Friday, March 20
Durham, N.C.
11:30 AM
College of Charleston
vs
No. 3 Duke
No. 14 Cougars Set for NCAA Tournament First Round Matchup at No. 3 Duke
3/19/2026 9:45:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 14 seeded College of Charleston women's basketball team is set to make its NCAA Tournament debut with a contest against No. 3 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday morning.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Jenn Hildreth and Kelly Gramlich on the call. Tip-off is set for 11:30 a.m.
GAME #33 — No. 14 College of Charleston (27-5, 16-2 CAA) at No. 3 Duke (24-8, 16-2 ACC) | Friday, March 20 | 11:30 a.m. | Cameron Indoor Stadium | Durham, N.C. | ESPN 2
OPENING TIP — After defeating Hofstra 68-56 in the CAA Championship game and winning the program's first conference tournament title on Sunday, March 15, the College of Charleston women's basketball team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament will be the Cougars' eighth postseason tournament appearance in Charleston's D1 era. CofC previously made the Women's Basketball Invitational on five different occasions and competed in the WNIT the last two seasons.
During the regular season, the Cougars went 16-2 in CAA play and won the 2025-26 CAA Regular Season Championship by three games. The championship is Charleston's first ever title in Division I program history. Additionally, the Cougars' 16 conference wins set another Division I program milestone.
Charleston's 27 wins during the 2025-26 season are a Division I program record, and CofC has earned back-to-back 25 win seasons for the first time since they did it in three straight years (1979-80 to 1981-82). This is the first time the Cougars have accomplished the feat in their Division I era.
The Cougars' 75-70 win at Florida State in December gave them a win over a Power 4 school for the second consecutive year. It was also Charleston's first victory over an ACC school since CofC defeated Clemson in 2009.
Charleston is No. 101 in the NET and No. 123 in the Torvik, and Duke is No. 8 in the NET and AP Poll and No. 7 in the Torvik.
CAA TOURNAMENT CHAMPS — The top-seeded Cougars won three games in three days to win the 2026 CAA Tournament and earn the program's first conference tournament title. Charleston defeated No. 8 William & Mary 58-55 in the quarterfinals, beat No. 4 Stony Brook 79-49 in the semifinals and defeated No. 10 Hofstra 68-56 in the championship.
CAA REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS — The Cougars went 16-2 in CAA play and won the 2025-26 CAA Regular Season Championship by three games. The championship is the first of its kind in Division I program history.
FAN INFO — Tickets can be purchased here. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN 2 and the stream can be found here. Live stats can be found here, and all other pertinent information and/or updates can be found on the Charleston women's basketball team's schedule page on cofcsports.com.
AMONG THE NCAA — The Cougars currently have two players who are in the top-20 in the nation in their respective categories. Grace Ezebilo is 4th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.8), 7th in rebounds per game (11.9) and is 6th in total rebounds (382). Taylor Barbot is one of only 24 players in the country to record a triple-double and is also 8th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.64). She is also in the top-20 in assists per game (6.0) and total assists (193),
As a team, Charleston is in the top-20 in the country in offensive rebounds per game (15.9), scoring margin (16.3), turnover margin (7.25) and turnovers per game (12.4).
(*Stats as of 3/17/26)
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS — After winning the ACC Regular Title with a 16-2 conference record, the Blue Devils won their second consecutive and 10th ACC Tournament Championship with a 70-65 overtime victory over Louisville.
Duke comes into Friday's contest ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll and the No. 3 seed in the Sacramento Regional.
Head Coach Kara Lawson won the ACC Coach of the Year award, and four Blue Devil players earned ACC postseason honors. Sophomore forward Toby Fournier and senior guard Taina Mair made the All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive Team, while senior guard Ashlon Jackson made the All-ACC Second Team. Additionally, redshirt freshman center Arianna Roberson was named the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and made the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Fournier leads the Blue Devils with 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest. Jackson and Mair are both averaging 11.4 points per game and junior forward Delaney Thomas is Duke's other double-digit scorer with an average of 10.7 points per contest.
MATCHUP HISTORY VS. DUKE — Charleston and Duke have only faced off once in program history. On December 18, 1990, the Cougars fell 82-54 to the Blue Devils.
IN THE POLLS — The Cougars come into the contest as a No. 14 seed, while the Blue Devils are a No. 3 seed. Charleston is No. 101 in the NET and No. 123 in the Torvik, and Duke is No. 8 in the NET and AP Poll and No. 7 in the Torvik.
AWARDS — Four Cougars earned Coastal Athletic Association postseason honors for the 2025-26 season. Charleston won three major awards as Taryn Barbot earned the CAA Player of the Year award for the second year in a row, Grace Ezebilo garnered the Defensive Player of the Year award and Head Coach Robin Harmony was named the CAA Coach of the Year.
Additionally, Taryn Barbot and Taylor Barbot made the All-CAA First Team, while Taryn Barbot and Grace Ezebilo made the All-CAA Defensive Team. Charleston's four honorees are the most of any team in the league.
The Cougars also won seven CAA Player of the Week awards as Taryn Barbot earned the honor five times, while Taylor Barbot and Grace Ezebilo each won the award twice.
THE HARMONY FILE — The 2025-26 campaign is Robin Harmony's seventh as the head coach at College of Charleston. Harmony was named the program's eighth head coach on April 19, 2019 and has earned 122 wins at CofC, including three straight 20 win seasons at the helm.
In her most recent season, Harmony led the Cougars to their winningest season in D1 program history with 25 wins. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals of the CAA conference tournament and the Super 16 in the WNIT after earning their first postseason victory ever on their home court.
In her 18+ years as a head coach, Harmony has:
After winning five CAA Player of the Week awards and leading the conference in points per game (19.4) and 3-point field goals per game (2.3), Taryn Barbot was named the CAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She also made the All-CAA First Team and the All-CAA Defensive Team for the second straight year.
She also earned the program's first CAA Rookie of the Year in 2023-24. The Floral Park, N.Y. native amassed the 1,000 point mark on March 24, 2025 and became the first sophomore in program history and the fastest Charleston basketball player to do so (64 games). She's now scored 1,679 points as a Cougar and has scored the most points in the Cougars' Division I history. Barbot is also 4th on Charleston's all-time scoring list. She's also just the seventh Cougar in program history to score over 1,000 points and grab over 500 rebounds.
MILESTONES
All throughout the entire 2025-26 campaign, feature stories on past Cougar greats and influential players have been published on the College of Charleston official athletics website at cofcsports.com.
TWINTASTIC — The Cougar roster consists of two sets of twins: the Barbots and the Philpotts.
UP NEXT — With a win, the Cougars would advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 22. All pertinent information can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at cofcsports.com.
For complete coverage of Charleston women's basketball, follow us on X (@CofCWBB) and Instagram (@CofCWBB).
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Jenn Hildreth and Kelly Gramlich on the call. Tip-off is set for 11:30 a.m.
GAME #33 — No. 14 College of Charleston (27-5, 16-2 CAA) at No. 3 Duke (24-8, 16-2 ACC) | Friday, March 20 | 11:30 a.m. | Cameron Indoor Stadium | Durham, N.C. | ESPN 2
OPENING TIP — After defeating Hofstra 68-56 in the CAA Championship game and winning the program's first conference tournament title on Sunday, March 15, the College of Charleston women's basketball team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament will be the Cougars' eighth postseason tournament appearance in Charleston's D1 era. CofC previously made the Women's Basketball Invitational on five different occasions and competed in the WNIT the last two seasons.
During the regular season, the Cougars went 16-2 in CAA play and won the 2025-26 CAA Regular Season Championship by three games. The championship is Charleston's first ever title in Division I program history. Additionally, the Cougars' 16 conference wins set another Division I program milestone.
Charleston's 27 wins during the 2025-26 season are a Division I program record, and CofC has earned back-to-back 25 win seasons for the first time since they did it in three straight years (1979-80 to 1981-82). This is the first time the Cougars have accomplished the feat in their Division I era.
The Cougars' 75-70 win at Florida State in December gave them a win over a Power 4 school for the second consecutive year. It was also Charleston's first victory over an ACC school since CofC defeated Clemson in 2009.
Charleston is No. 101 in the NET and No. 123 in the Torvik, and Duke is No. 8 in the NET and AP Poll and No. 7 in the Torvik.
CAA TOURNAMENT CHAMPS — The top-seeded Cougars won three games in three days to win the 2026 CAA Tournament and earn the program's first conference tournament title. Charleston defeated No. 8 William & Mary 58-55 in the quarterfinals, beat No. 4 Stony Brook 79-49 in the semifinals and defeated No. 10 Hofstra 68-56 in the championship.
CAA REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS — The Cougars went 16-2 in CAA play and won the 2025-26 CAA Regular Season Championship by three games. The championship is the first of its kind in Division I program history.
FAN INFO — Tickets can be purchased here. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN 2 and the stream can be found here. Live stats can be found here, and all other pertinent information and/or updates can be found on the Charleston women's basketball team's schedule page on cofcsports.com.
AMONG THE NCAA — The Cougars currently have two players who are in the top-20 in the nation in their respective categories. Grace Ezebilo is 4th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.8), 7th in rebounds per game (11.9) and is 6th in total rebounds (382). Taylor Barbot is one of only 24 players in the country to record a triple-double and is also 8th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.64). She is also in the top-20 in assists per game (6.0) and total assists (193),
As a team, Charleston is in the top-20 in the country in offensive rebounds per game (15.9), scoring margin (16.3), turnover margin (7.25) and turnovers per game (12.4).
(*Stats as of 3/17/26)
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS — After winning the ACC Regular Title with a 16-2 conference record, the Blue Devils won their second consecutive and 10th ACC Tournament Championship with a 70-65 overtime victory over Louisville.
Duke comes into Friday's contest ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll and the No. 3 seed in the Sacramento Regional.
Head Coach Kara Lawson won the ACC Coach of the Year award, and four Blue Devil players earned ACC postseason honors. Sophomore forward Toby Fournier and senior guard Taina Mair made the All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive Team, while senior guard Ashlon Jackson made the All-ACC Second Team. Additionally, redshirt freshman center Arianna Roberson was named the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and made the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Fournier leads the Blue Devils with 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest. Jackson and Mair are both averaging 11.4 points per game and junior forward Delaney Thomas is Duke's other double-digit scorer with an average of 10.7 points per contest.
MATCHUP HISTORY VS. DUKE — Charleston and Duke have only faced off once in program history. On December 18, 1990, the Cougars fell 82-54 to the Blue Devils.
IN THE POLLS — The Cougars come into the contest as a No. 14 seed, while the Blue Devils are a No. 3 seed. Charleston is No. 101 in the NET and No. 123 in the Torvik, and Duke is No. 8 in the NET and AP Poll and No. 7 in the Torvik.
AWARDS — Four Cougars earned Coastal Athletic Association postseason honors for the 2025-26 season. Charleston won three major awards as Taryn Barbot earned the CAA Player of the Year award for the second year in a row, Grace Ezebilo garnered the Defensive Player of the Year award and Head Coach Robin Harmony was named the CAA Coach of the Year.
Additionally, Taryn Barbot and Taylor Barbot made the All-CAA First Team, while Taryn Barbot and Grace Ezebilo made the All-CAA Defensive Team. Charleston's four honorees are the most of any team in the league.
The Cougars also won seven CAA Player of the Week awards as Taryn Barbot earned the honor five times, while Taylor Barbot and Grace Ezebilo each won the award twice.
THE HARMONY FILE — The 2025-26 campaign is Robin Harmony's seventh as the head coach at College of Charleston. Harmony was named the program's eighth head coach on April 19, 2019 and has earned 122 wins at CofC, including three straight 20 win seasons at the helm.
In her most recent season, Harmony led the Cougars to their winningest season in D1 program history with 25 wins. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals of the CAA conference tournament and the Super 16 in the WNIT after earning their first postseason victory ever on their home court.
In her 18+ years as a head coach, Harmony has:
- Led the Cougars to their first two conference titles in 2025-26
- Led Charleston to it's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025-26
- 11 20-win seasons
- 2025-26 CAA Coach of the Year
- Winningest CofC Head Coach in D1 Program History
- Three Southland Conference regular season titles
- Led Charleston to back-to-back WNIT appearances
- Led Lamar to three WNIT appearances
- Member of University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame
- Named an ACC Women's Basketball Legend in 2013
After winning five CAA Player of the Week awards and leading the conference in points per game (19.4) and 3-point field goals per game (2.3), Taryn Barbot was named the CAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She also made the All-CAA First Team and the All-CAA Defensive Team for the second straight year.
She also earned the program's first CAA Rookie of the Year in 2023-24. The Floral Park, N.Y. native amassed the 1,000 point mark on March 24, 2025 and became the first sophomore in program history and the fastest Charleston basketball player to do so (64 games). She's now scored 1,679 points as a Cougar and has scored the most points in the Cougars' Division I history. Barbot is also 4th on Charleston's all-time scoring list. She's also just the seventh Cougar in program history to score over 1,000 points and grab over 500 rebounds.
MILESTONES
- Taryn Barbot: 1,679 points and counting (4th on the Cougars all-time scoring list, and she is the all-time leading scorer in Charleston's D1 history)
- Taryn Barbot set Charleston's single season scoring record with 628 total points so far.
- Taylor Barbot 392 assists, 8 away from 400.
- Taylor Barbot: 193 assists this year, 14 away from setting a new Charleston single season record.
- Tyja Beans: 499 rebounds, 1 away from 500.
- Marissa Brown: 297 rebounds, 3 away from 300.
- Naylee Cortes: 191 points, 9 points away 200.
- Grace Ezebilo: Set Charleston single season records with 382 total rebounds (D1 history) and 153 offensive boards.
- Grace Ezebilo: 229 defensive rebounds this year, 12 away from setting a Charleston single season record.
- Sophia Tougas: 398 rebounds, 2 away from 400.
All throughout the entire 2025-26 campaign, feature stories on past Cougar greats and influential players have been published on the College of Charleston official athletics website at cofcsports.com.
TWINTASTIC — The Cougar roster consists of two sets of twins: the Barbots and the Philpotts.
UP NEXT — With a win, the Cougars would advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 22. All pertinent information can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at cofcsports.com.
For complete coverage of Charleston women's basketball, follow us on X (@CofCWBB) and Instagram (@CofCWBB).
Players Mentioned
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