Winthrop visits CCU for anticipated conference clash

For so many years, Winthrop reigned as the Big South’s preeminent basketball power. From their perennial perch, the Eagles were the team blocking other conference hopefuls from a spot in the NCAA tournament.

The last two years, though, it has been Coastal Carolina standing squarely in the way of a Winthrop program that is again on the rise.

The Chanticleers have defeated the Eagles in the Big South tournament championship game each of the past two seasons, earning back-to-back NCAA tournament berths of their own. Winthrop’s supporters were vocal in their displeasure that the conference tournament was held in Conway the last three years as part of a contract with VisitMyrtleBeach.com

Well, they and others got their wish, as the Big South pulled the tournament away from Coastal Carolina in response to the Chants’ upcoming move to the Sun Belt Conference. But the Eagles will still have to return to The HTC Center at least one more time as they visit Saturday afternoon for an anticipated regular-season clash.

“You know there’s always going to be something when Winthrop and Coastal play. There’s always something there,” Chants coach Cliff Ellis said.

There is no indication yet if the Big South rivals are open to scheduling each other as non-conference foes going forward, so this could well be the last time Winthrop visits Conway for a long while if ever again.

And while early in the conference race, it sets up as quite a significant game for the Chants (7-6, 1-2 Big South), who want to avoid digging an early hole in league play.

“Our conference race is always real tight to the end so we’ve got to get as many as we can without losing two in a row and we’ve got to put together a win streak,” junior point guard Shivaughn Wiggins said.

Coastal Carolina has a quick turnaround after taking a 65-61 loss at Gardner-Webb on Thursday night and faces a Winthrop team that is off to a strong start at 9-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big South. The Eagles took their first conference setback Thursday night with a 90-83 loss to Campbell, but before that their only losses were against the likes of NC State, Georgia and Alabama.

Now in its fourth season under coach Pat Kelsey, Winthrop boasts one of the top guards in the league in 5-foot-7 junior Keon Johnson, who leads the Big South in scoring at 21.3 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore guard/forward Xavier Cooks is a versatile presence at 6-foot-8, averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

And the Eagles further bolstered their roster this season with some impact newcomers, including Jimmy Gavin, a graduate transfer from Division II Wisconsin-Parkside averaging 16.2 points per game, and intriguing 6-foot-10, 250-pound senior center Zach Price. Price, who started his collegiate career at Louisville before transferring to Missouri and ultimately being dismissed from the program there for off-the-court issues, is contributing 6.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Altogether, Winthrop is leading the Big South in scoring at 85.1 points per game while ranking last in points allowed at 80.3 per contest.

The Eagles and Chants have split their last 10 meetings, but Coastal Carolina has won seven of the last nine played in Conway – including wins of 76-61 and 81-70 in those last two Big South championship games.

Meanwhile, the Chants will also be trying to deliver Ellis his 700th win as a Division I head coach Saturday.

His message to the team after the loss Thursday night was to quickly put it behind them and refocus for what looks to be one of the tougher challenges in the league this year.

“A lot of 3-point shooters, they’ve got big guys inside, it’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “We’ve got to put this one behind us. With Keon Johnson, who’s having a great year, we’ve got to come out and play. ... Championships are going to be won on the road, but you can’t lose them at home.”

This story was originally published January 1, 2016 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Winthrop visits CCU for anticipated conference clash."