Men’s college basketball gets into full swing throughout the Palmetto State tonight with all teams in action. The Citadel, No. 24 Clemson and South Carolina open at home while College of Charleston and Charleston Southern are both on the road.

A hobbled College of Charleston, picked to win the South Division of the Southern Conference, plays at Coastal Carolina at 7:30 p.m. with forward Antwaine Wiggins out for the season, Jeremy Simmons suspended for the game for a violation of team rules and sophomore Matt Sundberg having been sidelined for the entire preseason with tendinitis in his knees. Several other players, including starting guards Andrew Goudelock and Donavan Monroe, have been hampered with nagging injuries during the preseason.

Monroe, a 6-2 junior, was moved into the starting rotation to replace Wiggins, a 6-7 junior.

‘We’re really going to be inexperienced on the bench,’ said Cougars coach Bobby Cremins. ‘Without Jeremy, it’s going to be tough. Right now, we don’t know what to expect.’

Cremins, whose team finished 27-9 last year and played in the College Basketball Invitational, will start 6-6 freshman Willis Hall in Simmons spot. Hall scored 17 points in last Saturday’s 94-92 overtime exhibition win against USC Aiken, second only to senior guard Tony White Jr. Another newcomer, 6-8 senior Casaan Breeden who transferred from Florida State, had

16 points in the exhibition win.

Coming off the first 20-win season and first postseason bid in school history, The Citadel opens against Kenyon College, a Division III school from Gambier, Ohio.

The Bulldogs welcome back a solid backcourt in junior guards Cameron Wells and Zach Urbanus, but must replace the scoring of center Demetrius Nelson and the rebounding and energy of forward John Brown.

Joe Wolfinger, a 7-foot transfer from the University of Washington, brings his 3-point shooting skills to the center position, while 6-6 forward Bryan Streeter moves into the starting lineup in Brown’s spot.

Kenyon, meanwhile, returns just two starters from a team that went 16-11 last season. Competition picks up quickly for the Bulldogs, who host Charleston Southern on Tuesday night.

Things don’t get any easier for Charleston Southern, which finished 9-20 last season and takes on ACC power Maryland tonight at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md. Fifth-year head coach Barclay Radebaugh’s most experienced player is junior point guard Jamarco Warren, a preseason all-Big South pick.

Warren averaged 17.8 points last season and hit 99 3-pointers.

The Buccaneers also will be counting on sophomore forward Kelvin Martin, who averaged 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds while starting 21 games. Martin missed the final eight games with an injury. Sophomore swing man Joel Lamb averaged nearly six points per game as a freshman and is expected to contribute major minutes. The Bucs also have a couple of 6-10 senior post players, Quentin Goods and Billy Blackmon.

Clemson, ranked 24th in the preseason Associated Press poll, should have no problem against outmanned Presbyterian which is in just its third year competing at the Division I level.

Trevor Booker (15.3 points, 9.7 rebounds) is Clemson’s returning star, but Tiger fans will be watching to see how many minutes Clemson’s heralded freshmen Milton Jennings and Noel Johnson log. Both played more than 20 minutes in last Friday’s 99-51 exhibition win over Francis Marion.

Darrin Horn’s second season at South Carolina begins at 7 p.m. against Alabama A&M at the Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks bring back four starters, including All-SEC senior point guard Devan Downey, who last year averaged 19.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 31 games.

South Carolina won 21 games last season, including a decade-high 10 SEC games. But the Gamecocks still fell a win or two short of their first NCAA berth since 2004. Four newcomers, including 6-5 guard Lakeem Jackson, have been added to potentially help USC get over the hump. Jackson is expected to start tonight at the 2 guard.

In other games, S.C. State plays host to Erskine; Furman plays host to Lees-McRae and Wofford travels to Pittsburgh.

You must be logged in to comment.