Winthrop Vs. Radford Basketball Contest Picked for ESPNU Wild Card Match
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – ESPN’s ESPNU network has selected the intriguing basketball match between Winthrop and Radford for its fourth Big South Wildcard broadcast of the 2023-24 season. The Big South Conference office disclosed this in a recent announcement.
The thrilling game, initially scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 14, will now take place on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 8:00 pm inside the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va.
Tantalizing Rematch
In their first meeting of the season, Winthrop triumphed over Radford, scoring 92-88 in a thrilling triple-overtime game. This upcoming match on Feb. 15 will be the teams’ first-ever “Wildcard” match to be broadcasted on ESPNU, and also marks each team’s second appearance on the network this season.
Formidable Competitors
Winthrop has an overall score of 14-9 and stands at 5-3 in the Big South after the first half of the 16-game conference season. The Eagles hold a second position in league games with their 79.1 scoring average, second in field goal percentage (49.2) and field goal defense (43.6), and are leading in three-point defense at 28.4 percent allowed.
Kelton Talford, a key player in the team, has been among the leaders with 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and a 66.7 field goal percentage in Big South games.
On the other side, Radford is 3-5 at the conference’s midway point and 13-10 overall. Most of their league losses have been by single digits. The Highlanders are leading in three-pointers made per match and are second in scoring defense in Big South games. DaQuan Smith, a player who has made two game-winning buzzer-beaters this season (against West Virginia and USC Upstate), is scoring an average of 15.8 points against league opponents.
The Exciting ESPNU Wildcard Series
Now in its 11th year, the Big South’s ESPNU Wildcard series has six Thursday broadcasts selected 14-21 days in advance, affecting a total of 49 games since its inception in the 2013-14 season. Furthermore, whilst the home teams are 31-18, the 49 matches have been decided by an average of 9.24 points, with almost 60 percent being decided by single digits.
This will be the first time Eagles will play an ESPNU Wild Card match in Virginia and also their first time facing Radford in the wildcard series.
Looking Into History
Winthrop has a history of 13-5 wins overall in Wildcard History Contests, including 10-1 at home and 3-4 on the road. Eagle fans are excited to see how this match will turn out for their team.
