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Col. of Charleston
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Clemson
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E. Tennessee St.
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Hofstra
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TCU
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Temple
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SIU Edwardsville
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Western Michigan
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General Notes:
Two of the teams in the inaugural Charleston Classic (Clemson and Temple) played in the NCAA Tournament last season. Four of the eight teams won at least 19 games: Clemson (24-10), ETSU (19-13), Temple (21-13) and Western Michigan (20-12).
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The Cougars will be opening their new home arena, Carolina First Arena, at the inaugural Charleston Classic. Third-year coach Bobby Cremins took the team to the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament last season, finishing with a 16-17 record. In Cremins’ first year, Charleston went 22-11 and made the conference championship game. The Cougars return four players who averaged double figures in scoring last season.
2008 RESULTS (2-1): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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CLEMSON
Nickname: Tigers
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Location: Clemson, S.C.
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The Tigers posted a 24-9 record and a No. 22 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. They earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their highest seed since 1996-97, before losing to Villanova in the opening round. Clemson reached the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1962, beating Duke (ranked 7th nationally at the time) in the semifinals. Head coach Oliver Purnell has completed five seasons with the Tigers, leading the team to post-season in each of the last four campaigns. Second team all-ACC guard K.C. Rivers returns for his senior year after leading the team in scoring with 14.7 ppg last season.
2008 RESULTS (3-0): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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A seven-time NCAA Tournament and two-time NIT participant, the Buccaneers finished 19-13 and reached the Atlantic Sun semifinals in 2007-08. First team all-conference guard Courtney Pigram returns for his senior year after leading ETSU in scoring (15.8 ppg). Fellow senior Kevin Tiggs averaged 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Coach Murry Bartow begins his sixth season with the Bucs, needing just five wins for his 100th victory at the school. He is also just two wins shy of 200 for his 11-year coaching career.
2008 RESULTS (1-2): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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HOFSTRA
Nickname: Pride
Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
Location: Hempstead, N.Y.
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After making three straight NIT appearances from 2005-07, Hofstra will be looking to get back to the postseason this year. Coach Tom Pecora returns four starters, but must replace shooting guard Antoine Agudio, who graduated last year with 2,276 career points and 357 career three-pointers, both school records. The Pride does return sophomore guard Charles Jenkins, who earned the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year Award last season. Hofstra has three returning seniors--forwards Dane Johnson and Darren Townes and point guard Greg Johnson--to the starting lineup. The Pride has qualified for the postseason in six of the last 10 years (four NIT, two NCAA), while averaging over 19 wins a season during that span.
2008 RESULTS (2-1): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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TEMPLE
Nickname: Owls
Conference: Atlantic 10
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
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The 2007-08 Owls were a post-season bubble team before tearing off seven straight wins to capture their first Atlantic 10 championship since 2000-01. Temple finished 21-13 after losing to Michigan State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Conference most outstanding player Dionte Christmas is looking to become the first player ever to lead the A-10 in scoring three consecutive seasons. Coach Fran Dunphy will be in his third year with the Owls.
2008 RESULTS (2-1): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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TCU
Nickname: Horned Frogs
Conference: Mountain West
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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The Horned Frogs are led by first-year coach Jim Christian, who spent the previous six years at Kent State, where he won at least 20 games every season and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2008. TCU finished 14-16 last season, after a narrow 89-88 loss to eventual Mountain West champion UNLV at the conference tournament. The Horned Frogs return their top scorers, guards Kevin Langford and Henry Salter, who both averaged 13.3 ppg.
2008 RESULTS (1-2): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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SIU EDWARDSVILLE
Nickname: Cougars
Conference: Ohio Valley
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
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The Cougars are making their debut as an NCAA Division I team this season. The team joins the Ohio Valley after spending 10 years in the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference. The program made five trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2005-06. Head coach Lennox Forrester guided SIUE to a17-11 record last year, the most wins ever for a rookie coach at the school. Senior guard John Edmison is the top returning scorer (7.7 ppg), and the Cougars roster features seven newcomers (four freshmen and three transfers).
2008 RESULTS (1-2): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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WESTERN MICHIGAN
Nickname: Broncos
Conference: Mid-American
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
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Western Michigan is coming off a 20-12 season in which they finished atop the Mid-American Conference West Division. It was the fourth time in coach Steve Hawkins’ five-year tenure that the Broncos reached the 20-win plateau. First-team All-MAC guard David Kool returns for his junior year after leading WMU and ranking fourth in the conference with 16.3 ppg. He is the school’s all-time leader with an .880 career free throw percentage.
2008 RESULTS (0-3): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
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