Looking at South Carolina's half of the Charleston Classic bracket

After passing the first two tests of the season in dramatic fashion, South Carolina starts another one this week.

The Gamecocks (2-0) will play three games in four days at the Charleston Classic, beginning Thursday night (5 p.m., ESPNU) against a talented and potentially a tournament team in Colorado State. 

After that comes two other quality mid-majors in either Davidson or the College of Charleston. Before things tip Thursday night, here’s a look at the other three teams on South Carolina’s side of the bracket.

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Colorado State

The schedule so far: 65-63 over Gardner Webb, 80-69 over SE Louisiana, 77-52 over Weber State

Early season ratings: 95 KenPom, 102 Barttorvik, 

The skinny: The Rams are one of the better mid-majors in the sport dating back to 2020. Head coach Niko Medved has won at least 20 games the last three seasons, including a 25-win year and a tournament berth last season. The Rams do lose last year’s Player of the Year in the conference David Roddy, but still return a team with loads of firepower. They have four players scoring in double figures, led by senior guard John Tonje’s 14.7 on 44.8 percent shooting (41.7 percent from three).

The Rams don’t rate highly in terms of pace, and the Gamecocks are going to have their work cut out for them Thursday night. KenPom gives South Carolina a 54 percent chance to win and predicts a 69-68 game.

What it does well: The Rams are one of the best shooting teams in the country. They rank top 20 in both effective field goal percentage (61.2) and three-point percentage (46.4). Colorado State also hits 56 percent of its shots inside the arc. The Rams largely protect the ball and limit teams shooting. 

Teams don’t typically get offensive boards against their defense. One of the Rams’ calling cards is sharing the ball, assisting on 68.8 percent of makes, 14th-best in the country. 

What it doesn’t: Colorado State isn’t a great offensive rebounding team, 354th in the country rebounding 13.4 percent of misses. Granted, the Rams don’t need to be a great offensive rebounding team if shots are going in the basket. They’re not a great free throw shooting team, just 66.7 percent from the line, and have an issue giving up steals. They don’t block a lot of shots, either. 

Davidson

The schedule so far: 87-64 win over Guilford, 102-97 over Wright State in overtime, 75-71 over VMI

Early season ratings: 112 KenPom, 134 Barrtorvik

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The skinny: The Wildcats are in year one of a new coach, led by Matt McKillop, the son of legendary head coach Bob McKillop. They’re coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last year where they took Michigan State to the wire. Their best win comes against Wright State in overtime, and it’s a group led by potent scorer Foster Loyer, who is averaging 28.3 points on 47.9 percent shooting this season. 

What it does well: Davidson is another good offensive team, ranking 61st nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Wildcats are 48th in effective field goal percentage and 66th in free throw rate, which means it’s a group that gets to the line a ton. The Wildcats are top 30 nationally in two-point percentage (61.1) and are a really balanced offensive attack that doesn’t really turn the ball over. Defensively, the Wildcats don’t send teams to the line very often. 

What it doesn’t: Davidson isn’t a strong offensive rebounding team and defensively doesn’t force turnovers at a high rate. They’re allowing opponents to shoot 55.3 percent from inside the arc adn aren’t blocking a lot of shots or getting a ton of steals. 

Charleston

The schedule so far: 85-78 over Chattanooga, 102-86 loss to North Carolina, 92-90 over Richmond in overtime

Early season ratings: 176 KenPom, 113 Barrtorvik

The skinny: The lone team with a loss on this side of the bracket, Charleston is in year two of Pat Kelsey and took North Carolina to the wire despite the final score. It’s an insanely fast-paced team, ranking 10th in the country in adjusted tempo and averaging 15.5 seconds per possession. This is a more offensive than a defensive team with two players scoring in double figures and five others averaging at least 7.5 points per game.

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What it does well: The Cougars are a good offensive-rebounding team and one that is top 55 in the country shooting 58 percent from two. The Cougars largely protect the ball and convert at the free throw line. Defensively they’ve struggled, granted they’ve also played the No. 1 team in the country. They do block a decent amount of shots and get steals at an above-average clip. 

What it doesn’t: Charleston doesn’t get to the line a ton and doesn’t share the ball at a high clip. The Cougars rank 311th in the country assisting on just 38.5 percent of makes. They have one of the highest effective field goal percentages against (58.1) and are sending teams to the line a good bit, too. Teams are also shooting 62 percent from two against them. 

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