Winthrop Eagles
Big South (27-4, 14-0)
Seed: #11
Midwest Region
RPI: 70
Big Wins:
11/18 at Mississippi State (74-63), 12/29 at Old Dominion (71-65), 2/16 at
Missouri State (77-66)
Bad Losses:
11/20 at Maryland (60-71), 12/4 at Wisconsin (79-82), 1/2 at Texas A&M
(51-71)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to Tennessee
Coach:
Gregg Marshall (0-6 in 6 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Chris Gaynor,
Junior, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 4.7 apg
Michael
Jenkins, Junior, Guard, 15.3 ppg, 3.0 apg, 3.8 rpg
Torrell Martin,
Senior, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Phillip
Williams, Senior, Forward, 8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Craig Bradshaw,
Senior, Forward, 13.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Antwon Harris,
Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
De’Andre Adams,
Sophomore, Guard, 2.1 ppg, 2.8 apg
Mantoris
Robinson, Freshman, Guard, 2.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Taj McCullough,
Junior, Forward, 8.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
The +7.0
rebound margin sounds good, but we are talking about the Big South,
right? Sure that inflates the number a little bit, but Winthrop did
outrebound North Carolina and held in there against Maryland. The Eagles can
lose the battle on the glass against superior opponents, but Craig Bradshaw,
Phillip Williams and Taj McCullough are still a formidable group in the
frontcourt that can out hustle anybody to a rebound.
The Eagles do a
great job of sharing the ball to find the open shot. Point guard Chris
Gaynor dishes out 4.7 assists per game and only turns it over 1.4 times. He
is a great playmaker and can create off the fast break or in the halfcourt
set.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
Gaynor and
Williams are the only players on the team with respectful free-throw
shooting numbers. Bradshaw gets to the line 4.5 times a game and only makes
60.4% of those and that could hurt the Eagles down the stretch in a close
game. While the forwards versatility on offense creates problems for the
opposition, their defense on the interior is questionable. A true post
player can hurt the Eagles, if they can find a way to get the ball past the
solid perimeter defense and into the paint.
Who To
Watch:
The stars of
the team are on the wings in Michael Jenkins and Torrell Martin. The
upperclassmen have been through a lot during their careers and will not be
intimidated by the scrutiny of March. Jenkins went from a roleplayer as a
sophomore to a superstar as a junior and ranks in the top 25 nationally in
three-point field goals made and three-point field goal percentage. Martin
is solid long range shooter himself, but will get to the basket and the
glass more than Jenkins.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Second Round loss to Oregon
