Dec. 17, 2004

Charleston, SC - The first seven games of The Citadel's basketball season have gone pretty much as coach Pat Dennis planned.

Coming off a six-win season -- and with three freshmen and a sophomore transfer looming large in his designs -- Dennis stacked the Bulldogs' early schedule with four non-Division I foes as well as Savannah State and Army, teams ranked No. 319 and No. 330, respectively, out of 330 D-I squads on collegerpi.com

The result -- a 6-1 record, the Bulldogs' best start since 1982, and a growing sense of confidence on his young team, which has just one senior.

"We felt like with the schedule, we had to get some confidence and schedule some teams that would help us do that," Dennis said after Wednesday's 81-58 win over Savannah State, the Bulldogs' fourth straight victory. "Nothing is easy for us, so we had to get a schedule where we could build some confidence and work these freshmen in." But starting with tonight's game at Clemson (6-1), the positive reinforcement portion of the Bulldogs' schedule is over. The Citadel opens Southern Conference play against visiting Western Carolina on Dec. 21, and the 16-game SoCon slate is interrupted only by games against Navy, Savannah State and Charleston Southern.

"You feel pretty good having six wins already," Dennis said. "I told our guys, we have 21 more chances left to have a better season than last year. I hope that one more win comes sooner rather than later."

The Citadel's last game against a team from a major conference was at Georgetown of the Big East on Nov. 26. The Bulldogs shot just 23.3 percent and made only 10 baskets in a 69-34 loss. Dennis and his players are eager to test themselves against Clemson to see if they have improved since then.

"We're going to measure how we play against Clemson with how we played against Georgetown," Dennis said. "I tell you, I've watched some film on Clemson, and they are so quick and so athletic. If they are the lower half of the ACC, no wonder there are seven ACC teams in the Top 25."

Said junior guard Kevin Hammack, "It's definitely a chance to show how much we have improved. We know we have improved, but we have to go out and show it."

The addition of sophomore transfer Donny McLendon to the lineup certainly didn't hurt. The 6-0 guard hit 8 of 19 shots and scored 20 points in his debut against Savannah State after sitting out the first six games, and Dennis expects him to only get better.

"He was anxious, real anxious about playing," Dennis said. "And he didn't shoot that well, at least not for him. But he gave us some good minutes and he'll get better as he gets more comfortable."

The Tigers, coming off an 83-56 win over Norfolk State on Tuesday, are sure to pressure the Bulldogs all over the court, Dennis said.

"Clemson is going to beat people in the ACC this year, there is no question," Dennis said. "But Clemson will give us a measuring stick. We'll get pressed, we'll get run-and-jumped, and we'll see a lot more speed and quickness than we've seen all year. But I hope it will prepare us for when we get into the conference."