Previewing and Analyzing The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic

The Schriner’s Children’s Charleston Classic has been held since 2008 and takes place at TD Arena in Charleston. While the tournament has always been an eight-team affair, the 2025 edition marks the first time it has been split into two brackets. Each of the two brackets — Lowcountry and Palmetto — features four teams, with Friday’s winners playing on Sunday against the winner of the other bracket. The losers will also meet on Sunday. All games will be broadcast on ESPN.

Previewing and Analyzing The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic

The Palmetto is the more prestigious bracket, as all four teams are from power-4 conferences. Meanwhile, the Lowcountry bracket has a mixture of mid-tier programs. Of the eight programs, Clemson and Davidson are making their record fifth appearance in the event. The Tigers have been to the finals three times, though they have only claimed the 2008 title. Xavier is the only other team in the field to reach the championship game.

Palmetto  Bracket

The semifinals of the Pametto bracket pit Clemson vs. West Virginia at 7 p.m. and Georgia vs. Xavier at 9:30 p.m. The Mountaineers own a 5-1 series lead over the Tigers, while the Musketeers hold a 3-2 edge over the Bulldogs.

West Virginia Mountaineers

WVU is once again off to a fantastic start to the season, though it is the first time the Mountaineers are 5-0 this decade. While the Mountaineers’ only marquee win thus far is over Pitt, they have been doing some work on the defensive end. They have limited four of their five opponents to under 60 points and rank 11th in the nation in defensive rating.

Overall, WVU is a veteran team that leans heavily on its interior play. Chattanooga transfer Honor Huff, who has scored in double-figures four of the five games, including topping the 20-point mark twice, leads the way with 17 points and 3.8 treys at a 42.2% clip. L Brenen Lorent — the Mountaineers’ leading rebounder –, DJ Thomas, and Harlan Obioha also score in double figures.

Clemson Tigers

Clemson is off to a solid start with a 4-1 record, falling to Georgetown in its most challenging game to date. The Tigers are a well-balanced, relatively deep team with eight players averaging six points a contest. As a result, their bench is strong. However, one of the Tigers’ most significant weaknesses is rebounding.

Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is off to a 5-0 start to a season for the first time since 2020-21. The Bulldogs have topped the 90-point mark in four of their five contests, with nearly a nation-high 33 points coming on the fastbreak. With the Bulldogs enjoying playing fast, Mike White uses a well-balanced 11-man rotation.

Jeremiah Wilkinson leads the way with 15.6 points and 3.0 steals, while Blue Cain adds 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. Freshman Jake Wilkins, son of Dominque Wilkins, has become a defensive force, recording 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks in 16 minutes per game. Overall, the Dawgs block a nation-high 9.2 shots per game and have been great on defense, ranking fourth in efficiency.  However,  they struggle shooting from the 3-point line.

Xavier Musketeers

Xavier is 3-2 on the season with double-digit losses to Iowa and Santa Clara. The Musketeers have struggled on both ends of the floor, though defense has been their most significant issue. They have done a fantastic job forcing turnovers, but their opponents are shooting 50.7% from the field.

Lowcountry Bracket

Boston College and Davidson open up the Shriner’s Classic at 4:30 p.m., with the second game of the Lowcountry bracket pairing Tulane against Utah State at 7 p.m. BC and Davidson are facing each other for the first time, while Tulane and Utah State are squaring off for the first time in 51 years.

Boston College is 3-2 on the season with losses to Central Connecticut State and FAU. The Eagles have struggled defensively, but they have thrived on the defensive end. Donald Hand leads the way with 14.0 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Davidson (4-0) is ranked in the top 75 in the nation in offensive rating as the Wildcats are an elite shooting team. The Wildcats rank 22nd in the country with a 52.2% shooting percentage and 10th in 3-point percentage at 44.4%.  Hunter Allen leads the way with 14.0 points, on 65.5% shooting from the field, and 3.5 threes at 60.9% from the 3-point line.  Nick Coval and Wake Forest transfer Walker Friedrichsen are averaging double figures and shooting over 55% from the field.

Tulane (3-1) hasn’t played in a week since getting blown out by New Orleans (85-63). Rowen Brumbaugh leads three players in double-figures with 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.

Utah State (4-0) has become one of the top mid-major programs in the country with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Aggies rank in the top 75 nationally in offensive and defensive rating. Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins leads five players in double-figures with 16.4 points, while Garry Clark tops the AAC with 10 rebounds a game. Overall, the Aggies are an outstanding rebounding team, and their zone defense can be disruptive.