Disclaimer: This will be brief due to me being in Asheville and typing this on my phone.
Quarterfinals Recap
You take tournament wins however you can get them, and Winthrop won’t get many style points, but the Eagles came through with a 72-68 victory over Gardner-Webb in the Big South Quarterfinals in Asheville. The Eagles hit 12 threes, to offset a rough performance inside the arc, and the defense got enough stops (forcing 16 turnovers) to hold on to the win. Xavier Cooks was shaky early, but he got assertive late and made some big plays. Kyle Zunic provided some good minutes, Adam Pickett made some big baskets, and Anders Broman hit 4 threes in the second half.
In other action, Radford beat Longwood, 59-53, with the Highlanders surviving a poor shooting performance. At night, UNC Asheville beat Charleston Southern, 71-66. The Bulldogs had to overcome foul trouble and a late CSU rally, but an Ahmad Thomas mid-range jumper iced the game in the final seconds. The final game was a 73-59 victory for Liberty over Campbell, as the Flames’ defense was very strong and frustrated Chris Clemons and the the rest of the Camels.
Semifinals Preview
#3 Winthrop vs #2 Radford, 6pm – The Eagles and Highlanders split their two meetings, each winning on their home court. RU is generally able to dominate the offensive boards against WU, so the Eagles will need to minimize the damage of Highlander 2nd chance points in order to win. Xavier Cooks and Bjorn Broman have struggled in the last few games, so it would be helpful for at least one of them to have a good game. I think this will be a close game for a while, but Xavier Cooks will look like the Big South Player of the Year to get WU back to the finals. My Prediction: Winthrop 70, Radford 64
#5 Liberty vs. #1 UNC Asheville, 8:30ish pm – These two teams also split their regular season matchups, though they each won on the road. Liberty was the only team to beat Asheville at Kimmel Arena this season…can they do it again? LU’s defense is capable of giving the Bulldogs problems, but it will be difficult for me to see them win again in Asheville. Beyond the obvious, this game has big implications for Sunday’s championship game. If Asheville wins, they will host the Finals. If Liberty wins, the Winthrop/Radford winner will host. My prediction: UNC Asheville 67, Liberty 59
Blogging the WU 