The Campbell Fighting Camels (9-10) and Charleston Cougars (11-8) are set to face off on Thursday night, going head-to-head in South Carolina. The Coastal Athletic Association showdown will tip off at 7 p.m. EST on The CW Network.
The Cougars are 3.5-point home favorites with -170 moneyline odds, and the total has been set at 160.5 points. Here is a preview of the CAA matchup, featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Campbell vs. Charleston Preview, Prediction
Campbell Preview
The Camels went through an absolute gauntlet as part of their non-conference slate, facing No. 24 Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wake Forest, Penn State, No. 7 Gonzaga, and Minnesota in true road games. They went winless in that sample, but went undefeated at home against Western Michigan, Ball State, and Green Bay. Following a three-game CAA winning streak against Monmouth, Northeastern, and Hampton, Campbell lost by one at Elon and by three at UNC Wilmington.
Robert Morris transfer DJ Smith is averaging 27.4 points per game over his last five contests, raising his season mark to 20.3. A lot of the Camels’ three-point volume is on Smith’s shoulders, as he knocks down three per contest at 35.8% accuracy. Lithuanian Pepperdine transfer Dovydas Butka is averaging 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, taking on a much larger role after Norfolk State transfer Chris Fields Jr. suffered a concussion last month. Delaware State forward Muneer Newton has also jumped into the starting lineup amid Fields’ injury. Green Bay transfer Jeremiah Johnson is averaging 13.9 points per game, with Cam Gregory and his eight points per game rounding out the crop of top scorers.
Campbell currently ranks 13th in free throw attempts nationwide, along with 42nd in offensive rebounds and eighth in opponent three-point attempts. However, the Camels have ranked 270th in three-point percentage, 296th in assists, and 336th in blocks.
The Camels rank No. 182 in the updated KenPom ratings, with the No. 142 adjusted offense and No. 245 adjusted defense. As for the NET rankings, Campbell comes in at No. 198, going 0-4 against Quad 1, 0-4 against Quad 2, 2-2 against Quad 3, and 5-0 against Quad 4. Thursday’s game at Charleston constitutes a Quad 3 matchup.
Charleston Preview
The Cougars didn’t get off to the hottest start in non-conference play, losing six of their first nine games versus Division I opponents. One of those losses came to Yale at the Paradise Jam, but Charleston beat both UMass and Evansville to take third place in the Virgin Islands.
Then, Charleston went on a six-game winning streak, including four straight victories to open up conference play. The Cougars took down Drexel, Elon, William & Mary, and Hampton. However, they’ve since lost back-to-back matchups against Towson and Stony Brook — the latter of which went to double overtime.
Middle Tennessee transfer Jlynn Counter is Charleston’s leading scorer at 16.2 points per game following his 28-point explosion Saturday against Stony Brook. He is also averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Cincinnati transfer Connor Hickman is averaging 12.8 points per game, while German freshman Martin Kalu is putting up 10.8 points a night. Forward Colby Duggan, a Campbell transfer who didn’t make his season debut until late December, is averaging 12.3 points per game. Australian seven-footer Chol Machot is averaging 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. South Carolina Upstate transfer Mister Dean, meanwhile, has been out with a torn ACL since November.
On a per-game basis, Charleston blocks the 78th-most shots, reels in the 41st-most defensive rebounds, and makes the 26th-most free throws. They hit three-pointers at the seventh-worst rate in the country, though, on top of allowing the 21st-most three-point attempts per game.
Per the latest KenPom ratings, the Cougars rank 169th on offense, 202nd on defense, and 176th overall. They come in at No. 178 in the NET, going 0-1 against Quad 1, 0-4 against Quad 2, 4-1 against Quad 3, and 6-2 against Quad 4. Thursday’s game versus Campbell constitutes a Quad 4 matchup.
Campbell vs. Charleston Pick, Best Bet
Charleston may have lost back-to-back games, but both of those defeats came on the road – one against one of the slowest teams in the nation, and the other after two overtimes. The Cougars have won five straight at home, with all five of those wins coming by at least four points. Campbell, on the other hand, lost by a combined four points over its last two games.
Campbell ranks No. 56 nationally in adjusted tempo, which is good for No. 2 in the CAA. William & Mary, which Charleston beat by nine points earlier this month, ranks No. 5 nationally and first in the CAA, so the Cougars have proven capable of hanging on in a track meet on their own home floor.
While Charleston doesn’t appear suited to take advantage of Campbell’s inefficient three-point defense, their lack of turnovers could prevent the Camels from getting out in transition. Expect a lot of free throws in this game, too, giving the Cougars another advantage as the home team.
The Bart Torvik ratings give Charleston a 66% chance of winning, pegging them as 4.7-point favorites Thursday night.
