Winthrop takes the ESPN spotlight against UNC Asheville. Keys to game, betting odds
The nation has a chance to see just how good these Eagles really are.
The Winthrop men’s basketball team, fresh off an exhilarating win over Campbell in its Big South home-opener, will be featured on national television when it takes on UNC Asheville at home on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
And it should be a good one.
UNC Asheville (10-5, 2-0 Big South), after all, was the only team to defeat Winthrop at home during Winthrop’s 23-2 season in 2020-21. The loss came down to the final possession — 57-55 was the final score — and ended a winning streak (21) that may never be achieved by the Winthrop basketball program again.
It helps, too, that these two teams are among the best in the Big South again this season. They’ve each evolved from last year — Winthrop added five transfers in the offseason and roster no true freshmen; UNC Asheville reloaded too — but they’re both still undefeated in Big South play and are the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference.
Thursday marks Winthrop’s first game on ESPNU of the season.
The TV placement is the result of a longstanding relationship between the Big South and ESPN — one that began in 1991 and has been enhanced and elevated since. Thursday’s game is part of the network’s “wildcard series” and will be one of six regular-season Big South men’s basketball games broadcast on ESPNU this season. (The wildcard series neither includes the men’s Big South tournament championship game, which will air on ESPN2 on March 6 at noon, nor the women’s Big South tournament final, which will air on ESPNU on March 6 at 8:30 p.m.)
Winthrop, thanks to last-second COVID cancellations and a blooming national interest, played on ESPNU four times last year.
The game is a “white-out,” per Winthrop, and the first 300 students admitted get a free T-shirt on Thursday night.
Here’s what else you need to know.
Key Winthrop-UNC Asheville story lines
1. Look out for a rare, awesome big-man matchup.
The Rock Hill native and Big South preseason Player of the Year will be put to the test on Thursday night. DJ Burns — the 6-foot-9, 275-pound back-to-the-basket big man who equips Winthrop with an inside scoring luxury no other Big South team has — will be matched up with UNC Asheville’s Drew Pember.
The two, coincidentally, both attended the University of Tennessee after high school before transferring to the Big South. Burns transferred to Winthrop in 2019 and this season is averaging 16.4 points a game in 21.1 minutes. Pember transferred to UNCA this offseason and is averaging 11.6 points in 23.7 minutes.
A final layer? Burns finished with four points and only played three second-half minutes in last year’s loss to UNCA. Subduing him will likely top the Bulldogs’ priorities on Thursday.
2. Expect a prolific shooting night.
UNC Asheville averages a league-leading 9.7 made threes a game. Winthrop hits 9.6. And they each take 26 threes a game.
Winthrop’s most efficient 3-point shooter is Cory Hightower, who is shooting 49% on the year. But it’s not just him. The Eagles have three other players who shoot over 40% from three — Russell Jones Jr. (44.2%), Pat Good (43.8%) and Drew Buggs (41.2%).
Asheville is also deep: Quay Kimble leads the team shooting 53.3% from beyond the arc, and the team also boasts Tajion Jones (the team’s leading scorer at 13.3 points per game) and Coty Jude as players who shoot over 40% from three.
A final takeaway: These teams appear quite similar on paper. Their defensive philosophies are a bit different — UNC Asheville likes to press full-court, Winthrop doesn’t — but they are mirror images offensively, almost, between an anchor post presence and a bunch of shooters surrounding him. This congruence might make for a back-and-forth matchup.
3. Winthrop-UNC Asheville is a blossoming rivalry.
Yes, Winthrop and UNC Asheville were the two teams selected to finish atop the South division of the Big South in the preseason. And sure, UNCA as aforementioned ended a vaunted Winthrop winning streak a year ago.
But this rivalry extends back a long time.
The Eagles are 45-37 all-time against the Bulldogs. (Thursday will be their 83rd meeting.) And of those games, seven have been decided by one point, and 22 have been decided by five or fewer points.
It’s worth noting, too, that Winthrop has won 10 of the last 11 meetings at the Winthrop Coliseum, and Winthrop head coach Mark Prosser is 3-1 against UNC Asheville.
Betting odds
As of 8:25 a.m. Thursday morning, VegasInsider Consensus Line has Winthrop as 7.5-point favorites. Over/under is 147.
How to watch
Channel: ESPNU, 7 p.m.
Radio: 94.3 FM, ESPN730, WGNC AM 1450/101.1 FM
Where: Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill
Tickets: Starting at $12. For more information visit winthropeagles.com.
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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