ROCK HILL, SC—The defending Big South Champion Winthrop Eagles are set to open the 2017-18 campaign when they kick-off the season against Southern Illinois on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Winthrop Coliseum.
| Game 1: Winthrop (0-0) vs. Southern Illinois (0-0) |
| Date |
Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 |
| Location |
Rock Hill, SC (Winthrop Coliseum) |
| Live Stats |
Statbroadcast (click here) |
| Television |
None |
| Live Stream |
Big South Network (click here) / Mike Pacheco (Play-by-Play), Bobby Stevens (Color) |
| Radio |
94.3 FM & 104.1 The Bridge (click here) / Dave Friedman (Play-by-Play), Ron Mikels (Color) [Pregame begins 6 p.m.] |
| Notes |
Winthrop | Southern Illinois |
| Social Media |
@WUGameDay | @Winthrop_MBB | @WUEagles | #ROCKtheHILL |
| Tickets |
$8 in advance (click here) | $10 walk-up | Group of 10 or more ($4) |
PROBABLE STARTERS
Winthrop (2016-17 stats)
G 13 Bjorn Broman (6-0, Jr., 5.4 ppg, 2.2. apg, 1.7 rpg)
G 21 Kyle Zunic (6-2, Fr.)
G 10 Anders Broman (6-2, Gr., 8.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.3 apg)
F 12
Xavier Cooks (6-8, Sr., 16.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg)
F 25 Josh Ferguson (6-8, So., 2.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.5 bpg)
Southern Illinois (2016-17 stats)
G 13 Sean Lloyd (6-5, Jr., 7.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
G 10 Aaron Cook (6-2, So., 3.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
G 22 Armon Fletcher (6-5, Jr., 11.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
F 0 Jonathan Wiley (6-7, Sr., 2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
C 33 Kavion Pippen (6-10, Jr.)
THE SERIES
Series Record: first meeting
Series Streak: n/a
Record at Winthrop Coliseum: n/a
Streak at Winthrop Coliseum: n/a
Kelsey vs. Southern Illinois: first meeting
THE GAME
- Winthrop will drop its Big South Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament Banners during a ceremony prior to tip
- The 2017-18 season marks the 40th anniversary of the first ever men's basketball team at Winthrop and members of the team will be honored during the under-12 timeout of the first half
- The Eagles have won seven straight contests at the Winthrop Coliseum
- The Eagles have won three straight at home to non-conference opponets
- In season openers Winthrop is 26-14 all-time and have won five straight (5-0 under head coach Pat Kelsey)
- Southern Illinois won its season opener last season against Air Force and has won 13-of-18 (2-5 in the last seven seasons)
- Winthrop returns three starters and brings back a group that has a combined 197 games played last season with 69 starts (344 career games/148 starts combined)
- The Salukis have seven players returning with a combined 178 career games at the D1 level
- Southern Illinois head coach Barry Hinson was coaching Missouri State in 2007 in a 73-69 win over the Eagles at the Winthrop Coliseum
WINTHROP
- The Eagles return 2016-17 All-Big South First Team selection Xavier Cooks after recording a career year with 16.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg
- Cooks became the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points
- He currently has 720 career rebounds as he looks to become Winthrop's all-time leader and just the 4th player in Big South history with 1,000 in a career
- Cooks is 29 points from 11th all-time on the scoring list (1,262 points)
- Anders Broman is the second leading scorer returning at 8.0 ppg in 33 games (six starts) played last season
- Anders Broman connected on 62 threes in 2016-17 while his brother Bjorn Broman hit 45
- Bjorn Broman has 88 career triples in two seasons
- The Eagles have an all-time non-conference record of 235-229 since becoming a D1 member (1985-86)
- Winthrop received 11 votes in the 2017-18 Preseason CollegeInsider.com Top 25 Mid-Major Poll
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
- Coming off a 17-16 season and third place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference
- The Salukis were 5-9 on the road last season, 1-4 in non-conference action
- Armon Fletcher is the top returning scorer at 11.1 ppg in an average of 30.1 minutes per game last season
- Southern Illinois head coach Barry Hinson has 284 career wins, 79 at Southern Illinois
- Winthrop is the only team in the Big South Hinson has ever faced as he is 1-1 all-time
- Thik Bol led the team in blocked shots last season with 76, but will be out of the lineup with an injury
- Only one other player had 10 or more last season (Fletcher with 18)
WINTHROP SPORTS SHOW AT ROCO
Every Thursday at The Roasting Company throughout the basketball season will be the Winthrop Sports Show at ROCO hosted by the voices of the Winthrop Eagles Dave Friedman and Mike Pacheco. The two will sit down weekly with head coaches
Pat Kelsey and
Lynette Woodard as well as other selected guests throughout the season. The show is from 6-6:30 p.m. and also airs on 94.3 FM & 104.1 The Bridge.
(FULL SCHEDULE)
