The Buccaneers welcome the SEC's Auburn Tigers for a nonconference match-up Monday night at the North Charleston Coliseum. CSU (2-1) has opened its season with wins against Anderson (SC) and UVA-Wise, with a loss to Tulane sandwiched in between. The Bucs feature six newcomers on the roster, including four true freshman and two transfers.

CSU vs. Auburn Game Notes

The Tigers (2-1) picked up a 63-60 road victory at Alabama State Friday night, and have won two straight following a seasonopening loss at Tulane. Auburn lost to the Green Wave by 15 points on Nov. 9, while the Bucs fell to Tulane by only six points three nights later. The Tigers will play without big men Josh Dollard (redshirting) and Quan Prowell (suspended), who socred 10 and 18 points respectively against CSU last season.

CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh served alongside Auburn head man Jeff Lebo as an assistant under Eddie Fogler at the University of South Carolina in 1997 and '98. In Radebaugh's three seasons as the Bucs coach, CSU is 0-6 against BCS conference opponents (including a loss at Auburn last season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY

CSU and Auburn are meeting or the second time head-to-head following last season's 69-53 victory by the Tigers in Alabama on Dec. 30th. After trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half of that contest, the Bucs were able to get within eight with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, but then Auburn scored the game's final eight points including two Quan Prowell three-pointers. Prowell led the Tigers with 19 points and eight boards, while Chris Moore netted 16 to lead CSU, including four three-balls.

EARLY HOME COOKIN'

The Bucs are concluding a season-opening stretch of playing their first four games at home. CSU will be playing eight of its first ten games on one of its home fl oors (if you include a designated road game at the North Charleston Coliseum against the College of Charleston). Included in those home contests are three games that will be played at the Coliseum. CSU is now 11-3 under Barclay Radebaugh in non-conference home games (and 17-12 overall at home). The Bucs have a 3-3 record under Radebaugh in games played at the Coliseum.

DOWN TWO

CSU has gone without two players for the first three games of the season. Freshman guard Tovi Bailey (foot injury) is expected to make his Bucs debut against Auburn, while senior forward Vernon Huger is expected to re-join the squad now that he has finished playing as a wide receiver on the football team.

SPRINTING FROM THE GATES

CSU has gotten off to a strong start to its season both times since the arrival of Barclay Radebaugh as head coach. Including this season, the Bucs are now 10-5 in the month of November under Radebaugh, their best record out of any month during the season. In 2005-06, CSU began the season 4-1 (through December 1st), including victories against The Citadel and the College of Charleston. Last season, the Bucs began the campaign with a 5-3 record (through November 30), again sweeping its Charleston city rivals in the process.

NEW FACES

With six newcomers debuting this season and only three seniors on the roster, the Buccaneers are one of the youngest teams in the Big South. With the departures of seniors Donell Covington and Dwayne Jackson alone, the Bucs lost 42% of their total offense from last season. Thus, CSU is relying heavily on its young guns to provide scoring punch.

In the backcourt, freshman point guards Tovi Bailey and Jamarco Warren are expected to be CSU's primary ball-handlers this season, while freshman shooting guard Austin Johnson should challenge incumbents Chris Moore and Terrance Grier for playing time at the two-spot. JUCO transfer Lorenza Knight will provide depth at the point as well.

In the frontcourt, freshman forward Omar Carter has turned heads during preseason practices and began the season as the Bucs' starting small forward. Meanwhile, East Carolina transfer Quinton Goods should provide strong rebounding presence up front.

WARREN PEACE

True freshman point guard Jamarco Warren has made his presence felt quickly in the beginning of his CSU career. Warren has started all three of CSU's games at the point and led the team in scoring twice (24 pts vs. Anderson, 18 pts vs. Tulane). The Gainesville, GA native connected on five three-pointers in each of his first two career contests. The 5-foot, 10-inch Warren is the all-time leading scorer at Gainesville High School, and was a first team all-state selection in Georgia his senior season.

KEEPING UP WITH THE CARTERS

CSU's small forward duo and Shelton and Omar Carter (no relation) has provided early-season scoring punch for the Bucs. Sophomore Shelton Carter scored 21 points in the season-opening win against Anderson and is averaging 15.0 ppg through three contests. The Greensboro, NC native averaged 6.4 ppg in 30 games last season.

Freshman Omar Carter has scored in double figures in each of his first three games at CSU (19 pts vs. Anderson, 10 pts vs. Tulane, 13 pts vs. Wise). Omar was an all-state selection in North Carolina at Charlotte Christian High School, where he helped lead the team to the state championship game his senior season.

TOVI, OR NOT TOVI...

Highly-touted freshman point guard Tovi Bailey has missed the first three games of the season because of a foot injury suffered earlier this fall. He has returned to practice and is expected to make his CSU debut against Auburn. Bailey is the all-time leading scorer at Villa Rica High School in Villa Rica, Ga. with 1,883 career points, and he was an all-state selection in Georgia his senior season. Bailey was looked at by many programs, including Gonzaga, before choosing to attend CSU.

GIVE US MOORE!

Senior shooting guard Chris Moore has returned for his senior season after missing the final 14 games of last season with a broken foot. Moore, one of the best shooters in the Big South, has averaged in double figures scoring in both his sophomore (13.0 ppg) and junior (14.2 ppg) seasons. After shooting only 1-9 from the field against Anderson, the Morganton, N.C. native has combined to shoot 13-of-17 on field goals in the last two games, including 6-of-7 on three pointers.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Since Barclay Radebaugh took over the program in 2005-06, CSU has played very well against non-Division I opposition. Including wins this season against

Anderson (SC) and UVA-Wise, the Bucs have gone 9-1 under Radebaugh in games against non-Division I schools. The team's last loss to a non-Div. I opponent came on December 28, 2005 when CSU fell to NAIA's Southern Wesleyan 92-88 at home.

For those interested in following the action from North Charleston Coliseum, live audio and video broadcasts of the game, as well as live statistics, will be available at the following links:

Video (Big South Edge, subscription service): http://www.bigsouthsports.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800

Audio (Teamline): http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=2942&eventcode=6

Live Stats: http://upload.athleticsite.com/csusports/livestats/xlive.htm