Eagles Set For Showdown With Radford On National Television
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Winthrop University Eagles are set to fly north for a thrilling, nationally-televised men’s basketball game against Radford at the Dedmon Center on Thursday night. The match will be aired on ESPNU, positioning both teams at the center stage of collegiate basketball.
The Eagles, with a 15-11 season record and 6-5 in the Big South, enter the contest following an 84-74 loss to Longwood, making this the final road game in a run of five out of seven away from home territory. On the other side, Radford stands at 13-12 overall and 3-7 in the Big South.
Series History and Big South Standings
This will be the 87th meeting between the Eagles and Highlanders, with Radford leading the all-time series 44-41, a previous 2/1/11 Winthrop victory forfeited. Winthrop emerged victorious in the first meeting of the season, securing a 92-88 win in a nail-biting triple overtime thriller. The upcoming game presents the Eagles with a chance to close the gap in the series.
In the Big South, Winthrop currently stands at fourth place, trailing just half a game behind Gardner-Webb who occupy the third spot. Despite losing five of the last seven games by an average of 5.2 points per game, the Eagles remain a force to reckon with in the conference.
Stars to Watch
Senior Kelton Talford, who leads the Eagles’ scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game and scored 27 points in the first clash against Radford, stands as a notable player. Alongside him, junior K.J. Doucet is in double-figures in four of the last five games and ranks second on the team scoring 12.7 points per game.
For the Eagles, the game poses an opportunity for senior Nick Johnson to reach a personal milestone as he stands on the precipice of scoring his 1,000th career point. Additionally, senior Kasen Harrison who averages 11.4 points per game and senior Alex Timmerman, who recently reached the 500 career rebound mark, are expected to make significant contributions.
Looking Towards the Future
Following the game against Radford, Winthrop will return home for three of its final four regular-season games, starting with a face-off against Presbyterian College on Wednesday, Feb. 21. With the climax of the regular season approaching, every game will be critical to final standings and potential playoff seeding as the Eagles continue their quest for Big South supremacy.
