Cougars To Take On Wake Forest On Thanksgiving Day

Thursday, November 28

Anaheim, Calif.

4:30 PM (ET) / 1:30 PM (PT)

College of Charleston

Wake Forest

11/26/2019 8:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Wake Forest Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (3-2, 0-0 CAA) vs. WAKE FOREST (3-2, 0-1 ACC)
ESPN PAYCOM WOODEN LEGACY
Game #6
November 28, 2019 • 4:30 p.m. (ET) / 1:30 p.m. (PT)
Anaheim Arena (7,500)
At Anaheim, Calif.

Television: ESPNews
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: Wake Forest Leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Wake Forest def. CofC, 78-61, on Nov. 20, 2016 at ESPN Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Live Statistics at http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/tournament.php?tid=686
Live On-Demand Video: https://www.espn.com/watch
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Sixth Year at CofC: 104-67
Sixth Year Overall: 104-67
Wake Forest: Danny Manning
Sixth Year at WFU: 68-95
Eighth Year Overall: 106-124

TELEVISION (ESPNews)
Play-By-Play: Eric Rothman
Color Analyst: Corey Williams

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

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (3-2) travels to the West Coast to take on Wake Forest (3-2) in the opening round of the 2019 Paycom Wooden Legacy on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 4:30 p.m. (ET) / 1:30 p.m. (ET) at Anaheim Arena in Anaheim, Calif. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNews. This is the second-ever trip to the state of California for CofC behind the program's first appearance in the Wooden Legacy back in 2013. For the first time in 22 years, both the Cougars and Demon Deacons last met in the third-place game of the ESPN Charleston Classic in 2016. The winner of the Thanksgiving matinee will face either the winner of Long Beach State (2-4) or Providence (4-2) in the tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. (ET) / 11:00 a.m. (PT). Charleston has been on the road the last week splitting travel between Marshall (W, 76-66) and UCF (L, 71-72). Preseason Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year Grant Riller is currently on a 33-game double-figure scoring streak having dropped 22 against the Thundering Herd and 20 versus the Knights. Junior guard Brevin Galloway, the team's second-leading scorer, joined Riller in double figures with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. One of the top mid-major ballclubs in America, Charleston is ranked No. 21 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.

SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
The Demon Deacons have won three of their last four games including an 82-70 road victory against Davidson on Nov. 22 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. They have already played one early ACC matchup at Boston College (L, 70-77) to commence the 2019-20 season. Wake Forest is led in scoring by senior guard Brandon Childress, son of former Demon Deacon great Randolph Childress, who is currently averaging 17.8 points per game. They are the highest-scoring father-son duo in ACC history.

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2019-20 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 Anaheim Arena.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#10 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 175, So. (6.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.8 apg, 26.6 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Sr. (21.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.0 apg, 33.8 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, Jr. (12.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 29.4 min)
#24 Jaylen McManus, F, 6-7, 230, Sr. (10.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.2 apg, 28.8 min)
#33 Osinachi Smart, C/F, 6-8, 240, Jr. (2.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.0 apg, 15.0 min)

PROJECTED WAKE FOREST STARTERS
#0 Brandon Childress, G, 6-0, 195, Sr. (17.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.8 apg, 35.0 min)
#11 Torry Johnson, G, 6-3, 175, Gr.-Sr. (3.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.6 apg, 14.6 min)
#13 Andrien White, G, 6-3, 200, RS-Sr. (8.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 24.0 min)
#1 Isaiah Mucius, F, 6-8, 195, So. (8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 23.0 min)
#33 Ody Oguama, F, 6-9, 205, Fr. (3.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.0 apg, 14.6 min)

SERIES NOTES
Wake Forest leads 3-0 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. Both teams first met in the 1994 NCAA Southeast Regional held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. It marked the Cougars' first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after only becoming a NCAA Division I program in 1991-92. They earned an at-large bid and entered the matchup with the nation's longest winning streak of 16 games. Former standout and CofC Athletics Hall of Famer Marion Busby was named Chevrolet MVP of the game for his 21-point effort in the close 68-58 loss to the Demon Deacons in the 1994 first round. The Cougars and Demon Deacons also met the following year in a road meeting (L, 64-74) in Winston-Salem, N.C.

LAST THREE GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 64-74 (-10) on 2/17/94 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
L, 58-68 (-10) on 3/17/94 in Lexington, Ky.
L, 61-78 (-17) on 11/20/16 in Charleston, S.C.

COUGARS AGAINST THE WOODEN LEGACY FIELD
CofC has never faced Long Beach State, Penn or Pepperdine in 110 seasons of Cougar Basketball. However, the Cougars are 0-1 in the all-time series with Arizona having last met the eventual national champion Wildcats in the 1996 NCAA Second Round (L, 69-73). They are also 0-2 versus Providence. Charleston leads 12-6 in the all-time series with UCF including both team's last meeting in a non-bracketed game of the Wooden Legacy on Nov. 23 (L, 71-72) in Orlando, Fla. Arizona is the only team in this year's tournament field currently ranked in the Top 25 at No. 14.

THANKSGIVING IN SUNNY LOCALES
Year-in and year-out, College of Charleston has been included in some of the premiere exempt tournaments which have taken them to tropical locales such as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Hawai'i and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Wooden Legacy will be the 16th exempt tournament in school history since CofC became a NCAA Division I program in 1991-92. Next year, CofC will make its fourth-ever appearance at the ESPN Charleston Classic in a tough field that includes Florida State, Houston, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Seton Hall, Tennessee and VCU. Charleston won the 2002 Great Alaska Shootout title with victories over Wyoming, Oklahoma State and Villanova. The Cougars have made the championship game of an exempt tournament only twice in 1996 and 2002 – both at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska.

TOURNAMENT                                                                  RECORD
2018 AdvoCare Invitational (Orlando, Fla.)                   (2-1): LSU (L), UAB (W), Memphis (W)
2017 Great Alaska Shootout (Anchorage, Alaska)               (2-1): Cal Poly (L), Sam Houston State (W), Alaska Anchorage (W)
2016 Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C.)                   (1-2): Boise State (W), UCF (L), Wake Forest (L)
2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan, Puerto Rico)             (1-2): Connecticut (L), Texas A&M (L), George Mason (W)
2013 Wooden Legacy (Anaheim, Calif.)                         (1-2): San Diego State (L), Arizona State (L), Cal State Fullerton (W)
2012 Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C.)                   (1-2): St. John's (L), Auburn (L), Boston College (W)
2011 Battle 4 Atlantis (Paradise Island, Bahamas)            (2-1): UCF (L), UNC Asheville (W), UMass (W)
2009 Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu, Hawai'i)                (1-2): Hawai'i (L), SMU (W), Western Michigan (L)
2008 Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C.)                   (2-1): SIU-Edwardsville (W), Temple (L), TCU (W)
2007 Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan, Puerto Rico)             (1-2): Arkansas (L), Temple (W), Houston (L)
2006 Paradise Jam (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)          (1-2): Villanova (L), VCU (L), MTSU (W)
2002 Great Alaska Shootout (Anchorage, Alaska)               (3-0): Wyoming (W), Oklahoma State (W), Villanova (W)
2000 Hawaii-Pacific Thanksgiving Classic (Honolulu)          (2-1): Duquesne (W), Georgetown (L), TCU (W)
1996 Great Alaska Shootout (Anchorage, Alaska)               (2-1): Arizona State (W), Stanford (W), Kentucky (L)
1994 Puerto Rico Shootout (San Juan, Puerto Rico)            (1-2): UAB (W), Illinois (L), Nebraska (L)

THE DISH
The Cougars dished out a season-high 14 assists at UCF on Nov. 23. It marked the second time this season for the team to tally double-digit assists in a single game behind 11 against Georgia State on Nov. 9. Grant Riller is the team's top playmaker averaging 5.0 assists per game, which is tied for fourth among Colonial Athletic Association leaders in the category. He turned in his first 100+ assist season (134) last year during his junior campaign averaging 4.1 a contest.

THE 411 ON RILLER
A preseason Lute Olson Award and Lou Henson Award Watch List candidate, Grant Riller is also one of the Top 5 active career scoring leaders in the nation and No. 1 in the CAA with 1,903 career points to date. The fifth-year senior has recorded four 20-point performances in just the team's five games alone including a season-high 26 points against USC Upstate in the season opener.

NCAA DIVISION I ACTIVE CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1. Jermaine Marrow (Hampton) – 2,117 points
2. Markus Howard (Marquette) – 2,040 points
3. Charles Williams (Howard) – 1,919 points
4. Grant Riller (College of Charleston) – 1,903 points
5. Tres Tinkle (Oregon State) – 1,791 points

UCF RECAP
UCF 72, College of Charleston 71
• College of Charleston used the starting lineup of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jaylen McManus and Osinachi Smart (3-2).
• UCF has now won three-straight and claimed only its sixth all-time victory versus the College of Charleston in the all-time series (12-6).
• Grant Riller extended his double-digit streak to 33-consecutive games with a team-high 20 points and seven assists at UCF. He moved into fourth all-time on the school's career scoring list surpassing former CofC great Greg Mack (1,901 career points from 1981-85). Riller has now tabulated 1,903 career points to date.
• For the second-straight game, Brevin Galloway reached double figures and registered 14 points including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc versus UCF.
• The Cougars shot 48.3 percent from the field (28-of-58) against the Knights – their second-highest percentage in a single game this season.
• CofC shot a season-best 41.2 percent from beyond the arc making 7-of-17 attempts at UCF.
• The Knights scored 18 of their points off of 12 turnovers committed by Charleston.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We are playing good basketball right now. We had two road games back-to-back. We won one (at Marshall) and we lost a heartbreaker by one point at UCF. We are making some progress and doing some good things. I'm sure our guys are very excited about playing in such a prestigious tournament as the (John R.) Wooden Legacy Classic." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on traveling to California after two road games last week

"They are coming off a really good win (at Davidson). Coach (Danny) Manning is doing a great job with his team. He's got some talent. They will present an unbelievable challenge on Thursday, because they play in a great league with great players. We will have to play really well and compete." – Coach Grant on Wake Forest

"We have to continue to build. We had 14 assists in the game against UCF. We missed some opportunities. We probably should have had 18 assists by just making the right play. Our defense was really good for about 35 minutes of the game. We have to find a way to get four-or-five more minutes of great defense. I think we are making progress. Now, we get an opportunity to go play three games in four days in a good tournament with a lot of good teams. It will be a great test for our program." – Coach Grant on the improvements his team needs to make from the UCF game