CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina University men's basketball program will open the 2023 Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday, Nov. 16, as the Chanticleers will play Wichita State at the HTC Center at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will be the first of three the Chants will play in the MBI.
Thursday's action will be the second home game of the season which will see the Chants play 19 opponents at home.
THE SERIES
This is the first game in the series as Wichita State and Coastal Carolina have never met on the hardcourt.
ABOUT THE CHANTS
The Chants enter the game with a 1-0 record after an 88-86 win over Piedmont to open the season back on Nov. 6. The Chants have not played since the opening day of the season.
CCU had four players reach double figures against the Lions, with three of the four playing in their first game in a CCU uniform.
Kevin Easley led the scoring effort with 20 points. He just missed out on a double-double finishing the game with nine rebounds. He also added three assists and a steal.
True freshman
Jacob Meyer scored over 3,200 points in high school, and his 16 points in his collegiate debut started his career off in eye-catching form. He added three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot.
Kylan Blackmon, a returner from last season, finished the game with 13 points. He hit a team-high four three-point field goals while adding four rebounds to his opening-game numbers.
The final double-digit scorer is transfer
Jon Sanders. Even though Sanders didn't start the game, he managed to score 12 points off the bench and was second on the team with four assists.
CHANTS IN THE MBI
Even though CCU has been the host of the MBI since 2017, the Chanticleers do not play every year. In 2019 the Chants made their first appearance and went 1-2 in the event. CCU opened play with a 79-57 win over Utah, and then lost to eventual MBI champion Baylor (65-77), and Mississippi State (56-81).
Among the teams appearing in the MBI, CCU has played six of the teams led by the College of Charleston which CCU has played 51 times. CofC holds a 40-11 lead in the series, and the two teams are scheduled to play in Charleston on Dec. 18.
CCU has played against Liberty 55 times as both were members of the Big South. Liberty holds a 29-26 edge in the series. CCU has also faced Furman (Furman leads 4-1), Vermont (CCU leads 1-0), and Wyoming (Wyoming leads 2-1). St. Louis joins Wichita State as the only other team the Chants have not faced.
ABOUT WICHITA STATE
The Shockers enter the contest 3-0 in early-season action. They have won each game by double-digits in defeating Lipscomb (76-59), Western Kentucky (71-61), and Friends (95-65).
Wichita State is averaging 80.7 points per game after three contests, and have four individuals reaching a double-digit average led by Colby Rogers and his 16.0 points per game. Xavier Bell is shooting 55.6 percent from the field and averages 13.7 points per game. He also has 11 assists on the season.
Kenny Pohto averages 11.0 points per game and grabs 9.0 rebounds per game, while Isaac Abidde comes off the bench to average 10.7 points per game. He shoots a team-best 59.1 percent from the field.
CCU and Wichita State can be heard on HANK 105.5 FM and can be watched live on ESPNU. Links for both and for live stats can be found at www.GoCCUSports.com.
For complete coverage of CCU men's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.
