Coastal Carolina Weekly Basketball Preview (Week 13)
Coastal Carolina is currently on a five game winning-streak and are playing some of the best basketball in the Sun Belt. They look to continue with that momentum on the road, travelling to South Alabama and ULM.
Coastal Carolina at South Alabama
The Chanticleers begin their week in Mobile, taking on the South Alabama Jaguars. Coastal Carolina sits at 13-9 overall and 6-4 in conference play, while South Alabama enters at 14-6 (5-3 Sun Belt).
Coastal is coming off a dominant home win over Southern Miss, a game in which Josh Beadle, RaSheed Jones and AJ Dancler all scored 20 or more points. Reggie Hill also chipped in 11.
If the Jaguars want to pull off the win, slowing down Coastal’s three guards will be key, Beadle in particular. The senior ranks in the top five in the league in scoring at 17 per game and is averaging just under 25 points and six rebounds during the Chanticleers’ winning streak. Coastal is also 10-1 this season when one of its three guards scores more than 20.
Three-point shooting and rebounding have been major strengths for the Chanticleers and will be key against a South Alabama zone defense that can allow both. In their previous game, Coastal shot 14-23 from deep and out-rebounded Southern Miss by 13.
South Alabama’s game against Marshall last weekend was postponed due to inclement weather, meaning the Jaguars will not have played in over a week. In their most recent outing, they outlasted James Madison 90-83 on the road behind 26 points from Adam Olsen.
The Jaguars also feature one of the top scorers in the Sun Belt in Chazé Harris. The 6-foot-6 senior is averaging 18 points per game, along with just under five rebounds and assists. Harris does most of his damage inside the arc, having made just one three this season.
Olsen is another major scoring threat, ranking in the top 10 in the conference. The forward is dangerous from deep, shooting over 38 percent from three. Guard Jayden Cooper adds nearly 10 points per game.
Turnovers could play a decisive role. South Alabama ranks in the top four in the conference in forcing turnovers, while the Chanticleers are coming off a game in which they turned the ball over 15 times. If Coastal wants a road win, keeping that number around 10 — as head coach Justin Gray often emphasizes — will be crucial.
Three-point shooting will also loom large. Defensively, Coastal owns the best three-point defense in the Sun Belt, while the Jaguars shoot under 20 threes per game. South Alabama also allows the most three-point attempts per game in the conference, and Coastal ranks in the top four in three-point shooting at 34.2 percent as a team.
Tipoff: Thursday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WRXZ 107.1 (Coastal Carolina), Jags Radio Network (South Alabama)
Coastal Carolina at ULM
The Chanticleers will finish the week on the road in Monroe, Louisiana, taking on the Warhawks. ULM sits last in the Sun Belt at 3-18 (0-9) and is currently on an 11-game losing streak.
The Warhawks are coming off a difficult road week. Due to weather, their game at Marshall was moved to noon, where the Thundering Herd hit 26 threes and won by more than 50. ULM then traveled to App State the following day for another midday game, hanging around early before scoring just 43 points in a 16-point loss.
Krystian Lewis leads the Warhawks in scoring at 16.2 per game and also paces the team in assists and steals. MJ Russell and Lavell Brodnex rank second and third in scoring, with Brodnex also leading the team in rebounding at 8.3 per game. Brodnex did not play in ULM’s previous game, so his status will be worth monitoring. If he plays, the matchup between these guards and Coastal’s trio could be one of the better guard battles in the Sun Belt this week.
ULM ranks 13th in the conference in scoring at 70.8 points per game and sits in the same spot in rebounding and turnovers. Coastal will enter as the favorite, but taking advantage of every opportunity will be key, especially with the Warhawks coming off a home game against Georgia Southern.
Tipoff: Thursday, Jan 30, 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WRXZ 107.1 (Coastal Carolina), KLIP 105.3 (ULM)
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