Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop men's basketball hosts Gardner-Webb this weekend (Jan. 9-10) at the Winthrop Coliseum, looking to remain unbeaten on the season.
WINTHROP (9-0, 6-0 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
22 |
Kyle Zunic |
6-2 |
Sr. |
4.2 |
2.2 |
1.9 |
0.8 |
Has 110 career three-pointers, has hit at least one three in five straight games |
| G |
52 |
Chandler Vaudrin |
6-7 |
R-Sr. |
11.4 |
7.4 |
8.6 |
1.4 |
Leads the Big South in rebounds per game, assists per game |
| G |
11 |
Charles Falden |
6-3 |
Sr. |
13.6 |
3.0 |
0.4 |
0.8 |
Seven straight games in double-figures, Moved into 19th all-time with 115 threes |
| G/F |
3 |
Micheal Anumba |
6-4 |
So. |
5.8 |
3.7 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
Started 68-of-70 career games, 7.6 ppg/4.0 rpg over last five games |
| F |
30 |
D.J. Burns Jr. |
6-9 |
R-So. |
9.3 |
2.6 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
Has started all nine games, is 22 points away from 500 in career |
THE SERIES
Series Record: 24-11
Series Streak: W1
Record at Winthrop Coliseum: 12-3
Streak at Winthrop Coliseum: W5
Kelsey vs. Gardner-Webb: 13-6
SERIES HISTORY
- This series began Nov. 17, 1978, which was the first ever home game for the men's basketball program
- While the Eagles dropped that game on Nov. 17, 1978 (113-77), they won five of the first seven meetings
- The teams have split the last four meetings, but the Eagles have won 12 of the last 14 and lead the all-time series 24-11
- Three of the last four meetings have been decided by four points and in 35 meetings all-time 20 of the matchups have been decided by six or fewer points
- The last time these two teams met was Mar. 6, 2020 in the semifinals of the Big South Conference Tournament as the Eagles earned a trip to the championship game with a 78-66 win
THE GAME
- Winthrop is 9-0, which is the best start in the history of the program and the Big South Conference
- Winthrop is ranked 2nd in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll for a third straight week, tied for its highest ranking ever in the poll
- Eagles put their 14-game winning streak on the line as they won their final five games of the 2019-20 season and have won the first five this season
- Winthrop leads the Big South in scoring at 87.2 ppg while Gardner-Webb is tied for 4th at 70.7 ppg
- Eagles are second in the league in field goal percentage (.482) while the Runnin' Bulldogs are second in the league in field goal percentage defense (.422)
- Both teams are tied for first in the league in assist/turnover ratio
- This game features the top two three-point shooting teams in the league as Winthrop has a league-best 9.2 threes per game and Gardner-Webb is right behind at 9.1
WINTHROP HEAD COACH PAT KELSEY
- In his ninth season at the helm of the Winthrop program and holds a career record of 172-93
- The 172 victories rank second all-time in program history and 5th in Big South history
- Moved into 4th all-time in Big South history with 99 conference wins
- Has led the Eagles to two Big South Conference Titles (2016-17, 2019-20)
- Is the 3rd Winthrop coach to lead the Eagles to multiple conference titles
- First coach in Big South history to reach 100 wins in first five seasons
WINTHROP
- Eagles are 6-0 for the second straight season to begin league play and the 5th time in program history (only four teams have started 7-0 in program history)
- Coming off a season in which it won 24 games, which ranks 3rd most for a single-season in program history
- Eagles have three wins over teams ranked in the Top 12 of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25
- Featuring one of the top scoring benches in the country, the Eagles average 42.9 points from its non-starters
- Charles Falden leads the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg, which ranks 8th in the Big South
- Adonis Arms, who has come off the bench in all nine games, is second in scoring at 11.7 ppg and is second in rebounds per game at 5.3
- Chandler Vaudrin is third on the team in scoring while leading the team in rebounds per game (7.4) and assists per game (8.6)
- Vaudrin leads the Big South in both rebounds per game and assists per game
- In six conference games Vaudrin has averaged 11.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 9.2 apg
- Vaudrin posted his 2nd triple-double of the season and third as an Eagle on Dec. 31 vs. Campbell
- Eagles currently lead the league in steals per game with 8.8 per game as no Winthrop team has led the conference in steals per game since 2005-06 (9.61)
- Eagles had the 4th most wins at the NCAA D1 level in 2020 with 25 (Kansas/Gonzaga/Belmont tied for most with 26)
- In six league games the Eagles are averaging 90.5 ppg and have a +14.2 scoring margin
- The team has averaged 10.7 threes per game in the six league contests
GARDNER-WEBB
- The Runnin' Bulldogs are led by Tim Craft, who is in his eighth season (130-112)
- Craft led the Runnin' Bulldogs to a Big South title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019
- Coming off a series split with Campbell in which the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped the first game 70-61 but bounced back with an 85-70 victory
- Jacob Falko has led the team in scoring in three straight games (four games this season) as he ranks third on the team in scoring with 11.6 per game
- Lance Terry, who did not play against Campbell, leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg
- Jaheam Cornwall is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 ppg and leads the team with 29 assists (3.2 per game)
- Cornwall also leads the team with 20 threes, 23 made free throws and is hauling in 4.2 rebounds per game
- Runnin' Bulldogs lead the league in free throw percentage (.732)
TUNE IN TO THE EAGLES ALL SEASON LONG
Fans can listen to the games all season long on OTS Media of Rock Hill (94.3 FM and 104.1 The Bridge), which is the flagship station for Winthrop Athletics. In addition, most games will simulcast on 730 ESPN Charlotte and AM 1450 WGNC Gastonia.
All home games as well as all Big South games home or away are available to watch through the Big South Network on ESPN+. To watch live Big South games on ESPN+, you need a subscriber. For more information how to subscribe,
click here.
