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NCAA Tournament Primer: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Michael Enanga

Get to know all of the NCAA Tournament’s automatic bids here.

Conference: Big South

Coach: Cliff Ellis

Record: 21-12 (11-5 Big South)

Rankings and Ratings:

- Kenpom: 242
- RPI: 216
- AP/USA Today: Not ranked

Seeding?: In Dave Ommen’s most recent bracket High Point was projected as the automatic qualifier from the Big South, and was slotted as a likely No. 16 seed playing in the First Four.

Names you need to know: Josh Cameron (14.0 pp, 2.5 apg), Elijah Wilson (16.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg), and Warren Gillis (14.6 ppg, 3.0 apg)

Stats you need to know: Coastal Carolina had the most efficient defense in the Big South Conference according to kenpom.com as evident by the Chanticleers holding the Eagles to 31 percent shooting in the championship game. Another interesting note is that head coach Cliff Harris had taken his fourth different program to the NCAA tournament become one of 10 coaches to do so. He previously took South Alabama, Clemson and Auburn to the Big Dance. This is Coastal’s first trip since 1993.

Tendencies: The Chanticleers go as their back court does. The guard play of Cameron, Wilson and Gillis have accounted for more than 60 percent of Coastal Carolina’s points this season. The trio scored 50 combined points on Sunday afternoon.

Big wins, bad losses: Held the high-powered VMI to 62 points in the conference semifinals, almost 25 points below the Keydets’ season average. Lost to Ole Miss and Minnesota -- in consecutive games -- by a combined 12 points. Got crushed by 29 to Ellis’ former team Clemson on Nov. 29.

How’d they get here?: Coastal earned one of the top two seeds in the Big South Tournament, earning a bye into the quarterfinals. It’s first two tournament games -- Charleston Southern and VMI -- were decided by nine points. In the title game over Winthrop, which had upset the other top seed High Point in the quarterfinals, the Chanticleers ran away with a 15-point win in the second half.

Outlook: Could very well play in the First Four in Dayton. If that’s the case I like the Chanticleers chances of advancing to the field of 64 to play one of the four top seeds.

How do I know you?: Coastal Carolina gets after it defensively, allowing 68.8 points per game and limiting the opposition to a little over 40 percent from the field.

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