CSU Basketball to Face #12 Arizona on Sunday

CHARLESTON, S.C. – After a Friday night matchup with the Charlotte 49ers to open the season, the Charleston Southern basketball team continues their road trip as the Bucs travel West to face off with the twelfth-ranked Arizona Wildcats.

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The Bucs dropped their season opener in Charlotte on Friday night 68-58 at Halton Arena. With an offense that was ranked 22nd in the country a season ago, the Bucs uncharacteristically struggled shooting the basketball against the 49ers. The Bucs jumped out to a 15-4 lead to start the game, but CSU’s cold shooting allowed Charlotte to climb back into the game and take a 24-23 lead at the half. The 49ers pulled away in the second half as CSU continued to struggle to find points.

On the night, the Bucs shot under 30% from the floor and went 8-for-34 from three-point-land. Sophomore point guard, Saah Nimley led all scorers with 20 points but also had six turnovers. Sophomore, Arlon Harper was the only other Buc to average in double-figures finishing with 12 points. Sophomore Paul Gombwer and senior Mathiang Muo each had double-digit rebounds.

Charleston Southern will look to bounce-back from the loss in Charlotte as they travel to Tucson, Arizona for a matchup with the Wildcats. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. est on Sunday.

The Wildcats will likely prove to be the toughest opponent on the Bucs’ schedule. On top of being ranked twelfth in the country, Arizona boasts the second best recruiting class as ranked by ESPN. Coach Sean Miller, now in his fourth season at Arizona, brought in four of ESPN’s top 100 high school players.

The recruit getting the most attention for Arizona has been a seven-foot center from New Hampshire named Kaleb Tarczewski. At seven-feet, 255 pounds, Tarczewski was ranked as ESPN’s number four recruit. Grant Jerrett, a 6-foot-10 post, Brandon Ashley at 6-foot-8 and Gabe York, a 6-foot-2 guard from Oakland, California are all listed as top-50 recruits according to ESPN and will all be playing their first minutes for the Wildcats this season. In addition to the four freshmen, Arizona has added Xavier-transfer Mark Lyons who averaged over 15 points per game last year in the A-10 and scored over 1,000 points in three years.

Leading Arizona’s newcomers will be an All-Pac-12 First Team Selection from a season ago, Solomon Hill. The senior is Arizona’s returning leader in points (12.9), rebounds (7.7) and assists (2.8). At 6-oot-7, Hill will be a handful to defend especially with his ability to score both inside and on the perimeter.

Charleston Southern will have a rare opportunity to play in one of the top college basketball venues in the nation on Sunday. The McKale Center is not only one of the top arenas in the Pac-12 but also in the country due to the endless following by Arizona fans. From the mid-1980s to now, Arizona has led the Pac-12 in attendance. In the last six seasons, the Wildcats have averaged slightly under 14,000 in attendance per home game in an arena that seats around 14,500. With Sunday being Arizona’s season-opener, the Bucs can expect to be playing in front of a near-capacity crowd.

CSU will be back in Charleston for the home-opener on Thursday, November 15 against Hiwassee for a 7:30 tip. Charleston Southern was an impressive 12-2 when playing in the friendly confines of the Buc Dome last season.