– Chris Lang
Saturday marks the beginning of the “true” season in Big South circles, as conference play begins in earnest with a full slate of league games.
First, a quick look at some of the various NCAA tournament projections for the conference’s tournament champion.
At www.bracketography.com, Winthrop is projected as a No. 14 seed playing No. 3 Duke in Washington, D.C.
The Bracket Board has Winthrip (sic) as an 11 seed playing No. 6 West Virginia in Denver, though that’s unlikely since Winthrop has already played and lost to WVU, and the tournament committee likes to avoid rematches.
BracketExpress has UNC Asheville as a No. 13 seed playing No. 4 Xavier in Denver.
Bracketology101 has Winthrop as a No. 14 seed, but hasn’t actually posted a bracket yet.
ESPN.com’s bracketology has Winthrop as a No. 13 seed playing No. 4 Texas A&M in Omaha.
Look for a full preview of each conference school in Saturday’s News & Advance. Until then, here’s a smattering of links and notes about each of the league’s teams.
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (6-8)
Last week: beat Ohio Christian 115-44; lost to Virginia Tech 79-49
This week: Saturday vs. VMI, Monday vs. Radford
To supplement our game coverage of Monday’s CSU-VT matchup, written by Nathan Warters, here’s the take from the Charleston Post & Courier, with some quotes from CSU coach Barclay Radebaugh. On Saturday, CSU destroyed NCCAA member Ohio Christian. Here’s the Post & Courier’s take on that mismatch.
COASTAL CAROLINA (7-6)
Last week: lost at East Carolina 89-64; beat Susquehanna 83-72
This week: Saturday vs. Radford; Monday vs. VMI
Coastal will be happy to open its conference season with two home games. The Chanticleers are 57-19 at home in the last five-plus seasons and has won its last 20 Big South games at Kimbel Arena. One thing to watch for: Coastal guard Jack Leasure is second all-time in Big South history in made 3-pointers with 347, and he needs 55 more to break Radford’s Doug Day’s career mark. Leasure is averaging 3.62 3s per game. He needs to average 3.67 to break the mark.
HIGH POINT (7-6)
Last week: lost to Florida 88-70; beat Florida Christian 3-million-25 (OK, it only seemed that way. Actual final score was 124-43.)
This week: Saturday vs. Winthrop
Well, the Panthers played a 2-17 team from a school that has only men’s basketball and women’s volleyball. Not surprisingly, High Point embarrassed its visitors from Kissimmee, which was once home to my favorite minor league baseball team, the Kissimmee Astros. (Close second, the Macon Whoopee. I can’t make this stuff up, people.)
The box score tells the story. How this romp prepares HPU for its Saturday’s showdown with Winthrop is anybody’s guess.
Head coach Bart Lundy’s take, from the HPU Web site: “Our guys really came focused and ready to play on both ends of the floor. We got good effort from everybody in our line-up. It was nice to get a victory and allow everybody to gain some confidence. We have some really positive feelings heading into the start of Big South play. I was also glad to get back home and play in front of a really energized crowd, especially the HPU student sections.”
RADFORD (5-10)
Last week: lost to South Carolina 90-63; beat Emory & Henry 124-109.
This week: Saturday at Coastal Carolina; Monday at Charleston Southern
RU got a huge night from Martell McDuffy (22 points and 13 rebounds) and dispatched the Division III Wasps at home in its final Big South tuneup. The wrapup from the Roanoke Times’ Ray Cox is here.
UNC ASHEVILLE (11-3)
Last week: beat South Carolina 61-58
This week: Tonight at North Carolina; Saturday vs. Liberty
So much for UNCA’s success being attributed simply to a soft schedule. The Bulldogs knocked off South Carolina in Columbia Saturday, giving the Big South a marquee win over an SEC team. Several reads on the topic:
From the Asheville Citizen-Times
From The State in Columbia.
From The Post & Courier in Charleston.
VMI (8-6)
Last week: beat Mercer 102-99; beat Southern Virginia 123-85.
This week: Saturday at Charleston Southern; Monday at Coastal Carolina
As I noted last spring when Larry Blair broke the Big South’s all-time scoring record, the Liberty guard was merely renting that space at the top of the leaderboard for a few months. VMI’s Reggie Williams took the top spot Tuesday when the Keydets knocked off Southern Virginia at home in an old-fashioned businessman’s special — aka a midweek matinee.
Randy King, Roanoke’s Virginia Tech football gadfly, provides the breakdown here.
WINTHROP (8-6)
Last week: beat Limestone 78-34; lost at Marshall 67-62 (OT).
This week: Tonight vs. Presbyterian; Saturday at High Point
Winthrop coach Randy Peele provided his own team with bulletin board material by slighting the Eagles and not voting them No. 1 in the preseason, instead voting High Point. The Panthers were voted the Big South preseason favorite by a single point, so it stands to reason that’s all Peele’s doing. The two teams will meet Saturday in High Point.
Here’s a piece in the Rock Hill Herald detailing Peele’s hope to forget three tough losses.
Winthrop gets Presbyterian at home tonight. Though the Blue Hose are 2-19, PC is “a team I fear,” Peele told the Herald.
