With just a few weeks before the start of the 2017-18 season, the College of Charleston men’s basketball team is getting a lot of media attention.
NBC Sports predicts the Cougars will dominate the Colonial Athletic Association this year and will head to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season.
“The obvious pick is College of Charleston, who finished last season just a game off of UNCW’s pace,” says NBC Sports writer Rob Dauster. “The Cougars return essentially everyone from last year’s team, including the best one-two punch in the conference in Joe Chealey and Jarrell Brantley. Throw in rising sophomore Grant Riller, who was one of the best newcomers in the league a season ago, and Earl Grant’s club has plenty of firepower to go along with being the league’s best defensive team last year. “
Kerry Miller with The Bleacher Report agrees.
“It’s only October, but let this serve as your warning for March: Watch out for College of Charleston,” writes Miller. “With UNC-Wilmington losing its head coach and most of its key players, the Cougars are the clear favorite to win the CAA and a strong candidate to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.”
The Cougars are also picked as the preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite in Chris Dortch’s 2017-18 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
“Charleston coach Earl Grant won CAA Coach of the Year honors in his third season leading the Cougars, who are the prohibitive favorite this season and a potential Top-25 team,” the publication wrote in its Colonial preview.
The College will take on Bob Jones University in an exhibition game at TD Arena on Nov. 2, 2017 at 7 p.m.
The Cougars will kick off the regular season against Siena on Nov. 10, 2017 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets or by calling 843.953.COFC (2632).
