The Colonial Athletic Association season is only one conference game old, but Monday’s matchup between Charleston and Delaware could fuel a championship push.

Who: College of Charleston Cougars at Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens

When: Monday, Dec. 30, 7p.m. ET

Where: Bob Carpenter Center    

Watch: LIVE on FloHoops

Charleston endured a challenging non-conference schedule and came out of it at .500. The Cougars won’t lack for big-game experience as the Colonial slate unfolds. 

No one will be surprised if Charleston is in contention for the CAA crown come march. Picked second in the preseason poll, the Cougars actually garnered the most first-place votes. 

Delaware, on the other hand, has emerged as perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the CAA non-conference portion of the season. Monday’s home game against the Cougars is a statement opportunity for the Fightin’ Blue Hens. 

Charleston Cougars At A Glance

After dropping a pair of closely contested games to Richmond and VCU -- two squads likely to be in the mix for NCAA Tournament bids -- Charleston rebounded with double-digit-point wins over South Carolina State and at Drexel. 

“Give the guys credit. They had to travel yesterday, followed the game plan and found a way to win,” Cougars coach Earl Grant said following Saturday’s 76-65 CAA-opening win. 

Every road win in what will almost assuredly be a tight conference championship race matters, so starting the swing with a victory after the holiday break sets up Charleston for a critical road sweep to open CAA play. 

Names To Know

No small portion of Charleston’s status as a preseason favorite can be attributed to the electric scoring of guard Grant Riller. Riller is averaging more than 21 points per game for a second consecutive season, and opened the CAA docket with 22 points. 

And there’s more to Riller than his effective shooting. 

“If there is anybody on our team that knows our system and our principles, and knows what it means when we say Charleston basketball, it's Grant Riller,” Grant said following the Drexel win. “That charge he took late in the game, in the guts of the game, that's the epitome of the kind of player he is.”

Riller’s backcourt mate, Brevin Galloway, is averaging 10.8 points per game. He’s coming off a hot 3-point shooting night, knocking down 4-of-7 at Drexel. 

Offense

One of the better offensive teams in the CAA, Charleston ranks just outside of the KenPom.com top 100 for adjusted efficiency. Riller’s ability to score anywhere on the floor sets the table, but the Cougars are not lacking for other weapons. 

Sam Miller and Zep Jasper, both hitting better than 40 percent from 3-point range, opened Colonial competition hitting 3-of-3 and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Cougars knocked down 11 in the win. 

Charleston came into the weekend excelling in a variety of offensive categories, but 3-point shooting lagged behind the Cougars’ efficiency inside the arc. If a combination of Riller, Galloway, Miller, Jasper and Jaylen McManus can shoot effectively through Colonial play, Charleston will be tough to beat. 

Defense

Facing some quality offensive opponents in non-conference tested Charleston’s evolving defense. The Cougars come into 2019-20 replacing standout interior presence Jarrell Brantley, and filling that void is a challenge. 

Miller has been the team’s primary rim protector, but overall, Charleston does not block many shots. Where Brantley’s defensive presence is perhaps most notably absent is in the high rate of offensive rebounds the Cougars allow. 

A season ago, Charleston allowed the fewest offensive boards in all of college football; this year, it ranks 304th nationally. 

Delaware Blue Hens At A Glance

Never mind the CAA, Delaware’s start to 2019-20 provided one of the biggest surprises in all of college basketball. The Fightin’ Blue Hens were among the last 16 undefeated teams, and with their conference-opening defeat of UNC Wilmington, need just seven more wins to set a new single-season high under coach Martin Inglesby. 

A quality offensive team with multiple weapons, Delaware has been as fun as it is successful. That’s a recipe for contention in this year’s CAA.  

Names To Know

Transfers Justyn Mutts and Nate Darling have been central to Delaware’s strong start, both in the season as a whole and the CAA schedule. 

Darling scored 21 points against UNCW, right at his average for the campaign. He’s right on pace with Charleston’s Riller and Northeastern’s Jordan Roland to lead the Colonial in scoring. 

Delaware has plenty of scoring pop around Darling, however, with Mutts on the interior and veterans Ryan Allen and Kevin Anderson both also scoring in double-figures. Allen reached 1,000 career points after hitting for 10 in Saturday’s win. 

With Villanova transfer Dylan Painter now eligible, any one on the Blue Hens starting five can go off -- and against UNCW, all five scored in double-figures. 

Offense

Check the numbers, and it explains the foundation of Delaware’s play thus far into the season. The Blue Hens rank 25th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, 43rd from inside the arc, and have the country’s 19th-best effective percentage. 

“We have firepower, and when we're unselfish we're difficult to defend,” Inglesby said following the UNCW win. “We emphasized playing inside-out, and our big guys made good decisions.”

Delaware’s ability to play inside-out started with Mutts this season, but the addition of 6-foot-10 Painter gives the Blue Hens two options on the interior. 

Defense

The addition of a lengthy player like Painter could do wonders for the Delaware defense. Blue Hens opponents have shot just under 50 percent from the interior. 

More noteworthy is how few turnovers the Blue Hens have created. Delaware is only getting takeaways on 17.1 percent of defensive possessions, and steals on just eight percent of possessions. 

While Painter’s responsibility won’t be forcing steals from the block, the presence of another rim protector will allow Delaware’s perimeter defenders to make more chances.