Update: The Eagles are IN the 2007 NCAA tournament, after outlasting the nation’s highest-scoring team, VMI. Do I smell an upset brewing?
I think this will have to be my last WTHA post at my own discretion. With conference tournaments starting this week, I may just have to make sure we know who the hell all of the one-bidders are. Today I take on Winthrop, lords of the Big South Conference.
Winthrop University is located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 as an all-women’s college, anchored by a generous (for the time) $1,500 donation from a Massacussetts philanthropist who gave the University his name. The school was racially integrated in 1964, but didn’t admit men until 1972. (source: Wikipedia)
The current group of male students at Winthrop includes fifteen talented basketball players who are doing everything they can to make the NCAA tournament. They are dominating the 8-team Big South with a 14-0 conference record. High Point is the only other conference team with an overall .500 record this season, so Winthrop should (stress should) be able to win the tourney and get the bid. They have lost only four games, and won twenty-five, and all four losses came to ranked teams (Wisconsin, UNC, Maryland, and Texas A&M) and all were on the road. The Eagles made noise in recent months, however, by beating top mid-major talents like Old Dominion and Missouri State on the road.
OK, there’s the real, now let’s get silly:
- Was a senior at Randolph-Macon around the same time Mrs. Extrapolater was a wide-eyed freshman babe at the same school. Extrapolater doesn’t much like the looks of him.
- Also coached at Marshall University, which no doubt led to headlines like “Marshall Marshals Marshall”.
- Dominique Wilkins isn’t walking through that door, coach. So get rid of the Atlanta Hawks-style eagle head logo.
- Admits he’d be “pretty ticked” if someone got his sandwich order wrong.
- Scored exactly 666 points in his high school career. So apparently Winthrop winning the national championship will trigger the apocalypse.
- His off-season workout consists of throwing rocks at alligators in his Florida hometown, and then running.
- Chose Winthrop because he likes the Eagles’ hit “Take It To The Limit”.
- Played an uncredited role as an Ent in Peter Jackson’s epic film “The Two Towers”, which was shot in his native New Zealand.
- Was a member of the 2004 New Zealand Olympic team that finished tenth. He still believes they would have done better if they’d been in the group with the U.S.
- Favorite American food – Deep Fried Twinkie.
- Apparently had a fine freshman year, but I’m not certain because that year’s stats are inexplicably in 8-pt type on the team’s webpage.
- Will be expecting more than a milkshake if he sets foot in Kelis’ yard.
- Left eyebrow was permanently stuck in the arched position after he imitated Mr. Spock on original Star Trek one too many times. Turns out your face will freeze like that.
- According to his official bio, his high school team were the Vikings, and they sailed to victory in scholar ships (there’s that damn tiny type again).
- Won the school’s annual Clyde Drexler look-alike contest. First prize was a lifetime supply of Rogaine.
- Favorite food: steamed shrimp, BBQ shrimp, chilled shrimp, shrimp salad, boiled shrimp, shrimp pot pie….
- Disappointed that Irish teammate Jason Killeen doesn’t know more good dirty limericks.
- Can’t believe Mickey Rourke didn’t get an Oscar for Sin City.
- Will go all Ike Turner on you if you tell him he looks like Rick James.
The Big South tournament starts February 27th and ends on March 3rd, with the highest remaining seed hosting the game. It’s likely a one-bid scenario, because nobody else in the Big South except maybe High Point has any business beating the Eagles. Perhaps we’ll see them at the NCAAs?
I kid because I love here at Extrapolater. However, I do have a site dedicated to getting the straight dope about colleges across America, called College Rule Notebook. If you’d like to set me straight, take the quick survey. We’ll dig up links & photos to illustrate your answers.
Will Torrell Martin go Rick James on you if you tell him he looks like Ike Turner?
I really love this Winthrop team… provided they don’t choke in the Big South Tourney, they are a team that can get a couple of wins and wind up in the Sweet 16.
I agree with you. I’m actually in full geek mode for Championship week. I’ve researched enough of these teams this year to really be interested in how they play.
The Davidson Wildcats are just up I-77 from Winthrop, and they sport a record of 29-4. The Wildcats won the Southern Conference Regular Season and Tournament titles.
They are another team to watch for in the NCAA Tournament. With the right draw, they could end up in the second round or even Sweet 16.
I’m a WU alumni so I’m partial, but if any year this is the year for Winthrop to move on, seasoned backcourt, strong defense, 3 pt shooting team that can create mix match’s with C Craig Bradshaw taking his defender 15 feet out. Key info: Winthrop almost beat #2 Tennessee last year that went to the buzzer.
I’m still waiting for someone to head over to College Rule Notebook and fill out a survey on what it was like to go to Winthrop! The nation needs to know more!
[…] The Winthrop Eagles, The Wright State Raiders, The VCU Rams, The New Mexico State Aggies, The Nevada Wolfpack, The Virginia Tech Hokies, The UNLV Runnin’ Rebs, and The Butler Bulldogs? […]
Guess you know who they are now, right? They just upset Notre Dame
Great Job
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