Month: January 2025

Northeastern (85) vs. College of Charleston (87) 01/18/2025

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Game #137 of 364 37% complete

The TD Arena is located right in the heart of downtown Charleston surrounded by quaint shops and cool looking restaurants. It was disheartening to pass through this area and not have time to stop for some tourist time. But as is often when a big arena is in a crowded area, parking spots are not close. I was given a list of parking spots by the school before the game. Choosing the first one off of the list, I found myself with a 15 minute walk to the arena. Normally I enjoy a good walk but this was done in a driving rain storm.

The College of Charleston Cougars are one of the better mid major schools in the country currently occupying first place in Colonial Athletic league. First place and a preferred spot in the post league tournament is important because these leagues rarely get an at-large bid. The Cougars lost in the past two NCAA tournaments against eventual final four participants Alabama and San Diego State.

Chris Mack is the first year coach for the Cougars. He was previously at Xavier and Louisville. He was the 2018 Big East Coach of the Year at Xavier. He was fired from Louisville after reports that the fan base and players were unhappy with him. I wish him well with this energetic fan base and a team looking to make some noise this year in the tournament.

I was very impressed with Deywilk Taveras the sophomore guard for the Cougars who scored 32 points. He went 8 for 9 (yes, you’re reading that right) from the 3 point line and killed any comeback for Northeastern. He was the 2024 MEAC Rookie of the Year for Delaware State and is quite a pickup for the Cougars.

This scene above was in sight of where I was sitting. It has no significance other than showing a man in extreme pain for a cramp.

I get a kick when I hear the young kids singing songs that came out when I was a young kid. Songs like “Sweet Caroline” and “Friends in Low Places” are sung by the college kids as if they were their own anthems. Soon it will be their turn to feel nostalgic as the college kids 20 years from now will sing Taylor’s “You Belong To Me”.

This was an exciting game with College of Charleston pulling it at the end with a potential three pointer winner by Northeastern’s Rashad King clanging off the rim with time expired.

Some scenes from downtown Charleston as I walked in the rain.

VMI ( 75) vs. Citadel (70) 01/18/2025

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Game #136 of 364 37% complete

Occasionally, I will put together a quickie trip involving a morning arrival, an early afternoon game and a late afternoon or night game. One night in a hotel followed by a return trip the following morning adds a quick two game addition to Operation 351. The problem with this scenario is that it involves no time for fun or tourist stuff. It was much to my dismay that a Topgolf facility existed next to my hotel. A quick check in to the hotel between basketball games prevented any time to hit golf balls. Additionally, downtown Charleston is a great visit to place but had to be skipped on this trip, as well as a walk around the beautiful Citadel campus due to time constraints.

This series of games between the two main military schools of the south is billed as the “The Military Classic of the South”. I expected a huge crowd with much give and take between the cadets from both schools. Instead the crowd was small and not particularly involved in the game. The Citadel basketball team is ranked #352 out of 364 Division 1 schools so I guess that basketball is not a high priority in the Charleston area.

The gentlemen above are graduates of the 1974 class of Citadel. They raised 10.5 million dollars for the school and were honored during the game. My first thought is that they should use some of that money for NIL compensation to bring in better players.

I was very impressed with VMI junior Rickey Bradley Jr. The Georgia State transfer scored 29 points and seemed to score at will. He is currently second in the SoCon league by scoring at 19.2 ppg. The VMI team seemed to have much more talent than Citadel despite the five point margin. Augustinas Kiudulas added 13 points but I remember seeing him somewhere. An after the game check revealed that he was on the Indiana State team that reached the NIT championship last year.

When I see folks sitting in a section by themselves despite the presence of many good seats below, I would love to ask them why are they sitting there.

The traditional t-shirt toss was performed during the game. One shirt landed off the hand of an old Citadel graduate in front of me and landed between me and another old graduate. We both grabbed for the t-shirt at the same time. My thinking was that he was probably a season ticket holder who has been here many times and probably has caught a t-shirt or two in his day. When we grabbed the shirt simultaneously, he tightened his grip. Not wanting a confrontation, I let go. He said he was sorry and laughed. Still he kept the shirt. I don’t need another t-shirt but it would made a nice memento of my trip.

Next is the College of Charleston game in downtown Charleston. It is pouring rain but much better than the snowstorm in Connecticut.