Winthrop (19-12)
COACH: Randy Peele, three years at Winthrop, two years in NCAA Tournament
HOW THEY GOT IN: Automatic bid (Big South)
MATCHUP BREAKDOWN: Winthrop is in the opening-round game for the first time since the 2001 season, when it lost 71-67 to Northwestern State. The Eagles face an Arkansas-Pine Bluff team that needed to win the SWAC tournament just to get its overall record above the .500 mark. Pine Bluff did not win a game against a non-conference opponent. Winthrop's pressure defense should work well against a team that averages 17.0 turnovers per game and shoots 41.1 percent from the floor. Expect Big South defensive player of the year Mantoris Robinson to guard either Pine Bluff's Terrance Calvin or Savalance Townsend, the Golden Lions' top scorers. The 6-foot-5 Robinson has experience shutting down smaller, quicker guards with his length and athleticism.
GO-TO GUYS: G Reggie Middleton is the Eagles' only double-figure scorer, averaging 10.3 points per game. He's been hot of late and averaged 16.3 points per game during the Eagles' Big South tournament run, including a career-high 26 points in the quarterfinal win over Liberty. F Matt Morgan (9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds per game) has become an impressive inside-outside threat at center, one capable of scoring on the block or hitting a 17-foot jumper. F Mantoris Robinson is the two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year, and his length and defensive discipline allow him to take an opponent's best player out of rhythm.
THEY'LL KEEP WINNING IF: The Eagles dictate the pace of the game with their bruising half-court defense. Winthrop has athletes but doesn't play well in up-tempo games against skilled offensive opponents. Winthrop won only two games this season when its opponent broke the 70-point mark, beating VMI -- which leads the nation in scoring offense -- 87-83 and topping Liberty 80-72.
STRENGTHS: Robinson is the best one-on-one defender in the Big South Conference. Middleton is excellent in transition, and Robinson can be a sneaky good offensive player. The Eagles are at their best when they turn turnovers into transition baskets and execute in their half-court sets.
WEAKNESSES: Shooting. At one point in January, Winthrop had the worst field-goal percentage in Division I, and the Eagles are prone to long stretches without scoring. One stretch cost the Eagles a game, as they led Radford 52-40 with 9:25 left in the regular-season finale but failed to score the rest of the game. The Eagles shoot just 38.3 percent from the floor and 25.5 percent from 3-point range. Middleton is the only regular shooting better than 30 percent from 3-point range, hitting on 33 percent of his looks.
