CHARLESTON, S.C. - After Sunday's neutral site matchup with Rhode Island was canceled, CofC Men's Basketball turns to Norfolk, Virginia, where the Cougars travel for their final nonconference game of the 2021-22 season. Charleston takes on Old Dominion on Wednesday night at the Chartway Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ODUSports.com. There will be no radio broadcast of Wednesday night's battle with the Monarchs.

 
STORYLINES

• CofC heads back on the road to face Old Dominion (Ken Pom No. 180) having already picked up two true road wins in the nonconference thus far over Top-170 KenPom teams in Tulane (167) and Chattanooga (107). 
• The Cougars are 2-0 all-time vs. Old Dominion, winning both games in a home-and-home series in 2012 & 2013. CofC won the last matchup in Norfolk in a defensive slugfest, beating ODU, 51-44.
• The Cougars dropped the first leg of the current road trip, struggling to make shots at Stetson on Dec. 16. Despite the loss, a trio of freshmen stepped up with Reyne Smith, Ben Burnham and Raekwon Horton accounting for more than half of CofC's 59 points (30). Unlike most teams across the country, freshmen are playing a vital role for Charleston this season. The Cougars have won the CAA Rookie of the Week award five times in all five weeks of the season prior this past Monday after the Rhode Island game was canceled. Reyne Smith has won four and most recently, Ben Burnham claimed the first of his career. 
• Head coach Pat Kelsey has never faced Old Dominion in his career. Over his last 36 games as a head coach, Kelsey is 30-6.
• Despite the absence of three frontcourt starters last Sunday vs. Presbyterian and the absence of star forward John Meeks on Thursday at Stetson, CofC snagged 18 offensive rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds, respectively over those two games. The Cougars rank eighth nationally in offensive rebounding with 14.8 per game. The Cougars' 42.0 rebounds per game also leads the CAA. Seven Cougars are snatching 3.0+ rebounds per contest.
• Junior Brenden Tucker is one of just two returners who stayed at CofC despite the coaching change. Tucker has been a huge boost offensively for the Cougs, reaching double figures in three straight games and in eight of 11 games this season. He is coming off a season-best 23-point performance vs. Presbyterian and 11 points at Stetson. After a 3-of-4 effort from three vs. the Blue Hose, he is now shooting 47.7 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks third in the CAA.
• Senior Dimitrius Underwood has been a menace defensively, averaging 2.2 steals per game. That leads all CAA players. His 24 total steals ranks 23rd nationally among all Division I players. As a team, Charleston is nabbing 9.3 steals per game, which ranks second in the CAA. 

 
UP NEXT

• Charleston returns home for its Colonial Athletic Association season opener on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
• The Cougars open league play by hosting Drexel at TD Arena at 6 p.m. ET.
• The game will air on national TV on CBS Sports Network.