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KP Report - Wooden Legacy Tourney - Arizona 9 pm Sunday ESPN (all times Eastern)

Pilchard

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The Deacs travel to the West Coast for the Wooden Legacy Tourney at the Anaheim Arena.

Here is a link to the 8 team bracket with game times and TV info: https://espnevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Wooden-Bracket.png

The skinny on the # 146 Charleston Cougars (can't resist -- Cougars looking to pounce on the youthful Deacs) is as follows:

The Coach: Earl Grant is in his 6th season as Charleston Coach, and he has rebuilt the Cougar program after a disastrous two-year stint under Doug Wojcik (who played HS basketball at Wheeling (WV) Catholic High School for... Skip Prosser). In Grant's first season as Cougar coach, Charleston went 9-24 #279. Two years later Charleston went 25-10 and made the NIT. The next year, 2018, as CAA Champs, Charleston won 26 games and advanced to the NCAA giving Auburn a major scare in the 1st round. Last year, Charleston won 24 games and finished 3rd in the CAA. Grant, along with just about every semi-successful mid-major coach, has been mentioned as a potential successor to Danny Manning.

2019-20 season: In the preseason poll, the #146 Cougars were predicted to finish 2nd in the CAA to Hofstra, but Charleston had the most first place votes. Stud guard Grant Riller was the CAA pre-season POY. Charleston is off to a 3-2 start with wins over USC Upstate (#344), GA State (#133) and Marshall (#216) and losses to #47 OK State (by 9 at home) and #124 UCF (by 1 on the road). Charleston has the #108 offense, and their strength is scoring inside (55% on 2 pt FG #57) and getting to the line (#80 in FTA per FGA). They struggle from deep 27% 3pt FG% (#302). Charleston plays at a slow tempo (#255 in pace). Defensively (#206 defensive team), opponents have hurt the Cougars on the boards (#269 in preventing offensive rebounds) and by getting the line (#272 in defensive FTA/FGA).

The line-up: Charleston's best player and leading scorer is 6-3 guard Grant Riller. Despite struggling from 3 (25%) Riller is averaging 20+ ppg, 5 apg and 4 rpg (Riller is shooting 61% from 2 and 85% from the line). When he is on, Riller can light it up. Last year against Hofstra, Riller had 43 points on 25 shots. Charleston is small: the other 4 starters are 6-1 Zep Jasper, 6-2 Brevin Galloway, 6-7 Jaylen McManus and 6-8 Osinachi Smart. Splitting time with Smart upfront is 6-9 Sam Miller (Dayton transfer), and 6-4 Jaylen Richard and 6-4 DeAngelo Epps spell the backcourt starters. Everyone except Smart can (or thinks they can) hit the 3, but only Galloway and McManus are shooting over 30% from 3 this season.

Bottom line: KP projects a 74-69 WF win. WF's ability to get to the line and Charleston's propensity to foul slants in the Deacs favor. Also, Charleston struggles on defense inside and to keep opponents off the boards. Guess that means the Deacs need... "paint touches". The dominating win over Davidson without Chaundee surprised me. WF shot 50% from 2 and grabbed 11 offensive boards (Mucius had 6). If the Deacs can play on that level on Thursday, Deacs stand a great chance to win again. However, Grant Riller can go off on anyone, and if Chaundee is out again, not sure who WF's backcourt defensive stopper would be; I would take the Riller "over" 27 points. Think the game will be long and may be a little higher scoring than the 143 point projection given that both teams draw fouls and commit fouls.

Rest of the tourney: Here is a quick summary of possible opponents and time of matchups:

The tourney is played on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. If WF wins on Thursday they play the winner of LB State and Providence on Friday at 2 pm on ESPN. If they lose to the Cougars, WF would play Friday at 4:30 pm on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. IF WF advances to the title game (likely against AZ), the game would be played Sunday night at 9 pm on ESPN 2. Times of and TV options for the other Sunday games are on the linked bracket.

Providence will be a 15 to 17 point favorite over Long Beach State in round 1. So, if WF beats Charleston, the Deacs likely play the Friars. If WF loses in round 1, the Deacs likely face the 49ers in the consolation bracket.

Currently, 4-2 Providence is #32. If WF played the Friars in Round 2, Providence would be about a 4 point favorite. LB State (coached by Dan Monson, who coached Gonzaga before Mark Few) is #288. WF would be about a 12 point favorite over LB State. In addition to AZ on the other half of the bracket, the other teams are UCF (Johnny Dawkins HC), Pennsylvania (former BC HC Steve Donahue) and Pepperdine (former Washington HC Lorenzo Romar) - all guys who were fired from their last coaching stop. WF would be a large dog to AZ, and small favorites over UCF, Penn and Pepperdine. By the KP ratings, WF should finish in the 3rd place in the tournament, beating Charleston, losing to Providence and beating Penn in the 3rd place game, but no matter how strong the analytics, reality typically ends up with different results.

With a brutal upcoming schedule (before the tourney WF has played 1 team in the top #100, after the tourney, WF plays 20 games against top 100 teams; 13 against top 50 teams), Deacs needs to come home with 2 wins.
 
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Good stuff, as always. Thanks for the effort.

Do we know anything about Chaundee? Is he planning on playing in this tourney?

It'd be nice to win this first one, instead of losing it and then playing a shit team (or two) over the remainder of the tourney.
 
It still seems odd that CoC doesn't play in the Charleston Classic any more. As a tourism driver, it leaves more seats for fans "from off" and I hope to take advantage of that some year.
 
Won't be making T'giving game, but will be there Friday and possibly Sunday.

Anyone else going to be at the game(s)?

Another meme possible?????
 
Without James Johnson's family and James Harden's locals, it's possible your T'giving dinner may have more attendees than these games.
 
Apparently LBSU is no longer the 49ers. They’re adopting a new nickname but in the meantime seem to want to be called “The Beach” as a nickname. They talked about that in their opener against UCLA. Apparently the NCAA is against them going by The Beach for whatever reason.
 
Apparently LBSU is no longer the 49ers. They’re adopting a new nickname but in the meantime seem to want to be called “The Beach” as a nickname. They talked about that in their opener against UCLA. Apparently the NCAA is against them going by The Beach for whatever reason.

The baseball team has been the "Dirtbags" for a number of years.

The Pyramid at LBSU is one of the worst designed basketball arenas in the nation.
 
We are playing a series at Long Beach State this year in baseball
 
When we were really good in the 00s, a number of our players from community colleges in Orange County.
 
Go Cougs! Went there for undergrad. Deacs rolled on a nice night from Dinos last time we played.
 
The wife is a CofC grad so bragging rights are on the line... a house divided!!!
Actually I barely care and she does not care at all.
 
The Wooden Legacy has announced that starting next season the tourney will be scaled back to just four teams. Next season's line-up is Georgetown, UCLA, Kansas and Virginia.
 
Irony that Manning is featured in a “Wooden Legacy” contest.
 
The eight team format is condensed for games and no one has shown up at most of the events.

If any one is going, you can usually buy tix out front for less than face value.
 
ESPN owns the event. So, like a bowl game played in the Bahamas in front of 2,000, the purpose of the event is not to sell seats, but to create television programming.
 
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