COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (0-0, 0-0 CAA) vs. #16/16 NORTH CAROLINA (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Game #1
November 25, 2020 • 6:00 p.m. (ET)
Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
at Chapel Hill, N.C.
 
Television: ACC Network
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: North Carolina Leads 4-3
Last Meeting: UNC def. CofC, 74-69, on Nov. 28, 2010 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Internet: Live Statistics at www.CofCStats.com
Live On-Demand Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?network=acc
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
 
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Seventh Year at CofC: 118-79
Seventh Year Overall: 118-79
North Carolina: Roy Williams
18th Year at UNC: 467-152
33rd Year Overall: 885-253
 
TELEVISION (ACC Network)
Play-By-Play: Jay Alter
Color Analyst: Malcolm Huckaby
 
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
 
GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team travel to Chapel Hill for its season opener at preseason No. 16-ranked North Carolina on Wednesday, November 25 at 6 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised live on the ACC Network from the Dean E. Smith Center. This game is part of a 2-for-1 series with the Tar Heels, who will play the Cougars at TD Arena during the 2021-22 season. Wednesday's game is CofC's third-ever trip to the Dean Dome next to 2009 (L, 70-108) and 2010. Graduate senior guard Brevin Galloway is Charleston's top returning player after being named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team and averaging 11.3 points per game (second-most on the team) in 2019-20. He was recently tabbed to the preseason All-CAA Second Team and graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in psychology. The Cougars return eight from last year's 17-14 squad, while welcoming six newcomers into the fold.
 
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
North Carolina senior forward and top returning player Garrison Brooks (16.8 ppg) was recently named to the 2021 NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List. The preseason All-American and preseason ACC Player of the Year is one of three returning starters for the Tar Heels next to Armando Bacot (9.6 ppg) and Leaky Black (6.5 ppg). Seven of the team's eight newcomers are freshmen. UNC looks to bounce back from a 14-19 campaign in 2019-20.
 
HOW TO WATCH THE ACC NETWORK
The ACC Network is available to watch online via the WatchESPN and ESPN app. For satellite cable subscribers, the ACC Network can be found on Dish Network (Channel 402) and on DirecTV (Channel 612). It is also available on streaming media such as Sling TV, AT&T TV Now, fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, T-Mobile TVision and Vidgo. AT&T U-verse (Channel 1610/610), Verizon Fios (Channel 571/71) and Google Fiber (Channel 221). Channel numbers vary on Altice USA, Charter Spectrum and Cox Cable. Check your local listings.
 
COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2020-21 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 the Dean Dome on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
 
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS (*2019-20 Statistics)
#12 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 170, Jr. (7.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 30.3 min)
#0 Payton Willis, G, 6-4, 190, Gr.-Sr. (DNP transferred from Minnesota)
#55 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 220, Gr.-Sr. (11.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 29.8 min)
#21 Lorenzo Edwards, F, 6-8, 215, Sr. (DNP transferred from Saint Joseph's)
#33 Osinachi Smart, C/F, 6-8, 240, Sr. (3.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.3 apg, 16.3 min)
 
PROJECTED NORTH CAROLINA STARTERS (*2019-20 Statistics)
#2 Caleb Love, G, 6-4, 195, Fr. (DNP)
#3 Andrew Platek, G, 6-4, 205, Sr. (3.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 18.1 min)
#1 Leaky Black, G/F, 6-8, 195, Jr. (6.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 29.7 min)
#15 Garrison Brooks, F, 6-10, 240, Sr. (16.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 34.9 min)
#5 Armando Bacot, F/C, 6-10, 240, So. (9.6 ppg, 8.3 ppg, 1.2 apg, 24.4 min)
 
SERIES HISTORY
North Carolina leads 4-3 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. Both teams last met in Chapel Hill (L, 69-74) on Nov. 28, 2010. Two of the Cougars' six Top 25 all-time opponent wins have come in meetings with the Tar Heels including an 82-79 overtime thriller on Jan. 4, 2010 at Carolina First Arena (now renamed TD Arena).
 
LAST SEVEN GAMES IN SERIES
L, 69-74 on 11/28/10 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
W, 82-79 (OT) on 1/4/10 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 70-108 on 1/7/09 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
W, 66-60 on 12/21/01 in Charlotte, N.C.
L, 60-64 on 12/30/00 in Charlotte, N.C.
L, 54-72 on 12/3/99 in Charlotte, N.C.
W, 66-64 on 12/5/98 in Charlotte, N.C.
 
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 an ACC school (home or away) was Boston College in a 71-67 win in the seventh-place game of the ESPN Charleston Classic on Nov. 18, 2012 at TD Arena.
 
COUGARS IN THE PROS
For the first time in program history, the Cougars had players drafted in back-to-back years. College of Charleston was one of only 21 NCAA Division I schools (the only mid-major program in this elite group) next to Duke, Vanderbilt, UNC, Kentucky, Auburn, Texas Tech, Washington, Florida State, USC, Georgia, Stanford, Maryland, Nevada, Arkansas, Villanova, Oregon, Iowa State, Miss State, LSU and San Diego State to have players drafted in both the 2019 and 2020 NBA Drafts.
 
"We just selected the right guy. They were all gym rats. They were 'everyday' guys with good morals. No issues off the court. They were unbelievable human beings, because of how they were raised by their parents. I believe skill development is No. 1 when it comes to your program, even when I was an assistant coach for 15 years. Our staff does a good job with skill development with our players. We (College of Charleston) presented a platform for those guys to get noticed. We played Power 5 and high-major teams during their time here and won some of those games. They performed and played in those high-level games." – Head Coach Earl Grant on developing next-level pros
 
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ALL-TIME NBA DRAFT PICKS
1997 – Anthony Johnson (40th Overall) - Second Round (Sacramento Kings)
2011 – Andrew Goudelock (46th Overall) - Second Round (Los Angeles Lakers)
2019 – Jarrell Brantley (50th Overall) - Second Round (Indiana Pacers - traded to Utah Jazz)
2020 – Grant Riller (56th Overall) - Second Round (Charlotte Hornets)
 
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AMONGST THE ALL-TIME WINNINGEST PROGRAMS
College of Charleston boasts a 626-282 (.689) all-time winning record since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1991-92. The Cougars' winning percentage ranks No. 6 all-time behind Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke and UNLV and ahead of 11-time NCAA champion UCLA.
 
1. Kentucky – 2,320-713 (.765)
2. North Carolina – 2,275-818 (.736)
3. Kansas – 2,302-862 (.728)
4. Duke – 2,201-893 (.711)
5. UNLV – 1,117-492 (.694)
6. College of Charleston – 626-282 (.689)
7. UCLA – 1,909-868 (.687)
 
SONS OF NBA PLAYERS
While the Cougars have three players currently in the NBA (Joe Chealey '18 and Grant Riller '20 with the Charlotte Hornets and Jarrell Brantley '19 with the Utah Jazz), two players on this year's roster are sons of former NBA players. Graduate senior forward Lorenzo Edwards, who is a transfer from Saint Joseph's, is the son of Kevin Edwards, who played 11 seasons in the NBA from 1988-2001. Meanwhile, sophomore walk-on Jeffrey Pizano-McInnis is the son of former UNC player Jeff McInnis (1993-96), who played professionally for 12 years in the NBA. This will be Pizano-McInnis' first time at the Dean E. Smith Center. He watched his first UNC game in-person with his father during the 2019 ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
 
CAROLINA CONNECTIONS
College of Charleston Director of Athletics Matt Roberts is a 1997 graduate of UNC as well as College of Charleston Head Baseball Coach Chad Holbrook ('94). Roberts was a walk-on pitcher for the Tar Heels, while Holbrook was a letterwinner from 1990-93 and ranks second all-time on the UNC career list for triples (14) and stolen bases (40). Holbrook's wife, Jennifer, was Roy Williams' administrative assistant. Williams, who ranks fourth all-time among NCAA Division I head coaches in career victories (885) behind Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim and Bob Knight, attends CofC Baseball games in the offseason and has a house on Isle of Palms. Junior guard Zep Jasper's best friend was Christian Keeling, who played at UNC last season as a graduate senior from Charleston Southern. Both attended Laney High School in Augusta, Ga.
 
COUGARS AGAINST NATIONALLY-RANKED COMPETITION
The Cougars are 6-24 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 (6-24) 
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.
No. 19 LSU 67, College of Charleston 55 on Nov. 22, 2018 in Orlando, Fla.
 
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We have been trying to make sure that we have good days. We fill up our bucket every day and show up to work. Believe in what we are trying to do. Try to be great teammates. Try to make good decisions on-and-off the court. It's been all about us. Trying to play basketball the Charleston way. Defending the way we like to defend. Playing at our pace." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on preparing for the team's season opener at UNC
 
"Our guys have done a great job of trying to stay safe during this pandemic. We haven't had a lot of issues. Every day you kind of cross your fingers that you can try to continue to keep everybody healthy." – Coach Grant on the team navigating through the pandemic
 
"It's very simple. No. 1 is transition defense. We need to control the tempo of the game. We can't have the game go so fast and up-and-down. We have to take baskets when we can get them. We will have to be willing to grind." – Grant on playing against UNC's pace
 
"We just try to look at it with a positive attitude. There's been a lot of uncertainty going around. I'm personally excited for the opportunity to play in a historic arena against a really good, talented and well-coached team." – Graduate Senior Guard Brevin Galloway on starting the season with a lot of uncertainties due to the pandemic
 
"They are fitting in really well. As a team, we are molding really well. We are playing together. Our chemistry has grown a lot over the past four or five weeks since we started practice. I feel like we are a complete team this year. We have more depth at every position." – Galloway on the transfers and newcomers to the team
 
"Obviously, I will have a lot of help with the two guards we have in Payton Willis and Zep Jasper. Two older guy who will help me lead the team to where we want to go. I am definitely ready to accept that role. I've learned from our previous leaders in Joe Chealey, Jarrell Brantley and Grant Riller. Take a piece of each of them and implement that into my own game." – Galloway on taking on more of a scoring role this season after the graduation of Grant Riller
 
"As a team, they (UNC) are a complete roster full of talent. Each individual brings something unique to the team. They are well coached. We have been preparing for the pace that they play at. It's tough to go over their personnel, because their freshmen haven't played a college game yet. But, we have been watching film from the past to prepare for how quick they play." – Galloway on playing against UNC's pace