Coastal Carolina will play the first of four straight games away from home Friday when it travels to Jacksonville State for a non-conference match-up. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Jacksonville State won last year's meeting in Conway, 71–53.
The Chanticleers (2–1) and Gamecocks meet for the fourth time in a series that began 21 years ago. Coastal won the inaugural match-up, 88–78, at Kimbrel Gym but trails the all-time series 2–1. Jacksonville State took the only previous meeting on its home court, an 82–71 decision on Nov. 21, 2005.
Jacksonville State (2–0) enters Friday's game scoring at a torrid pace. The Gamecocks rolled past NAIA opponents Oakwood (117–63) and Reinhardt (114–39) to open their season, averaging 115.5 points while shooting 52 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. The program is under 10th-year head coach Ray Harper, who brought in 12 newcomers to a roster that includes nine Division I transfers. Only three players returned from last season's 23–12 squad that finished second in Conference USA.
Coastal is coming off a 72–66 win over in-state rival Winthrop on Tuesday.
Joshua Beadle scored 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-4 from deep, while
Rasheed Jones added 20 points and four assists.
Reggie Hill chipped in 11 points, and
Jerry Ngopot grabbed eight rebounds off the bench. The Chanticleers shot 46 percent from three (12-of-26) and controlled the boards 45–28.
The Chants have been hot from long range over their past two outings, making 29-of-67 (.433) from beyond the arc. Their 17 threes against VUL on Nov. 7 set a program record. Jones (11-of-17) and Beadle (6-of-10) have been the top outside threats.
Friday's game features several familiar faces across both sidelines. Coastal's Hill and Jacksonville State's Emondrek Erkins-Ford were teammates at Eastern Florida State College, while Ngopot and JSU's Thomas Tut spent the 2022–23 season together at Saint Peter's. Jacksonville State senior Jamar Franklin, now at his third Division I program, will face the Chanticleers for the fourth time in his career.
In last year's meeting, Jones scored a then–career-high 15 points, but Jacksonville State used a 20–0 first-half run to pull away. Both teams took care of the ball, with Coastal committing five turnovers to the Gamecocks' three.
