This game will be televised on ESPN3 and it's a shame that more people around the SoCon will not be watching due to their teams playing at the same time. I advise everyone around the SoCon to catch it on replay if they possibly can. This should absolutely be a fun game.
After all, these two teams have been at the top of the standings in our Scanning the SoCon rankings each week. These teams are each very good.
This game is huge. Davidson is already up two games on Georgia Southern and College of Charleston in the South Division. If the Wildcats win, they will be up three games on the Cougars, and if Georgia Southern also loses at Furman on Thursday night, they will be up a full three games for the division title. In other words, they could virtually locked up the division title by mid-January with a win over the Cougars and a Georgia Southern loss. They also are still on the fringe of the at large discussion for an NCAA bid. They really need to maintain their unbeaten record in the SoCon for a while to get into the discussion.
For the Cougars it is even bigger. After all, a loss puts them three games back of Davidson, and could put them a game back for the bye of Georgia Southern if the Eagles beat Furman. They head to Statesboro on Saturday. Wofford is also hot on their tail as well. The Cougars need to get the bye in the SoCon Tournament. They can't afford to come up with too many more losses to get there.
Davidson's Jake Cohen has won the Player of the Week three times this week. He is shooting 40.5% from three point range. He's tied for third in three pointers made on the team and has the second best three point percentage. He is the two time reigning Player of the Week. He leads the team in rebounding with 6.1 rebounds per game, and averages 1.4 blocks per game to lead the team. He is averaging 13.8 points per game.
Four other Wildcats average in double figures. De'Mon Brooks leads the way with 15.6 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting nearly 52% from the field. JP Kuhlman averages 11.7 points per game. Nik Cochran leads the team with 3.1 assists per game and also averaged 11.7 points. Cochran is making 41.8% from three point range, and was the nation's leader in free throw shooting just a few weeks ago. Chris Czerapowicz is averaging 10.1 points per game. He is making 35.6% from three point range and leads the team in three pointers made. Clint Mann may not be available for this game. He ws injured in the Wildcats win last Saturday, with an apparent head injury. They are 18th in the country in scoring overall.
The Cougars Antwaine Wiggins leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. He is also second on the team in rebounding with 6.4 rebounds per game. He has developed into one of the best players in the conference. He is in the race for the SoCon Player of the Year. He has a tendency to take poor shots, but is still the Cougars best weapon.
Trent Wiedeman and Adejhi Baru are the two inside weapons. Wiedeman is averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game. Baru is averaging 8.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds. Baru has a tendency to get into foul trouble, and that can obviously create problems. Wiedeman and Baru combine for 1.7 blocks per game. Andrwew Lawrence is the best three point shooter, shooting about 37% from three, and scoring 12.4 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 5.1 per game.
KEYS TO THE GAME
--Baru's foul trouble. Can he stay out of foul trouble? There's not much depth behind him.
--Mann's injury. The Wildcats can survive without Mann for sure, but would be better served if he was there to provide at least a few minutes off the bench.
--Slowing down Cohen. He has been dominant lately- can the Cougars slow him down?
--Wiggins shot selection. The Cougars shot selection is bad at times, and Wiggins is the ring leader on that. He needs to have very good shot selection for the Cougars to have a chance.
LEAD PIPE LOCK PREDICTIONS THAT ARE SURE TO GO WRONG
--Lawrence will score plenty.
--The Cougars and Wildcats will be relatively equal in rebounding.
--Brooks will make the difference.
--Davidson 81, College of Charleston 72. Home court advantage will be a huge difference as well. The Wildcats have been playing great at home. This is going to be a very tough win for the Cougars. They will be as good as anyone this year at Davidson in SoCon play.
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