THE GAME
The Buccaneers welcome in the Furman Paladins for their 2008-09 home opener at CSU Field House. The Paladins return to the Bucs schedule after a year off in 2007-08. The last time the two schools met was the season-opener for CSU in 2006-07. In that meeting, Furman handed the Bucs a 69-88 loss to open Barclay Radebaugh's second season as the Bucs' head coach. Furman holds an 8-6 edge in the all-time series between the two programs.

PRESENTING THE PALADINS
The Furman Paladins are led by third-year head coach Jeff Jackson and represent the Southern Conference. Jackson has posted a mark of 22-39 in his first two seasons. The Paladins return SR-C Alex Opacic (10.4 ppg), SO-G Justin Dehm (10.4 ppg) and SO-G Jordan Miller (5.2 ppg). Miller paced the Paladins with a career-high 22 points in their season opener, as they bested Emory 67-51 to improve to 1-0. This game begins a four-game stretch for Furman away from home.

CSU Game Notes

Free Live Audio (CSU Broadcast)

Live Video

Live Stats

THE HAWK-EYE OF THE STORM
The Bucs suffered a 48-68 loss at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes in their season opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA. The Bucs were led in scoring by G Jamarco Warren who totaled 18 points, including 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. C Billy Blackmon grabbed 8 rebounds in his first game with CSU. The Buccaneers were forced to deal with the absence of PG Tovi Bailey, who did not travel with the team while tending to the death of his great-uncle. Bailey is expected to re-join the team for tonight's game with Furman.

SMALL RESULTS IN BIG TEN
The Buccaneers season-opener against Iowa marked the fourth time the Bucs have taken on an opponent from the Big Ten conference. The result (L, 48-68) was similiar to the results of the previous three as again the Bucs struggled. CSU traveled to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers during the 1992-93 season. The Gary Edwards led Bucs fell, 72-101. Three seasons later, the Bucs were entertained by Minnesota at "The Barn" in Minneapolis, MN, and endured a similar fate, losing, 67-82, again under Gary Edwards during the 1995-96 season. The last time the Bucs collided with a Big Ten foe was during the 2002-03 season, when Jim Platt led CSU into Ann Arbor, MI, to take on the Michigan Wolverines. The Bucs suffered a 31-point defeat, 53-84, at the hands of the Wolverines. All told, the Bucs are 0-3 against the Big Ten, dropping the three contests by an average of 23.75 points. CSU (0-10) has never beaten a team from a BCS conference

THINKING OF TOVI
The Bucs played the opener without PG Tovi Bailey, who was attending the funeral of his great-uncle. The sophomore is expected to return to the lineup and make his season debut against Furman.

OPENING REMARKS
With their 20-point loss to Iowa to open the season, the Bucs hold a record of 15-28 in their season opener. Then known as Baptist College, CSU claimed wins in seven of their first eight openers. Since then, CSU has gone 8-27 in their first contest of the season. Beginning with a season-opening loss to The Citadel in 1992-93, the Bucs dropped 13 consecutive season openers, the streak finally concluding when they beat the College of Charleston in Barclay Radebaugh's first game as Bucs' coach in 2005-06.

Bucs' Season-Openers Under Radebaugh

2005-06 - @College of Charleston W, 82-77
2006-07 - @Furman L, 69-88
2007-08 - Anderson W, 85-74
2008-09 - @Iowa L, 48-68

O-MAR OH-MY
Turning in perhaps the best freshman season in Charleston Southern (Baptist College) history, Omar Carter was tabbed as the 2007-08 Big South Freshman of the Year. The forward from Charlotte, NC, became the first freshman in program history to lead the Bucs in both scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). Additionally, he tallied a team-high 36 steals. As a result, Carter has been tabbed by league coaches as a pre-season All-Big South selection entering his sophomore season.

2008-09 Big South Pre-Season All-Conference Team

Anthony Smith Liberty Senior Guard
Chavis Holmes VMI Senior Guard Omar Carter CSU Sophomore Forward
Grayson Flittner Gardner-Webb Junior Guard
Joel Lynch-Flohr Radford Junior Forward

italic - Big South Pre-Season Player of the Year
PRE-SEASON PROGNOSTICATING
The 2008-09 pre-season Big South basketball poll produced some of the tightest results in history, leading to the belief of many that the conference race may be more nip-and-tuck than ever. Each of the top seven teams in the poll received at least one first place vote. That number includes the Bucs, who have been tabbed sixth, coming off of an eighth place finish last season.

2008-09 Big South Pre-Season Projections

1. Winthrop (9) 202
2. Radford (7) 189
3. Gardner-Webb (3) 188
4. Liberty (2) 148
5. High Point (1) 132
6. Charleston Southern (1) 128
7. VMI (1) 110
8. Coastal Carolina 107
9. UNC Asheville 83
10. Presbyterian 33

First Place Votes in Parentheses

BANKING WITH BARCLAYS
The Buccaneers are currently in their fourth season under the tutelage of head coach Barclay Radebaugh. In his first three seasons, Radebaugh posted a record of 31-58. However, Radebaugh has turned Charleston Southern into one of the most reputed recruiting schools in the Big South and has ushered onto campus two of the most heralded recruiting classes in program history. He has claimed landmark wins in the Charleston City Championship twice (2005, 2006) and has entered the Buccaneers into their 2008-09 schedule, which in his estimation is the toughest non-conference schedule a CSU team has ever faced.

FRESH FACES ON THE SIDELINE
The Buccaneers have two new coaches on the sideline for the 2008-09 season. Courtney Brooks, joins the coaching staff as an assistant coach after spending the previous seven seasons as the head coach at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy where he guided SACA to two class-A Georgia state championships. Another newcomer to Radebaugh's staff is Director of Basketball Operations Charlie Witt. Witt joins the CSU staff after occupying an executive position with Target. However, he is no stranger to the Bucs program, having previously assisted with the Barclay Radebaugh Youth Basketball Camps as well as the Elite Senior Camp. During his playing days, Witt was a captain for Rochester Community & Technial College during the 1995-96 season.

FRESH BUT FAMILIAR FACES ON THE SIDELINE
Returning to CSU are assistant coaches JD Powell and Bob Richey. Powell, who played for Clemson, enters his fifth season with the Bucs. Radebaugh calls Powell "without a doubt, one of the top assistants in the Big South Conference." Richey returns for his third season as recruiting coordinator for the Bucs. His arrival from North Greenville has directly coincided with two of the top recruiting classes in program history. He is also in charge of player development for Bucs' guards and coordinates team travel.

WHAT'S LOST...
The Buccaneers averaged 74.2 points per game during the 2007-08 season and scored a total of 2,225 points in their 30 contests. This season they will have to replace 35% of that production lost from the roster a season ago. The largest void was left by the graduation of Chris Moore, who accounted for 18% of the Bucs offense, averaging 13.5 ppg and connecting on a school record 81 three-point field goals. Other departures are: Shelton Carter (193 total points, 8.8 ppg); Shawn Outen (76 total points, 3.2 ppg; Marquise Duvall (58 total points, 3.1 ppg); Terrance Grier (37 total points, 1.8 ppg); Brandon Macklin (33 total points, 3.7 ppg).

IS FOUND
CSU will look for scoring from one of the most highly touted freshman classes in program history. Currently, the Bucs have five freshman on the roster, with four expected to contribute significant minutes.

Kelvin Martin (6-5, 197) from Adel, GA. Martin was rated the 87th-best prospect in the country by ESPN.com. He averaged 28.3 points per game in high school, and averaged a double-double for his senior season.

Joel Lamb (6-7, 194) from Atlanta, GA. Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. Played for CSU assistant coach Courtney Brooks as Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and averaged 18 points per game and 10 rebounds per game as a senior.

Kenny Mitchell (6-7, 208) from Decatur, GA. Averaged 16 points and eight rebounds a game as senior at Columbia High School and helped his team to the Georgia 4A state title.

Glenn Self (6-0, 192) from Charleston, WV. Averaged 14 points and six assists in his senior season.

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
Last year's freshman class, headlined by 2007-08 Big South Freshman of the Year Omar Carter, return the bulk of the production to CSU this season. The group collected a conference record 10 Big South Freshman of the week honors, and accounted for the top two scorers on the team. Carter (15.5 ppg) led the team in scoring and rebounding, the first player in program history to do so. Jamarco Warren was second on the team with 418 total points and an average of 13.9 points per contest. Tovi Bailey contributed 6.9 points per game and placed third on the squad with 68 assists. Austin Johnson rounds out the group of returning sophomores.

PRAISE WARREN-TED
Playing significant minutes at the point in place of Tovi Bailey in the Bucs opener at Iowa, Jamarco Warren contributed a game-high 18 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting, which included going a perfect 4-of-4 from outside the three-point arc. Bailey will return against Furman
A LONG AND WINDY ROAD
The Buccaneers are facing what Barclay Radebaugh calls the toughest schedule in program history. Including their opening loss to Iowa, CSU has posted a 172-245 against the 20 different opponents they will face throughout the season.

How the Bucs Have Fared Against 08-09 Opponents:

Iowa 0-1
Furman 6-8
College of Charleston 23-46
Toccoa Falls 0-0
The Citadel 12-18
North Florida 1-0
High Point 8-10
Covenent College 1-0
Cincinnati 0-0
Florida State 0-4
Virginia Tech 0-3
UNC Asheville 28-30
VMI 3-9
Liberty 19-23
Radford 18-36
Presbyterian 4-5
Winthrop 19-28
Gardner-Webb 1-3
Morris College 0-0
Coastal Carolina 30-21

Total 172-245

The Bucs have posted the most victories against Coastal Carolina (30), suffered the most defeats against College of Charleston (46). College of Charleston has also been the most played opponent (69 meetings - 23-46).

CSU will play four opponents for the first time (Iowa, Toccoa Falls, Cincinnati and Morris).

THE LAST TIME THE BUCS...

Won 20 games in a season
(1986-87 - 21-9 record)
Had a five-game winning streak
(2004-05 - 5 games)
Had a 10-game winning streak
(1986-87 - 10 games)
Had a 10-game losing streak
(2006-07 - 13 games)
The Bucs scored 100+ points
(January 5, 2008 vs Ohio Christian)
Played a multi-overtime game
(1998-99 @ Coastal Carolina - W, 98-93 3 OT)