The Charleston Cougars (4-2) will try to slow down the nation’s top scoring team when they take on the Citadel Bulldogs (5-3) at McAlister Field House. Action begins at 11:00 am ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and will air on EFC and ES3.
The Bulldogs are hoping for a better outcome after their 97-93 loss to Air Force on Wednesday. P.J. Boutte recorded 13 points and 11 assists, earning his third double-double of the year. The Cougars, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-58 win against LSU on Monday. Marquise Pointer had a good game for Charleston, registering 12 points, six rebounds, and four steals.
The Over/Under (O/U) for this game is 161 points and Citadel is a considerable 10-point underdog. The Bulldogs have gone 5-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulldogs have no trouble scoring as they lead the nation in home offense with 115.7 points per home game. The Bulldogs are a dangerously accurate shooting team from the line with a .781 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Citadel is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.50.
Across the court, Charleston has a SU record of 4-2 and an ATS record of 2-1. Charleston is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Cougars average 14.0 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 44th-best team in the country for that category. Moving on to the Charleston defense, the Cougars have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the country at .286.
Citadel and Charleston meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Charleston won the last game in the matchup, moving its SU record against the Bulldogs to 9-1. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cit, ATS Winner – Cit, O/U – Over
Notes
The Citadel is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The Citadel is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The Citadel is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing College of Charleston.
The Citadel is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against College of Charleston.
Charleston allows 70.0 points on the road this season. Topping the nation in home scoring, Citadel scores 115.7 points on its own court.
The Citadel Bulldogs rank 56th for their offensive rating of 115.3. The Charleston Cougars have a defensive rating of 93.6 (ranked 57th).
The Citadel Bulldogs average a field goal percentage of 47.8% this season. The Charleston Cougars are a winless 0-2 when opponents have a FG% of 47.8% or greater.
The Citadel Bulldogs and the Charleston Cougars both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Citadel is 59th and 23rd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Charleston is 288th and 265th in these categories.
The Citadel Bulldogs rank fifth in assists per game with an average of 20.6. The Charleston Cougars are among the worst in the country with 11.0 assists per game (ranked 308th).
Citadel, the 89th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.5 per game. Charleston does worse, ranked 276th with 2.5.
The Charleston Cougars rank 44th in offensive rebounds. The Citadel Bulldogs rank 273rd in the nation in defensive rebounds.
Citadel has forced an average turnover rate of 23.0% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 23.0% or higher, Charleston is an even 1-1.
