No. 23 Charleston takes on North Carolina A&T on the road in a CAA battle at 5pmET from Corbett Sports Center.
Charleston (14-1 SU, 9-5 ATS, 2-0 CAA) is coming off a 76-74 overtime win over Towson on the road on Dec. 31. North Carolina A&T upset Hofstra on the road on Saturday as a 12-point dog to win their first-ever CAA game.
The Cougars were just out of the top 25 last week (26th), but the win over Towson coupled with some other losses allowed them to join the top 25 for the first time in 20 years. At 14-1, the Charleston is off to their best since they joined the NCAA in 1994. They've also won 13 straight games and sit at 52 in the latest Net Rankings. Earning a high number in the Net Rankings is key to the Cougars earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament or a high seed in the NCAA Tournament if they win the CAA Tournament.
In their win over Towson on the road as a 2.5-point favorite, Ante Brzovic led Cougars with 22 points and 12 rebounds but they blew a 10-point halftime lead thanks to 24 turnovers. Charleston shot just 43% from the field, but they made up for it by shooting 42% (13-for-31) from long range. They also outrebounded the Tigers 40-33.
In Reyne We Trust.#OurCity ???? pic.twitter.com/0hHWCOoxBO
— Charleston Basketball (@CofCBasketball) December 31, 2022
One of the reasons for Charleston's early success has been its depth. They played 10 players against Towson and nine played double-digit minutes. They've also been helped by three Division II transfers in Dalton Bolon (12.3ppg), Patrick Robinson III (10.7ppg) and Brzovic (6-9, 230), who averages 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds, while shooting 39% from long range.
The Cougars average 80.5 points per game on 44.4% shooting (33.7% 3pt). They outrebound teams by over 7 per game. On defense, they struggle a bit against the three-point shot (34.2%) and they are 177th in turnover margin (0.5) with 201 turnovers and 208 forced turnovers.