball program punched its ticket to the Big Dance and the Cougars are ready to fill-up their dance card in March. No. 13-seeded CofC (26-7) is making its fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and will tangle with No. 4-seeded Auburn (25-7) in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Region on Friday, March 16 at 7:27 p.m. (ET) / 4:27 p.m. (PT) on truTV at the Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl in San Diego, Calif. The winner will face either No. 5 Clemson (23-9) or No. 12 New Mexico State (28-5) in the second round. Kansas (27-7) is the top seed in the Midwest Region. The co-regular season and tournament champion out of the Colonial Athletic Association, CofC features one of the top mid-major players in the country and playmakers in senior guard Joe Chealey (18.5 ppg and 3.6 apg) – a two-time All-CAA First Team selection who willed his team to a dramatic overtime victory over Northeastern in the CAA title game on March 6. Chealey topped the 30-point mark for the second time this season with a game-high 32 points against the Huskies. He is joined by the talented cast of sophomore guard and CAA Tournament MVP Grant Riller (18.7 ppg), junior forward Jarrell Brantley (17.0 ppg) and senior defensive specialist Cameron Johnson (8.8 ppg). Riller is one of the top shooters in the country (50th, 55.0 FG%), while Brantley is a multi-dimension player with six double-doubles on the season including in the last four contests. The Tigers, who received an at-large bid out of the Southeastern Conference, are currently ranked No. 19 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The first-round game will pit the CAA's top scoring defense (68.8 ppg) versus the SEC's top scoring offense (83.4 ppg).
 
EYEING THE TIGERS
Auburn is making its ninth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2003. The Tigers won the SEC regular-season title with a 13-5 record, but fell to Alabama (L, 63-81) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. They are the 12-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and earned the program's highest-ever seed at No. 3. Auburn currently ranks No. 8 in the country in free throw percentage (78.6%) and No. 17 in scoring offense (83.4 ppg). Junior guard Bryce Brown is one of the country's top three-point threats averaging 3.3 treys per game, which ranks 15th in NCAA Division I.
 
WATCH MARCH MADNESS
March Madness got its name for a reason. Over 21 days, there will be 67 single-elimination games, culminating in the national championship on Monday, April 2 in San Antonio, Texas. All games will be broadcast on either TBS, TNT, TruTV or CBS, and will be livestreamed on March Madness Live as well at: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/
 
COUGARS ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Cougars are 1-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and previously earned an at-large berth in 1994 (TAAC) and automatic berths in 1997 (TAAC), 1998 (TAAC) and 1999 (Southern Conference). CofC won its first Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament title in 2018. The Cougars joined the CAA in July of 2013 and their best NCAA finish was the Round of 32 in 1997 (upset No. 5-seed Maryland as the No. 12 seed in the NCAA First Round and lost to eventual national champion Arizona in the second round).
 
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 Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl alongside color analyst Danny Johnson on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
 
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 190, Sr. (18.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 35.8 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 195, So. (18.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 33.4 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Sr. (8.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 33.0 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, Jr. (17.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 32.0 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 260, Jr. (6.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.4 apg, 25.5 min)
 
PROJECTED AUBURN STARTERS
#1 Jared Harper, G, 5-10, 170, So. (13.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.7 apg, 30.9 min)
#2 Bryce Brown, G, 6-3, 198, Jr. (16.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 31.2 min)
#5 Mustapha Heron, G, 6-5, 218, So. (16.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 28.5 min)
#13 Desean Murray, F, 6-3, 225, Jr. (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 23.7 min)
#0 Horace Spencer, F, 6-8, 220, Jr. (4.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 16.8 min)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Auburn leads 3-0 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. Prior to the Tigers' and Cougars' last meeting in the 2012 ESPN Charleston Classic (L, 51-55), both schools played each other as part of a home-and-home series under former head coach Tom Herrion. The Cougars opened the 2003-04 season with a close 66-62 setback at Auburn on Nov. 17, 2003 in Auburn, Ala., and in the returning year, lost 76-61 on Dec. 7, 2004 at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, S.C.
 
LAST THREE GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 51-55 (-4) on Nov. 17, 2012 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 61-76 (-15) on Dec. 7, 2004 in North Charleston, S.C.
L, 62-66(-4) on Nov. 17, 2003 in Auburn, Ala.
 
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 and Ben Simmons 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.
 
MAKING EVERY SHOT COUNT
Joe Chealey is one of the top free-throw shooters in the nation and ranks No. 6 in free throws made (211) and No. 9 in free throws attempted (245). He is shooting 86.1 percent from the charity stripe this season, which is 49th best in NCAA Division I. Chealey went a perfect 16-for-16 versus Northeastern in the CAA Championship Game on March 6 and is 21-for-21 in his last two games against William & Mary and NU. Overall, he has went flawless from the free throw line on 15 occasions this season and is the school's all-time leader in career free throws made (582).
 
THE COMEBACK KIDS
The Cougars made their second-biggest comeback of the season overcoming a 17-point deficit in the second half of the CAA Championship Game versus Northeastern (W, 83-76 in OT) on March 6 at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, S.C. CofC had six games this season where it came back from a 10-point deficit or more. The largest of the season was an 18-point deficit in the first half to Hofstra (W, 76-60) on Jan. 20 at TD Arena.
 
BIGGEST SEASON COMEBACKS
1. Trailed by 18 vs. Hofstra (1st Half – 5:11) on 1/20/18
2. Trailed by 17 vs. Northeastern (2nd Half – 17:29) on 3/6/18
3. Trailed by 11 vs. James Madison (1st Half – 12:24) on 1/27/18
4. Trailed by 11 at James Madison (2nd Half – 10:11) on 2/15/18
5. Trailed by 10 at Hofstra (1st Half – 14:46) on 2/3/18
6. Trailed by 10 at Delaware (1st Half – 10:35) on 1/25/18
 
COUGAR SIDEBARS
• College of Charleston last played a Bruce Pearl-led team in a 91-78 New Year's Eve victory over Tennessee, which reached the NCAA Elite Eight a year prior, on Dec. 31, 2010 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. Former Cougar greats Andrew Goudelock (game-high 31 points) and Donavan Monroe combined for 58 points to lead the Cougars to their first road victory at a major conference school since 1995. It also marked the program's fourth all-time win versus a school hailing from the SEC.
• Also at the same first-and-second round site in San Diego are two of College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant's mentors – Gregg Marshall of Wichita State and Brad Brownell of Clemson. Grant coached under Marshall at Winthrop (2004-07) and Wichita State (2007-10) and last for Brownell at Clemson from 2010-14.
• The last time Coach Grant traveled to the West Coast for a NCAA Tournament game – he was an assistant coach at Winthrop under Gregg Marshall. The No. 11-seeded Eagles upset No. 6-seeded Notre Dame, 74-64, in the NCAA First Round on March 16, 2017 at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash.
• Auburn and Clemson both were in the 2017 ESPN Charleston Classic field hosted in November at the College of Charleston's home venue, TD Arena. The Auburn Tigers went 2-1 with wins over Indiana State and Hofstra, while the Clemson Tigers were runner-up to Temple in the championship game.
• Should CofC advance past the first round, it would be the 12th all-time meeting between the two Palmetto State schools and first since the Cougars picked up their first-ever road win at Clemson (72-69) in 2011 at Littlejohn Coliseum or a first-time meeting with New Mexico State.
 
BROTHERLY LOVE
Redshirt freshman big man Osinachi Smart and his older brother, Ikenna Smart, are one of only two known NCAA Division I brother duos playing in March Madness this week. Osinachi is a member of College of Charleston's CAA Championship squad, while Ikenna is a junior forward and member of the University of Buffalo's Mid-American Conference Championship squad. They are joined by the brother duo of Shunn Buchanan of New Mexico State (Western Athletic Conference Champions) and Leroy "Shaq" Buchanan of Murray State (Ohio Valley Conference Champions). Brothers Danny Hurley, head coach at Rhode Island, and Bobby Hurley, head coach at Arizona State, will also be part of the madness on the coaching sidelines.
 
NCAA DIVISION I BROTHER DUOS IN MARCH MADNESS
Osinachi Smart (Charleston) and Ikenna Smart (Buffalo)
Shunn Buchanan (New Mexico State) and Leroy "Shaq" Buchanan (Murray State)
Danny Hurley (Rhode Island) and Bobby Hurley (Arizona State)
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Jarrell Brantley recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds versus Northeastern in the CAA Championship Game on March 6. He has turned in four-consecutive games with double-doubles versus William & Mary (twice), Drexel and NU. Cameron Johnson also joined the double-double club for the first time of his career with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds at JMU. In all, four Cougars have turned in double-doubles on nine occasions this year including Nick Harris (10 points and 10 rebounds vs. South Carolina State) and Joe Chealey (26 points and 10 assists vs. Cal Poly).
 
"We are a totally different team with him. He's a match-up nightmare for anybody. He can guard and play the five. He makes us that much better, because he is a weapon if we can get it to him inside." – Joe Chealey on Jarrell Brantley, who missed the first 10 games of the season due to a knee injury and returned to the lineup versus South Carolina State on Dec. 19
 
OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
College of Charleston went on a 10-day preseason international tour to Ireland from August 6-15, 2017. The NCAA allows teams to travel on an overseas summer tour once every four years. The Cougars were allowed 10 team practices in preparation for the trip and competition. They went 3-0 on their foreign tour culminating with a 29-point win over the Irish National Basketball Team (W, 93-64) in Galway, Ireland. Since their foreign tour, the Cougars have traveled to every pin point on the map logging in a total of 22,680 air miles this season in non-conference and postseason play with road trips to Wichita, Kansas, Anchorage, Alaska for the final Great Alaska Shootout, Kingston, Rhode Island and San Diego, California, for the NCAA First and Second Rounds.
 
Destination – Air Miles
Dublin, Ireland – 7,580 miles
Wichita, Kansas – 2,060 miles
Anchorage, Alaska – 7,200 miles
Kingston, Rhode Island – 1,540 miles
San Diego, California – 4,300 miles
Grand Total – 22,680 miles
 
GOING BACK TO CALI
The last time the Cougars trekked to the Golden State was back in 2013 for the DirecTV Wooden Legacy held in Anaheim, Calif. They went 1-2 in the tournament with losses to San Diego State and Arizona State and a win over host Cal State Fullerton. This will be the second-ever trip to the West Coast to play a game on California soil in program history – the first for postseason play.
 
"A lot of our players haven't traveled to the West Coast before and it will be a neat experience for them. Certainly, we are happy we are in the NCAA Tournament and we didn't care where we would be playing. San Diego is a good place for us." – Coach Grant on the Cougars' NCAA Tournament destination
 
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
"I remember watching a lot of the upsets. I knew a couple of guys on the (2013 NCAA Tournament) Florida Gulf Coast team. I remember their tournament run the most growing up. A lot of them are playing overseas professionally and we still play pick-up ball when we're back home during the summer in Orlando." – Sophomore Guard Grant Riller
 
"Watching all of the upsets. Seeing the commercials, the excitement and the emotion in the players. It was amazing to watch. I feel like this is a team that can upset some teams in the tournament and go far in it." – Junior Guard Marquise Pointer
 
"The music (One Shining Moment) and the atmosphere. The big winning shots. The whole march is just amazing and it's cool that we get to be a part of it. A lot of mid-major teams made their runs and made a name for themselves during the tournament. Hopefully, we can make our run, too." – Junior Forward Jarrell Brantley
 
NORTHEASTERN RECAP
College of Charleston 83, Northeastern 76 (OT)
• For the third-straight CAA postseason tournament game, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris.
• With the win, CofC claimed its first-ever CAA tournament title after joining the league in 2013. The Cougars also took a one-game 6-5 lead in the all-time series with Northeastern. They have now won four-straight games versus the Huskies and it was the first overtime game between the two schools.
• Joe Chealey recorded a game-high 32 points and went a perfect and season-best 16-for-16 from the free throw line against Northeastern. His 16 made free throws marked a new career high. He moved into fourth on the all-time career scoring list surpassing former great Sam Meade (1,812) and has now tabulated 1,825 career points to date. It also marked only his fourth 30-point game of his career and second of the season.
• Jarrell Brantley registered his fourth-straight double-double performance with 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds against Northeastern.
• Grant Riller knocked down 20 points versus Northeastern and has now scored in double figures in 28 of 32 games played this season. It marked his 11th 20-point outing and he made a season-high tying four steals.
• The Cougars are now 3-2 this season in overtime games versus Siena (W, 68-60), Drexel (L, 82-87), James Madison (W, 81-78), William & Mary (L, 104-114) and Northeastern (W, 83-76).
 
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We are excited and happy to be in the NCAA Tournament. We are battle tested. We have experience, size, depth and toughness. We've been able to win on the road and on neutral courts this season. We are built to win. I think this team has some destiny in them. I think we've seen enough to get us prepared. Every game this time of year is going to be hard. All of these teams are very good. Either they won the regular-season championship or won the conference tournament championship. They are just so many good teams in this field. We just need to come up with a good game plan and try to put our best foot forward." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on the Cougars playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999
 
"It was pure excitement. Until you hear and see your name, it's a different experience. I'll remember and cherish this for the rest of my life. I definitely watched them (Auburn), but nothing too critical (during the Charleston Classic at TD Arena). That's a good matchup for us. We will play a very good team. They're a No. 4 seed. It's going to be a fun one to play on Friday." – Senior Guard Cameron Johnson on hearing Charleston's name called during the NCAA Selection Show and playing Auburn in the first round
 
"We are looking forward to the challenge and matchup on Friday. They (Auburn) are a really talented backcourt that can score. They can take over the game at-will at times. They are the guys for Auburn I can see the comparison with our backcourt. At the end of the day, there are five guys on the court. It will be fun for me and Grant (Riller), because we like to compete." – Senior Guard Joe Chealey on the matchup with Auburn and both programs having strong and similar backcourts
 
"It still feels surreal. It felt good to get back into the gym this past week. I've never been out West and we're excited to play. This is what you dream about it. Playing in March. It will be a big challenge for us. We know what kind of season they (Auburn) had and know it will be a challenge. We know we will have to guard the three-point line. There are some similarities between our backcourts, but I feel like we are a different team." – Sophomore Guard Grant Riller on March Madness and playing Auburn in the first round