Can Monmouth basketball pull off stunner vs. Charleston?: 3 keys for upset-minded Hawks

Posted by Admin January 11, 2025 Basketball

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WEST LONG BRANCH – When Monmouth head coach King Rice called Saturday’s clash with Charleston a “heavy lift,” he was understating it.

Charleston (13-3, 3-0 CAA) has been part of March Madness the last two years. When the Cougars visited OceanFirst Bank Center two seasons back they were nationally ranked – the fourth top-25 team ever to play at Monmouth – and ended up winning 31 games. And head coach Chris Mack, in his first season, took Xavier to the Sweet 16 three times, and had Louisville ranked No. 1.

The NCAA’s NET Rankings have Charleston at 115, best among CAA teams, compared to 290 for Monmouth. The Cougars come in off a solid road win at Hofstra, while Monmouth had its 15-game home winning streak snapped by CAA contender UNC Wilmington Thursday.

So on paper it looks more like a Herculean feat for Monmouth (3-13, 1-2 CAA), with tipoff at 2 p.m. (SNY; NBC Sports Philadelphia; FloHoops).

But if Monmouth does pull off what would be the biggest win since joining the CAA in 2022-23, it could provide the Hawks with a much-needed change of trajectory.

Here are three keys for Monmouth today against Charleston. And check back Saturday afternoon for complete coverage:

1. Start fast

If Monmouth could get a few shots to fall early it would take the pressure off for a team shooting 38.5 percent, worst in the CAA. They were 1-of-13 shooting to open the game against UNCW and went down 15-2, spending the rest of the night playing from behind.

While there were critical defensive lapses in the final minutes, Monmouth did hold UNC Wilmington 18 points below its average. But the Hawks were unable to take advantage, shooting 33.9% and scoring just 55 points.

2. Bring defensive intensity

It starts with containing Charleston senior forward Ante Brzovic, the CAA Preseason Player of the Year and the most recent CAA Player of the Week after averaging a double-double in two games, before hitting Hofstra up for 23 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night.

The 6-10 Brzovic is averaging 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for the season, and limiting the damage he does has to be a top priority. Cornelius Robinson III, Monmouth’s physical 6-6 forward, will likely see time guarding Brzovic, along with 6-9 Jaret Valencia, 7-0 Dok Mourdar and 6-9 Chris Morgan. That’s a lot of fouls to give.

3. Big game from Valencia

If Monmouth is to turn the season around, Valencia, a redshirt sophomore forward, has to play a major role. He was supposed to give the Hawks a dangerous second option alongside Abdi Bashir Jr., But over the last three games Valencia has nine total points, to go with 10 rebounds in 60 minutes on the court.

He’s averaging 7.8 points-per-game, and his emergence during CAA play is critical as Monmouth tries to squeeze more out of the lineup at both ends of the court.

Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.