Here’s what needs to happen for Winthrop to beat Asheville on ESPNU

Remember when Winthrop thrashed High Point on ESPNU last year?

Some memories that stick out from that game: an involved and raucous crowd, Duby Okeke’s arm poking through the clouds to block a High Point shot and Josh Davenport smashing dunks on High Point star John Brown, Winthrop making SportsCenter and an electric vibe coursing through the Coliseum. In other words, probably what Winthrop basketball home games felt like in the mid-2000s.

“When I drive by District Three Stadium on a Friday night in September and there’s about 6, 7,000 people over there watching South Pointe and Northwestern, I know it’s possible,” said Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey.

Last year against High Point, Winthrop had the kind of home court advantage Kelsey dreams of while watching the Cincinnati Reds on his couch in May.

It’s the same kind of Winthrop Coliseum advantage he’ll savor in March if his team can win the Big South’s regular season title, which actually earns postseason home court for the victors beginning this year.

That makes Thursday’s game against Asheville (also 5-1 in the league) even more important; likewise for Saturday’s road game at Liberty (the league’s third 5-1 team as of Wednesday night).

Thus far, the Asheville game is easily the biggest this season for the Eagles. Here’s what has to happen for Winthrop to come out on the right side of the score:

Have fun

Winthrop needs to find that happy place it inhabited last year against High Point. The Eagles can’t control how many students and Rock Hill residents sit in the seats on Thursday, but they can bring 1,000 percent energy from the opening tip, which can influence the response from those that do attend.

This is a Winthrop club built for scoring spurts and big dunks and back-breaking 3s and they’ll need all of that - and loud backing from the crowd - against an Asheville team that looks every bit as good as the one that made the NCAA tournament last spring.

Take care of the ball

This is the No. 1 job for Winthrop on Thursday night. If the Eagles don’t succumb to an avalanche of turnovers then they have a really good shot at winning on national TV.

Led by active-armed guard Ahmad Thomas, Asheville has one of the best perimeter defenses in the nation. Winthrop had varying success taking care of the ball in three games against Asheville last season. The Bulldogs force opponents to teeter upon a tightrope of remaining aggressive and careful at the same time on offense, but Kelsey said his team won’t be tentative.

“When you’re going into a lion’s den, you can’t tip-toe in,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “You gotta’ go in, grab a spear screaming like a banshee and say ‘where is the son of a gun?’ That’s what you’ve got to do.”

Get Keon going

Winthrop guard Keon Johnson had one of the worst games of his outstanding college career last March in the Eagles’ Big South championship game loss to Asheville. The senior from Ohio scored two points after a 1 of 16 shooting effort, including 0 for 9 from 3-point range, as the Bulldogs overturned a halftime deficit and claimed the league’s NCAA tournament berth.

One of Johnson’s elite attributes is his competitive nature and it’s hard to imagine him having another game like that.

The 5-foot-7 roadrunner, who has 20 or more points in 10 of the last 11 games, has been more of a second half player this season but a quick start Thursday night would help him and his teammates squash any nerves or weird feelings they harbor about facing Asheville again.

Prey upon Giacomo Zilli’s absence

The big Italian doesn’t contribute much in the stat sheet, but his burliness - and five fouls - would be crucial for Asheville in its efforts to win the paint against Winthrop. Zilli was troubled by a groin injury in preseason and has missed the last five games. His absence hampers the Bulldogs’ post depth, leaving them with three big men - senior Will Weeks, junior Alec Wnuk and freshman Malik Smith.

Whether he was ready or not, Smith’s minutes have particularly picked up in those five games; according to KenPom.com, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound rookie would be whistled for nine fouls if he played a full 40-minute game. If Winthrop can penetrate Asheville’s tough perimeter shell, there should be plenty of easy scoring chances for Xavier Cooks, Duby Okeke, Tevin Prescott and Josh Ferguson, whether at the rim or the free throw line. The Eagles have a definite advantage in the paint if they can make it count.

Win the 3-point battle

Both of these teams can fill it up from 3-point range. Winthrop needs to beat the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor in that category.

The Eagles make over nine 3-pointers per game, tops in the Big South, and they’re getting them from a variety of sources. Like Winthrop, Asheville has a nicely balanced roster with four or five very capable 3-point shooters, especially Thomas, Teague and David Robertson, who is back after missing last season with injury.

In Winthrop’s last 10 games, it’s held opponents to 28 percent shooting from 3-point land. When Kelsey’s club hits 10 or more shots from beyond the arc it’s 9-0.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Here’s what needs to happen for Winthrop to beat Asheville on ESPNU."