Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Big South (21-12, 11-5)
The third time was the charm for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers faced Winthrop twice during the regular season, losing in overtime by one at home and falling by ten on the road. But when those two teams met again in the Big South tournament final, it was all Coastal Carolina.
Big Wins: 11/23 St. Francis Brooklyn (70-59), 1/15 North Carolina-Asheville (81-78), 3/9 vs Winthrop (76-61)
Bad Losses: 12/30 South Carolina State (58-68), 1/8 at Charleston Southern (58-70), 2/22 at North Carolina-Asheville (85-100)
Coach: Cliff Ellis (7 seasons at Coastal Carolina)
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Cliff Ellis has a productive rotation of big men that are always strong on the glass. El Hadji Ndieguene, a 6-10 senior, leads the way on the glass with 6.9 rebounds per game. His offense is limited, but having that big body in the paint does help open things up offensively. Badou Diagne is just about as effective on the glass and is the Chanticleers best scoring threat among the forwards. When those two need a rest, Michel Enanga and Uros Ljeskovic can step in without much drop in production. The scorers on the team are in the backcourt. The starting trio of Elijah Wilson, Warren Gillis and Josh Cameron account for 45 of the team’s 72.7 points per game.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Gillis and Cameron are great scorers and do spend a lot of time with the ball in their hands, but it is their job to keep the turnovers down. And they have failed to do so on a consistent basis. Coastal Carolina ranks 307th in the country with 14.1 turnovers per game and that has to change if the Chanticleers want to make any noise in the NCAA Tournament. The backcourt trio will also need to take smart shots and knock down some three-pointers. The Chanticleers as a whole connect on just one-third of their attempts from beyond the arc. Gillis and Cameron are much better shooters than that and the hope is Wilson can get hot at the right time. However, that does not appear too promising after he went 3-for-16 from beyond the arc in the three Big South tournament contests.
Probable Starters:
Warren Gillis, Junior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 3.2 apg
Josh Cameron, Junior, Guard, 14.1 ppg, 2.5 apg
Elijah Wilson, Freshman, Guard, 16.1 ppg
Badou Diagne, Sophomore, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg
El Hadji Ndieguene, Senior, Center, 4.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Michel Enanga, Sophomore, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Uros Ljeskovic, Sophomore, Forward, 3.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Colton Ray-St Cyr, Freshman, Guard, 3.9 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.7 (124th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.4 (128, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.8 (200, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.0 (27, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.2 (174, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.3 (208, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.4 (188, 9)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (37, 2)
Assists Per Game: 10.6 (311, 12)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.1 (307, 12)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 CIT First Round loss to Old Dominion
2011 NIT First Round loss to Alabama
2010 NIT First Round loss to UAB
1993 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan
1991 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Indiana
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
