Charleston Classic: Much madness starts today in tournament

Dicky V is bullish on Devan D. and Co.

Jay Bilas thinks North Carolina and Michigan State coming to town "is great." For all sides, that is.

Clemson is ranked and South Carolina might not be far behind.

The College of Charleston is favored to win the Southern Conference title. If only the Cougars can get past potentially powerful Wofford, which won at Georgia and almost won at Pittsburgh within the last week.

The Citadel is coming off its first postseason appearance.

But just lost at home to Charleston Southern.

Upcoming highlights from what might be the best college basketball season the Palmetto State has enjoyed in over a decade:

--The Charleston Gamecocks. South Carolina's three-game Charleston Classic stay at the Carolina First Arena begins tonight against the La Salle Explorers. In Columbia and other Southeastern Conference outposts, the Devan Downey-led Gamecocks in Darrin Horn's second season as head coach will try

to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.

"I definitely feel they have enough ammunition," analyst Dick Vitale said in a conference call also including Bilas, his ESPN colleague. "However, the conference will be a lot tougher because I think Kentucky, obviously, will be way, way better. I think Florida's going to be better. … But I like Horn's attitude. I liked it when he was at Western Kentucky. I think he's starting with a nice nucleus when you've got guys like Downey and (Dominique) Archie coming back."

'A real fight'

--No. 2 Michigan State at The Citadel (Dec. 7), No. 6 North Carolina at the College of Charleston (Jan. 4).

You can't talk about one game without talking about the other. Imagine, seeing the programs involved in the 2009 NCAA championship game (and they meet again Dec. 1 in Chapel Hill) without leaving the peninsula.

"Scheduling is a strange sort of creature," said Bilas, the former Duke center and assistant coach. "It's an art more so than a science. You have to understand the type of team you have when you set up your schedule. For Roy Williams and Tom Izzo, they're willing to go and put their teams under stress in different kinds of conditions. They know they're going to have to play really, really good mid-major teams in the NCAA Tournament and they want to have their teams prepared for that and they want to put them under stress on the road.

"It's good for these teams to go and play maybe in a little band box somewhere where they know they're going to get a real fight."

Quadrupleheader

--Tulane vs. Miami, today, 1:30 p.m. The first of the four games in one Thursday at Carolina First Arena. Green Wave head coach Dave Dickerson is an Olar native and former Maryland player who interviewed for the College of Charleston job before it was given to Tom Herrion. Hurricanes head coach Frank Haith is an Elon grad who has worked for Rick Barnes at Texas and Dave Odom at Wake Forest.

--UNC-Wilmington vs. Penn State, today, 4 p.m. Simple math: If all the Penn State fans living in the Lowcountry show up, it's a sellout.

--South Florida vs. Davidson, tonight, 7 p.m. Life without Stephen Curry for the Wildcats. South Florida already has upset Virginia.

--South Carolina at Clemson, Dec. 6. Remember, Downey scored 37 against the Tigers last year -- in a 98-87 loss.

Can't wait.

And we haven't even started talking about the real fun: February.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com or 937-5593.

Where: Carolina First Arena

When: Today, Friday and Sunday

Today's games: Tulane vs. Miami, 1:30 p.m.; UNC-Wilmington vs. Penn State, 4 p.m. (ESPNU); South Florida vs. Davidson, 7 p.m.; South Carolina vs. La Salle, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU).

Tickets: $90 for all three days or $20 per two-game session (953-COFC or www.charlestonclassic.com)