RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team meets Winthrop under the national spotlight this Thursday on ESPNU.
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Winthrop Eagles (15-11, 6-5 Big South)
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 15 at 8:00 p.m.
Location: Radford, Va. (Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Television: ESPNU
Streaming:
CLICK HERE (ESPN+)
Live Stats:
CLICK HERE
Radio:
CLICK HERE (WRAD 101.7/103.5 FM)
Buy Tickets:
CLICK HERE
SERIES HISTORY
As one of the oldest rivalries in Radford and Big South history, the Highlanders own a 45-41 record against Winthrop, dating back to 1985. In regular season conference matchups, Radford is 41-32 versus the vaunted Eagles.
After Winthrop managed to sweep the season series in both 2020-21 and 2021-22, the Highlanders got revenge with a trio of wins last year, including one in the quarterfinals of the Big South Tournament.
It was the Eagles who took the first matchup of the 2023-24 season, however, coming out on top 92-88 in a triple overtime thriller at Winthrop Coliseum.
Chandler Turner had his best game in a Radford uniform, going off for 33 points and 12 rebounds on 14-of-22 shooting while
Kenyon Giles and
DaQuan Smith added 20 and 18 points, respectively.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Separated from the Highlanders in the 2023-24 Big South Preseason Poll by just two points, the Winthrop Eagles are expected to compete for their 11th regular season title and/or 14th tournament championship this season.
Now in Head Coach Mark Prosser's fourth season at the helm, the Eagles started Big South play a perfect 4-0 but have run into some turbulence, going 2-5 since then. They enter the week fourth in the conference standings.
Senior forward Kelton Talford is undoubtedly one of the best players in the league, averaging 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while ranking 36
th in the nation with 154 total free throw attempts. K.J. Doucet (12.7 ppg), Kasen Harrison (11.4 ppg) and Nick Johnson (11.0 ppg) add even more scoring punch.
As a team, Winthrop ranks first in the nation in free throw attempts per game and fourth in the country in free throws made. Just like Radford, the Eagles excel in limiting three-pointers, ranking 26th in the country in three-point percentage defense.
TALE OF TWO HALVES
Radford's defeat at Presbyterian this past Saturday was the latest demonstration of the team's struggles in the second half of games this season. Through 25 games, the Highlanders are outscoring teams by 100 (910-to-810) in the first 20 minutes but are being out-scored by 44 (876-to-920) in the final 20 minutes.
While the Highlanders' offense doesn't necessarily fall off much from one half to the next, their defense often looks very different. Radford is holding opponents to 32.4 points on 39.9% shooting in first halves and then 36.8 points on 46.4% shooting in second halves.
Rebounding margin shifts from +2.2 to -1.7, assists drop from 6.1 to 5.4, and blocks go from 2.2 to 1.5. For Radford to reach its potential as the Big South Championships near ever closer, the team will need to find a way to play its best basketball for a full 40 minutes.
ESPNU GAME PROMOTIONS
FOR ALL FANS: Visit RadfordTickets.com and use code 'ESPNU' for a buy-on, get-on ticket deal! The blue reserved seats and the brown bleacher general admission seats in the Dedmon Center are eligible for the deal.
FOR STUDENTS ONLY: The first 500 Radford University students to arrive at the Dedmon Center will receive a free Radford Athletics-branded belt/crossbody bag!
FOR STUDENTS ONLY: The first 200 Radford University students to arrive at the Dedmon Center will receive free Chick-Fil-A 8-piece nuggets, waffle chips, and a Pepsi product!
FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordHoops on Twitter, 'radfordhoops' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.
