College of Charleston, boasting the nation’s No. 45-ranked strength of schedule, has traversed the continent: Florida to Southern California to Virginia. On Wednesday, the Cougars return home for a marquee date at TD Arena against perhaps their stiffest test ahead of Colonial Athletic Association play, VCU.

Who: VCU Rams (8-2) at College of Charleston Cougars (5-5)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 7p.m. ET

Where: TD Arena; Charleston, S.C.  

Watch: LIVE on FloHoops

Wednesday’s contest marks one half of a challenging back-to-back for each team: In Charleston’s case, the Rams are on the second leg of a pair of games against Atlantic 10 Conference teams likely to be in the mix for the NCAA Tournament come March. 

The Cougars gave surprising Richmond all it could handle in a 78-71 road decision on Saturday. They’re back home to host a VCU bunch on the first leg of two big-time non-conference tests in a row, with the Rams traveling to Wichita State on Saturday. 

VCU Rams At A Glance

Members of the Colonial Athletic Association for almost two decades, VCU carried the conference’s banner into the 2011 Final Four. That miracle March under then-coach Shaka Smart remains the postseason benchmark for excellence at VCU, but the program boasts an impressive recent history both preceding and following the Final Four. 

Jeff Capel (now at Pitt) and Anthony Grant (now at Dayton) both led the Rams to CAA titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. Will Wade followed in Smart’s footsteps and, before taking the LSU job, continued VCU’s burgeoning growth into a perennial power. 

Mike Rhoades has added his signature through his first two full seasons, last year winning A-10 Coach of the Year in recognition of the Rams’ conference title.     

Names To Know

Big man Marcus Santos-Silva sets the tone for the 2019-20 Rams with his combination of efficient interior scoring, fast break-creating defense and aggressive board work. Santos-Silva leads VCU with 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game, with another 1.2 steals to boot. 

With Santos-Silva commanding attention on the interior, Issac Vann and Marcus Evans stretch the defense with their 3-point shooting. Both are knocking down better than 40 percent on their long-range attempts. 

Fueling one of the most tenacious defensive presences in the nation is De’Riante Jenkins, an aggressive ball hawk nabbing more than two steals per game.  

Offense

VCU likes to get out and run, creating transition scoring opportunities off both turnovers and rebounds alike. The Rams are particularly adept forcing turnovers to generate fast breaks. 

Once possession changes, VCU shoots the ball especially well from deep. The Rams are hitting on almost 37 percent of their attempts, paced by Vann and Evans. 

Defense

There’s no gimmick to VCU’s aggressive defense: The Rams just get after opponents all over the floor. Pestering hands getting into passing lanes, on-ball defenders forcing changes of direction and poking away at the dribble, blocked shots all combine to create a frenetic pace that can overwhelm an opponent. 

This season, the Rams rank second in the nation in defensive possessions resulting in a turnover, and first in forced steals. 

Charleston Cougars At A Glance

With the non-conference season nearing its conclusion, College of Charleston may well be the most tested team in the top-heavy Colonial Athletic Association. 

Games against Wake Forest of the ACC, Oklahoma State of the Big 12, a pair of matchups against UCF, and this week’s Richmond back-to-back against UR and VCU should have the Cougars ready for CAA play.  

Names To Know

The CAA’s second-leading scorer through the first month of 2019-20, Preseason CAA Player of the Year Grant Riller, never disappoints. The explosive scoring guard is averaging 20.8 points per game. 

Backcourt mate Brevin Galloway is Charleston’s other double-figure scorer. He’s posting 10.8 points per game and senior forward Jaylen McManus is not far behind at 9.5 points per game. Sam Miller has provided a boost off the bench as both a scorer, and the Cougars’ leading rebounder with more than six per game.  

Offense

Charleston’s offense flows through Riller -- which goes without saying for a 20.8-point per game scorer. But Riller’s scoring forcing defenses to commit additional energy to slowing him opens the floor for his teammates, and Riller leads the Cougars with 3.8 assists per game. He ranks 65th among all Div. I players in assist rate, and 31st in percentage of possessions that go through him. 

McManus, Galloway and Miller have all been effective complementary scorers from inside the 3-point arc, but shooting beyond the line has been an issue for the entire Cougars roster. Charleston is hitting below 30 percent as a team, and Riller is making just under 21 percent. 

Should the Cougars come alive as a team, with Riller individually setting the pace, there’s no telling how dangerous this offense could be.  

Defense

As one of the smaller teams in the nation, Charleston has to work particularly hard to keep opponents off the glass. The most pressing concern defensively for the Cougars has been giving offensive rebounds, surrendering them on more than 31 percent of opponent misses. 

However, it may be less the offensive rebounding that Charleston has to prevent turning into scoring opportunities for VCU -- even with Santos-Silva -- and more when the Rams pull down defensive boards. Their ability to get out in transition and willingness to shoot from outside on breaks requires defenders getting back as soon as the shot goes up on the offensive side.