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Charleston Southern guard Saah Nimley returns for his junior season after averaging 15.9 points per game as a sophomore. (Photo: Kelly Lambert, USA TODAY Sports)
Story Highlights Charleston Southern won the Big South regular-season title last year but came up short in the postseason The Buccaneers return one of the best backcourts nationally in Saah Nimley and Arlon Harper Last season, the Bucs ranked 11th in the nation in rebounding with a little more than 39 boards a night
The first word: Charleston Southern coach Barclay Radebaugh didn't hesitate when asked if his 2013-14 team was the best he's had in his nine years with the Buccaneers. "Without a doubt," the coach said with a southern drawl. That's because Radebaugh returns arguably the best backcourt - Saah Nimley and Arlon Harper - in mid-major basketball, if not in the country. Charleston Southern brings back eight of its top 10 players from last season's 19-win team.
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Path to the Dance: The Buccaneers won the regular-season Big South championship last season with a 12-4 stance, but came up short in the tournament title game - falling 87-76 to Liberty, a 15-20 team that surged at the right time. That's the depressing fate of a mid-major program in a surefire one-bid league: No matter what happens in the regular season, without a conference tourney title, there's no auto bid ... and no ticket to the NCAAs. Barring another late collapse, Charleston Southern should outkick the rest of the Big South in the regular season and postseason.
2012-13 in review: 19-13 overall, 12-4 (regular-season Big South champs), lost in the NIT first round to Southern Mississippi.
Star watch: Both Nimley (15.9 points per game) and Harper (15.3) return. Nimley, a 5-8 ballhawk point guard, serves as the team's sparkplug, while Harper can light it up from outside on any given night. The former AAU teammates lead Radebaugh's four-guard system, which hinges on dribble-drive offense in the half-court and speed/control in transition. The team loses two big contributors in Mathiang Muo and Jeremy Sexton, but Cedrick Bowen, Paul Gombwer and Allie Fullah are poised to step up.
X-Factor: You'd think a team that only starts one true big man and a 5-8 floor general would struggle at rebounding. That's not the case here. The Buccaneers ranked 11th in the nation in rebounding with a little more than 39 boards a night. Sure, much of the rebounding wins came in the Big South, but it's a key factor in why this team has the wherewithal to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.
Team strength/weakness: The obvious answer here is size and presence on the interior, but Radebaugh has found ways to make his team thrive in spite of that. The issue with a team that's heavily dependent on strong guard play is finding a way to play well when there's a lid on the rim. All four of Charleston Southern's regular-season conference losses, and the tournament title loss, were the result of cold shooting. How do you fix poor shooting? Radebaugh believes his team needs to do more "little" things - looses balls, rebounds, hustle plays - to come out on top. That starts on the defensive end, where there's plenty of room for improvement. It also comes with better shot selection, or perhaps just not as many shots from long range. Despite the team's ability to penetrate, the Bucs ranked 225th in field goal percentage nationally.
Cinderella radar: Should Charleston Southern win the Big South and punch a ticket to the NCAAs as expected, avoiding a No. 16 seed could be tough, but playing a challenging non-conference schedule as it did last season is crucial. The Buccaneers played Charlotte and Arizona tight in their first two contests last season and also played Alabama and Wichita State close. A non-conference victory over a major conference foe would pay massive dividends, but if the NCAA committee sees a slate mirroring last season, a No. 15 seed is in sight. And a jaw-dropping NCAA upset is too.
Coach's Corner: "We've won 19 games for back-to-back seasons. I think we've been good. But how do you become great? It comes down to physical and mental toughness. It's not related to size. Wichita State, that's a physically and mentally tough team. That's the next step for us." -- Bradley Radebaugh
Tweet that speaks volume: Radebaugh was a front-runner for other coaching positions, including Furman, but ultimately he put those rumors to rest when he agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the Charleston Southern in May. He's 15 wins away from becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.
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Dance at a glance: Charleston Southern has made the NCAA tournament once, in 1997.
Trivia: Buccaneer Fieldhouse, built in 1964 and affectionately known as the Buc Dome, is the smallest home court in Division I. Its listed capacity is 881, though attendance last year topped 1,000 at times.
Basics:Charleston Southern, conceived as a Baptist College, is located in North Charleston, S.C.
On deck: Who is No. 66? This team led the country in scoring with more than 80 points per contest.
About this post: Every week day, one of the 68 teams in USA TODAY Sports' projected field will be dissected. In November, the final bracket will be revealed. Read No. 68 here.***
HOW THE TOP 25 SHOULD LOOK IN 2013-14
Scott Gleeson, a national college basketball writer/producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.
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