NCAA Tournament 2001 - Winthrop


null

Winthrop
RECORD: 18-12  REGION: Midwest  SEED: 16
COACH: Gregg Marshall  CONFERENCE: Big South
RESULTS| STATS | HISTORY | MESSAGE BOARD

Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................

PREVIOUS GAMES LEADERS
OPPONENT ROUND RESULT POINTSREBOUNDSASSISTS
Northwestern St 1st Round L 71 - 67 Thompson 18.0 Walker 11.0 Byars-dawson 5.0


with Len Elmore


At the beginning of the year, the Eagles came very close to beating North Carolina. They are a team filled with 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-6 players who can all handle the ball and have pretty good range. Their key players are Derrick Knox and Marcus Stewart. They must have a pretty good offensive night for Winthrop to get going. The Eagles are sound defensively and will put a lot of pressure on the point. They have a tremendously quick guard in Pierre Wooten, so transition basketball will be the key. They will have trouble with a big team, but they are fundamentally sound. The Eagles aren't unaccustomed to playing against the giants. They have a little David in them, but they will need some breaks to overcome their lack of size.
Team Statistics
 TEAM
Points Per Game 65.7
Rebounds Per Game 32.1
Assists Per Game 11.2
Steals Per Game 7.3
Blocks Per Game 2.6
Turnovers Per Game 14.0
Field Goal % .408
Free Throw % .684
3-Point % .344
3-Pointers Per Game 6.0
Scoring Margin 4.1
How They Got Here
Finding the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament isn't anything new. This is Winthrop's third straight trip out of the Big South. But this bid was a bit of a struggle.

Picked to win the regular season title, the Eagles didn't. Picked to find a way through the conference tournament and into the dance, they nearly didn't. But a 67-65 victory over No. 1 seed Radford made the little team from Rock Hill, S.C., the first team in Big South history to win three straight titles. And they got there by beating regular-season champion Radford in decidedly Radford country.

Rewind to the start of the season and Winthrop nearly knocked off North Carolina (yes, that North Carolina) in the opener. The Tar Heels prevailed 66-61, which was just the start of a list of impressive losses.

Winthrop also lost on the road at Arizona State, Nebraska, Marshall and NCAA-bound UNC-Greensboro (76-63). All three losses in the Big South were also on the road.

Winners of eight of the last nine, Winthrop is led by its defense and strong inside players. Two strengths that could give a 1 or 2 seed trouble for ... a while.

Player to Watch
Marcus Stewart led the Eagles in scoring (12.1 ppg), but his final two points of the Big South tournament proved the difference in overtime. Stewart scored on a driving layup with six seconds left, giving Winthrop its victory over Radford. "I felt no pressure," Stewart said of the final play. "Everyone dreams of being Michael Jordan and hitting the last shot. This was my Michael Jordan moment."

With the Ball
Winthrop isn't going to dazzle anyone. But it's going to play the game at its tempo, which is deliberate. Marcus Stewart will get his buckets within the offense, only 6-foot-3 Derrick Knox scores in double figures beside Stewart. Keep an eye on freshman Tyrone Walker, who stepped in when Stewart's frontcourt mate Greg Lewis was injured in the sixth game and never returned.

Defending the Ball
This is the end of the court where Winthrop excells, holding teams to just over 61 points a game and 42-percent shooting. "Winthrop basketball is not about beauty and aesthetics. It's about heart and guts and blood and tears," said head coach Gregg Marshall after the Eagles' win over Radford. Those who watch 'em in the tourney will agree.

Seed Analysis
Exceeding the Seed
None Playing to Expectations
  • 2000: No. 14 seed, West Region, lost in first round.
  • 1999: No. 16 seed, South Region, lost in first round.
    Falling Short
    None BRACKETOLOGY SCORE:
    1.000.

    (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding)

    Bracketology Report
    1985-2000: Winthrop is back in the tournament for the third year in a row. That's the good news. The bad news is that no Big South representative has ever won an NCAA game. The conference is 0-9 all-time in NCAA play, losing a first-round game every year since 1992. Last season's No. 14 seed for Winthrop equaled the best-ever placement for a Big South tournament entrant.

    Roster
    NO NAME P  HT WT YR  PPG RPG APG MPG FG% FT% 3PT%
    10 Pierre Wooten G  6-3  160 So. 8.63.33.733.4.384.644.343
    50 Marcus Stewart F  6-6  225 Jr. 12.16.81.029.0.452.691.000
    4 Derrick Knox G  6-3  185 Jr. 11.54.51.128.8.437.780.401
    20 Roger Toxey G  6-3  180 Sr. 8.13.31.928.6.326.800.268
    44 Eyo Effiong F  6-9  235 Jr. 4.63.90.424.8.377.727.000
    30 Greg Lewis F  6-6  215 Sr. 7.74.81.520.8.340.560.000
    32 Tyrone Walker F  6-6  205 Fr. 7.23.70.917.7.500.737.411
    1 Tywan Harris G  5-11  165 Jr. 7.11.11.015.4.368.643.378
    55 Owen Barnes C  6-9  220 Sr. 3.03.00.013.0.250.500.000
    55 Owen Barnes C  6-9  220 Sr. 3.03.00.013.0.250.500.000
    25 Anthony Moore F  6-6  185 Fr. 4.52.60.411.2.463.529.000
    35 Tommy Johnson C  6-10  200 Fr. 1.02.10.16.6.444.333.000
    3 Bryant Latimer G  5-11  155 Fr. 1.10.70.56.5.250.714.118
    40 Alasanne Bakoyoko C  6-8  235 Fr. 1.10.90.16.1.423.000.000
      Tyron Myers NA         1.00.30.75.7.714.500.000
      Tommy Jackson NA         0.00.00.03.0.000.000.000
    45 Gabe Leventis F  6-7  205 Fr. 0.20.20.02.0.500.000.000

    VS TOURNEY TEAMS (0-2) LEADERS
    OPPONENT RESULT POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS
    @ North CarolinaL, 66-61Knox 21Lang 8Wooten 5
    @ NC GreensboroL, 76-63Schuck 21Schuck 13Eldridge 8
    LAST 5 GAMES LEADERS
    OPPONENT RESULT POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS
    @ RadfordW, 67-65Walker 23Walker 10Wooten 5
    LibertyW, 67-62Knox 17Stewart 10Wooten 5
    @ NC AshevilleW, 71-58Knox 18Knox 10Wooten 3
    @ Coast CarolinaW, 83-77Stewart 26Stewart 6Toxey 4
    Charleston SouW, 76-51Toxey 18Walker 8Wooten 4



    NCAA Basketball Championship Week
    It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.

    Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
    		•
    GO TO REGION  
    GO TO REGION  
    GO TO REGION  
    GO TO REGION  

    video
     The head coaches comment on Tuesday's showdown for the 64th spot in the tournament.
    avi: 2170 k
    RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1