When College of Charleston basketball coach Doug Wojcik watches video of Delaware, it's hard for him not to be impressed by what the Blue Hens have done this season.
In a conference full of parity, the Blue Hens have established themselves as the team to beat in the Colonial Athletic Association and there's still a month left in the regular season.
The Cougars (12-11, 4-4) will travel to Delaware (17-7, 9-0) to take on the Blue Hens on Wednesday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
The numbers are almost staggering. The Blue Hens have won 11 straight games, including nine consecutive victories to start play in the Colonial Athletic Association. Delaware leads the league in the standings by three games and leads the CAA in scoring (80.8) by a wide margin. The Blue Hens have five players averaging in double figures. Devon Saddler, Davon Usher and Carl Baptiste are all conference-caliber players, with Saddler being a strong candidate for player of the year.
"Overall, they have more offensive firepower than any other team in the league and they are aggressive with their offense," Wojcik said. "Their offensive firepower is somewhat overwhelming. In my opinion they've got three all conference players in Saddler, Usher and I would put Baptiste right up there with any of the post players in the league."
Delaware's 9-0 start in the CAA is one of the best starts in league history. Only the 2006-07 Virginia Commonwealth team and the 1985-86 Richmond squad, which went 11-0 in league play, have started conference play better than Delaware.
"They're just playing with a lot of confidence right now, and a lot of that is because they are a senior-dominated team," Wojcik said. "They've been around, they've seen it all and know how to win night-in and night-out in this league and that's important."
Saddler became Delaware's all-time leading scorer in the Blue Hens' 80-67 victory over Northeastern on Monday night. Saddler has scored 2,031 points during his career. The 6-2 senior guard has scored in double figures in 54 of his last 55 games and has cracked the 20-point mark in 10 of 16 games this season.
"There are not many guys that score 2,000 points in their college careers," Wocjik said. "That just doesn't happen anymore. He's just a great offensive player with very few weaknesses in his game."
But it's not just Saddler that can hurt a defense, Wojcik said. Baptiste (10.8 ppg), Usher (17.6 ppg) and Kyle Anderson (11.8 pg.) also are threats to score as well.
"They've got so many different weapons that can hurt you," Wojcik said. "You shut one guy down and they've got plenty of other guys on the floor that can score the ball. That's what makes them so difficult to defend."
Two players that the Cougars will not have to worry about are Jarvis Threatt and Marvin King-Davis. Both have been suspended for the month of February for violating Delaware athletic department rules. Threatt had been averaging nearly 18 points a game for the Blue Hens. The two are expected to be eligible to play on March 1 when the Blue Hens travel to the Lowcountry to face the Cougars.
The Cougars have the top defense in the CAA, giving up an average of 62.6 points a game. Controlling the tempo will be paramount for the Cougars. A game in the 80s would favor the Blue Hens, while a game in the 60s would benefit the Cougars.
"Tempo is going to be very important," Wojcik said.
In a conference full of parity, the Blue Hens have established themselves as the team to beat in the Colonial Athletic Association and there's still a month left in the regular season.
The Cougars (12-11, 4-4) will travel to Delaware (17-7, 9-0) to take on the Blue Hens on Wednesday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
The numbers are almost staggering. The Blue Hens have won 11 straight games, including nine consecutive victories to start play in the Colonial Athletic Association. Delaware leads the league in the standings by three games and leads the CAA in scoring (80.8) by a wide margin. The Blue Hens have five players averaging in double figures. Devon Saddler, Davon Usher and Carl Baptiste are all conference-caliber players, with Saddler being a strong candidate for player of the year.
"Overall, they have more offensive firepower than any other team in the league and they are aggressive with their offense," Wojcik said. "Their offensive firepower is somewhat overwhelming. In my opinion they've got three all conference players in Saddler, Usher and I would put Baptiste right up there with any of the post players in the league."
Delaware's 9-0 start in the CAA is one of the best starts in league history. Only the 2006-07 Virginia Commonwealth team and the 1985-86 Richmond squad, which went 11-0 in league play, have started conference play better than Delaware.
"They're just playing with a lot of confidence right now, and a lot of that is because they are a senior-dominated team," Wojcik said. "They've been around, they've seen it all and know how to win night-in and night-out in this league and that's important."
Saddler became Delaware's all-time leading scorer in the Blue Hens' 80-67 victory over Northeastern on Monday night. Saddler has scored 2,031 points during his career. The 6-2 senior guard has scored in double figures in 54 of his last 55 games and has cracked the 20-point mark in 10 of 16 games this season.
"There are not many guys that score 2,000 points in their college careers," Wocjik said. "That just doesn't happen anymore. He's just a great offensive player with very few weaknesses in his game."
But it's not just Saddler that can hurt a defense, Wojcik said. Baptiste (10.8 ppg), Usher (17.6 ppg) and Kyle Anderson (11.8 pg.) also are threats to score as well.
"They've got so many different weapons that can hurt you," Wojcik said. "You shut one guy down and they've got plenty of other guys on the floor that can score the ball. That's what makes them so difficult to defend."
Two players that the Cougars will not have to worry about are Jarvis Threatt and Marvin King-Davis. Both have been suspended for the month of February for violating Delaware athletic department rules. Threatt had been averaging nearly 18 points a game for the Blue Hens. The two are expected to be eligible to play on March 1 when the Blue Hens travel to the Lowcountry to face the Cougars.
The Cougars have the top defense in the CAA, giving up an average of 62.6 points a game. Controlling the tempo will be paramount for the Cougars. A game in the 80s would favor the Blue Hens, while a game in the 60s would benefit the Cougars.
"Tempo is going to be very important," Wojcik said.
